called Balineum as appears from this Inscription which was hence convey'd to Connington to the house of the most famous and learned Sir Robert Cotton Knight DAE .. FORTVNAE Instead of Deae Fortunae VIRIVS LVPVS LEG AVG PR PR BALINEVM VI IGNIS EXVST VM COH I. THR ACVM REST ITVIT CVRANTE VAL. FRON TONE PRAE F EQ ALAE VETTO Here I must correct an errour in those who from a false draught of this Inscription which has it Balingium corruptly for Balineum imagine the place to have been call'd Balingium whereas upon a close inspection it is plainly Balineum in the stone a word used for Balneum by the ancients as the learned know very well who are not ignorant that Baths were as much us'd by the Souldiers as any others both for the sake of health and cleanliness for daily in that age they were wont to wash before they eat and also that Baths both publick and private were built at such a lavish rate every where Seneca See Flintshire that any one thought himself poor and mean that had not the walls of his Bath adorn'd with great and costly * Orbibus Rosses In these men and women washed promiscuously together tho' that was often prohibited both by the Laws of the Emperours and Synodical Decrees In the decline of the Roman Empire a †Numerus Exploratorum Band of the Exploratores with their Praefect under the command of the * Dacis Britanniae Captain of Britain had their station here as is manifest from the Notitia where it is nam'd Lavatres Now seeing these Baths were also call'd Lavacra by the Latins perhaps some Critick or other will imagine that this place was call'd Lavatrae instead of Lavacra yet I should rather derive it from that little river running hard by which I hear is call'd Laver. This modern name Bowes seeing the old Town was burnt to the ground according to a tradition among the Inhabitants seems to me to be deriv'd from that accident For that which is burnt with fire is call'd by the Britains Boeth and so the Suburbs of Chester beyond the Dee call'd by the English Hanbridge is nam'd by the Welsh or Britains from its being burnt down in a Welsh in-road Treboth that is a little town burnt Here begins that mountainous and vast tract always expos'd to winds and rain which from its being rough and stony is call'd by the Inhabitants Stanemore Stanemore for it is quite throughout solitary but for one Inn in the middle of it for the entertainment of Travellers 5 Call'd the Spittle on Stane more Spittle on Stanemore and near this is the remainder of a Cross which we call Rere-cross Rere-cross and the Scots Rei-cross that is a Royal Cross Hector Boetius a Scotchman says this stone was set as a boundary between England and Scotland when William the first gave Cumberland to the Scots upon this condition that they should hold it of him by fealty and attempt nothing that might be to the prejudice of the Crown of England Somewhat lower just by the Roman Military way was a small Roman Fort of a square form which is now call'd Maiden-castle Maiden-castle From hence as I had it from the Borderers this Military Roman way went with many windings to Caer Vorran As the favour of Princes inclin'd there have been several Earls of Richmond Earls of Richmond and of different families of whom with as much accuracy and clearness as I can I will give this following account in their due order 6 The first Earls were out of the house of Little Britain in France whose descent is confusedly intricate amongst their own Writers for that there were two principal Earls at once one of Haulte Britain and another of Base Britain for many years and every one of their children had their part in Gavelkind and were stil'd Earls of Britain without distinction But of these the first Earl of Richmond according to our Writings and Records was Alane sirnam'd Feregaunt that is The Red son of Hoel Earl of Britain descended from Hawise great Aunt to William the Conquerour who gave this Country unto him by name of the Lands of Earl Eadwin in Yorkshire and withal bestowed his daughter upon him by whom he had no issue He built Richmond-castle as is before specified to defend himself from disinherited and out-law'd English men in those parts and dying left Britain to his son Conan le Grosse by a second wife But Alane the Black son of Eudo son of Geffrey Earl of Britain and Hawise aforesaid succeeded in Richmond and he having no child left it to Stephen his brother This Stephen begat Alane sirnam'd Le Sâ—vage his son and successour who assisted King Stephen against Maude the Empress in the battel at Lincoln and married Bertha one of the heirs of Conan le Gross Earl of Hault Britain by whom he had Conan le Perit Earl of both Britains by hereditary right as well as of Richmond He by the assistance of K. Henry the second of England dispossessed Eudo Vicount of Porhoet his father-in-law who usurp'd the title of Britain in right of the said Bertha his wife and ended his life leaving only one daughter Constance by Margaret sister to Malcolme King of the Scots Geffrey third son to King Henry the second of England was advanced by his father to the marriage of the said Constance whereby he was Earl of Britain and Richmond and begat of her Arthur who succeeded him and as the French write was made away by King John his Uncle Alan Rufus Earl of Britain in Armorica Alan Niger to whom William the Conquerour gave this shire Stephen Earl of Britain his brother Alan Earl of Britain About this time Overus de St. Martino is mention'd as Earl of Richmond the son of Stephen Conanus Earl of Britain his son who by the assistance of Henry the second King of England recover'd Britain from his Father-in-law the Sheriff of Porhoet possessed of it Geoffrey Plantagenet son of Henry the second King of England who first married Constantia only daughter of Conanus Arthur his son who is said to have been made away by King John Upon this account John was certainly impeach'd by the French as Duke of Normandy who pass'd Sentence upon him tho' he was absent unheard had made no confession and was not convict Normandâ— taken froâ— the King 〈◊〉 England so they adjudg'd him depriv'd of Normandy and his hereditary Lands in France Whereas he had publickly promis'd to stand to the judgment of Paris and answer to the death of Arthur who as his liege subject had taken an oath of Allegiance to him yet had broken the same raised a rebellion and was taken prisoner in the war In these times the question was bandied Whether the Peers of France could be Judges of a King anointed and by consequence their Superiour seeing every greater dignity as it
at this day Garnsey Garnsey perhaps Granonâ— by transposal of letters which the Notitia mentions in Armorica running from east to west in the form of a harp but much inferior to the Caesarea aforesaid both in extent and fruitfulness for it has only 10 parishes Yet in this respect that nothing venomous will live here 't is to be preferr'd to the other Nature has also fortified it much better being fenced quite round with a ridge of steep rocks among which is found smyris a very hard sharp stone which we call Emeril wherewith Lapidaries polish and shape jewels and Glaziers cut glass This Island has also a better haven and greater concourse of Merchants For almost in the farthest point eastward but on the south side the shore falls in like a half moon and thereby makes a bay capable of receiving very large ships Upon which stands S. Peter a little town consisting of one long and narrow street which has a good magazine and is throng'd with merchants upon the breaking out of any war For by an ancient priviledge of the Kings of England this place enjoys a kind of perpetual truce so that in times of war the French or any others may come hither without danger and trade with their commodities The mouth of the haven which is pretty well set with rocks is defended by a castle on each side on the left by an old castle and on the right by another they call the Cornet standing just opposite upon a high rock and encompassed by the sea when the tide is in This in Queen Mary's time was repaired by Sir Leonard Chamberlan Kt. and Governor of the Island and has been since strengthen'd with new works by Thomas Leighton his successor 5 Under Queen Elizabeth Here lives generally the Governor of the Island with a garison to defend it who suffer neither French-men nor women to enter upon any pretence whatsoever On the north-side joins La Val a Peninsula which had a Priory or Convent in it In the west part near the sea there is a lake of a mile and a half in compass well stored with fish Carp especially which for size and taste are very much commended The Inhabitants are not so industrious in improving their grounds as the people of Jersey but yet they follow navigation and commerce for a more uncertain gain with much toil and application Every man here takes care to till his own land by himself only so that the whole Island is enclosure which is not only of great profit to them but secures them against a common enemy Both Islands are adorned with many gardens and orchards so that they generally use a wine made of * Pyris Apples which some call Sisera we Cydre The Inhabitants of both are originally either Normans or Britains but they speak French Yet they will not suffer themselves to be thought or called French without disdain and willingly hear themselves counted English Both Islands use Uraic for fewel or else sea-coal from England They enjoy great plenty of fish and have both of them the same form of government These with other Islands hereabouts belonged formerly to Normandy but after Henry the first King of England had defeated his brother Robert in the year 1108 he annexed Normandy and these Islands to the Crown of England From that time they have stedfastly adhered to England even at that juncture wherein King John was found guilty of the death of his nephew and by judgment thereupon was deprived of all Normandy which he held of the King of France and the whole Province revolted from him As also after that when King Henry the third sold his title to Normandy for a sum of money From that moment they have to their great honour continued firm in their allegiance to England and are all of William the Conqueror's inheritance and the Dukedom of Normandy that now remains in this Crown and that notwithstanding several attempts made upon them by the French who for this long time have hardly cast their eyes upon them from their own coast without envy 6 Aâ—d verily Evan a Welsh Gâ—ntleman descended from the Princes of Wales and serving the French King surprised Garnsey in the time of K ng Edward the thiâ—â— but soon lost it In Edward the 4th's reign it appears by the Records of the Kingdom that they got possession of Guernsey but were soon beat out again by the valour of Richard Harleston Valect of the Crown as they term'd them in those days for which the King rewarded him with the government of both the Island and the Castle Fâ—anciâ—a 16. Edw 4. Again likewise in the year 1549 the King being in minority and the Kingdom embroiled with civil wars Leo Strozzi commander of the French Galleys invaded this Isle but was repulsed with great loss and so this design vanished As for the Ecclesiastical State here they continued under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Constance in Normandy till within the memory of this age when he refused to abjure the Pope's authority in England as our Bishops had done From that time they were taken from the Diocess of Constance by Queen Elizabeth and laid to the Diocess of Winchester so that the Bishop of Winchester and his successors may exercise all the offices that pertain to an Episcopal Jurisdiction herein Yet their Church Discipline is according to that of Geneva introduced here by the French Ministers As for the Civil Customs of these Islands some of them are to be found in the Records of the Tower namely That King John instituted twelve Coroners upon oath to keep the rights and hold the pleas belonging to the Crown and granted for the security of the Islanders that their Bailiffs hence-forward * Per Visum by advice of the Coroners might plead without writ of Novel Disscisin made within the year without writ of Mordancaster within the year or brief De Dower likewise c. That the Jurors shall not defer their sentence in any cause above a year and that they shall be respected in Customs and other things as subjects born and not as foreigners Cl. 25 E. 3 An. 9. Ed. 3. But I leave these matters to such as may perhaps search more nicely into the detail of them observing only that the Customs of Normandy hold here in most cases Serke a small Island lying between these two Serk and fenced round with steep rocks lay desolate till J. de S. Owen of Jarsey the antiquity of whose family some I know not upon what authority assert to be above the times of S. Owen planted a Colony here upon a commission from Queen Elizabeth and other aims of private profit as the report goes As for Jethow Jethow which serveth the Governor instead of a Park to feed cattle and to keep deer rabbets and pheasants and Arme Arme. which is larger than Jethow and was first a solitary place for Franciscans these I say
Dignities were those of Dukes Marquisses Counts Captains Valvasors and Valvasins An hereditary title came but late into France not before Philip 3. King of France granted that for the future they should be called Dukes of Britain who were before stiled promiscuously Dukes and Counts But in England in the Norman times when the Norman Kings themselves were Dukes of Normandy there were none had that honour conferr'd upon them for a long time till Edward 3. created Edward his son Duke of Cornwall by a wreath on his head a ring on his finger and a A gold â—erge afâ—â—â—wards â—â—me into 〈◊〉 and a †silver verge as the Dukes of Normandy were formerly by a sword and a banner delivered to them and afterwards by girding the sword of the Dutchy and by a circlet of gold garnished on the top with little golden roses And the same King Edward 3. â—t Paris â—cernâ— John â—aâ—ed D. Norâ—â—ndy created his two sons Leonel Duke of Clarence and John Duke of Lancaster in Parliament By the putting on a sword setting upon their heads a furr'd cap with a circle of gold set with pearls and by the delivery of a Charter After this he created several and there have been now and then hereditary Dukes made in this Kingdom with such like expressions in the Charter the name title state stile place seat preheminence honour authority and dignity of a Duke we give and grant and do really invest you with them by the putting on a sword setting a cap with a golden circle upon your head and the delivery of a golden verge â—â—rquis A MARQUISS i.e. g From the Saxon mearc a bound and mearcan mearcian to set out mark distinctly c. in the same language according to the import of the word one set to guard the limits is a title of honour the second from a Duke This title we had but late none being invested with it before the time of Richard 2. For he created his darling Robert Vere Earl of Oxford Marquiss of Dublin and that was merely titular For those who were formerly to secure the frontiers were commonly called Lord Marchers and not Marquisses as we now stile them They are created by the King by girding on a sword putting on a Cap of honour and dignity 1 With the Coronet Hol. and delivering a Charter And here I shall take the liberty of relating what I find register'd in the Parliament-rolls â—â—m 4. When John de Beaufort Earl of Somerset was made Marquiss of Dorset by Richard 2. and was deprived of that title by Henry 4. the Commons of England in Parliament made an humble Request to the King that he would restore to him the title of Marquiss but he himself opposed his own cause and openly declared that it was an upstart dignity altogether unknown to our Ancestors and therefore that he did not by any means desire it nay utterly refused it â—â—s The EARLS which hold the third place we seem to have had from our German Ancestors For as Tacitus tells us they had always â—â—mites Earls attending their Princes to furnish them with counsel and to gain them authority But others are of opinion that both the Franks and we received them from the Romans For the Emperors after the Empire was come to its height began to keep about them a sort of domestick Senate which was call'd Caesar's †Comitatus retinue and these by whose counsel they acted in war and peace were called Comites Attendants from whence we find it common in old Inscriptions Comiti Impp. This name in a few years prevailed so much that all Magistrates had the name of Comites * Qui sacrum Comitatum observarunt Parati ad Cod. who gave their attendance at the said Council or had been of it insomuch that it was afterwards extended to all who had the supervisal of any business and Suidas as Cujacius has told us defined Comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Governour of the people From whence also we gather that before Constantine the Great the name of Comes was not used to denote Dignity But he modelling the Roman government by new distinctions and endeavouring to oblige as many as possible by bestowing honours upon them first instituted the title of Comes as barely honorary without any duty nay there were certain rights and privileges annex'd to that title as to accompany the Prince not only when he appeared in publick but also in his palace and private retirements to be admitted to his table and to his secret consultations Upon which we read in Epiphanius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i.e. Who also had obtained of the King the Dignity of a Count. At length such as had the favour of this title had other honours conferr'd upon them to which some duty was annext and again to those who were before in Offices and were engaged in the affairs of State he added this piece of honour 2 Comes domesticorum Lord Great Master of the Houshold Comes sacrarum largitiâ—num Lord High Treasurer Comes sacrae vestis Master of the Wardrobe Comes Stabuli Master of the Horse Comes Thesauri Tresurer Comes Orientis Lieutenant of the East Comes Britannia Comes Africa c. Hol. Hereupon the name of Count implied both Dignity and Government and being at first but temporary it was afterwards for term of life But when the Roman Government was divided into several Kingdoms this title was still retained and our Saxons call'd those in Latin Comites which in their own tongue were named Ealdormen The same persons were stil'd by the Danes in their language Eorlas i.e. honourable men Eorles at this day Earles P. Pithaeus in his Memorabilia Campania as Ethelwerd tells us and by a little melting of that word we call them at this day Earls And for a long time they were simply so called till at last an addition was made of the place's name over which they had jurisdiction But still this Dignity was not yet hereditary The first hereditary Earls in France by the way were the Earls of Bretagne But when William the Norman and Conqueror had in his hands the Government of this Kingdom the Earls began to be Feudal hereditary and patrimonial and those too as appears from Domesday were stil'd simply Earls without any addition as Earl Hugh Earl Alan Earl Roger c. Afterwards as appears by ancient Records the Earls were created with an addition of the name of the place and had every third penny of the County assigned them For instance Mawd the Empress daughter and heir of King Henry 1. created an Earl by this form of words as is manifest from the very Charter now in my hands I Mawd daughter of K. Henry and Governess of the English do give and grant to Gaufred de Magnavilla for his service and to his heirs after him hereditarily the Earldom of Essex and that he have the third penny out
of the great Magistrates of this Realm the Chancellor aforesaid the Treasurer the President of the Council the Keeper of the Privy Seal the Lord Chamberlain the Lord High Constable the Lord Marshal the Steward of the King's House c. But since I hear that this is design'd by another hand I am so far from offering to forestall it that I 'll willingly without more ado even impart to the Undertaker whatever observations I have already made upon those heads A posthumous Discourse concerning the Etymologie Antiquity and Office of Earl Marshal of England By Mr. Camden SUCH is the uncertainty of Etymologies that Arguments drawn from them are of least force and therefore called by an ancient Grecian 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as proofs only which do nothing but set a good face on the matter Nevertheless when as Plato will have them admitted if there be a consonancy and correspondence between the name and the thing named we will produce three Etymologies of this word Marshall wherein the name is or hath been answerable to the Office in some part or other in signification For the word Marescallus is used for a principal officer in the court in the camp for a Ferrar and an Harbinger The Germans from whom the word was first borrowed called him Marescalk the Latins mollifying the same Marescallus the office Marescalcia The French Marescaux and we Marshall All deduced from the German Marescalk which according to the received opinion is compounded of Mare or mark which do both say they signify an Horse and Scalk which doth not signifie skilful as some will but an Officer Servant or Attendant So Godschalck is interpreted God's servant and in the old German nunc dimittas servum this word Servus is translated Scalk So that joyntly the word notifieth an officer and attendant about horses This Etymology is confirmed first ex legibus Allamannorum si quis Marescallus qui 12 equis praeest occidit 4. solidis componat Then out of Choniates who writing the life of Baldwin Emperor of Constantinople saith that this word Marescaldos noteth him whom the Grecians called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which according to the name doth signifie him which marcheth foremost before the Army To maintain this Etymology they say it may not seem strange that so high an office as it is now should be derived from horses when as all preferment in ancient time as one saith had the first rise from the Stable and such as were there brought up proved most serviceable horsemen and many other names which time hath advanced to high dignity had very mean and small originals But this Etymology lieth open to some objections as that the Marshals now have no command over the horses or stable but certain it is that in divers offices albeit the functions are altered the name remaineth And as Varro writeth Equiso among the Latins doth not only signifie Master and Ruler of the horses but also of all other things committed to his charge so accordingly it is to be supposed this word Marshal not only to signifie an Officer of Horses but also of other Civil and Military matters appropriated to his function It is said also that Mare doth not signifie an Horse in the German tongue but as in ours that which is more ignoble in that kind and that names are to be imposed à potiori And albeit it is most certain out of Pausanias that Mare signified an Horse to the old Gauls as it doth still to our Britains their descendants yet they say it is unfitting to compound one word of two different Languages But Quintilian sheweth the contrary in Epirhedium Anti-cato Biclinium Epitogium being compounded of Greek Latin and other Tongues and to this Etymology do they incline which will have the Marshal to be called in Latin Magister Equitum rather than Tribunus Militum There is also another deduction of Marshal from Maer the Latin word Major and Sala which signifieth a Kings-Court in the High-Dutch for that they were Magistri domus and principal officers for ordering the Court. There is a third derivation of this name from Marke as it signifieth a Marche bound or limit and Scalck which is Minister as we said before From Mark in this sense we have Marchio for a Lord Marcher and Mark-grave in the very same sense and therefore he relieth upon this opinion which calleth the Marshal in Latin Praetor comitatus Augustalis as being the civil Judge within the limits of the Court which we call now the Verse for that the Verge or Rod of the Marshal's authority sretcheth so far and they also which have the Marshal call'd in Latin Designator castrorum for it was incident to his office to be as it were an harbinger and to appoint limits and lodgings both in war and peace Of these Etymologies happily one may be true happily none When this word entred first into England I cannot resolve I do not find that our Saxons used it or any other name equivalent unto it unless it was Stal-here which signifieth Master of the Stable but that may seem rather answerable to the name of Constable yet Esgar who was Stal-here to King Edward the Confessor writeth himself in a donation to Waltham Regiae Procurator aulae whereas William Fitz-Osborne in the Chronicles of Normandy is called the Marshal I believe that William Tailleur the Author spake according to the time he lived in and not according to the time he wrote of Fauchet a learned-man in the French Antiquities saith the name of Marshal was first heard about the time of Lewis le Grosse who was in time equal to our King Henry the first and Stephen of England and from thence doubtless we borrowed that name as many other The first author that used the word in England was Petrus Blesensis Chancellor as he was then called but indeed Secretary to King Henry the second of England who used this word Marescallus for an Harbinger in these words complaining of them Epistolâ 14. Vidi plurimos qui Marescallis manum porrexerunt liberalem hi dum hospitium post longi fatigationem itineris cum plurimo labore quaesissent cum adhuc essent eorum epulae semicrudae aut cum jam fortè sederent in mensâ quandoque etiam cum jam dormirent in stratis Marescalli supervenientes in superbiâ abusione abscissis equorum capistris ejectisque foras sine delectu non sine jactura sarcinalis eos ab hospitiis turpitèr expellebant The first mention that I find of a Marshal in record is in the red book of the Exchequer written in the time of Henry the second which hath reference unto the time of King Henry the first Regis avus that is Henry the first fecffavit Wiganum Marescallum suum de tenementis quae de eo tenuit per servitium Marescalciae suae Rex reddidit ea Radulpho filio Wigani tanquam Marescallo suo What Marshal this was I cannot determine The second mention of
of the Mercians adorned it with a noble Church in which her self lyes intomb'd Not long after when the whole County was ravaged by the Danes these sacred Virgins were forc'd to depart and the Danes as Aethelwerd that ancient Author writeth after many turns and changes of war set up their tents at Gleuu-cester Now those ancient Churches having been ruin'd in these calamitous times Aldred Archbishop of York and Bishop of Worcester erected a new one for Monks which is the present Cathedral and hath a Dean and six Prebendaries belonging to it Which Church in former ages receiv'd great additions and ornaments from several Benefactors for J. Hanly and T. Farley Abbots added the V. Mary's Chapel Nicholas Morwent built the western front from the ground very beautiful b Thomas G. Horton Abbot joyned to it the northern cross Isle Abbot c Frowcester Trowcester built the curious neat Cloysters and Abbot Sebrook the great and stately Tower The south Isle was rebuilt with the offerings that devout people made at the shrine of King Edward 2. who lyes here interr'd in an Alabaster tomb And not far from him lyes in the middle of the Quire the unfortunate Robert Curt-hose the eldest son of William the Conqueror Duke of Normandy in a wooden monument 7 Who was bereft of the Kingdom of England for that he was born before his Father was King depriv'd of his two s ns the one by strange death in the N. Forest the other despoiled of the Earldom of Flanders his inheritance and slain he himself dispossessed of the Dukedom of Normandy by his Brother K. Henry 1. his eyes pluck'd out and kept close Prisoner 26 years without contumelious indignities until through extream anguish he ended his life Beyond the Quire in an Arch of the Church there is a wall built with so great artifice in the form of a semicircle with corners that if any one whisper very low at one end and another lay his ear to the other end he may easily hear each distinct syllable k In the reign of William the Conqueror and before the chief trade of the city was forging of Iron for as it is mention'd in Doomsday book there was scace any other tribute requir'd by the King than certain d A Dicar of Iron contain'd to barrs Blunt's Tenures Icres of Iron and Iron bars for the use of the Royal Navy and a few pints of Honey After the coming in of the Normans it suffer'd some calamities when England was all in a flame by the Barons wars being plunder'd by Edward the son of Henry 3. and after almost laid in ashes by a casual fire But now by the blessing of a continued peace it doth prosper and reflourish and having the two adjacent hundreds added to it is made a County of it self and is call'd The County of the City of Glocester l And Henry 8. in the memory of our Fathers augmented the state thereof by erecting an Episcopal See with which dignity as Geoffry of Monmouth saith it was formerly honour'd and I have reason not to question the truth of this assertion m since the Bishop of * Câ—osis Cluve is reckon'd among the British Prelates which name being deriv'd from Clevum or Glow doth in part confirm my conjecture that this is the Glevum mention'd by Antoninus n The river Severne having now left Glocester o and uniting its divided streams 8 Windeth it self by Elmore a Mansion House of the Gises ancient by their own lineal discent being in elder times owners of Apseley-Gise near Brickhill and from the Beauchamps of Holt who acknowledge Hubert de Burgo Earl of Kent whom I lately mentioned benâ—ficious to them and testifie the same by their Armories Lower upon the same side Stroud a pretty river slideth into Severne out of Coteswold by Stroud a Market-town sometimes better peopled with Clothiers and not far from Minching-Hampton which anciently had a Nunnery or belonged to Nuns whom our Ancestors named Minchings waxeth broader and deeper by the ebbing and flowing of the tyde it rages like the aestuation of the sea towards which it hastens with frequent turnings and windings But in its course toucheth upon nothing memorable except Cambridge Cambridg a e It has only five or six houses small Country-hamlet where Cam a little river runs into it f Where this action is mention'd by the Saxon-Annals it is said to have been at Cambridge which is prov'd rather to be Bridgnorth in Shropshire See the County under that title at which bridge as Aethelwerd writeth when the Danes passed over by filing off laden with rich spoils the west Saxons and Mercians receiv'd them with a bloody encounter in Woodnesfield in which Healfden Cinuil and Inguar three of their Princes were slain On the same side of the river not much lower standeth Berkley Berkeys in the Saxon tongue Beorkenlau eminent for a strong Castle and its Mayor who is the chief Magistrate as also for the Lords thereof the Barons of Barkley of an ancient and noble family 9 Descended from Robert Fitz-Harding to whom King Henry 2. gave this place and Barkley Hearnes Out of this house descended many Knights and Gentlemen of signal note of which was William Baron of Barkley 10 Who was honoured by King Edward 4. with the style of Viscount Barkley by King Richard the 3. with the Honour of Earl of Nottingham in regard of his mother daughter of Thomas Mowbray Duke of Norfolk and Earl of Nottingham and by King Henry 7. with the office of Marshal of England and dingity of Marquess Barkley who in the reign of Henry 7. was made Viscount and Marquess Barkley E. of Nottingham and Marshal of England but because he died without issue those titles ceased with him p If you would know by what stratagem Godwyn Earl of Kent Earl G dwyn's 〈◊〉 a man fit and prepar'd for any wicked design got the possession of this place take this short account of Walter Mapes who lived 400 years since for it is not unworthy the Reader 's perusal Berkley is a village near Severne of the yearly value of 500 l. in which was a Nunnery govern'd by an Abbess that was both noble and beautiful Earl Godwin a notable subtle man not desiring her but hers as he pass'd by left his nephew a young * That this is not the original of the name is plain from the Saxon Bricgstow which plainly points out to us a bridge or passage over the river proper handsom spark as if seized with sickness till he should return back thither and instructed him to counterfeit an indisposition till he had gotten all who came to visit him both Lady Abbess and Nuns with child And to carry on the intreague more plausibly and more effectually to obtain the favour of their visits the Earl furnish'd him with rings and girdles that by those presents he might the more easily corrupt and gain their inclinations There needed
ridge to the north and separate this County of Oxon from that of Bucks at the foot whereof are seated many little towns of which the most remarkable are Watlington a small Market-town belonging formerly to Robert D'oily tt Shirburne Shirburne where was heretofore a small Castle of the Quatremans now a seat of the Chamberlains descended from the Earls of Tankervil who bearing the office of Chamberlain to the Dukes of Normandy their posterity laying aside the old name of Tankervil call'd themselves Chamberlains from the said office which their Ancestors enjoy'd 24 To omit Edgar Algar and other English-Saxons Official Earls of Oxford The title of Earl of Oxford Earls of Oxford has long flourisht in the family of Vere who derive their pedigree from the Earls of Guisnes and their name from the town of Vere in Zealand They owe the beginning of their greatness in England to K. Henry the first who advanced Alberic de Vere for his great prudence and integrity to several places of honour and profit as to be Chamberlain of England and Portreve of the City of London and to his son Henry Duke of Normandy son of the daughter of King Henry and right heir to England and Normandy this was the title he used before his establishment in this kingdom to divert him from King Stephen who had usurpt the Crown and to oblige him to his own party he granted and restor'd the office of Chamberlain which he had lost in those civil wars and offer'd him the choice of these four Earldoms Dorset Wilts Berks and Oxon. And after this Maud the Empress and her son Henry then in possession of the Throne by their several Charters created him Earl of Oxford Of his posterity not to mention every particular person the most eminent were these that follow Robert de Vere who being highly in favour with King Richard the second was by him advanct to the new and unheard of honours of Marquess of Dublin and Duke of Ireland of which he left as one well observes nothing but some gaudy titles to be inscribed upon his tomb and matter of discourse and censure to the world For soon after through the envy of the other Courtiers he was degraded and miserably ended his life in banishment 25 John the first of that name so trusty and true to the House of Lancaster that both he and his son and heir Aubrey lost their heads therefore together in the first year of King Edward 4. John de Vere a man of great ability and experience in the arts of war and as eminent for his constant fidelity to the Lancastrian party fought often in the field against K. Edward the fourth for some time defended St. Michael's mount and was the chief assistant to King Henry the seventh in obtaining the Crown Another John in the reign of Henry the eighth in all parts of his life so temperate devout and honest that he was distinguisht by the name of John the Good He was great Grandfather to the present Earl Henry the eighteenth Earl of this family and Grandfather to the two noble Brothers Francis and Horatio Vere who by their admirable courage and military conduct and their many brave and fortunate exploits in the Low-Countries have added no small lustre to their ancient and honourable family This County contains 280 Parish Churches ADDITIONS to OXFORDSHIRE a THE County of Oxford call'd by the more early Saxons Oxna-ford-scyre and afterwards Oxen-ford-scyre does by its situation particularly the north-east parts of it Otmore and the adjacent places exactly answer the original of * See Camd. at the beginning Glocestershire Dobuni as lying low and level Though most parts of it bear corn very well yet its greatest glory is the abundance of meadows and pastures to which the rivers add both pleasure and convenience For beside the five more considerable ones the Thames Isis Cherwell Evenlode and Windrush †Plot. p. 18. it has at least threescore and ten of an inferiour rank without including the smaller brooks What our Author says of the hills being clad with woods is so much alter'd by the late Civil wars that few places except the Chiltern-country can answer that character at present for fuel is in those parts so scarce that 't is commonly sold by weight not only at Oxford but other towns in the northern parts of the shire b To follow our Author Burford Buâ—ford in Saxon Beorgford not Beorford as it is famous for the battel mention'd by our Author fought probably on the plaâ—e call'd Battle-edge west of the town so also for a Council conven'd there by the Kings Etheldred and Berthwald An. 685. at which among many others Aldhelm Abbot of Malmsbury afterwards Bishop of Shirburne being present was commanded by the Synod to write a Book against the error of the Brittish Churches in the observation of Easter Which I the rather take notice of here because Sir Henry Spelman calls it only Synodus Merciana An. 705. without fixing any certain place or the exact time whereas both are evident from ‖ De Pontif. lib. 5. Malmsbury and the Leiger-book of that Abby There has been a Custom in the town * Plot. p. 349. of making a Dragon yearly and carrying it up and down the streets in a great jollity on Midsummer-eve which is the more remarkable because it seems to bear some relation to what our Author says of Cuthred's taking from the enemy a banner wherein was painted a golden Dragon only to the Towns-men's Dragon there is a Giant added for what reason not known c Next is Ensham Ensham in Saxon Egonesham the eminence whereof in those times is confirm'd by the early mention of it and by Aethelred's Charter mention'd by our Author which terms it Locus celebris Here it was that in the year 1009. the same King Aethelred by the advice of Alphege Arch-bishop of Canterbury and Wulstan Arch-bishop of York held a General Council wherein many Decrees were establisht relating to the government of Church and State it is call'd by †Concil â— â— p. 510. Sir Henry Spelman Aenham c Our next guide is the river Evenlode not far from which near Chastleton is a Fortification which the learned Dr. Plot imagines might be cast up about the year 1016. when Edmund Ironside met Canute the Dane Châ—stâ—eton but if that conjecture be built purely upon its being near the Four-shire-stone which generally goes for the old dceorstan where the battle was fought the place of the battle being ‖ See Aâ—â—â— to Wâ—tshire undeâ— Shâ—râ—â—â— as it probably ought remov'd from this place that opinion is destroy'd d More to the North is the Monument of Roll-rich R ll-rich-stones * Plot. p. â—â— a single Circle of stones without Epistyles or Architraves and of no very regular figure †〈◊〉 Except one or two the rest of them are not above four foot and a half high What the
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
I cannot tell The Saxon Annals call it Lygeanburh except Laud's Copy which calls it Lygeanbyrig and Florence of Worcester confirms the reading when he terms it Liganburh the later writers call it Lienberig Lienberi The placing it at Loughburrow seems to draw Cuthwulf too far out of his road for the next town he took was Ailesbury and 't is strange that in such a great distance he should not make an attempt upon some other The manner of his progress seems to favour Leighton in Bedfordshire See that County That this Loughborrow was that royal Vill in the Saxon tongue calld Lieganburge which Marianus says Cuthulfus took from the Britains in the year of Christ 572 the affinity of the names does in some sort evince At present it is justly esteem'd the second town of all this County next to Leicester as well in respect of its bigness and buildings as the pleasant woods about it For near the side of this town the forest of Charnwood Charnwood Forest or Charley q The forest of Charley is 20 miles in compass Lel. Itin. p 14. See a larger description of it in Burton's Leicestersh pag. 69. spreads it self a long way Within the bounds whereof is Beaumanour Park which the Lords Beaumonts enclos'd as I have heard with a stone-wall 17 These Beaumonts descended from a younger son of John Count of Brene in France who for his high honour and true valour was preferr'd to marry the heir of the kingdom of Jerusalem and with great pomp crown'd King of Jerusalem in the year of our Lord 1248. Hence it is that we see the Arms of Jerusalem so often quarter'd with those of Beaumont in sundry places of England Sir Hâ—n Beaumont was the first that planted himself in England about the year 1308. Which Lords were descended as is commonly believ'd of a French family certain it is that they come from John de Brenne King of Jerusalem and that they first settled in England about the reign of Edw. 1. And by marriage with the daughter of Alexander Comyn Earl of Boghan in Scotland whose mother was one of the heirs of Roger de Quincy Earl of Winchester they got a very plentiful inheritance and became a great family Of which family Viscounts Beaumont in the reign of King Edward 3. Henry was for several years summoned to Parliament by the name of Earl of Boghan and in the reign of Hen. 6. John was for a time Constable of England and the first in England The first honorary Viscount in England that I know of whom the King advanc'd to the honour of a Viscount But when William the last Viscount dy'd without issue his sister became the wife of the Lord Lovel and the whole inheritance which was large was afterwards confiscated for High Treason 18 By attainder of Loved it fell into the hands of King Henry 7. In this north part nothing else occurs worth mentioning unless it be a small Nunnery founded by Roifia de Verdon and call'd Grace-dieu 19 Now belonging to a younger house of the Beaumonts that is God's grace and not far from thence by the stream of Trent Dunnington Dunnington an ancient Castle built by the first Earls of Leicester which afterwards came to John Lacy Earl of Lincoln who procur'd it the privilege of a Market and Fairs from Edw. 1. But when in the proscription of the Barons under Ed. 2. the possessions of the proscribed were sequester'd and alienated the King gave this manour to Hugh le Despenser the younger 20 The hereditaments of Thomas Earl of Lancaster and Alice Lacy his wife were seiz'd into the King's hands and alienated in divers sorts the King enforc'd her to release this manour to Hugh le Dispenser the younger h The east part of this County which is hilly and feedeth a vast number of sheep was heretofore adorned with two principal places of great note Vernometum or Verometum mention'd by Antoninus and Burton-Lazers of great account in former ages Vernometum Vernometum â—â—â—rometâ—â— the name whereof is lost at this day seems to me to have been situated in that place which is now call'd Burrow-hill and Erdburrow for between Verometum and Ratae according to Antoninus were twelve miles and there is almost so much between this place and Leicester The present name also of Burrows which signify'd among the Saxons a fortify'd place comes from Burgh 21 And under it a town call'd Burrough belonging to an old family of Gentlemen so sirnam'd But the most considerable proof is that the ground is a steep hill on all sides but the south-east on the top of which remains the manifest appearance of a town destroy'd a double trench and the track where the walls went which enclosed about 18 acres of land At this day it is * Resâ—â—â— arable ground and noted on this account chiefly that the youth of the neighbouring parts meet here yearly for wrestling and such like exercises i One may conjecture from the name that some great Temple of the Heathen Gods hath formerly stood in this place For in the ancient Language of the Gauls which was the same with that of the Britains Vernometum Vernometum what it signâ—â—â—s in the oâ—d Gâ—ulish signifies a great and spacious Temple as Venantius Fortunatus plainly tells us of Vernometum a town in France in these verses in his first book of Poems Nomine Vernometum voluit vocitare vetustas Quod quasi fanum ingens Gallica lingua sonat The Gauls when Vernomet they call'd the place Did a great Temple by the word express As for Burton call'd for distinction Lazers Burton-lazers from Lazers so they nam'd the Elephantiaci or Lepers it was a rich Hospital to the Master of which all the lesser Lazer-houses in England were in some sort subject as he himself was to the Master of the Lazers of Jerusalem r It was founded about the time of K. Hen. 1. and as Leland saith Tom. 1. p. 69. by the Lord Mowbray for a Master and 8 brethren which did profess the Order of St. Austin See Burton's Leicestersh p. 63. It is said to have been built in the beginning of the Normans by a general collection throughout England but chiefly by the assistance of the Mowbrays About which time the Leprosie Leprosie in England by some call'd Elephantiasis 22 Because the skins of Lepers are like to those of Elephants did run by infection over all England And it is believ'd that the disease did then first come into this Island out of Egypt which more than once had spread it self into Europe first in the days of Pompey the Great afterwards under Heraclius and at other times as may be seen in History 23 Whether by celestial influence or other hidden causes I leave to the learned but never so far as I read did it before that time appear in England Besides these places of greater note and fame we
they destroy'd every thing they could meet with burnt to the ground From that time they began to build nearer a green hill by the river upon which stands a castle not very great nor ancient but fair built and strong and upon the very hill stands a Church the only one in the town where the Monks aliens had a cell heretofore 7 Founded by Roger of Poictiers Below this at a very fine bridge over the Lone on the stoâ—pest side of the hill there hangs a piece of a very ancient wall which is Roman they call it Wery-wall probably from the later British name of the town for they nam'd this town Caer Werid that is a green 〈◊〉 from the green hill perhaps but I leave the fâ—râ—her discovery of this to others John Lord of Moâ—iton and Lancaste who was afterwards King of â—ngâ—and confirmed by charter all the liberties which he â—ad granted to the Burgesses of Bristow Edward the third in the 36th year of his reign granted to the Mâ—yor and Bailiffs of the village of Lancaster that Pleas and Sessions should be held no where else but there The latitude of this place not to omit it is 54 degrees 5 minutes and the longitude 20 degrees 48 minutes From the top of this hill while I look'd all round to see the mouth of the Lone which empties it self not much lower I saw Forness â—ournesse the other part of this County on the west which is almost sever'd from it by the sea for whereas the shore lay out a great way from hence westward into the ocean the sea as if it were enrag'd at it ceased not to slash and mangle it Nay it swallow'd it quite up at some boisterous tide or other and theâ—eby has made three large bays namely Kentsand which receives the river Ken Levensand Duddensand between which the land shoots oâ—t so much like a promontory into the sea that this 〈◊〉 oâ— the county takes its name from it 〈…〉 and Foreland signifie the same with us that proâ—â—â—â—tortâ—â— anterius that is a fore-promontory does in latiâ— l The whole tract except by the Sea-side is all high mountains and great rocks they call them Fornâ—ss-fâ—lls â—â—rnâ—sâ—e-Fells among which the Britains liv'd securely for a long time relying upon the fortifications wherewith nature had guarded them tho' nothing prov'd impregnable to the Saxon Conquerors For in the 228th year after the coming in of the Saxons we may from hence infer that the Britains lived here because at that time Egfrid King of the Northumbrians gave to S. Cuthbert the land called Carthmell Carthmell and all the Britains in it for so it is related in his life Now Carthmell every one knows was a part of this County near Kentsand and a little town in it keeps that very name to this day wherein William Mareschal the elder Earl of Pembroke built a Priory and endow'd it If in Ptolemy one might read Setantiorum Sâ—tâ—â—â—â—â—ruâ— Lacus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a lake as some books have it and not Sâ—tantiorum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a haven I would venture to affirm that the Britains in these parts were the Setantii for among those mountains lies the greatest lake in England now call'd Winander-mere Winamâ—â—rmere in Saxon WinÆ¿adremer perhaps from the windings in it about ten miles in length the bottom pav'd as it were with a continued rock wonderful deep in some places as the neighbouring Inhabitants tell you and well stor'd with a sort of fish no where else bred See the Aâ—dâ—â—â—â—ns tâ— Wâ—â—tmâ—â—land Câ—are a fiâ—h Hiâ—tâ—ry â—f Maâ—â—â— which they call Chare m Upon this lake stands a little town of the same name where in the year 792. Eathred King of the Northumbrians slew the sons of King Elfwold after he had taken them from York that by his own wickedness and their blood he might secure himself in the Kingdom Between this lake and the river Dudden is the promontory we commonly call Forness with the Island Walney like a Counterscarp lying along by it and a small arm of the sea between The entry to it is d This fort is quite ruinated defended by a Fort call'd The Pile of Fouldrey Piâ—e 〈◊〉 Fâ—uldâ—eâ— situate upon a rock in the middle of the water and built by the Abbot of Forness in the first year of King Edward the third Upon the promontory there is nothing to be seen but the ruins of Forness-Abbey 8 Of Câ—stercian Monks Lâ—b F â—â—sâ—â—nâ— which Stephen Earl of Bullen afterwards K. of England built in the year 1127. in a place formerly call'd Bekensgill or translated it rather from Tulket in Anderness Out of the Monks of this place and no where else as they themselves have related the Bishops of the Isle of Man which lyes over against it were wont by an ancient custom to be chosen this being the mother as it were of several Monasteries both in that Island and in Ireland n More to the East stands Aldingham Aldâ—â—ghâ—â— the ancient estate of the family of the Harringtons Hâ—â—â—â—gtâ—â—s to whom it came from the Flemmings by the Cancefelds and whose inheritance by a daughter went to William Bonvill 9 Of Somersetshire of Devonshire and by him at last to the Greys Marquisses of Dorset Somewhat higher lyes Ulverston Ulâ—â—â—â— to be mention'd upon this account that Edward the third gave a moiety of it to John Coupland one of the most warlike men of that age whom he also advanc'd to the honour of a Banneret for taking David the second King of Scots prisoner in a battel at Durham After his death the said King gave it with other great estates in these parts and with the title of Earl of Bedford to Ingleram Lord Coucy a Frenchman he having married his daughter Isabel and his Ancestors having been possess'd of great Revenues in England in right of Christian de Lindsey â—o As for those of the Nobility who have bore the title of Lancaster 〈…〉 there were three in the beginning of the Norman Government who had the title of Lords of the Honour of Lancaster namely Roger of Poictou the son of Roger Montgomery sirnam'd Pictavensis as William of Malmesbury says because his wife came out of Poictou in France But he being depriv'd of this honour for his disloyalty King Stephen conferr'd it upon his own son William Earl of Moriton and Warren Upon whose death King Richard the first bestow'd it upon John his brother who was afterwards King of England For thus we find it in an ancient History 〈…〉 King Richard shew'd great affection for his brother John For besides Ireland and the Earldom of Moriton in Normandy he bestow'd upon him such great preferments in England that he was in a manner a Tetrarch there For he gave him Cornwal Lancaster Nottingham Derby with the adjacent Country and many other things A pretty while after King Henry the third son of King John
V. M. Who this Apollo Grannus was and whence he had this denomination no one Antiquary to the best of my knowledge has ever yet told us But if I that am of the lowest form may give my sentiments I should say that Apollo Grannus amongst the Romans was the same as the Grecians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is having long locks For Isidore calleth the long hair of the Goths Granni But this may be lookt upon as foreign to my business Something lower near the Scottish Frith stands Edenborough â—â—â—â—boâ—â—â—gh called by the Irish-Scots Dun-Eaden that is Eaden Town which without doubt is the same that Ptolemy calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Castrum Alatum the winged Castle for Edenborough signifies certainly the same as Winged Castle Adain in the British denoting a Wing and Edenborough from a word compounded of the British and Saxon Tongue is nothing else but the Winged Borough From Wings therefore we are to derive its name which if you think good may be done either from those Squadrons of horse which are called Wings or else from those Wings which the Greek Architects call Pteromata that is as Vitruvius tells us two walls so rising up in height that they bear a resemblance of Wings For want of these a certain City of Cyprus was antiently as we read in the Geographers called Aptera that is Wingless But if any man hath a mind to believe it took its name from Ebrauk a Britain or from Heth a Pict he may for me I shall not be against it This City in regard of its more eminent situation the goodness of the air and fertility of the soil many of the Nobilities lofty Seats lying all round it its being water'd with excellent Springs and reaching from East to West a mile in length and half as much in breadth is justly counted the Metropolis of the whole Kingdom strongly walled adorned with publick and private buildings well peopled and frequented for the advantage of the Sea which the neighbouring Port at Leith affords And as it is honoured with the King's residence so is it the sacred repository of the Laws and chief tribunal of Justice For the high Court of Parliament is generally held here for the enacting or repealing of Laws as also the Session and the Courts of the King's Justice and of the Commissariat whereof I have already spoken are here settled On the East side joyning to Holy-Rood-Monastery stands the Palace Royal built by King David the first over which within a Park stored with game hangs a double-topt mountain called Arthur's Chair from Arthur the Britain On the West side there mounts up a rock to a mighty height steep and inaccessible on all sides but that which looks towards the City upon which a Castle stands so strongly fortified with a number of Towers that it is look'd upon as impregnable This the Britains called Castle Myned Agned the Scots the Maidens Castle and the Virgins Castle because the Princesses of the Blood-Royal of the Picts were here kept and the same may really be lookt upon as the Castrum Alatum or Winged Castle abovementioned How Edenborough by the vicissitudes of war has been subject sometimes to the Scots sometimes to the Saxons who inhabited this Eastern part of Scotland until it became wholly under the Scots Dominion in the year of our Lord 960. when the English Empire under the convulsions of the Danish Wars lay as it were expiring How likewise as it is in an old Book Of the Division of Scotland in the Library of the Right Honourable my Lord Burleigh late High-Treasurer of England In the Reign of Indulph Eden Town was * Vacuatum quitted and abandonned to the Scots to this present day and what different turns of fortune it felt afterwards the Historians relate from whom you are to be informed †In the mean time you may read See a fuller description of this place in the Additions if you please the ingenious Johnston's Verses in praise of Edenborough Monte sub acclivi Zephyri procurrit in auras Hinc Arx celsa illinc Regia clara nitet Inter utramque patet sublimibus ardua tectis Urbs armis animis clara frequensque viris Nobile Scotorum caput pars maxima regni Paenè etiam gentis integra Regna suae Rarae artes opes quod mens optaverit aut hic Invenias aut non Scotia tota dabit Compositum hic populum videas sanctumque senatum Sanctaque cum puro lumine jura Dei An quisquam Arctoi extremo in limite mundi Aut haec aut paria his cernere posse putet Dic Hospes postquam externas lustraveris urbes Haec cernens oculis credis an ipse tuis Beneath a Western hill's delightful brow The Castle hence and hence the Court we view The stately town presents it self between Renown'd for arms for courage and for men The kingdom's noblest part the lofty head Or the whole kingdom of the Scottish breed Wealth arts and all that anxious minds desire Or not in Scotland or you meet with here The people sober grave the Senate show The worship pure the faith divinely true In the last borders of the Northern coast What rival land an equal sight can boast These glories Trav'ler when at last you see Say if you don't mistrust your wondring eye And think it transport all and extasy A mile from hence lieth Leith Leith an excellent Haven upon the River Leith which when Monsieur Dessie had fortified with works to secure Edenborough by the conflux of people thither from a mean Village p It has in it several Manufactures it grew to a large Town Again when the French King Francis 2. had married Queen Mary of Scotland the French who then made themselves sure of Scotland and began now to gape after England in the year 1560 strengthned it with more fortifications But Q. Elizabeth of England upon the solicitation of the Scotch Nobility of the Puritan party effected by her wisdom and authority that both they retuâ—ned into France and these their fortifications were levell'd with the ground and Scotland ever since hath had little cause to fear the French e. In the mid'st of this Frith where it begins by degrees to contract it self there stood as Bede noteth the City Caer-Guidi Caer-Guidi which seems now to be Inch-Keith-Island Whether this be the Victoria mentioned by Ptolemy I will not now dispute though a man might be easily induced to believe that the Romans turn'd this Guith into Victoria as our Isle Guith or Wight into Victesis and Vecta Certainly since both these are broken from the shore there is the same reason for the name in both languages For Ninius informs us that Guith in the British Tongue signifies a breaking off or separation Upon the same Frith more inwardly lies Abercorne a famous Monastery in Bede's time which now by the favour of King James 6. gives the Title of Earl to James
and many Christians cut off MCLXXXVII On the Kalends or first of July the Abby of Ynes in Ulster was founded MCLXXXIX Henry Fitz Empress departed this life was succeeded by his son Richard and buried in Font Evrard This same year was founded the Abby De Colle Victoriae i.e. Cnokmoy MCXC. King Richard and King Philip made a Voyage to the Holy Land MCXCI. In the Monastery of Clareval the translation of Malachy Bishop of Armagh was celebrated with great solemnity MCXCII The City of Dublin was burnt MCXCIII Richard King of England in his return from the Holy Land was taken Prisoner by the Duke of Austria and paid to the Emperor 100000 Marks for Ransom besides 30000 to the Empress and 20000 to the Duke upon an Obligation he had made to them for Henry Duke of Saxony He was detain'd in Prison by the Emperor a year six months and three days all the Chalices in a manner throughout England were sold to raise this Sum. This year was founded the Abby De Jugo Dei. MCXCIV The Reliques of S. Malachy Bishop of Clareval were brought into Ireland and receiv'd with great honour into the Monastery of Millifont and other Monasteries of the Cistercians MCXCV. Matthew Archbishop of Cassil Legat of Ireland and John Archbishop of Dublin got the Corps of Hugh Lacy that conquered Meth from the Irish and interr'd them with great solemnity in the Monastery of Blessedness or Becty but the Head of the said Hugh was laid in S. Thomas 's Monastery in Dublin MCXCVIII The Order of the Friers Predicants was begun about Tolouse founded by Dominick II. MCXCIX Died Richard King of England succeeded by his Brother John who was Lord of Ireland and Earl of Moriton Arthur the lawful Heir Son of Geffrey his whole Brother was slain by him The death of Richard was after this manner When King Richard besieg'd the Castle of Chaluz in Little Bretagn he receiv'd his mortal Wound by an Arrow shot at him by one of those in the Castle nam'd Bertram de Gourdon As soon as the King found there was no hopes of Life he committed his Kingdom of England and all his other Possessions to the Custody of his Brother All his Jewels and the fourth part of his Treasure he bequeath'd to his Nephew Otho Another fourth part of his Treasure he left to be distributed among his Servants and the poor People When Bertram was taken and brought before the King he ask'd him for what harm he had kill'd him Bertram without any fear told him That he had kill'd his Father and two of his Brethren with his own Hand and then intended to do the same with him That he might take what Revenge he pleas'd but he should not care since he was to die too that had done so much mischief in the World Notwithstanding the King pardon'd him and order'd him to be set at liberty and to have a 100 Shillings Sterling given him Yet after the King's death some of the King's Officers flea'd him and hung him up The King died on the eighteenth of the Ides of April which happen'd to be the fourth * Feria day before Palm-sunday and the eleventh day after he was wounded He was buried at Font Eberard at the feet of his Father A certain Versificator writ this Distich upon his death Istius in morte perimit Formica Leonem Proh dolor in tanto funere mundus obit An Ant a Lyon slew when Richard fell And his must be the World 's great Funeral His Corps were divided into three Parts Whence this of another Viscera Carceolum Corpus Fons servat Ebrardi Et cor Rothomagum magne Richarde tuum Great Richard's Body 's at Fontevrault shown His Bowels at Chalons his Head at Roan After the death of King Richard his Brother John was begirt by the Archbishop of Roan with the Sword of the Dukedom of Normandy upon the 7th of the Kalends of May next following The Archbishop also set a Crown adorn'd with golden Roses upon his Head Afterwards upon the 6th of the Kalends of June he was anointed and crown'd King of England in S. Peter's Church Westminster upon Ascension-day attended with all the Nobility of England Afterwards he was summon'd to Parliament in France to answer for the death of his Nephew Arthur and depriv'd of Normandy because he came not accordingly This same Year was founded the Abby of Commerer MCC Cathol Cronerg King of Conaught founder of the Abby De Colle Victoriae was expell'd Conaught This year the Monastery De Voto was founded that is to say Tyntern Monastery by William Marshall Earl Marshal and Pembroch who was Lord of Leinster viz. of Wrisford Ossory Caterlagh and Kildare in right of his Wife who married the daughter of Richard Earl of Stroghul and of Eve the daughter of Dermic Murcard This William Earl Marshal being in great danger of Shipwreck a night and a day made a Vow That if he escap'd and came to Land he would found a Monastery and dedicate it to Christ and his Mother Mary So as soon as he arriv'd at Weysford he founded this Monastery of Tynterne according to his Vow and it is nam'd De Voto This year also was founded the Monastery de Flumine Dei MCCII. Cathol Cronirg or Crorobdyr King of Conaught was restor'd to his Kingdom The same year was founded the house of Canons of S. Marie of Connal by Sir Meiler Fitz-Henry MCCIII The Abby of S. Saviour i.e. Dawisky which was before founded was this Year and the next following finish'd MCCIV. A Battle was fought between John Courcy first Earl of Ulster and Hugh Lacie at Doune with great slaughter on both sides Yet John Curcy had the Victory Afterwards upon the 6th day of the Week being Good Friday as the said John was unarm'd and going in Pilgrimage barefoot and in a linnen Vestment to the Churches after the common manner he was treacherously taken Prisoner by his own People for a sum of Mony part in hand and part promis'd to be paid afterwards and so he was deliver'd to Hugh Lacy who brought him to the King of England and receiv'd the Earldom of Ulster and the Seigniory of Connaught upon that account both belonging to John Curcy Hugh Lacy now being made Earl rewarded the said Traytors with Gold and Silver some more some less but hung them up as soon as he had done and took away all their Goods by these means Hugh Lacy ruleth in Ulster and John Curcie is condemn'd to perpetual Imprisonment for his former Rebellion against King John refusing to do him homage and accusing him for the death of Arthur the lawful and right Heir to the Crown While the Earl was in Prison and in great Poverty having but a small allowance of Provisions and the same mean and course he expostulated with God why he dealt thus with him who had built and repair'd so many Monasteries for him and his Saints After many Expostulations of this kind he fell asleep and the Holy
defeated This occasion'd a general Insurrection in Scotland of both Earls and Barons against the King of England There was also at this time a Quarrel between the King of England and Roger Bigod Earl Marshal but this was soon made up S. Lewis a Frier minor Son of the King of Sicily and Archbishop of Cologn died this year This year also the son and heir of the King of Maliager i.e. of the Islands of Majorac instituted the Order of the Friers-minors at the direction of S. Lewis who bid him go and do it Item Leghlin in Ireland with other Towns were burnt by the Irish of Slemergi Item Calwagh O Hanlen and Yneg Mac-Mahon were slain in Urgale MCCXCVIII Pope Boniface IV. on the morrow of the Feast of S. Peter â—â—d S. Paul all things being then quiet made Peace between England â—â—d France upon certain Terms Item Edward King of England â—â—d an Army again into Scotland to conquer it There were slain 〈◊〉 this Expedition about the Feast of S. Mary Magdalen many â—â—ousands of the Scots at Fawkirk The Sun appear'd that day 〈◊〉 red as Blood in Ireland while the Battel at Fawkirk continu'd â—â—em about the same time the Lord King of England gave his Knights the Earldoms and Baronies of those Scots that were slain â—n Ireland Peace was concluded between the Earl of Ulster and the Lord John Fitz-Thomas about the Feast of Simon and Jude Also â—â—e morrow after the Feast of the seven Sleepers the Sun-beams â—ere chang'd into a bloodish colour all the morning to the great â—dmiration of every one Item This year died Thomas Fitz-â—aurice Knight and Sir Robert Bigod sometime Justiciary in the â—ench Item In the City Artha as also Reath in Italy during â—â—e stay of Pope Boniface there happen'd so great an Earthquake â—â—at Towers and Palaces fell down and the Pope and his Cardiâ—als fled out of the City with great consternation Item on the Feast of Epiphany there was an Earthquake in Engâ—â—nd from Canterbury to Hampton but not so violent MCCXCIX Theobald Lord Botilter the younger died in the Mannor of Turby on the second day before the Ides of May His Corps were convey'd towards Weydeney i. e Weney in the County of Limerick on the 6th day before the Calends of June Item Edward King of England married the Lady Margaret Sister to the noble King of France in Trinity-church at Canterâ—ury about the Feast of the Holy Trinity Item the Sultan of Baâ—ylon with a great Army was defeated by Cassan King of Tarâ—â—ry MCCXCIX On the day after the Purification there was an inâ—â—â—ite number of Saracen-horse slain besides as many Foot Item There was this same year a Fight of Dogs at Genelon-castle in â—urgundy the number of the Dogs were 3000 and all kill'd but â—â—e Item This year many Irish came to the Castle of Roch â—efore the Annunciation to give some disturbance to the Lord Theâ—bald de Verdon MCCC The * Numisma Pollardorum Pollard-mony was prohibited in England and Ireland Item King Edward enter'd Scotland with an Army in Autumn but was stay'd by an order from Pope Boniface and to excuse himself sent certain Envoys to the Court of Rome Item Thomas son â—o the King of England was born at Brotherton by Margaret the King of France's Sister on the last day of May. Item Edward Earl of Cornwall dy'd this year without issue and was buried in â—he Abby of Hailes MCCCI. Edward King of England enter'd Scotland with an Army Sir John Wogan Justiciary of Ireland and Sir John Fitz-Thomas Peter Bermingham and many others set sail from Ireâ—and to assist him Item A great part of the City of Dublin was â—urnt down together with the Church of S. Warbutga on S. Caâ—â—mb's day at night Item Sir Jeffrey Genevil married the daughâ—er of Sir John Montefort and Sir John Mortimer married the daughter and heir of Sir Peter Genevil and the Lord Theobald Verdon married the daughter of the Lord Roger Mortimer The People of Leinster took up Arms in the Winter and burnt the Towns of Wyklo and Rathdon c. but they suffer'd for 't for the greater â—art of their Provisions at home was burnt up and their Cattel â—ole so that they had certainly famish'd if a sedition had not hapned among the English at that juncture Item A small company of the Brenies were defeated this year by the Tolans and 300 of those Robbers were cut off Item A great part of Mounster was wasted by Walter Power and many Farm-houses burnt MCCCII This year died the Lady Margaret Wife to Sir John Wogan Justiciary of Ireland on the 3d day before the Ides of April And in the week following Maud Lacy the Wife of Sir Geffery Genevil died also Item Edmund Botiller recoverd the Mannour de S. Bosco Holywood forte with the Appurtenances thereunto belonging from Sir Richard Feringes Archbishop of Dublin by a Fine in the King's bench after the feast of S. Hilary Item the Flemings defeated the French in Flanders at Courtenay the Wednesday after the feast of S. Thomas In this Engagement were slain the Earl of Artois the Earl of Albemarle the Earl of Hue Ralph de Neel Constable of France Guy de Nevil Marshal of France the Earl of Hennaund's son Godfrey de Brabant and his son William de Fenles and his son James de S. Paul lost his hand and fourty Baronets were kill'd that day with Knights Squires c. without number The Tenths of all Ecclesiastical Benefices in England and Ireland were exacted by Pope Boniface for three years as a Subsidy for the Church of Rome against the King of Arragon Item upon the day of the Circumcision Sir Hugh Lacy made an inroad upon Sir Hugh Vernail and drove off his Beasts This year Robert Brus Earl of Carrick married Elizabeth the daughter of Sir Richard Bourk Earl of Ulster Item Edward Botiller married the daughter of Sir John Fitz-Thomas The City of Bourdeaux with others thereabouts which Edward King of England had formerly lost by a sedition of the French were now restor'd upon S. Andrew's-eve by the means of the Lord John Hastings MCCCIII Richard Bourk Earl of Ulster and Sir Eustace Power invaded Scotland with a strong Army But after that the Earl himself had made 33 Knights in the Castle of Dublin he passed over into Scotland to assist the King of England Item Gerald the son and heir of Sir John Fitz-Thomas departed this life This year the King and Queen of France were excommunicated with all their Children by Pope Boniface who also confirm'd the privileges of the University of Paris Soon after the Pope was taken Prisoner and kept as it were in Prison three whole days Soon after the Pope dy'd The Countess of Ulster died likewise about this time Item Walran Wellesly and Sir Robert Percivall were slain this year on the 11th day before the Kalends of November MCCCIV A great part of Dublin was burnt down viz. the Bridge-street a good part of
when he dy'd but had this answer return'd That no man should have commanded them more freely if they had not been promis'd to Dr. Bancroft Archbishop of Canterbury Upon his death he translated the right of them to his Successor Dr. George Abbot who had undertook to publish them and the Bishop tells us in the same Manuscript that he had heard Archbishop Laud say they were deposited in the Palace at Lambeth 'T is probable these were only such as related to the Ecclesiastical Affairs of that time which Mr. Camden did not think himself so immediately concern'd in But what they were cannot now be known they must have been destroy'd in that havock and confusion made in the Library of Archbishop Laud by Prinne Scot and Hugh Peters for upon a diligent search made by the late Dr. Sancroft at his first promotion to the See of Canterbury not one scrap of them appear'd From the end of Queen Elizabeth to his own death he kept a Since publisht with his Epistles Diary of all the remarkable passages in the reign of King James Not that he could so much as dream of living to make use of them himself at that age and under those many infirmities which a laborious life had drawn upon him But he was willing however to contribute all the assistance he could to any that should do the same honour to the reign of King James which he had done to that of Queen Elizabeth If this were practis'd by Persons of Learning and Curiosity who have opportunity of seeing into the Publick Affairs of a Kingdom what a large step would it be towards a History of the respective times For after all the short hints and strictures of that kind do very often set things in a truer light than regular Histories which are but too commonly written to serve a Party and so draw one insensibly out of the right way Whereas if men are left to themselves to make their own inferences from simple matters of fact as they lay before them tho' perhaps they may often be at a loss how to make things hang together yet their aim shall be still true and they shall hardly be mistaken in the main One single matter of fact faithfully and honestly deliver'd is worth a thousand Comments and Flourishes Thus the interest of the Publick was the business of Mr. Camden's life and he was serviceable to Learning till his dying day For so much merit one would think the greatest rewards too mean but a little serv'd his turn who always thought it more honourable to deserve than to have preferments Ep. 195. He never made application to any man for promotion but so long as he faithfully discharg'd the office he had was content to trust Providence for what should follow The first step he made was the second Mastership of Westminster-School in the year 1575. In this station he continu'd till the death of Dr. Grant Head-Schoolmaster which hapned in 1593. whom he succeeded But before that two years after the first edition of his Britannia he had the Prebend of Ilfarcomb belonging to the Church of Salisbury bestow'd upon him by Dr. John Piers Bishop of that See What satisfaction it was to him to see the fruits of his industry in the School learn from his own expression of it in a Letter to Archbishop Usher At Westminster says he God so blessed my labours that the now Bishop of London Durham and St. Asaph to say nothing of persons imploy'd in eminent place abroad and many of especial note at home of all degrees do acknowledge themselves to have been my Scholars What a comfortable reflexion was this That he had laid the foundation of those pillars which prov'd so considerable supports both to Church and State Here he liv'd frugally and Epist 195. by his long labours in the School gather'd a contented sufficiency for his life and a supply for all the charitable benefactions at his death Epist ead He refus'd a mastership of Requests when offer'd and kept to his School See above till the place of King at Arms was conferr'd upon him without his own application or so much as knowledge These were all the Preferments he was ever possest of We might have reckon'd another if the following project had but succeeded In the year 1609. Dr. Sutcliff Dean of Exeter resolv'd upon building a College at Chelsey for a certain number of Divines who should make it their only business to confute the Errors of the Church of Rome The Proposal was highly approv'd of by King James who accordingly nominated the Doctor first Provost of the College May 10. 1610. and seventeen very eminent Divines under the title of Fellows And because it was evident that matters of History would of course fall in with Controversies in Religion they concluded it necessary to be arm'd against all such cases and so pitch'd upon two excellent Historians Mr. Camden and John Hayward Doctor of the Civil Law See Middlesex under Chelsey They fell to building but found their Revenues fall short and so the whole design drop'd To be particular in his Acquaintance would be to reckon up almost all the learned men of his time When he was young Learned men were his Patrons when he grew up the Learned were his intimates and when he came to be old he was a Patron to the Learned So that Learning was his only care and learned men the only comfort of his life What an useful and honourable correspondence he had settl'd both at home and abroad does best appear from his Letters and with what candour and easiness he maintain'd it the same Letters may inform us The work he was engag'd in for the honour of his native Country gain'd him respect at home and admiration abroad so that he was look'd upon as a common Oracle and for a Foreigner to travel into England and return without seeing Mr. Camden was thought a very gross omission He was visited by six German Noblemen at one time and at their request wrote his Lemma in each of their Books as a testimony that they had seen him Brissonius Prime Minister of State in the French Court when he was sent into England by his master K. Hen. 3. to treat of a match between his brother the Duke of Anjou and Queen Elizabeth would not return a stranger to Mr. Camden who tho' but second School-master of Westminster and not full thirty years of age had yet those qualities which effectually recommended him to the friendship and conversation of that great man Some of the Servants of the Elector Palatine who came over about the match with Elizabeth eldest daughter to King James were severely reprov'd by Gruter for neglecting to do themselves that piece of honour He wonder'd with what face they could stay so many months in England and all the while Neque consulere ejus oraculum unicum neque adspicere ejus astrum primum not consult its only Oracle nor see the brightest Star in it
Litanies of the Church there was afterwards inserted From the fury of the Danes Good Lord deliver us They brought the French to such extremities that Carolus Calvus was forc'd to buy a truce of Hasting the commander of the Norman Pirates with the Earldom of Chartres and Carolus Crassus gave Godfrid the Norman part of Neustria with his daughter At last by force of arms they fix'd near the mouth of the Seine in those parts which formerly by a corruption had been call'd Neustria Neustria as being part of Westrasia for so the middle-age writers term it the Germans stil'd it Westenriich i.e. the Western kingdom it contains all between the Loyre and the Seine to the sea-ward They afterwards call'd it Normannia i.e. the Country of the Northern men so soon as Carolus Simplex had made a grant of it in Fee to their Prince Rollo whose Godfather he was and had given him his daughter to wife When Rollo as we are inform'd by an old Manuscript belonging to the Monastery of Angiers had Normandy made over to him by Carolus Stultus with his daughter Gisla he would not submit to kiss Charles's foot And when his friends urg'd him by all means to kiss the King's foot in gratitude for so great a favour he made answer in the English tongue NE SE BY GOD that is No by God Upon which the King and his Courtiers deriding him and corruptly repeating his answer call'd him Bigod Bigod from whence the Normans are to this day term'd Bigodi For the same reason 't is possible the French call hypocrites and your superstitious sort of men Bigods This Rollo who at his Baptism was named Robert is by some thought to have turn'd Christian out of design only but by others not without deliberation and piety These latter add that he was mov'd to it by God in a Dream which tho' Dreams are a thing I do not give much heed to I hope I may relate without the imputation of vanity as I find it attested by the writers of that age The story goes that as he was a sleep in the ship he saw himself deeply infâ—cted with the leprosie but washing in a clear spring at the bottom of a high hill he recover'd and afterwards went up to the hilâ—'s top This he told a Christian captive in the same ship who gave him the following interpretation of it That the Leprâ—sie was the abominable worship of Idols with which he was defiâ—'d the Spring was the holy laver of regeneration wherewith being once cleans'd he might climb the mountain that is attain to great honour and heaven it self Dukes of No mandy This Rollo had a son call'd William but sirnam'd Longa Spata from a long sword he us'd to wear William's son was Richard the first of that name who was succeeded by his son and grand-child both Richards But Richard the third dying without issue his brother Robert came to the Dukedom and had a son by his concubine nam'd William who is commonly called the Conqueror and Bastard All these were Princes very eminent for their atchievements both at home and abroad Whilst William come to man's estate was Duke of Normandy Edward the Holy sirnam'd Confessâ—r King of England and last of the Saxon Line to the great grief of his subjects departed this life He was son of Emma a Cousin of William's as being daughter to Richard the first Duke of Normandy and whilst he liv'd under banishment in Normandy had made William a promise of the next reversion of the Crown of England But Harold the son of Godwin and Steward of the Houshold under Edward got possession of the Crown upon which his brother Tosto on one hand and the Normans Normans on the other lay out their utmost endeavours to dethrone him After he had slain his brother Tosto and Harald King of Norwey whom Tosto had drawn in to his assistance in a set-battle near Stamford-bridge in Yorkshire and so tho' not without great damage had gain'd the victory within less than nine days William sirnam'd Bastard Duke of Normandy building upon the promises of Edward lately deceas'd as also upon his adoption and relation to Edward rais'd a powerful army and landed in England in Sussex Harold presently advanc'd towards him tho' his soldiers were harrass'd and his army very much weaken'd by the late fight Not far from Hastings they engag'd where Harold putting himself forward into the heat of the battle and showing great courage lost his life Abundance of the English were slain tho' it would be almost impossible to find out the exact number William after he had won the day march'd through Walingford with a barbarous army towards London where he was receiv'd and inaugurated Charter of William the Conqueror The kingdom as himself expresses it being by divine Providence design'd for him and granted by the favour of his Lord and Cousin the glorious King Edward And a little after he adds That the bounteous King Edward had by adoption made him heir to the Crown of England Tho' if the history of S. Stephen of Caen may be credited these were the last words he spoke upon his death-bed History of St. Stephen's Monastery at Caen in Normandy The Regal Diadem which none of my Predecessors wore I gain'd not by any hereditary title but by the favour of Almighty God And a little after I name no heir to the crown of England but commend it wholly to the eternal Creator whose I am and in whose hands are all things 'T was not an hereditary right that put me in possession of this honour but by a desperate engagement and much blood-shed I wrested it from that perjur'd King Harold and having slain or put to flight all his abettors made my self Master of it But why am I thus short upon so considerable a revolution of the British State If you can but have the patience to read it take what I drew up 't is possible with little accuracy or thought but however with the exactness of an history when raw and young very unfit for such an undertaking I had a design to write the history of our nation in Latin The Norman Conquest EDward the Confessor's dying without issue put the Nobility and Commonalty into a great distraction about naming the new King Edgar commonly called Aetheling Edmund Ironside's * * Abnâ—pos ex fâ—â—io great great grandchild by his son was the only person left of the Saxon Line and as such had an hereditary title to the Crown But his tender years were thought altogether uncapable of government and besides his temper had in it a mixture of foreign humours as being born in Hungary the son of Agatha daughter to the Emperor Henry the third who was at too great a distance to bear out the young boy either with assistance or advice Upon these accounts he was not much respected by the English who valu'd themselves upon nothing more than to have a
Normandy and their jealousies were heighten'd by the dreadful appearance of a Comet Comet at Easter for about seven days together This as it commonly does in troublesome times set the distracted brains of the people a working to presage what miseries would follow upon it But Harold after he had curiously viewed every part of the Kingdom fortified the South-coasts with garisons He was not apprehensive of much danger from Scotland and Tosto because Malcolâ—â—s Mil-Columbus King of Scots was diverted with civil wars In the mean time William was continually thinking of a descent into England He now and then advis'd with his Officers and found them cheerful and full of hopes but all the difficulty was how to procure money to carry on so important a war For upon a proposal made at a publick meeting of the States of Normandy about raising a subsidy it was urg'd That the Nation was so exhausted by their former wars with France that if they should engage in a new war they should have much ado even to act defensively that their business was rather to secure their own than to invade another's dominions that how just soever the war might be there was no great necessity for it and that in all probability it would prove of dangerous consequence And lastly that the Normans were not bound by their allegiance to serve in foreign wars No considerations could bring them to raise a supply of money though William * * Filius â—berti Fitzosbert a man generally beloved both by Duke and people promoted it with the utmost zeal and to encourage others engaged to build 40 ships at his own charge for the service of the war The Duke finding himself disappointed in a publick meeting tries other methods and sending for the wealthiest of them one by one speaks them fair and desires that each would contribute something towards the war This drove them to a sort of emulation who should be most assisting to his Prince and made them promise largely and an account being taken of all the contributions a sum beyond what could reasonably be expected was rais'd almost in an instant After matters were thus far dispatched he sollicites his neighbouring Princes for aids the Earl of Anjou Poictou Mayne and Bulloigne with this encouragement that they should have their share of lands in England Next he applies himself to Philip King of France and promises that in case he contributes his assistance he will take an oath of fealty and hold England under him But considering that it was not by any means the interest of France that the neighbouring Norman who already did not seem much to value them should be strengthned by the addition of England as Princes are always jealous of the growing power of their neighbours Philip was so far from encouraging the design that he us'd all means to divert him from invading of England But nothing could draw him off his resolution wherein he was now confirmed and justified by the authority of Pope Alexander This Pope about that time begun to usurp a jurisdiction over Princes and he approved the cause sent him a consecrated banner as a token of his victory and empire and excommunicated all that should oppose him Vpon this he raised what forces he could and got together a vast fleet to S. Valeric's a town at the mouth of the river Some where he lay windbound for some time and in order to have a fair wind he spar'd neither prayers nor offerings to S. Valeric the Saint of that place Harold after he had a long time watched his coming had resolved to disband his army lay up his ships and leave the sea-coasts partly because provisions began to fail him and partly because the Earl of Flanders had assured him that William had no design upon England that year Which he the rather believ'd because at that time of year putting to sea would be very dangerous when the Aequinox was just at hand While he was settling these matters all on a sudden an unexpected invasion puts him under a necessity of getting his army together For Harold sirnam'd Durus and Harfager King of Norwey who had for a long time prey'd upon the northern parts of Britain and possess'd himself of the Isles of Orkney was drawn over by Tosto out of a prospect of the Kingdom of England and entered the river Tine with about 500 rovers where he was joined by Tosto After they had for some time been making havock of those parts they weighed anchor and sailing along the coasts of Yorkshire came into Humber where they plundered all round them with the utmost cruelty of an enemy But to stop their progress Edwin and Morcar two Earls attacked them with a confused undisciplined army which being overpowered by the Norwegians ran away A good many amongst whom were the two Earls made a shift to get off but the greatest number was drowned in their passage over the river Ouse The Norwegians without more ado resolve to lay siege to York but upon hostages given on both sides the place was surrendered Not long after Harold having got his whole army in a body marches towards York and from thence towards the Norwegians who had encamped in a very advantageous place Behind they were secured by the sea on the left by the river Humber where their fleet rid at anchor on the right and front by the river Derwent Notwithstanding all this Harold attacked them very vigorously and the first skirmish was at a * * Stanford bridge near York bridge over the river Derwent where 't is said one single Norwegian bore up for some time against the whole English army till at last he was shot dead Next the battle was removed to the camp where the advantages on both sides were equal for a while At last on the Norwegians side the ranks were broken and Harold King of Norwey with Tosto and the greatest part of their army was slain The booty which Harold got by this victory was very considerable gold and silver in great plenty and every ship of that large fleet except twenty small vessels which he gave Paul Earl of the Orcades and Olavus son of Harold who was slain to carry off their wounded first taking an oath of them that they should never again disturb England Harold was exceedingly heartened with the victory and begun to hope that he should be a terrour to the Normans though his own subjects began to hate him for not distributing the spoil amongst the souldiers All his thoughts were spent in the settlement of the nation which especially in those parts was in a miserable condition In the mean time William the Norman got a favourable wind he set sail about the end of September and having a gentle gale landed with his whole fleet at Pemsey in Sussex He found the coast clear and to cut off all encouragement for running away fir'd the Ships After he had built a castle there for retreat he went forwards
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
word without offence profaned The Degrees of ENGLAND AS to the division of our State it consists of a King or Monarch the Nobles Citizens Free-men which we call Yeomen and Tradesmen The KING The King stiled by our Ancestors Coning and Cyning e Either relating to cene which in Saxon signifies stout valiant c. or to cunnan which signifies to know or understand from whence a designing subtle man is called a Cunning man a name under which is coucht both power and wisdom by us contracted into King has in these Kingdoms the supreme power and a meer government nor holds he his Empire by vassalage neither does he receive Investiture from another nor own any superior Bracton l. 1. c. 8. but God And as that Oracle of Law has delivered it Every one is under him and himself under none but only God He has very many Rights of Majesty peculiar to himself which the learned in the law term The Holy of Holies and Individuals because they are inseparable but the common people The King's Prerogative and those they tell us are denoted by the flowers in the King's Crown Some of these the King enjoys by a written Law others by Right of custom which without a law is established by a tacit consent of the whole body and surely he deserves them Seneca since by his watchfulness every man's house by his labour every man's ease by his industry every one's pleasure and by his toil every one's recreation is secured to him But these things are too sublime to belong properly to my business Next the King is his eldest son and as he amongst the Romans that was designed for the Successor The Prince was first called Prince of the youth * Princeps juventutis and as flattery prevail'd afterwards Caesar Noble Caesar and the most noble Caesar so ours was by our Saxon Ancestors termed Aetheling Aetheling i.e. noble and in Latin Clyto Clyto from the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 famous that age affecting the Greek tongue Upon which that saying concerning Eadgar the last heir male of the English Crown is still kept up Eadgar Eðeling Englands Searling i.e. Eadgar the noble England's darling And in the antient Latin Charters of the Kings we often read Ego E. vel AE Clyto the King's son But the name of Clyto I have observed to be given to the King's children in general After the Norman Conquest he had no standing honorary title nor any other that I know of but barely The King's Son or The King's eldest Son till Edward I. summoned to Parliament his son Edward under the title of Prince of Wales Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester to whom he granted also afterwards the Dukedom of Aquitain And this when he came to be King Edward II. summoned his son Edward to Parliament then scarce ten years old under the title of Earl of Chester and Flint But that Edward coming to the Crown created Edward his son a most accomplisht soldier Duke of Cornwal since which time the King 's eldest son f If he be eldest son but if the first dies the second is not born to the same Title See concerning this in the Notes upon Cornwall p. 15 is born Duke of Cornwall And a little after he honoured the same person with the title of Prince of Wales by a solemn Investiture The Principality of Wales was conferred upon him in these words to be held by him and his heirs Kings of England And as the heirs apparent of the Roman Empire were as I observed but just now called Caesars of the Grecian Despotae Lords those of the Kingdom of France Dauphins and of Spain Infantes so those of England have been since that time stiled Princes of Wales And that title continued till the time of Henry VIII when Wales was entirely united to the Kingdom of England But now the formerly divided Kingdoms of Britain being reduced into one under the government of the most potent King James his eldest son Henry the darling and delight of Britain is called Prince of Great Britain whom as nature has made capable of the greatest things so that God would bless him with the highest virtues and a lasting honour that his success may outdo both our hopes of him as also the atchievements and high character of his forefathers by a long and prosperous Reign is the constant and hearty prayer of all Britain Our Nobles are divided into Greater and Less The Greater Nobles we call Dukes Marquesses Earls and Barons who either enjoy these titles by an hereditary claim or have them conferred on them by the King as a reward of their merits A DUKE A Dukâ— is the next title of honour to the Prince At first this was a name of office not of honour About the time of Aelius Verus those who were appointed to guard the Frontiers were first called Dukes and this title in Constantine's time was inferiour to that of a Count. After the destruction of the Roman Empire this title still continued to be the name of an Office and those amongst us who in the Saxon times are stiled Dukes in such great numbers by the antient Charters are in the English tongue only called Ealdormen The same also who are named Dukes are likewise termed Counts for instance most people call William the Conqueror of England Duke of Normandy whereas William of Malmesbury writes him Count of Normandy However that both Duke and Count were names of Office Mar. â—â— Formaâ— is plain from the form of each's creation which we find in Marculph an antient writer The Royal clemency is particularly signalized upon this account that among all the people the good and the watchful are singled out nor is it convenient to commit the judiciary power to any one who has not first approved his loyalty and valour Since weâ—t therefore seem to have sufficiently experienced your fidelity and usefulness we commit to you the power of a Count Duke or Patriciâ—us President in that Lordship which your predecessor governed to act in and rule over it Still upon this condition that you are entirely true to our government and all the people within those limits may live under and be swayed by your government and authority and that you rule justly according to law and their own customs that you zealously protect widows and orphans that you severely punish the crimes of robbers and malefactors so that those who live regularly under your government may be cheerful and undisturbed and that whatever profit arises from such actions to the Exchequer you your self bring yearly into our coffers It began to be an honorary title under Otho the Great â—gâ—ius l. 〈◊〉 Regni â—â—lici about the year 970. For he in order to bind valiant and prudent persons more effectually to his own interest honour'd them with what he call'd Râ—gelia Royalties Those Royalties were either Dignities or Lands in Fee The
the Stoure receives a small river call'd Alen upon which stands S. Giles Winburn the dwelling-place of the honourable and ancient family of h Ashley is the name It came by descent to the present E. of Shaftsbury from Sir Anthony Ashley who was in several publick Employments in the reign of Qu. Elizabeth he having given his only daughter and heiress in marriage to Sir John Cooper of Rockbourn in Hampshire who had issue by her Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper who in the year 1661. was made a Peer by the title of Baron Ashley of Wimborne St. Giles having chosen that title pursuant to an Article in the aforesaid marriage That if Sir John Coopor or heirs should come to be honoured with the degree of Peerage they should take that for their title In the year 1672. Lord Ashley was created Earl of Shaftsbury to whom succeeded his son the present Earl with whom this Estate and Seat remains Astely Knights Ashleys Knights and Wickhampton the patrimonial estate heretofore of the Barons of Maltravers Maltravers the last of whom in the reign of Edw. 3. left two daughters only one of which was marry'd to John de Arundel the grandfather of John Earl of Arundel who left to his heirs the title of Barons of Maltravers the other was the wife of Robert le Rous and afterwards of John Keynes Knight From hence the Stoure flows on by Canford Canford below which not long since James Baron of Montjoy who particularly search'd into the nature of metals began to make Chalcanthum that is Coperas Coperas as we call it and boil alum From hence formerly John Earl of Warren forcibly as it were ravish'd and took away Alice Lacy the wife of Thomas Earl of Lancaster with much injury to his reputation and no small damage to England as appears by our Chronicles Here the river Stoure leaves Dorsetshire and running through some parts of Hantshire disembogues it self into the Ocean having first receiv'd a little river which flows to Cranborne Cranborne a town well watered where in the year of our Lord 930. Aeilward a nobleman sirnam'd Meaw from his fair complexion founded a little monastery which Robert Fitz-Haimon a Norman transferr'd to Tewkesbury leaving a Monk or two here for to him the possessions of Aeilward sell From whom by succession it came by the Clares Earls of Glocester and Burbs Earls of Ulster Viscount Cranborne to Lionel Duke of Clarence and by him to the Crown But now Robert Cecil 24 Now Earl of Salisbury is Viscount of Cranborne whom King James deservedly for his most approv'd wisdom first dignify'd with the title of Baron Cecil of Essendon and the year after with that of Viscount Cranborne 25 South from hence lyeth Woodland empark'd sometime the seat of the worshipful family of the Filioll the heirs whereof are marry'd to Edward Seymor after Duke of Somerset and Willâ—ughby of Wallaton It should be Woelaton Farls and Marquesses of Dorset The life of Osmund MS. Touching the Earls and Marquesses of this Shire William the Conquerour after he had got the Crown of England i Matth. Paris Hist Min. An. 1189. made Osmund who was Earl of Seez in Normandy Bishop of Salisbury first then Earl of Dorset and Lord Chancellour having a great opinion of his wisdom and excellent learning A long time after See the Dukes of Somerset Richard 2. in the 21 year of his reign preferr'd John de Beaufort the son of John of Gaunt and Earl of Somerset to be Marquess of Dorset from which honour he was afterwards degraded by Hen. 4. out of ill will to Richard 2. And when in full Parliament the house of Commons with whom he was much in favour did earnestly intercede that his dignity of Marquess might be restor'd him he utterly refus'd to accept it professing a great aversion to such a novel and upstart title unknown before those times and his younger brother Thomas de Beaufort was created Earl of Dorset who afterwards for his valour was by Hen. 5. made Duke of Exeter and had the County of Harcourt given him For he gallantly defended Harflew in Normandy against the French and bravely put to flight the Earl of Armeniâ—c in a pitch'd battel After his decease without issue Hen. 6. nominated Edmund of the same house of Lancaster first Earl then Marquess of Dorset and at last Duke of Somerset whose sons being all taken off in the Civil wars and the house of Lancaster as it were quite routed Edw. 4. created Thomas Grey of the family of Ruthin who was his son-in-law for the King marry'd Grey's mother Marquess of Dorset when he came to the great estate of the Bonvils in this County and those adjoyning in the right of his wife Thomas his son and Henry his grandson by the said Thomas succeeded him who was created Duke of Suffolk by Edw. 6. upon his marriage with Francis the daughter of Charles Brandon Duke of Suffolk and neice to King Hen. 8. by his sister He suffer'd for high-treason in Queen Mary's reign and too late experimented of what dangerous consequence it is to marry into the Royal Family and to soar too high in ambitious hopes From his time the title of Dorset was conferr'd on no one till K. James in the beginning of his reign advanc'd Thomas Sackvill Baron of Buckhurst Lord High Treasurer of England to the Earldom of Dorset for his most exact diligence and singular wisdom as an ornamental honour justly due to his true virtue and the good service he had done his country 26 Who ended his life with sudden death An. 1608. and left Robert his son his successor who deceasing within the year left the said honour again to Richard his hopeful son whom he beâ—at of the Lady Margaret Howard daughter to the late Duke of Norfolk There are in this County 248 Parishes ADDITIONS to DORSETSHIRE a THE County of Dorset as it is observ'd by our Author to be adorn'd with woods pastures and fruitful valleys so is it principally enrich'd by the sea which supplies it with great plenty of the best fish and gives it an opportunity of improving it self by trading 'T is very much for the honour of it that K. Charles 2. declar'd he never saw a finer Country either in England or out of it Lime b The Town of Lime seems to have been much improv'd since Mr. Camden's time for it is now a Burrough consisting of 16 Capital Burgesses and a Recorder whereof there is a Mayor and two Justices The Mayor is the next year after his Mayoralty a Justice of the Peace and the year following Justice and Coroner The Peer there for the nature and largeness of it hath scarce it 's like in England and requires great cost yearly to maintain it The place is so much encreas'd that whereas our Author observes it could hardly be term'd a port on any other account than as frequented by
are Porlock â—ck 〈◊〉 in Saxon Portlocan and Watchet formerly Wecedpoort two harbours which in the year 886. suffer'd very much from the fury of the Danes b â—â—or Between these two lies Dunstor-castle in a low ground every way shut up with hills except on that side which faces the sea It was built by the Moions or Mohuns â—â—amily â—e Moâ—â—â—â— or â—â—â—â—ns from which it came by bargain to the Luterells This family of the Mohuns was for a long time very famous and powerful and flourish'd from the time of William the Conqueror under whom the Castle was built to the reign of Richard 2. Out of it were two Earls of this County William and Reginald who was depriv'd of that honour in the Barons war From that time their posterity were accounted Barons the last whereof John left three daughters Philippa wife of Edward Duke of York Elizabeth marry'd to William de Monte-acuto or Montacute second Earl of Salisbury of that name and Mawd to the Lord Lestrange of Knokyn The mother of these as the story goes obtain'd of her husband under this town so much ground for a * Compascuus ager Common to the inhabitants as she could go about barefoot in one day Near this castle are two small villages dedicated to two of their Country-Saints Carenton is the name of the one from Carentocus the Britain the other S. Decombes from Decumanus S. Decumanus who setting sail out of South-Wales landed here as we find it in an ancient Agonal in a horrid desert full of shrubs and briers the woods thick and close stretched out a vast way both in length and breadth strutting up with lofty mountains sever'd wonderfully by the hollow vallies Here bidding farewell to the world he was stab'd by an Assassin and so got the reputation of a Saint among the common people 3 And between those Clivers was an old Abby of White Monks founded by William de Romara Cosin to the Earl of Lincoln Stoke-Curcy Family of the Curcies a Barony so nam'd from the Lords of it lies at a little distance from the sea the seat of William de Curcy Butler to K. Henry 1. Of which family was that John de Curcy John de Curcy who took Ulster in Ireland a man design'd by nature to be great and honourable endu'd with a height of soul and a sort of majesty whose signal courage must be understood from the Irish Antiquities From thence to the Stertpoint the shore shoots out by little and little where two of the largest rivers in the whole county meeting together empty themselves at one mouth call'd by Ptolemy the aestuary of Uzella The aestuary of Uzella from the river Ivell which throws off that name before it comes here It rises in Dorsetshire and at it's first coming into Somersetshire gives it's name to a well-frequented market-town call'd Evell 4 Which rose by the decay of Ilchester and receives a little river upon which is Camalet Camalet a See Stow's Annals p. 60. Drayton's Polyolb p. 54. a steep mountain of a very difficult ascent in the top whereof are the plain footsteps of a decay'd Camp and a triple rampire of earth cast up including 20 acres 5 And there appear about the hill five or six ditches so steep that a man shall sooner slide down than go down The inhabitants call it Arthur's palace but that it was really a work of the Romans is plain from the Roman Coins daily digg'd up there c What they might call it I am altogether ignorant unless it be that Caer Calemion we meet with in Ninnius's Catalogue by a transposition of letters for Camelion 5 Hereby are two towns West-Camelet and East-Camelet or Queens Camelet happily for that it had been in dowry to some Queen Cadbury Cadbury the adjoining little village may by a conjecture probable enough be thought that Cathbregion where Arthur as Ninnius has it routed the Saxons in a memorable engagement Another town of the same name North-Cadbury was given by K. Henry 3. to b A funeral Inscription upon the Northern Wall of St. Margaret's Westminster mentions one John Mulys of Halmston in Devoushire familiâ oriundum sui nominis quae insignita erat olim titulo de North-Cadbury Nicholas de Moeles Moeles who had marry'd Hawisia one of the heiresses of James de Novo mercatu or New-market This man's posterity liv'd a long time in great splendour till John in Edward 3.'s time dying lest only issue 2 daughters Muriela and Isabel this marry'd to William Botereaux d and the other to Thomas Courtney 6 Here to digress aside from the river Ivel Wine-caunton no mean market is neighbour to this North Cadbury and near thereunto is Pen c. Here Holland has inserted the same account that Camden afterwards gives of Pen. From hence the river Jvel runs to Ischalis Ischalis mention'd by Antoninus now Jvelcester Jvelchester call'd if I mistake nor in Ninnius's Catalogue Pontavel-coit for Pont Jvel Coit i.e. a bridge over the Jvel in a wood and by Florence of Worcester Givelcester It is now famous for nothing but the market and its antiquity for now and then they dig up Coins of the Roman Emperours of gold brass and silver That it was formerly bb This town as Leland says is one of the most ancient in all that quarter has had 4 Parish-Churches whereof two had the ruines standing in his time the third was quite demolâ—sh'd and one us'd Itinerar Vol. 2. large and encompass'd with a double wall is evident from the ruines 7 And two towers upon the bridge about the coming in of the Normans it was a populous place having in it a hundred and seven Burgesses And at that time it was a place of strength and well fortify'd for in the year of Christ 1088. when the Nobility of England had form'd a wicked plot designing to depose William Rufus in order to advance Robert his Brother Duke of Normandy to the throne Robert Moubray a warlike man after he had burnt Bathe vigorously assaulted this place but all in vain However time has done what he could not compass and has at last as it were storm'd it A little more inward 8 By Langpout a proper market-town the confluence of Jvel and Pedred form a river-Island call'd Muchelney Michelney i.e. the large Island wherein are something of the walls of an old Monastery which Historians tell us was built by King Athelstan Pedred riv Pedred commonly Parret rises in the very south-bound of the County and with a winding channel runs by Crockherne in Saxon Crucâ—rne and by Pedderton Pedderton to which it gave the name formerly Pedridan the palace of King Ina now famous only for a market and Fair procur'd of Henry 6. by Henry Daubeney then the Parret runs into the Jvel and robs it of it's name Three miles hence towards the East
their weapons might be examin'd unexpectedly came a Mandate from the King that the cause should not then be decided lest the King should lose his right In the mean time they compounded the Earl agreeing to surrender up all his right in the castle to the Bishop and his successors for ever upon the receit of 2500 Marks aa â—â—rls of â—lisbury Salisbury had Earls very early whose pedigree I will not only draw faithfully but i They may be carry'd yet higher for Knighton stiles Edric Duke of Mercia Earl of Salisbury higher also out of the history of Lacock â—istory of â—â—cock Walter de Euereux Earl of Rosmar in Normandy had by the munificence of William the Conqueror very large possessions in this shire which he bequeathed to his younger son Edward sirnamed of Salisbury who was born in England leaving his other lands in Normandy with the title of Earl of Rosmar to k The eldest son of this Walter that succeeded him in the Earldom was called Gerold Walter his eldest son whose line not long after failed This Edward of Salisbury was very eminent in the twentieth year of William the Conqueror and is often mention'd in Domesday book but without the title of Earl His son Walter founded a small monastery at Bradenstok and there in his old age after he had got a son call'd Patric who was the first Earl of Salisbury by Sibilla de Cadurcis or Chaworth assum'd the habit of a black Canon This Patric the first Earl was slain by Guy of Lusignian A. D. 1169. in his return from a pilgrimage to S. James of Compostella and was succeeded by his son William who died at Paris in the reign of Richard 1. Ela his only daughter by the favour of the said K. Richard was married to William Longspee so sirnamed from the long sword he usually wore who was a natural son of K. Henry 2. to whom upon this marriage with Ela accrued the title of Earl â—â—â—s of the 〈◊〉 of Saâ— and her Coat of Arms viz. Az. 6 Lioncells Rampant Or. His son was also called William Longspee with whom Henry 3. being offended because being signed with the Cross he went to the Holy War without his leave took from him the title of Earl and castle of Sarum He notwithstanding being resolv'd on his design went into Egypt with S. Lewis King of France â—h Paâ— 973. â—051 and fighting valiantly in the midst of his enemies near Damiata which the Christians had taken died in the bed of honour not long before that holy King was unfortunately made prisoner He had a son call'd also William who did not enjoy the title of Earl and had only one daughter named Margaret â—â—â—g â— p. â—4 who was notwithstanding call'd Countess of Salisbury and married to Henry Lacy Earl of Lincoln by whom she had but one daughter viz. Alice the wife of Thomas Earl of Lancaster who being outlawed K. Edw. 2. seized upon the lands which she had made over to her husband some of which viz. Troubridge Winterbourn Ambresbury and other manours King Edw. 3. gave to William de Montacute in as full and ample manner as ever the Predecessors of Margaret Countess of Sarum held them â—ds of Patent And at the same time he made the said William de Montacute Earl of Sarum and by the girding on of a sword the said Earldom was invested in him and his heirs for ever This William was King of the Isle of Man and had two sons William who succeeded his father in his honours and died without issue 22 Having unhappily slain his own Son while he train'd him at tilting and John a Knight who died before his brother leaving by Margaret his wife daughter and heiress of Thomas de Monthermer John Earl of Salisbury * De monte Hermerti who being a time-server and conspiring against King Henry 4. was slain at l It should be Cirencester in Comitar Glocestr Chichester A.D. 1400 and afterwards attainted of High Treason Notwithstanding which his son Thomas was restored to his blood and estate one of the greatest Generals of his age whether we consider his pains in all matters of moment his unwearied constancy in all undertakings and his quickness in putting his designs in execution who whilst he besieged Orleans in France was wounded by a Dart from a * è tormento majori Balist of which he died A. D. 1428. Alice his only daughter was married to Richard Nevil Pat. 20 Hen. 6. 1461. to whom she brought the title of Earl of Sarum who following the York-party was taken Prisoner in a battel at Wakefield and beheaded he was succeeded by Richard his son Earl of Warwick and Salisbury who taking delight in dangers engaged his Country in a fresh Civil War in which he lost his own life Isabella one of his daughters married George Duke of Clarence brother to K. Edw. 4. by whom he had a son call'd Edward 23 Earl of Warwick who was unjustly beheaded in his childhood by K. Henry 7. and his sister Margaret to whom the title of Countess of Salisbury was restor'd 24 By Henry 8. in a full Parliament about the fifth year of his reign suffer'd the same fate at 70 years of age by the command of Henry 8. For it is an usual practice among Princes to put to death or perpetually to imprison their kindred upon slight surmizes which are never wanting that they and their posterity may be the better established in the Throne Ann the other daughter of Richard Nevil Earl of Warwick and Salisbury was wife to Richard 3 25 Duke of Glocester and Brother to K. Edw. 4. to whom after she had born Edward * Whom his Unkle K. Edward in the 17th of his reign created Earl of Salisbury and Richard his father usurping the Kingdom made c. Prince of Wales who dy'd young she her self dy'd not without suspicion of poyson From that time this honorary title ceased until A. D. 1605. the most potent K. James dignify'd therewith Robert Cecil second son to our Nestor Wil. Cecil for his prudence and good service to his King and Country whom as I have said he had before honour'd with the titles of Baron Cecil of Essenden and Viscount Cranburn for his great merits and industry in promoting the good of the Kingdom So much concerning the Earls of Salisbury bb Below this City upon the Avon is seated Duncton Duncton or Donketon which is reported to be a very ancient Corporation Bogo commonly Beavois and famous for the seat of Beavois of Southampton who for his valour much celebrated by the Bards is commonly accounted one of the great Worthies Salisbury is every way encompass'd with the open plains unless it be toward the east Clarendon on which side it hath the neighbourhood of the large Park of Clarendon very commodious for keeping and breeding Deer and once beautified with a royal palace
aforesaid but by suppression of 5 dissolution of 2 and alienation of two more they were reduc'd to this number There were 5 more alienated but 5 others were erected in their stead of which Mr. Camden himself had that of Ilfarcomb for above 30 years aa The other ornaments of this place in short are the Cloyster said by Leland to be the most magnificent in England the Library built by Bishop Jewel with the Chapter-house of a large octagonal figure and sustain'd only by a small marble pillar in the middle as also the College built and endow'd by Bishop Ward for 10 Minister's widows In that part of the Suburbs of Salisbury call'd Harnham stood the College de Vaulx which was built by Giles de Bridport Bishop of this place An. Dom. 1260. for the entertainment of several Scholars who retir'd hither upon account of some disturbances at Oxford Here they study'd University-Learning and having a testimonial from their Chancellour of their progress in Learning frequently went to Oxford and took their Degrees And so they continu'd even till Leland's time who speaking of it has these words That part of these Scholars remain in the College in Saresbyri and have two Chaplains to serve the Church there dedicated to S. Nicholas the residue study at Oxford c. Beyond this is the great Bridge call'd Harnhambridge Harnhambridge which was built by virtue of a privilege that Richard Poor obtain'd of Henry 3. when New-Sarum was incorporated viz. Quod ad emendationem ejusdem civitatis vias pontes ad eam ducentes mutent transferant faciant sicut viderint expedire salvo jure cujuslibet In pursuance of which power Robert Bingham his next successor built this stately Bridge An. 1245. which I the rather take notice of because it made such a considerable alteration in Wilton and this place for by bringing the great Western road this way the first presently decay'd and the latter which by the by ‖ Vid. p. 200. Monast Angl. t. 1. p. 197. Matthew Westminster reckons as a County of it self distinct from Wiltshire dayly improv'd bb The Earldom of this place which was bestow'd upon the Cecils in the reign of James 1. has continu'd in that family ever since and is now possess'd by James of that name Not far from this place is West-Deane West-Dean the seat of Sir John Evelyn Knight of the Surrey-family and now devolv'd to a daughter is in the possession of the Right honorable Evelyn Earl of Kingston cc Going along with the Avon we pass by Langford Langford the stately seat of the honorable Henry Hare Viscount Colerain in Ireland a great admirer of Antiquities then by Clarendon Clarendâ—â— in the Park whereof are the footsteps of two Royal Palaces King-manour and Queen-manour Besides the famous Parliament held here temp Hen. 2. there was another summon'd to meet here by King Edw. 2. Anno 1317. but the differences at that time between the King and the Barons were so high that nothing of any moment was transacted This place was honour'd in the time of Charles 2. by giving the title of Earl to Edward Hide Baron of Hindon Viscount Cornbury and Lord Chancellor of England who dying at Roan in Normandy was succeeded by his eldest son Henry Not far from Clarendon is Farle Farle where Sir Stephen Fox one of their Majesties Commissioners of the Treasury out of a respect to his native place has founded a Hospital for 6 old men and as many old women with a Master who is to teach a Free-school here and to officiate in the Church which he also built from the ground a new in room of an old ruin'd Chappel and made it Parochial Northward of this is Frippsbury Frippsâ—â—â—â— a very great entrenchment of a rude circular form it 's Diameter containing 300 large paces it is single-trench'd but the ditch is deep and the rampire high Only about 80 paces within the outer circumvallation is a deep trench without a rampire It has only two entrances one by east and the other on the west and there is some probability of it's being Saxon. dd About 7 miles north of New-Salisbury is Stone-henge Stone-henge a piece of Antiquity so famous as to have gain'd the admiration of all ages and engag'd the pens of some very considerable Authors 'T is of it self so singular and receives so little light from history that almost every one has advanc'd a new notion To give the several conjectures with some short remarks is as much as the narrow compass of our design will allow But not to hunt after such uncertainties and in the mean time pass over what lays before our eyes we will premise a description of the place as it now stands much more distinct than what Mr. Camden has left us It is situated on a rising ground Stone-henge â—scribâ—e environ'd with a deep trench still appearing and about 30 foot broad From the plain it has had three entrances the most considerable lying north-east at each of which was rais'd on the out-side of the trench two huge stones gate-wise parallel whereunto on the inside were two others of less proportion After one has pass'd this ditch he ascends 35 yards before he comes at the Work it self which consists of 4 Circles of Stones The outward Circle is about 100 foot diameter the stones whereof are very large 4 yards in height 2 in breadth and 1 in thickness Two yards and a half within this great Circle is a range of lesser stones Three yards farther is the principal part of the work call'd by Mr. Jones The Cell of an irregular figure made up of two rows of stones the outer of which consists of great upright stones in height 20 foot in breadth 2 yards and in thickness one yard These are coupl'd at the top by large transome stones like Architraves which are 7 foot long and about three and a half thick Within this was also another range of lesser Pyramidal stones of about 6 foot in height In the inmost part of the Cell Mr. Jones observ'd a stone which is now gone appearing not much above the surface of the earth and lying toward the east 4 foot broad and sixteen foot long which was his suppos'd Altar-stone And so much for the structure and dimensions of the Monument only it may in general be observ'd that the stones are not artificial as Mr. Camden and some others would perswade us but purely natural as Mr. Jones p. 35. has asserted The opinions about it may be reduc'd to these 7 heads 1. That it is a work of the Phoenicians as Mr. Sammes in his Britannia conceits a conjecture that has met with so little approbation that I shall not stay to confute it 2. That it was a Temple of the Druids long before the coming in of the Romans which Mr. John Aubrey Fellow of the Royal Society endeavours to prove in his Manuscript Treatise entitl'd Monumenta
to believe it For Dio tells us that Plautius and Vespasian when they were sent by the Emperor Claudius against the Britains divided their forces into three several parties for the greater convenience of landing for fear they should have been more easily repulsed if they had attempted a Descent all at one place And from Suetonius we learn that Vespasian in this expedition engaged the enemy 30 times and brought under the Roman yoke the Isle of Wight which lies opposite to this County and two other valiant People for which victories by land and his happy voyages at sea Valerius Flaccus thus complements Vespasian and makes him more prosperous than Julius Caesar O tu Pelagi cui major aperti Fama Caledonius postquam tua Carbasa vexit Oceanus Phrygios prius indignatus Iulos O you whose glorious reign Can boast new triumphs o're the conquer'd main Since your bold navy pass'd the British sea That scorn'd the Caesars and the Roman sway And Apollonius Collatius Novariensis writeth thus Ille quidem nuper felici Marte Britannos Fuderat The Britains he of late o'recame In prosp'rous war How in this war Titus rescu'd his father Vespasian from an imminent danger when closely besieg'd by the Britains and how a snake twisted round the General at that time without doing him any harm which he interpreted as an omen of being afterward Emperor learn from Dio and Forcatulus But falling to my design I shall begin with the west-side of this County and having first survey'd the sea-coasts and the rivers that there fall into the Ocean I shall then pass to the more inland parts Near the western bounds of this County runs the gentle stream of the Avon River Avena or Avona which as soon as it enters into Hamshire meets with the ford of Cerdick call'd formerly Cerdicks-ford Cerdicks-ford b Cerdicesford in the Saxon Annals afterwards Cerdeford and now by contraction Chardford from Cerdick a valiant Saxon. For in this place the famous Cerdick engaging the Britains gave them so signal a defeat that he not only enlarged the limits of his own government but left it easie for posterity to maintain his conquests When before this in the year of our Lord 508. in a very sharp engagement Natanleod or Nazaleod he had conquer'd Natanleod a potent King of the Britains with great numbers of that People who is by others call'd Nazaleod and from his name a small tract of land reaching up to this place was call'd Natanleod as we read in the Saxon Annals in the search after which place I have been very curious but cannot yet find the least footsteps of that name b Nor indeed can I imagine who that Natanleod was Whether Natanleod and Aurelius Ambrosius was the same person Yet 't is most certain that at the same time Aurelius Ambrosius in these parts had many conflicts with the Saxon forces and with various success and yet this great man is never mention'd in those Annals of our Saxon Ancestors who as I observe have been forward enough in reciting those battles wherein they had themselves the advantage but mention none of those wherein they were losers betraying too great a partiality to their own cause Hence the river runs along by Regnewood or Ringwood Ringwood in Domesday book call'd Rincewed which was that Regnum Regnum a town of the Regni mention'd by Antoninus as we may believe both from the course of the Itinerary the remainder of the old name and the sense of the present For Ringwood by the Saxon addition seems to signifie The wood of the Regni That this was formerly a place of great eminence seems probable from the adjacent Hundred which derives it's name from thence but 't is now only famous for a good market The Avon running from hence takes in the river Stour which comes out of Dorsetshire and at the conflux of these two there stands a small populous market town now called Christchurch Christ-church from the Church so dedicated but heretofore from it's situation between two rivers Twinham Twinamburne upon the same account as the Interamna in Italy It was formerly strengthen'd with a Castle and adorned with an ancient Church of Prebendaries which being first built in the Saxon age was in the reign of William Rufus restored by Ralph Flammard Bishop of Durham who had been Dean of that Church and richly endow'd by Richard de Rivers Earl of Devonshire to whom King Henry 1. gave this place in fee and so continued in great repute to the time of Henry 8. and that fatal Fall of Monasteries Below this town the Stour and the Avon joyning in one chanel empty themselves into the sea at one mouth which Ptolemy call'd the mouth of the river Alaun The river Alaun and very rightly For I can scarce believe that Avon was the proper name of this river since that word is an appellative and the Britains call'd rivers in general by that name but I rather think it was of old called Alaun because there still remain some marks of that word in the villages upon it such as Allinton Allingham c. c On the east-side of this river William the Conquerour destroy'd all the towns villages and churches and turning out the poor inhabitants made a forest for wild beasts of more than thirty miles in circuit which the English in that age call'd Ytene we at this day New Forest New-Forest of which Walter Mapes who liv'd in the next age writes thus The Conqueror took away much land from God and men and converted it to the use of wild beasts and the sport of his dogs by which he demolish'd 36 Mother-Churches and drove away the poor inhabitants d This he did either to make a more easie access for his Normans into England for it lies opposite to Normandy in case there should be a new insurrection in this Island after his suppos'd Conquest of it or to indulge himself in hunting or to raise money by methods tho' never so unjust For he more merciful to beasts than to mankind appointed a most grievous pecuniary mulct and other more severe penalties to be inflicted on those who should trespass on his game But divine vengeance was not long wanting to this impious project of the King 's Example of Divine Vengeance for Richard his second son and William Rufus King of England another of his sons both lost their lives in this Forest the latter being casually c The place where William Rufus was kill'd is call'd says Leland Itinerar vol. 6. p. 100. Thorougham where there yet standeth a Chappel shot with an arrow by Walter Tirrel and the other poisoned by a pestilential blast And Henry his grandchild by Robert his eldest son while he was here eagerly pursuing his sport was caught by the head in the boughs and there ended his life to teach us that the crimes of parents are often punish'd upon their childrens children Of
monastery in the infancy of the English Church which was for some time the burying-place of that most Religious King Henry 6. â—enry 6. whom the York-family after they had dethron'd him cut off to make themselves more secure of the Crown and bury'd him here without the least mark of honour But King Henry 7. removing him to Windsor bury'd him in a New Tomb with the solemnity becoming a King and was such an admirer of his Religion and Virtues for he was an exact pattern of Christian piety and patience that he apply'd himself to Pope Julius to have him put in the kalendar of the Saints â—tory of â—anterbury And this had certainly been done if the Pope's avarice had not stood in the way who demanded too large a summ for the King's Apotheosis or Canonization which would have made it look as if that honour had not been pay'd so much to the sanctity of the Prince as to gold Below this place the little river Wey empties it self into the Thames a which running out of Hamshire at it's first coming into Surrey visits Feornham commonly Farnham Farnham so nam'd as being a bed of ferns given by Aethelbald King of the West-Saxons to the Bishop and Congregation of the Church of Winchester In this place it was that about the year 893. King Alfred worsted the plundering Danes with a handful of men and afterwards when K. Stephen had granted licence to all those who sided with him to build Castles Henry of Blois brother to Stephen and Bishop of Winchester built a castle upon the hill that hangs over the town which because it was a harbour for sedition K. Henry 3. demolish'd but after a long time the Bishops of Winchester to whom it belongs to this day rebuilt it Not far from hence at Waverley Waverley William Gifford Bishop of Winchester built a little monastery for Cistercian Monks 1 Commonly called White-Monks which Abbey being a Grandchild as they term'd it from Cisterce in Burgundy was so fruitful here in England that it was nother to the Abbies of Gerondon Ford Tame Cumb and Grandmother to Bordesley Bidlesdon Bruer Bindon and Dunkeswell For so Religious Orders were wont to keep in Pedigree-manner the propagation of their Orders as a deduction of Colonies out of them From thence the Wey running by Godelminge which King Alfred gave by Will to Aethelwald his brother's son and not far from Catteshull-mannour Catteshull which Hamo de Catton held to be Marshal of the whores when the King should come into those parts and at a little distance from Loseley where within a park I saw a delicate seat of the family of the Mores by these I say it comes to Guilford Guilford in Saxon Gulde-ford and in some Copies Gegldford It is now a market-town of great resort and well stor'd with good Inns but was formerly a Village of the English-Saxon Kings and given by Will to Athelwald by his foresaid Uncle There is now a house of the King 's tho' gone much to decay and not far from the river the ruinous walls of an old castle which has been pretty large In the middle of the town is a Church the east end whereof being arch'd with stone seems to be very ancient Here as we learn by Domesday book the King had 75 Hagae i.e. houses Haga wherein 175 men dwelt But 't is famous for nothing so much as the treachery and inhumanity of Godwin Earl of Kent who in the year of our Lord 1036. when Alfred King Ethelred's son and heir to the Crown of England came out of Normandy to demand his right receiv'd him with an assurance of safety but treated him contrary to his promise For surprizing at a dead time of night the six hundred men which were the retinue of the Royal youth he punish'd them as our Writers word it by a Decimation Military Decimation Which was not according to the ancient Rules of War by drawing out every tenth man by lot and then killing him but dispatching nine dismissed every tenth and afterwards with the most extream cruelty * redecimavit retith'd those tenths he had sav'd And as to Aelfred himself he deliver'd him to Harold the Dane who first put out his eyes then clapt him in chains and kept him in prison to his dying day b From hence the Wey is carry'd towards the north for a long way together and meets with nothing worth mentioning except Sutton the seat of the Westons Knights 2 Better'd by an heir of T. Camel Woking a royal seat 3 Where K. Hen. 7. repair'd and enlarg'd the Maneur-house being the inheritance of the Lady Margaret Countess of Richmond his mother who liv'd there in her later time Newark sometime a small Priory environ'd with divided streams and Pyriford where in our memory Edward Earl of Lincoln and Baron Clinton 4 And Admiral of England built him a house and in the neighbourhood Ockham William Ockham where William de Ockham that great Philosopher and Founder of the Nominals was born and had his name from the place 5 As of the next village Ripley G. de Ripley a Ring-leader of our Alchimists and a mystical Impostor So Holland This Sir George after 20 years study in Italy c. after the Philosopher's stone is said to have found it An. 1470. and well he might if he gave as a Record in the Isle of Malta declares an hundred thousand pound yearly to the Knights of Rhodes for carrying on the war againct the Turks See Full. Wor. p. 204. Com. Ebor. But where it comes to empty it self out at a double mouth into the Thames we see Otelandes c a pretty handsome seat of the King 's built within a park near which Caesar pass'd the Thames Where Caesar pass'd the Thames and enter'd the territories of Cassivelan For this was the only place in the Thames formerly fordable and that too not without great difficulty which the Britains in a manner pointed out to him For on the other side of the river a strong body of the British had planted themselves and the bank it self was senc'd with sharp stakes and some of the same sort fasten'd under water The footsteps whereof says Bede are seen at this day and it appears upon the view that each of them is as thick as a man's thigh and that soder'd with lead they stick in the bottom of the river immoveable But the Romans enter'd the river with so much vigour and resolution that tho' they had only their heads above water the Britains were not able to bear up against them but were forc'd to quit the bank and fly for it 'T is impossible I should be mistaken in the place because here the river is scarce six foot deep and the place at this day from those stakes is call'd Coway-stakes Câ—waystakes to which add that Caesar makes the bounds of Cassivelan where he settles this passage of
Anderida sylva so nam'd from Anderida the next adjoyning city took up in this quarter 120 miles in length and 30 in breadth memorable for the death of Sigebert a King of the West-Saxons who being depos'd b In a place call'd Pryfetes flodan Aethelwerd l. 2. c. 17. was here stabb'd to death by a Swine-herd It has many little rivers but those that come from the north-side of the County presently bend their course to the sea and are therefore unable to carry vessels of burden It is full of Iron-mines everywhere Iron for the casting of which there are Furnaces up and down the Country and abundance of wood is yearly spent many streams are drawn into one chanel and a great deal of meadow-ground is turned into Ponds and Pools for the driving of Mills by the * Suo impetu flashes which beating with hammers upon the iron fill the neighbourhood round about night and day with their noise But the iron here wrought is not everywhere of the same goodness yet generally more brittle than the Spanish whether it be from it's nature or tincture and temper Nevertheless the Proprietors of the mines by casting of Cannon and other things get a great deal of money But whether the nation is any ways advantag'd by them is a doubt the next age will be better able to resolve Neither doth this County want Glass-houses Glass but the glass here made by reason of the matter or making I know not which is not so clear and transparent and therefore only us'd by the ordinary sort of people b This whole County as to it 's Civil partition is divided into 6 parts which by a peculiar term they call Rapes that is of Chichester Arundell Brembre Lewes Pevensey and Hastings every one of which besides their Hundreds has a Castle River and Forest of it 's own But c In the Map the Rapes are now duely distinguish'd and divided forasmuch as I have little knowledge of the limits within which they are bounded I design to take my way along the shore from west to east for the inner parts scatter'd here and there with villages have scarce any thing worth mentioning In the very confines of Hamshire and this County stands Bosenham Boseham commonly call'd Boseham environ'd round about with woods and the sea together where as Bede saith Dicul a Scotch Monk had a very small Cell and 5 or 6 Brothers living poorly and serving God which was a long time after converted into a private retreat for K. Harold From which place as he once in a little Pinnace made to sea for his recreation he was by a sudden turn of the wind driven upon the coast of France and there detain'd till he had by oath assur'd the Kingdom of England unto William of Normandy after the death of K. Edw. the Confessor by which means he presently drew upon himself his own ruin and the kingdom's overthrow But with what a subtle double meaning that cunning catcher of syllables Earl Godwin's double meaning Godwin Earl of Kent this Harold's Father got this place and deluded the Archbishop by captious wrestings of letters Walter Mapes who liv'd not many years after shall in his own very words inform you out of his book de Nugis Curialium This Boseham underneath Chichester says he Godwin saw and had a mind to and being accompanied with a great train of Lords comes smiling and jesting to the Archbishop of Canterbury whose town it then was My Lord says he give me * Alluding perhaps to Basium a Kiss in times past us'd in doing homage Boseam The Archbishop wondring what he demanded by that question I give you says he Boseam He presently with his company of Knights and Soldiers fell down as he had before design'd at his feet and kissing them with a world of thanks retires to Boseham and by force of arms kept possession as Lord of it and having his followers as Witnesses to back him gave the Archbishop a great many commendations as the Donor in the King's presence and so held it peaceably Afterwards as we read in Testa de Nevil which was an Inquisition of lands made in K. John's time King William who afterwards conquer'd England gave this to William Fitz-Aucher and his heirs in fee-farm paying out of it yearly into the Exchequer 40 pounds of silver d See in Wiltshire under the title Old Salisbury try'd and weigh'd and afterwards William Marshall held it as his inheritance Chichester Chichester in British Caercei in Saxon Cissanceaster in Latin Cicestria stands in a Plain farther inwards upon the same arm of the sea with Boseham a pretty large city and wall'd about built by Cissa the Saxon the second King of this Province taking also it 's name from him For Cissan-ceaster is nothing else but the City of Cissa whose father Aella was the first Saxon that here erected a kingdom Yet before the Norman conquest it was of little reputation noted only for St. Peter's Monastery and a little Nunnery But in the reign of William 1. as appears by Domesday book there were in it 100 Hagae and it was in the hands of Earl Roger †De 〈◊〉 Gomâ—rice i.e. of Montgomery and there are in the said place 60 houses more than there were before It paid 15 pound to the King and 10 to the Earl Afterwards when in the reign of the said William 1. it was ordain'd that the Bishops Sees should be translated out of little towns to places of greater note and resort this city being honour'd with the Bishop's residence which was before at Selsey began to flourish Not many years after Bishop Ralph built there a Cathedral Church which before it was fully finish'd was by a casual fire suddenly burnt down Notwithstanding by his endeavours and K. Hen. 1.'s liberality it was raised up again and now besides the Bishop has a Dean a Chaunter a Chancellor a Treasurer 2 Archdeacons and 30 Prebendaries At the same time the city began to flourish and had certainly been much frequented and very rich had not the haven been a little too far off and less commodious which nevertheless the citizens are about making more convenient by digging a new canal It is wall'd about in a circular form and is wash'd on every side except the north by the e The course of this river's stream is very unaccountable sometimes being quite dry but at other times and that very often too in the midst of Summer it is so full as to run very violently little river Lavant having 4 gates opening to the 4 quarters of the world from whence the streets lead directly and run cross in the middle where the market is kept and where Bishop Robert Read built a fine stone Piazza As for the castle which stood not far from the north gate it was anciently the seat of the Earls of Arundel who from hence wrote themselves Earls of Chichester Earls of
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
which had been for some time buried under ground and was dug up a perfect stone More to the East Tuddington shews it's beautiful house lately built by H. Lord Cheney 12 Made by Queen Elizabeth Baron Cheyney of Tuddington built and shortly after dy'd sans-issue where also formerly Paulinus Pever a Courtier and Sewer to King Henry 3. did as Matth. Paris tells us build a seat with such palace-like grandeur such a Chapel such Lodgings with other houses of stone cover'd with lead and surrounded it with such ‖ Pomoeâ—â— avenues and parks that it rais'd an astonishment in the beholders We have not gone far from this place along by Hockley in the hole a dirty road extreme troublesome to travellers in winter time 13 For the old Englishmen our Progenitors call'd deep mire hock and hocks and through fields wherein are the best beans yielding a pleasant smell but by their fragrancy spoiling the scent of dogs not without the great indignation of the Hunters till we ascend a white hill into Chiltern and presently come to Dunstable Duâ—stabâ—e seated in a chalky ground pretty well inhabited and full of Inns. It has 4 streets answering the 4 quarters of the world and because of the dryness of the soil every one has 4 publick * Lacunâ— ponds which tho' supply'd only with rain-water are yet never dry For springs they can come at none without digging 24 fathom deep In the middle of the town there is a Cross or rather a Pillar having engraven upon it the Arms of England Castile and Pontieu and adorn'd with Statues it was built by K. Edw. 1. in memory of his Queen Eleanor among some others in places through which she was carry'd 14 Out of Lincolnshire in Funeral pomp to Westminster There 's no manner of doubt to be made but that this was the Station which Antoninus the Emperour in his Itinerary mentions under the name of Magioninium Magiovinium Magiovinium and Magintum c Mr. Camden in his second edition 8o. settl'd it at Ashwell in Hertfordshire nor need it be sought in any other place For setting aside that it stands upon the Roman Military way the Swineherds now and then in the neighbouring fields find Coins of the Emperors which they call to this day Madning-money and at a little distance upon the very descent of Chiltern-hills there is a round military fortification such as Strabo has told us the British towns were It contains 9. acres and is call'd Madning-bowre and Madin-bowre a name wherein with a little variation one may easily discover Magintum But after Magintum either by the storms of war or time was destroy'd Henry 1. built another Town here with a Royal seat at Kingsbury and planted a Colony that should be a curb to the insolence of Robbers as the private History of the little Monastery which he founded for an ornament to his Colony does plainly testifie But take the very words of that private History tho' they savour something of the barbarity of that age It is to be observ'd that that * Aâ—ea structure at the meeting of the way of Watling and Ikening d Primitus sartabatur in the folio edition but in the second which was in 8o. we find in the margin primitus succidebantur was first contriv'd by Henry the Elder of that name King of England to prevent the mischiefs of one Dun a famous Robber and his Gang and that from this Dun the place was call'd Dunstable i Our Lord the King built a burrough there and a Royal seat for himself near it The Burgesses were free in every thing as the other Burgesses of the King's Realm The King had in the same village a Fair and Market and afterwards built a Church wherein by the authority of Pope Eugenius 3. he plac'd Canons Regular feoffing the said Religious in the whole Burrough by Charter and granting them several immunities k 15 As for Leighton Buzard on the one side of Dunstable and Luton on the other neither have I read nor seen any thing memorable in them unless I should say that at Luton I saw a fair Church but the Quire then roofless and overgrown with weeds and adjoyning to it an elegant Chapel founded by J. Lord Wenlock and well maintained by the family of Rotheram planted here by Thomas Rotheram Archbishop of York and Chancellour of England in the time of King Edw. 4. Now of the Lords Dukes and Earls of Bedford Dâ—kes Earls and Barons of Bâ—â—â—ord First there were Barons of Bedford of the family of Beauchamp who by right of inheritance were Almoners to the Kings of England on their Coronation-day But the estate being divided by daughters to the Mowbrays Wakes and Fitz-Otes King Edward 3. made Engelram de Coucy Earl of Soissons in France 16 Son to Engelrame Lord of Coucy and his wife daughter to the Duke of Austria to whom he had marry'd a daughter first Earl of Bedford Afterwards Henry 5. erected Bedford into a Dukedom and it had three Dukes the first was John third son of Henry 4. who beat the French in a sea-engagement at the mouth of the Seine and again being made Regent of France 17 Slain in a land-fight at Vernolium He was bury'd at Roan and the Fortune of England as to the French wars was bury'd with him Whose monument while Charles 8. King of France was a viewing and a Nobleman stood by that advis'd him to pull it down Nay says he let him rest in peace now he 's dead whom France dreaded in the field while alive The second Duke of Bedford was George Nevil a young boy son of John Marquess of Montacute both of whom K. Edw 4. degraded by Act of Parliament almost assoon as he had set them up the father for treachery in deserting his party and the son out of revenge to the father Tho' it was indeed urg'd as a pretence that he had not estate enough to bear out the grandeur of a Duke and that great men when they want answerable Fortunes are always a plague and burthen to their neighbours The third was Jasper de Hatfeld Earl of Pembroke honour'd with this title by his * Nepote grandchild Hen. 7. whom he had sav'd out of very great dangers but 18 Some ten years after his creation he tho' he liv'd to a great age dy'd unmarry'd But within the memory of our Fathers it return'd to the title of an Earldom when King Edward 6. created John Russel Earl of Bedford who was succeeded by his son 19 Sir Francis Francis a person of that piety and gentile easiness of temper that whatever I can possibly say in his commendation will fall infinitely short of his Virtues He left Edward his successor and grandchild by his son Francis who is growing up by degrees to the honour of his Ancestors This little County has 116 Parishes ADDITIONS to BEDFORDSHIRE a ON the west-side of
Raii syn 114. Sysymbrium Cardamine hirsutum minus fl albo J. B. The lesser hairy impatient Cuckow flower or Ladies-smock On the New-river banks between Canberry-house and Newington in many places Tormentilla reptans alata foliis profundius serratis D. Plot. Hist nat Oxon. Creeping Tormentil with deeply indented leaves In a ditch between the Boarded-river and Islington road Gramen Cyperoides spica pendula breviore C. B. Cyperus seu Pseudo-Cyperus spica brevi pendula Park Pseudo-Cyperus Ger. Bastard Cyperus with short pendulous spikes In the same place with the last Stellaria pusilla palustris repens tetraspermos Lenticula aq bifolia Neapolitana Park Fig. 1293. Raii hist Plant. 1852. Small creeping Marsh-Starwort This I found in some moist writts in a wood near the Boarded-river But the first discovery of it to be a native of England we owe to that ingenious Physician and expert Botanist Dr. Hans Sloan who found it in a Bog on Putney-Heath Alnus nigra baccisera J. B. C. B. nigra sive Frangula Ger. Frangula seu Alnus nigra baccifera Park The black-berry bearing Alder. This with the following grow plentifully in a wood against the Boarded river Gramen arundinaceum panicula spadicea molli majus C. B. Gramen tomentosum arundinaceum Ger. Reed-grass with a pappose panicle Gramen Cyperoides polystachion slavicans spicis brevibus propè summitatem caulis Raii syn 195. Mr. Rays yellowish Cyperus-grass with short spikes Gramen Cyperoides sylvarum tenuius spicatum Park Slender-ear'd wood Cyperus grass Gramen Cyperoides spica è pluribus spicis brevibus mollibus composita Raii syn Mr. Ray's round cluster-headed Cyperus grass Sambucus aquatilis seu palustris Ger. aq fl simplicis C. B. Water Elder In the same wood but sparingly Myosurus J. B. cauda muris Ger. Holosteo affinis cauda muris C. B. Mouse-tail This with the next I found in a sloughy lane near the Divel's-house going to Hornsey Plantaginella palustris C. B. Plantago aquatica minima Park Chickweed with Water-plantain leaves Muscus muralis platyphyllos Raii syn 237. Broad leav'd moss This Mr. Bobart the Botanick Professor of Oxford shewed me on many walls about that City the which I have this year found on a brick wall on the right hand assoon as you enter into Hornsey town from London Bardana minor Ger. lappa minor Xanthium Dioscoridis C. B. The lesser Burdock This I observed in the road side near the Bridge at Newington Cynoglossum minus folio virenti Ger. semper-virens C. B. Park The lesser green-leav'd Hounds tongue In a hedge facing the round on Stamford-hill between Newington and Tottenham Cruciata Ger. vulgaris Park hirsuta C. B. Gallium latifolium Cruciata quibusdam fl luteo J. B. Crosswort or Mugweed In Hampsted Churchyard Alsine tetrapetalos Caryophylloides quibusdam Holosteum minimum Raii syn 145. The least Stichwort On Hampstead heath plentifully Filix florida seu Osmunda Regalis Ger. Osmund Royal or flowering Fern. Towards the north side of the heath and in a Ditch near it the Lichen petreus cauliculo calceato C. B. Small Liverwort with crumpled leaves With the Gramen Cyperoides spicis brevibus congestis folio molli Raii Hist 1910. Mr. Doody's short-headed Cyperus grass And Ros solis folio rotundo J. B. C. B. Ger. Park Round leav'd Ros-solis or Sun-dew In the Bogs Muscus trichodes medius capitulis sphaericis Raii in append syn 243. Mr. Doody's Goldilocks with round heads Muscus trichoides foliis capillaceis capitulis minoribus Raii syn 243. Mr. Doody's fine-leav'd Goldilocks with small heads Muscus trichoides minor capitulis longissimis Raii syn 243. Mr. Doody's small Goldilocks with very long and slender heads These three last that most indefatigable Botanist first discovered on a ditch-bank leading from Mother Huffs towards Hampsted Muscus trichoides minor capitulis perexiguis per Microscopium Botro referens Mr. Dares cluster-headed Goldilocks This is a singular Moss its rough heads distinguising it from any yet discover'd I found it in the lane going from Mother Huffs to Highgate but it was first discovered by Mr. Dare in a lane beyond Putney-heath I have also lately receiv'd it from my ingenious friend Mr. T. Pool a Mercer at Nottingham who gathered it near that town Filix mas non ramosa pinnulis latis auriculatis spinosis Ger. 1130. Prickly auriculate male Fern. This with the following are found in the woods about Highgate and Hampsted Filix mas non ramosa pinnulis angustis raris profundè dentatis Ger. 1130. Male Fern with thin-set deeply indented leaves Filix mas ramosa pinnulis dentatis Ger. 1129. Great branch'd Fern with indented leaves Alsine longifolia uliginosis proveniens locis J. B. Long-leav'd water Chickweed Alsine Plantaginis folio J. B. Plantain-leav'd Chickweed Bifolium sylvestre vulgare Park Common Twayblade Cyperus gramineus J. B. gramineus Miliaceus Ger. Fig. 30. Millet Cyperus grass Equisetum omnium minimum tenuifolium Park Fig. 1201. sylvaticum Ger. 1114. Wood Horsetail These five last are found in the moistest places in the abovesaid woods the following in the dryer parts Astragalus sylvaticus Ger. Wood-pease Androsemum vulgare Park Tutsan or park-leaves Anagallis lutea Ger. Yellow Pimpernel Gramen Avenaceum rariore gluma spicatum Park Fig. 1151. Wood Oat-grass Gramen Cyperoides spica pendula longiore Park Cyperus grass with long pendulous heads Gramen Cyp. spicatum minimum spica divulsa aculeata Raii synops Tall prickly-headed spiked Cyperus-grass Gramen nemorosum hirsutum latifol maxim Raii synops Great broad-leav'd hairy Wood-grass Hieracium fruticosum latifolium hiâ—sutum C. B. Park Bushy Hawkweed with broad rough leaves Hieracium fruticosum angustifolium majus C. B. Park Narrow-leav'd bushy Hawkweed Juncellus omnium minimus Chamaeschoenus Ad. Lob. The least Rush Lilium convallium Ger. fl albo Park Lily of the Valley or May-Lily Sorbus sylvestris seu Fraxinus bubula Ger. The Quicken tree Sorbus torminalis Ger. The common wild Service or Sorb Vaccinia nigra Ger. Black Whorts Whortle-berries or Bilberries Aparine minima Raii synops Mr. Sherard's least Clivers First discovered by that compleat Botanist on a wall at Hackney Carduus stellatus Ger. Star-Thistle In some barren fields near White-chapel Carum seu Careum Ger. Caraways This I have more than once found about London Chondrilla viscosa humilis C. B. Ger. Park The least wild Lettice In a lane against Pancras-Church near London Eruca aquatica Ger. Park Water Rocket In a ditch in the road between White-chapel and Mile-end Lapathum pulchrum Bononiense sinuatum J. B. Fiddle Dock In Bunhill and Morefields plentifully Mercurialis mas foemina Ger. French Mercury This though a scarce Plant wild in England yet grows spontaneously in most Gardens in and about London Ulmus folio latissimo scabro Ger. latiore folio Park The Wych-hasel or broad-leav'd Elm. I have seen large trees of this at Hoxton near London ESSEX THE other part of the Trinobantes call'd from the Eastern situation and the Saxons who possest it East-Seaxa
tho' I have long consider'd it Antiquity has so obscur'd all memorials of them that there remain not the least footsteps whereby to trace them So that tho' Justus Lipsius that great Master of polite learning takes me for a competent judge of this controversie I must ingenuously profess my ignorance and that I would rather recommend this task to any one else than assume it to my self However if the Ceangi and Cangi may be allow'd to be the same and I don't know why they may not then 't is probable that they liv'd in this County For while I was reviewing this work I heard from some credible persons that there have been twenty pieces of Lead dug up on this shore of a square oblong form and thus inscribed in the hollow of the upper part IMP. DOMIT. AVG. GER DE CEANG. But in others IMP. VESP. VII T. IMP. V. COSS. Aâ— Câ— Which seems to have been a monument rais'd upon account of some victory over the Cangi And this opinion is confirm'd by the situation of the place upon the Irish Sea An 〈◊〉 for Tacitus in the twelfth Book of his Annals writes That in Nero's time Ostorius led an Army against the Cangi by which the fields were wasted and the spoil every where carried off the enemy not daring to engage but only at an advantage to attack our rear and even then they suffer'd for their attempt They were now advanc'd almost as far as that Sea towards Ireland when a mutiny among the Brigantes brought back the General again But from the former Inscription it seems they were not subdued before Domitian's time and consequently by Chronological computation it must be when Julius Agricola that excellent Souldier was Propraetor here Moreover Ptolemy places the Promontorium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on this coast Neither dare I look in any other part beside this Country for the Garrison of the Conganii where Coâ—â—â— towards the decline of the Empire a Band of Vigiles with their Captain under the Dux Britanniae kept watch and ward But I leave every man to his own judgment As for the Earls of Chester Eaâ—â—s â— Cheâ—â—â— to omit the Saxons who held this Earldom barely as an office and not as an inheritance William the Conquerour made Hugh sirnam'd Lupus son to the Viscount de Auranches in Normandy the first hereditary Earl of Chester and Count Palatine giving unto him and his heirs this whole County h See Ordericus Vitalis's Ecclesiastical History l. 4. p. 509. where Chester is given to Reger of Montgomery to hold as freely by his sword as he did England by his crown these are the very words of the Feoffment Baron Chestâ—â— Hereupon the Earl presently substituted these following Barons Nigell now Niel Baron of Haulton whose posterity took the name Lacey from the estate of the Laceys which fell to them and were Earls of Lincoln Robert Baron de Mont-hault Seneschal or Steward of the County of Chester the last of which family dying without children made Isabel Queen of England and John de Eltham Earl of Cornwall his heirs William de Malbedenge Baron of Malbanc whose great grand-daughters transferred this inheritance by their marriages to the Vernons and Bassets Richard Vernon Baron of Sipbroke whose estate for want of heirs male came by the sisters to the Wilburhams Staffords and Littleburys Robert Fitz-Hugh Baron of Malpas who as I have observ'd already seems to have died without issue Hammon de Mascy whose estate descended to the Fittons de Bolin Gilbert Venables Baron of Kinderton whose Posterity remain and flourish in a direct line to this present age N. Baron of Stockport to whom the Warrens of Poynton descended from the noble family of the Earls of Warren and Surrey in right of marriage succeeded And these are all the Barons I could hitherto find belonging to the Earls of Chester Who as 't is set down in an old book had their free Courts for all Pleas and Suits except those belonging to the Earl's sword They were besides to be the Earl's Counsel to attend him and to frequent his Court for the honour and greater grandeur of it and as we find it in an old Parchment they were bound in times of war with the Welsh to find for every Knight's fee one Horse and Furniture or two without Furniture within the Divisions of Cheshire and that their Knights and Freeholders should have Corslets and 〈…〉 Haubergeons and defend their own Fees with their own Bodies 〈…〉 Hugh the first Earl of Chester already spoken of was succeeded by his son Richard who together with William only son of Henry the first with others of the Nobility was cast away between England and Normandy An. 1120. He dying without issue Ranulph de Meschines was the third in this dignity being sister's son to Hugh the first Earl He dying left a son Ranulph sirnam'd de Gernoniis the fourth Earl of Chester a stout Souldier who at the Siege of Lincoln took King Stephen prisoner His son Hugh sirnam'd Kevelioc was the fifth Earl who dy'd An. 1181. leaving his son Ranulph sirnam'd de Blundevill the sixth in that dignity who built Chartley and Beeston-castles founded the Abbey de-la-Cress and died without issue leaving four sisters to inherit Mawd the wife of David Earl of Huntingdon Mabil the wife of William de Albeney Earl of Arundel Agnes wife of William de Ferrars Earl of Derby and lastly Avis wife of Robert de Quincy The next Eâ—rl of this County was John sirnam'd Scotus the son of Earl David by the eldest sister Mawd aforesaid He dying likewise without issue King Henry the third bribed with the prospect of so fair an Inheritance annexed it to the Crown allowing the sisters of John other Revenues for their Fortunes not being willing as he was wont to say that such a vast estate should be parcelled among Distaffs The Kings themselves when this County devolved upon them J. Tillus maintain'd their ancient Palatine Prerogatives and held their Courts as the Kings of France did in the Counties of Champain that the Honour of the Palatinate might not be extinguished by difuse An Honour which afterwards was conferred upon the eldest sons of the Kings of England and first granted to Edward the son of Henry the third who being taken prisoner by the Barons parted with it as ransom for his Liberty to Simon de Montfort Earl of Leicester who being cut off soon after it quickly returned to the Crown and Edward the second made his eldest son Earl of Chester and Flint and under these titles summon'd him when but a Child to Parliament Afterwards Richard the second by Act of Parliament raised this Earldom to a Principality and annexed to it the Castle of Leon with the Territories of Bromfield and Yale and likewise the Castle of Chirk with Chirkland and the Castle of Oswalds-street with the Hundred and eleven Towns appertaining to the said Castle with the Castles of
question but this was the very c Dr. Gâ—le gives us a note upon this passage in Ptolemy which must be wrong printed 'T is this Salutarem sinum male MS. Seld. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which ought to be thus pointed Salutatem sinum male MS. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gabrantovicorum Gâ—bâ—â—â—vâ— a people that liv'd in this neighbourhood n Near this is Bridlington a town famous for John de Bridlington a Monkish Poet d There is no such thing One might as well say as some do that the Caledonian woods are still plentifully stockt with Wild-bears Both these kinds are long since wholly destroy'd in that Kingdom See Sir Robert Sibbald's Nuntius Scoto-Brit part 2. p. 9. whose rhyming prophecies which are altogether ridiculous I have seen o Not far from hence for a great way towards Drifield there was a ditch drawn by the Earls of Holderness to divide the Lands which was call'd Earls-dike But why this small People were call'd Gabrantovici I dare not so much as guess unless perhaps it was deriv'd from Goats which the Britains call'd Gaffran whereof there are not greater numbers in any part of Britain than in this place Nor is this derivation to be lookt upon as absurd seeing the Aegira in Achaia has its name from Goats Nebrodes in Sicily from Deer and Boeotia in Greece from Oxen. The little Promontory that by its bending makes this Bay is commonly call'd Flamborough-head 〈◊〉 but by Saxon Authors Fleam-burg who write that Ida the Saxon who first subdu'd these parts arriv'd here Some think it took its name from a Watch-tower to set out Lights whereby Mariners might discern that Harbour For the Britains still retain the provincial word Flam and the Mariners paint this Creek with a flaming-head in their Sea-Charts Others are of opinion that this name came into England out of Angloen in Denmark the ancient Seat of the Angli for there is a town call'd Flemsburg from which they think the English gave it that name as the Gauls according to Livy nam'd Mediolanum in Italy from the town Mediolanum they had left in Gaul For the little village in this Promontory is call'd Flamborough â—â—â—boâ—â—gh which gives original to another noble family of Constables as they call them which by some are deriv'd from the Lacies â—ables â—â—amboâ—â—gh Constables of Chester p Upon my enquiries in these parts I heard nothing of those Rivers call'd Vipseis â—â—eis which Walter de Heminburgh tells us flow every other year from unknown Springs and with a great and rapid current run by this little Promontory to the Sea However take what William of Newborough who was born there has said of them These famous waters commonly call'd Vipseis spring from the earth at several sources not incessantly but every other year and having made a pretty large current through the lower grounds run into the Sea and when they are dry'd 't is a good sign For the flowing of them is truly said to forbode the misery of an approaching famine q As the Sea winds it self back from hence a thin slip of land like a small tongue when 't is thrust out shoots into the Sea such as the old English call'd File from which the little village Filey takes its name More inward stands Flixton where a Hospital was built in the time of Athelstan for defending Travellers as it is word for word in the * Regiis Archivit Publick Records from Wolves that they should not be devoured by them This shews us that in those times Wolves Wolves infested this tract which now are to be met with in no part of England not so much as in the frontiers of Scotland altho' they are very numerous in that Kingdom This small territory of Holderness was given by William the first to Drugo de Bruerer a Fleming Earls of Albemarle and Holderness Genealogiae Antiquae upon whom also he had bestow'd his niece in marriage but she being poison'd by him and he forc'd to fly for his life was succeeded by Stephen the son of Odo Lord of Albemarle in Normandy descended from the family of the Earls of Champaigne whom William the first who was his nephew by a half sister on the mother's side is said to have made Earl of Albemarle and his posterity retain'd that title in England notwithstanding Albemarle be a place in Normandy He was succeeded by his son William sirnam'd †Le Gross Crassus His only daughter Avis was married to three husbands successively to William Magnavill Earl of Essex to Baldwin de Beton and to William Forts or de Fortibus By this last husband only she had issue William who left also a son William to succeed him His only daughter Avelin being married to Edmund ‖ Gibbosus Crouchback Earl of Lancaster dy'd without children And so as it is said in Meaux-Abbey-book for want of heirs the Earldom of Albemarle and the Honour of Holderness were seized into the King's hands Yet in following ages King Richard the second created Thomas de Woodstock his Uncle and afterwards Edward Plantagenet son to the Duke of York Duke of Albemarle in the life-time of his father Henry the fourth also made his son Thomas Duke of Clarence and Earl of Albemarle which title King Henry the sixth added afterwards as a farther honour to Richard Beauchamp Earl of Warwick ADDITIONS to the East-riding of YORKSHIRE a NOW we come to the second Division the East-Riding Which Division by Ridings to observe it by the way is nothing but a corruption from the Saxon ÃriHing â—g which consisted of several Hundreds or Wapentakes Nor was it peculiar to this County but formerly common to most of the neighbouring ones as appears by the p. 33. 34 Laws of Edward the Confessor and the â—g 74 â—c Life of King Alfred b The first place we meet with is Mont-ferrant-Castle which ‖ â—â—erar Leland tells us in his time was clearly defaced so that bushes grew where it had formerly stood Of the family de Malo Lacu or as Leland calls them Mawley there were eight successively enjoy'd the estate all Peters but the last of these leaving only two daughters the one was married to Bigot and the other to Salwayne c However the name of Battle-bridge â—â—â—â—e-â—â—â—ge may be us'd for Stanford-bridge in Authors a Traveller will hardly meet with it among the Inhabitants of this Country Our Author seems to have taken it from an Instrument concerning the Translation of St. Oswin since printed in the â—â—m 1. â—4 Monasticon Anglicanum which speaking of this place adds Nunc verò Pons belli dicitur i.e. at present 't is call'd Pons Belli or Battle-bridge d Upon the Derwent lyes Howden â—â—den formerly Hovedene as is plain from several Records in the time of Edward 2. and Edward 3. as also from †â—n MS. Leland's calling the first Canon of the place John Hovedene
elsewhere they held of the King More inward among the mountains of Blackamore Blackamore there is nothing remarkable to be met with besides some rambling brooks and rapid torrents which take up as it were all the vallies hereabouts unless it be Pickering a pretty large town belonging to the Dutchy of Lancaster seated upon a hill and fortified with an old Castle to which many neighbouring villages round about do belong so that the adjacent territory is commonly called Pickering Lith the Liberty of Pickering and the Forest of Pickering Pickering which Hen. 3. gave to Edmund his younger son E. of Lancaster In this upon the Derwent Atton Atton is situated which gives name to the famous family of the Attons Knights descended from the Lords de Vescy whose estate was divided by the daughters between Edward de St. John the Euers and the Coigniers From this Edward de St. John a great part thereof came by a daughter to Henry Bromflet who was summon'd to Parliament in the following manner 27 Hen. 6. Bromflet Lord Vescy no where else to be met with among the Summons to Parliament We will that both you and the heirs males of your body lawfully begotten be Barons of Vescy Afterwards this title went by a daughter to the Cliffords On the other side four miles from Pickering near Dow a very strong current is Kirkby-Morside Kirkby-Moreside none of the most inconsiderable market-towns formerly belonging to the Estotevills and situate near hills from which it takes it's name From these westward stands Rhidale Rhidale a very fine valley pleasant and fruitful adorn'd with 23 Parish-Churches and the river Rhy running through the midst of it A place says Newbrigensis of vast solitude and horror till Walter Espec gave it to the Cluniack Monks and founded a Cloister for them Here Elmesly is seated Elmesley call'd also Hamlak which if I do not mistake Bede calls Ulmetum where Robert sirnamed de Ross built the Castle Fursam near which the river Recall hides it self under ground Lower down upon this river stands Riton the old estate of an ancient family the Percihaies commonly called Percyes From hence the Rhy with the many waters received from other currents rolls into the Derwent which washes Malton Malton in this valley a market-town famous for its vent of corn horses fish and Country-utensils There the foundation of an old Castle is visible which formerly as I have heard belonged to the Vesceys Baron Vescey Barons of great note in these parts Their pedigree as appears from the Records of the Tower is from William Tyson who was Lord of Malton and Alnewick in Northumberland and was cut off in the battel of Hastings against the Normans His only daughter was married to Ivo de Vescy a Norman who likewise left one only daughter called Beatrice married to Eustachius the son of John Monoculus who in the reign of K. Stephen founded two Religious houses at Malton and Watton For his second wife daughter to William Constable of Chester was Lady of Watton William the son of Eustachius by his wife Beatrice being ripped out of his mothers womb took the name Vescey and for Arms Arms of the Vâ—scies Matth. Paris MS. A Cross Argent in a field Gules This William by B. daughter to Robert Estotevill of Knaresburgh had two sons Eustach de Vescey who married Margaret daughter to William King of Scotland and 7 Sir Guarin Guarin de Vescey Lord of Knapton Eustach was father to William who had a son John that died without issue and William famous for his exploits in Ireland and who changed the old Arms of the family into a shield Or with a Cross Sable William his lawful son John dying in the wars of Wales gave some of his lands in Ireland to King Edward that his natural son called William de Kildare might inherit his estate Lib. Dunelm and made Anthony Bec Bishop of Durham his Feoffee in trust to the use of his son who hardly acquitted himâ—elf fairly in that part of his charge relating to Alnwick Eltham in Kent and some other estates which he is said to have converted to his own use This natural son aforesaid was slain at Sterling fight in Scotland and the title fell at last to the family of the Attons by Margaret the only daughter of 8 Sir Guarin Guarin Vescy who was married to Gilbert de Atton Vid. pag. praeced But enough of this if not too much and besides we spoke of it before Near this valley stands Newborrow Newborrow to which we owe William of Newborrow an English Historian learned and diligent now it is the Seat of the famous family de Ballasise who are originally from the Bishoprick of Durham and also Belleland commonly call'd Biland Biland two famous Monasteries both fâ—unded and endow'd by Roger Mowbray Family of the Mowbrays The family of these Mowbrays was as considerable as any for power honours and wealth they possessed very great estates with the castles of Slingesby Thresk and others in these parts The rise of this family was in short thus Roger de Mowbray Earl of Northumberland and R. de * In another plâ—ce call'd De Frente Bovis Grandebeofe being for disloyalty depâ—iv'd of their estates King Henry the first gave a great part of them to Nigell de Albenie descended from the same family with the Albenies Earls of Arondell a man of very noble extraction among the Normans He was Bow-bearer to William Rufus and enrich'd to that degree by him The Register of Fountain-Abby that he had in England 140 Knights fees and in Normandy 120. His son Roger was also commanded by him to take the name of Mowbray fâ—om whom the Mowbrays Earls of Nottingham and the Dukes of Norfolk are descended To these Mowbrays also Gilling-castle Gilling-castle a little way from hence did formerly belong but now 't is in the hands of that ancient and famous family which from their fair hair have the name of Fairfax Fairfax for fax Fax in the old Saxon signifies hair or the hairs of the head upon which account they call'd a Comet or Blazing-star a Faxed-star Faxed-star as also the place before spoken of Haly-fax from holy hair Below this to the Southward lyes the Calaterium nemus commonly The Forest of Galtres The Forest of Galtres which in some places is thick and shady in others plain wet and boggy At present it is famous for a yearly Horse-race A Horse-race wherein the prize for the horse that wins is a little golden bell 'T is hardly credible what great resort of people there is to these races from all parts and what great wagers are laid upon the horses In this Forest stands Creac Creac which Egfrid King of Northumberland in the year b It was given in 685. the last of that King's reign as some Latin editions and the
were drowns the lesser and the King of England and Duke of Normandy at that time was the self same person But where am I thus roving After Arthur there succeeded in the Earldom of Richmond Guy Vicount of Thovars second husband of Constantia aforesaid Ranulph the third Earl of Chester third husband to the said Constantia Peter de Dreux descended from the Blood-royal of France who married Alice the only daughter of Constantia by her husband Guy Thovars 7 Then upon dislike of the house of Britain Peter of Savoy c. Peter of Savoy Uncle of Eleanor Consort to King Henry the third who fearing the Nobility and Commons of England that grumbled at that time against foreigners voluntarily renounced this honour John Earl of Britain son of Peter de Dreux John the first Duke of Britain and his son who married Beatrice daughter to Henry the third King of England He had issue Arthur Duke of Britain who according to some Writers was also Earl of Richmond For certain Robert de Arthâ—is wâ— not Earl oâ— Richmâ—â—d as Frâ—â—sardus has â— but of â—â—lomorâ— Lib. Feâ—d Richmâ—â—diae John his younger brother presently after the death of his father enjoy'd this honour who added to the ancient Arms of Dreux with the Canton of Britain the Lions of England in bordure He was ‖ Custoâ— Governour of Scotland under Edward the second where he was kept prisoner three years and at last dy'd without children in the reign of Edward the third and John Duke of Britain his Nephew the son of Arthur succeeded in this Earldom He dying without issue at a time when this Dutchy of Britain was hotly * Between John de Montâ—foâ—â— and Jâ— Clauâ— wife of Charles of Blâ—is contended for 8 Between John Earl of Monfort of the half-blood and Joan his brother's daughter and heir of the whole blood married to Charles of Blâ—ys Edward the 3d to advance his interest in France gave to John Earl of Montford who had sworn fealty to him for the Dutchy of Britain all this Earldom till such time as he should recover his Lands in France he seeming preferable to the daughter of his brother deceas'd 9 To whom the Parliament of France had adjudg'd it both as he was a man as he was nearer ally'd and as he had a better title His lands being at length regain'd by means of the English the same King gave it to John of Gaunt his son who at last restor'd it to the King his father for other Lands in exchange The King forthwith created John Earl of Montford the second Duke of Britain sirnam'd the Valiant to whom he had married his daughter Earl of Richmond that he might oblige him by stronger ties being a warlike man and a bitter enemy to the French Yet by an Act of Parliament in the 14th of King Richard the second he was deprived of this Earldom for adhering to the French against the English However he retain'd the title and left it to his posterity The Earldom it self was given by the King to Joan of Britain his sister widow of Ralph Basset of Draiton After her death first Ralph Nevil Earl of Westmorland by the bounty of Henry the 4th had the Castle and County of Richmond for term of Life and then John Duke of Bedford Afterwards Henry the sixth conferr'd the title of Earl of Richmond upon Edmund de Hadham his brother by the mother's side with this peculiar privilege That he should take place in Parliament next the Dukes To him succeeded Henry his son afterwards King of England by the name of Henry the seventh But whilst he was in exile George Duke of Clarence and Richard Duke of Glocester had this County bestow'd upon them by King Edward the fourth their brother Last of all Henry natural son to Henry the eight was by his father invested Duke of Richmond Duke of Richmond but in the year of our Lord 1535. he dy'd without issue 10 As for Sir Thomas Grey who was made Baron of Richmond by King Henry the sixth he was not Lord of this Richmond but of a place in Bedfordshire call'd Rugemound and Richmount Greies There are reckon'd in this County 104 great Parishes besides Chapels of Ease ADDITIONS to the North-Riding and Richmondshire a IN the North-riding the first place our Author speaks of is Scarborough â—â—â—â—boâ—â—â—gh which drives a great trade with fish taken in the Sea thereabout wherewith they supply the City of York tho' thirty miles distant Besides Herings which he takes notice of they have Ling Cod-fish Haddock Hake Whiting Makrel with several other sorts in great plenty On the North-east it is fortified with a high and inaccessible rock stretcht out a good way into the Sea and containing at the top about eighteen or twenty acres of good Meadow and not near sixty as Mr. Camden has told us out of Newbrigensis Whether the difference lye in the several measures of Acres or the greater part of it be washt away by the Sea or lastly may have been caus'd through an error of that Historian I shall not dispute since the matter of fact is plain Wittie's â—â—â—ription â—carboâ—â—â—gh â— The Spaw-well is a quick Spring about a quarter of a mile South from the Town at the foot of an exceeding high cliff arising upright out of the Earth like a boyling pot near the level of the Spring-tides with which it is often overflown It is of that sort of Springs which Aristotle calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in the most droughty years are never dry In an hour it affords above 24. gallons of water for the stones through which it flows contain more than 12 gallons and being empty'd every morning will be full within half an hour It 's virtue proceeds from a participation of Vitriol Iron Alum Nitre and Salt to the sight it is very transparent inclining somewhat to a sky-colour it hath a pleasant acid taste from the Vitriol and an inky smell The right honourable Richard Lumley has from this place his title of Earl of Scarborough b Upon the same coast is Whitby â—â—itby not call'd in Saxon Streanes-Heale as our Author has it but Streones HalH as it is in the Saxon Paraphrase of Bede and also the best Latin Copies And therefore Mr. Junius in his Gothick Glossary under the word Alh seems to have hit the true original when he fetches it from the Saxon hael hal or healh call'd by Caedmon alh which as our Northern word Hall still in use signifies any eminent building Hence the Pagan God Woden's Valhol or Valhaul so frequently mention'd in the Edda and other old Cimbrian Writers and Crantzius fetches the name of the City of Upsal from the same original c As for the Serpent-stones â—â—â—pent-â—â—â—â—es Mr. Nicholson who has made large observations upon the Natural Rarities of those parts affirms them to be the same with those the Modern Naturalists call Cornua Ammonis Whether
word of his own country because it grows plentifully upon those turfs which they call Britten In his Vâ—cabulary the â—erb Britten of which they raise dikes to keep the Ocean from breaking in upon them there seems to be no absurdity if one should reduce this Huis de Britten to the same original and suppose it so called because it was fenced with banks of turf or Britten against the incursions of the sea and that it might be overthrown by the sea upon a breach made in these banks But without more ado I leave the determination of this controversie to them that are better acquainted with the nature of the word and the situation of the place and beg their pardon for trespassing thus far where I had no right On this coast lie also the Isles of Zealand Zeland surrounded by the rivers Scaldi Maese and with the Ocean I have only this to say of them that the name Valachria Toliapis Caunus Câ—nvey Shapey this is the chief came from the Welsh as Lemnius Levinus conjectures Over-against Zealand lies the mouth of the Thames the noblest river in Britain here Ptolemy places Toliapis and Cauna or Convenâ—â—s For Toliapis which I take to be Shepey see in Kent and of Convennor in Essex Without the mouth of the Thames eastward before the Isle of Tenet lies a long shell of quick sands very dangerous call'd the Goodwin-Sands Godwin-Sands where in the year 1097 an Island that belonged to Earl Goodwin was swallowed up according to our Annals a A particular account of these Sands viz. how they happened at first why so called c. see in Mr. Somner's Forts and Ports in Kent published by Mr. James Brome John Twine writes thus of it This Isle was fruitful and had good pastures situated lower than Tenet from which there was a passage for about three or four miles by boat This Island in an unusual storm of wind and rain and in a very high sea sunk down and was covered with heaps of sand and so irrecoverably converted into an amphibious nature between land and sea I know very well what I say for sometimes it floats and sometimes one may walk up it This is perhaps Toliapis unless one had rather read Thanatis for Toliapis which is writ Toliatis in some copies but we have already spoke of this in Kent Here this great body of waters is pent within so small a chanel The Bâ—â—tish Sea that between Britain and the Continent of Europe the Ocean is not above thirty miles broad This narrow Fretum some call'd the British others the French Sea This is the boundary of the British Ocean which by little and little inlarges the space between the two shoars which were in a manner united and by cutting off the land a-like on both sides makes it self room to flow from east to west between Britain and France Here the British sea begins The first Island we meet with in it or rather Peninsula is Selsy in Saxon Seolsea that is according to Bede's explanation an Isle of Seals Seals Pag. But this has been already handled Above this lies the Isle Vecta in Welsh Guith Vecta The Isle oâ— Wight 〈◊〉 Southam in Saxon Wuit-land and WicÆ¿-ea for Ea signifies an Island by us call'd the Isle of Wight and Whight which we have described already As for Portland which is not now an Isle Portland v. Dorset but joined to the Continent it has likewise been already described in Dorsetshire But now to cross over to the opposite coast of France which from Beerfleet in Normandy the Mariners think to be lined with rocks and crags as far as the very middle of the chanel Among these William the son of Henry the first and heir apparent to the crowns of England and Normandy was cast away with his sister a bastard brother and others of the greatest of the Nobility that accompanied him in the year 1120 as he was sailing from Normandy to England Hence a Poet of that age Abstulit hunc terrae matri maris unda noverca Proh dolor occubuit Sol Anglicus Anglia plora Quaeque prius fueras gemino radiata nitore Extincto nato vivas contenta parente Funus plangendum privat lapis aequoris unus Et ratis una suo principe regna duo He from 's dear mother earth was snatch'd away By 's cruel step-mother the barbarous sea Weep weep the light that is for ever gone Weep England that could'st boast a double sun But sadly now must be content with one Sad fate one rock beneath deceitful waves Two helpless Kingdoms of their Prince bereaves Another of the same age writes thus upon this occasion Dum Normannigenae Gallis claris superatis Anglica regna petunt obstitit ipse Deus Aspera nam fragili dum sulcant aequora cymba Intulit excito nubila densa mari Dumque vagi caeco rapiuntur tramite nautae Ruperunt imas abdita saxa rates Sic mare dum superans tabulata per ultima serpit Mersit rege satos occidit orbis honos While Norman Victors o're the waves were born A fiercer foe oppos'd their wish'd return Now homeward the triumphant vessel stood When sudden tempests rouz'd the sudden flood The trembling Pilots fearful of delay Thro' unknown shallows cut their fatal way And fell on secret rocks an heedless prey And conqu'ring billows now by sad degrees Above the Prince's cabbin proudly rise Ner'e could the Ocean boast a nobler prize More westward we may discern some Islands just over-against France yet belonging to the crown of England The first is that by Normandy or upon the coast of Lexobii whom our Welsh call Lettaw as much as to say Coasters hard by is Alderney Alderney term'd in the records of the tower Aurney Aureney and Aurigney so that one would take it for the Arica Arica which Antoninus according to a manuscript that the King of Spain has reckons among the Islands of the British Sea Others suppose it Ebodia Ebodia or Evodia which P. Diaconus and he only who was but little acquainted with these parts takes notice of and places at thirty miles distant from the shore of Sein and tells us of a roaring noise of waters that may be heard afar off This Alderney 2 This Aldeerney lieth in the chief trade of all shipping passing from the Eastern parts to the West three leagues distant from the coast of Normandy thirty from the nearest part of England extended from South East to the North West and containeth about eight miles in circuit the South shore consisting of high cliffs The air is healthful the soil sufficiently rich full of fresh pastures and corn-fields yet the inhabitants poâ—â— through a custom of parting their lands into small parcels by Gavelkind The town is situate well near in the midst of the Isle having a Parish Church and about 80 families with an harbour called Crabbic some miles off On the East
so strongly inspir'd that they can raise the sea or the winds with their enchantments can transform themselves into what Animal they please cure those distempers that are beyond the skil of others and both know and foretel what is to come c. Under these there lie other Islands called Isles aux Mottons near Pen-Marc that is the Horse-head Gleran over against old Blavia now Blavet Grois and the Belle-Isle which Pliny calls Veneticae For they lie over against the Veneti in little Brittain Veneti Insulae Veneticae and might perhaps take that name as being Fishermen For so Venna seems to signifie in the language of the old Gauls Strabo takes these to have been the Forefathers of the Venetians in Italy and says also that they design'd to engage Caesar by sea when he made his expedition to Britain Some from Dionysius Afer call these Insulae Veneticae Nesides Nâ—sides Vannes Venna Caroli 1. pâ—â—catio Caroli as Helgardus says Samnitus whereas in a Greek Copy we find it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a tract of Islands Of which Priscian writes thus out of him Nec spatio distant Nessidum littora longè In quibus uxores * Amnitum Bacchica sacra Concelebrant hederae foliis tectaeque corymbis Non sic Bistonides Absinthi ad flumina Thraces Exertis celebrant clamoribus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here the Nessides shew their neighbouring shore Where Samnite wives at sacred Orgies roar With Ivy-leaves and berries cover'd o'er Not with such cries the wild Bistonian dames Near fair Absinthus fill the Thracian streams This is also express'd in Festus Avienus Hinc spumosus item ponti liquor explicat aestum Et brevis è pelago vortex subit hic chorus ingens Faeminei coetus pulchri colit Orgia Bacchi Producit noctem ludus sacer aera pulsant Vocibus crebris latè sola calcibus urgent Non sic Absynthi propè flumina Thraces almae Bistomdes non quà celeri ruit agmine Ganges Indorum populi stata curant festa Lyoeo Hence constant tides the foaming deep supplies And noisy whirlpools on the surface rise Here a great quire of dames by custom meet And Bacchus Orgies every year repeat And spend in sacred rites the joyful night Through all the air their tuneful voices sound Their nimble feet salute the trembling ground Not in such troops Bistonian matrons croud To the great Feast at fam'd Absinthus flood Nor so the Indians praise their drunken God Now that Belle-Isle is one of the said Nessidae Strabo's authority grounded upon the relations of others is sufficient assurance For it lies before the mouth of the river Loire and Ptolemy places the Samnites on the coast of France just over against it For thus Strabo They say there is a small Island in the Ocean that lies not very far in neither but just over against the mouth of the Loir 'T is inhabited by the wives of the Samnites that are inspir'd by Bacchus and adore him by ceremonies and sacrifices No men are suffer'd to come here but the women take boat and after they have layn with their husbands return 'T is also a custom here to take off the roof of their Temple every year and cover it again the same day before sun-set every one of the women being obliged to bring in a burden to it whoever lets her burden fall is tore in pieces by the rest They are not to give â—ver gathering the pieces dropt in carrying before their fit of madness is over It always happens that one or other is thus tore to pieces for letting their burden fall Thus the Ancients in treating of the remoter part of the world were very much given to insert such fabulous stories But he tells us farther that as for those things which are said of Ceres and Proserpine they are somewhat more probable For the report is that in an Island near Britain they sacrifice to these Goddesses after the same manner that those in Samothrace do 8 Hitherto have I extended the British sea both upon the credit of Pomponius Mela who stretcheth it to the coast of Spain and upon the authority of the Lord Great Admiral of England which extendeth so far For the Kings of England were and are rightful Lords of all the North and W st sea-coasts of France to say nothing of the whole kingdom and crown of France as who to follow the tract of the sea coast wan the counties the only heir thereof In like manner most certain heirs to the Dutchy of Normandy by King William the Conqueror and thereby superior Lords of little Britain dependant thereof undoubted heirs of the counties of Anjou Tourain and Maine from King Henry the second whose patrimony they were likewise of the county of Poictou and Dutchy of Aquitaine or Guyenne by Eleanor the true heir of them wife to the said Henry the second â—â—â—nut the counties of Tholouse March the homage of Avergne c. Of all which the French by their arrests of pretended forfeitures and confiscaâ—â—ns have a sseized the crown of England and annexed them to the Crown of France taking advantages of our most unhappy civil dissentions whâ—reas in former ages the French Kings were so fore-closed by these territoreis as they had no access at all to the Ocean Since Mela who was himself a Spaniard makes the British sea to reach as far as the Coast of Spain and the Pyrenees Lib. 2. it falls within the scope of my design to mention Normonstier L'isle de Dieu and the L'isle de Rey likewise which are famous for their store of bay salt yet the bare mention is sufficient since they are not taken notice of by the old Geographers The next Island to this Oleron Ultarus now known by the name of Oleron but called Uliarus in Pliny lies as he says in the bay of Aquitain at the mouth of the river Charonton now Charente endow'd with many privileges by the Kings of England when Dukes of Aquitain In those times it was so eminent for shipping and marine affairs that Laws were made in this Island for the regulation of these seas in the year 1266. as they were in Rhodes heretofore for the government of the Mediterranean Nothing remains now having carry'd on this discourse through so many shallows of the ocean and the rugged rocks as it were of Antiquity but that like the Mariners of old who use to dedicate their tatter'd sails or a votive plank to Neptune I also consecrate something to the Almighty and to Venerable Antiquity A Vow which I most willingly make and which by the blessing of God I hope to discharge in due time d He hints here to the History-Lecture which he afterwards settled in Oxford whereof see his Life In the mean time let me desire of the Reader to consider that through this whole work I have been strugling with devouring Time of which the Greek Poet has this admirable passage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
City A Council was held at Naas and a Subsidy of three hundred Marks therein granted to the Lord Deputy At the same time died Sir John Loundres in the fifth day of this Week which fell out to be in Coena Domini O-Thoil took four hundred Head of Cattle that belong'd to Balimer by which Action he broke his own Oath and the publick Peace On the fourth of May Mac Morthe the chief Captain of that Sept and of all the Irish in Leinster was taken Prisoner Hugh Cokesey was knighted on the same day On the last of May the Lieutenant the Archbishop of Dublin and the Mayor made the Castle of Kenini be demolish'd The day after Processus and Martinian William Lord Burgh with others of the English slew five hundred Irish and took O-Kelly prisoner On the feast of S. Mary Magdalen the Lieutenant John Talbot went into England leaving the Archbishop of Dublin to administer in his absence carrying the Curses of his Creditors along with him for he paid little or nothing for his Victuals and was indebted to many About the feast of S. Laurence several died in Normandy viz. Frier Thomas Botiller Prior of Kilmainan with many others Frier John Fitz-Henry succeeded him in the Priory The Archbishop being left Deputy fell upon the Scohies and cut off 30 Irish near the River Rodiston Item On the Ides of February died Frier John Fitz-Henry Prior of Kilmainan and was afterwards succeeded by Frier William Fitz-Thomas elected and confirm'd the morrow after S. Valentin's day Item The day after the feast of S. Peter in Cathedra John Talbot Lord Furnival surrender'd his place to Richard Lord Talbot Archbishop of Dublin who was after chosen Chief Justice of Ireland MCCCCXX On the fourth of April James Lord Botiller Earl of Ormond arriv'd at Waterford being made Lieutenant of Ireland and soon after permitted a Combat between his two Cousins of whom the one died in the Field and the other was carry'd off sore wounded to Kilkenny On S. George's day the said Lieutenant held a Council at Dublin and gave order for a Parliament therein In the mean time he took good Booty from O-Raly Mac-Mahon and Mac-Guyer On the 8th of June the Parliament met at Dublin and seven hundred Marks were therein granted to the Lord Deputy This Parliament continued sixteen days and at last was prorogued till the Monday after S. Andrews The Debts of the late Lord Talbot were computed in this Parliament which amounted to a great sum Item On the morrow after S. Michael's day Michael Bodley departed this life Item On S. Francis's eve died Frier Nicholas Talbot Abbot of S. Thomas the Martyr in Dublin succeeded by Frier John Whiting The morrow after S. Simon and Jude's day the castle of Colmolin was taken by Thomas Fitz-Geffery On S. Katherin the Virgin 's eve was born Botiller son and heir to the Earl of Ormond Item On monday after the feast of S. Andrew the foresaid Parliament met at Dublin and sate 13 days The Lieutenant had three hundred Marks granted him herein and it was at last adjourn'd till the monday after S. Ambrose A general Report was at this time That Thomas Fitz-John Earl of Desmond died on S. Laurence-day at Paris and was buried in the Convent of the Friers-predicants there the King being present at his Funeral James Fitz-Gerald his Uncle by the Father's side succeeded to the Seigniory who had thrice dispossess'd him of his Estate and accus'd him of prodigality and waste both in Ireland and England and that he had already given or intended to give Lands to the Abbey of S. James at Keynisham MCCCCXXI The Parliament sat the third time at Dublin the monday after S. Ambrose and therein it was resolv'd That the Archbishop of Armagh and Sir Christopher Preston should be sent to the King for redress of Grievances At the same time Richard O-Hedian Bishop of Cassel was accused by John Gese Bishop of Lismore and Waterford upon 30 distinct Articles and after all That he favour'd the Irish and was averse to the English That he presented none of the English to any Benefices and had given order to other Bishops that they should not preferr them to any Living That he counterfeited the King's Seal and the King's Letters-patents and that he had attempted to make himself King of Mounster That he took a Ring away from the Image of S. Patrick which the Earl of Desmond had offer'd and given it to a Whore of his with several other Crimes all exhibited in Writing against him which created a great deal of vexatious trouble to the Lords and Commons In this Parliament there was also a Debate between Adam Pay Bishop of Clon and another Prelate for the Bishop of Clon was for annexing the other's Church to his See and the other oppos'd it so they were sent to Rome and their difference referr'd to the Pope This Session continued for 18 days In the nones of May a great Slaughter was made among the retinue of the Earl of Ormond Lord Deputy near the Monastery of Leys by O-Mordris 27 of the English were cut off The Principals were Purcel and Grant Ten Persons of Quality were taken Prisoners and 200 fled and were sav'd in the said Monastery On the Ides of May died Sir John Bedley Knight and Jeffery Galon formerly Mayor of Dublin who was buried in the Convent of the Friers-predicants of that City About this time Mac Mahon did great mischief in Urgal burning and wasting where-ever he came On the 7th of June the Lieutenant went into Leys against O-Moodris with a mighty Army which kill'd all they met with for four days together till the Irish at length promised peace and submission On S. Michael's day Thomas Stanley with all the Knights and ' Squires of Meth and Irel took Moyl O-Downyl prisoner and kill'd several in the 14th year of King Henry VI. No farther go any of the Annals of Ireland which I could meet with These I have inserted here to gratify such as delight in Antiquity As for those nice delicate Readers that would try all by the Writings of Augustus 's Age I am very sensible they will not relish them upon the score of a rough insipid dry Stile such as was common in the Age wherein these were writ However let them take this Consideration along with them That History bears and requires Authors of all sorts and that they must look for bare Matter in some Writers as well as fine Words in others FINIS INDEX A. AAron see Julius and Aaron Ab-Adams 68 238. ABALLABA 806. Abberbury-castle 544. Sir Rich. de 142. Abbot Geo. A. B. of Cant. 161. Rob. B. of Salisb. ibid. Sir Maurice L. Mayor of London ib. Abbots 132. Parliamentary Barons clxxxvii Abbotston 132. Aber what 662 739 939. Aber-Aaron 613. Aberbroth 613. Aber-Chienaug Castle 675. Aber-Conwy 666 671. Abercorn-castle 906. Aber-dau-Gledhau 630. Aberdeen New and Old 940. Aberford 712. Aber-Fraw 676. Abergavenni 598. Abergavenny Lords of 193
King chose as it were out of their own body The general inclination was towards Harold Godwin's son much fam'd for his admirable conduct both in Peace and war For tho' the nobleness of his Birth lay but on one side his father having by treason and plunder render'd himself eternally infamous yet what by his courteous language and easie humour his liberal temper and warlike courage he strangely insinuated himself into the affections of the people As no one threw himself into danger with more chearfulness so in the greatest extremities no man was so ready with advice He had so signaliz'd his courage and success in the Welsh wars which he had some time before happily brought to an end that he was look'd upon as a most accomplish'd General and seem'd to be born on purpose to settle the English Government Moreover 't was hop'd the Danes who were at that time the only dread of this nation would be more favourable to him as being the son of Githa Sister to Sueno King of Denmark From what â—ther parts soever attempts whether foreign or domestick might be made upon him he seem'd sufficiently secur'd against them by the affections of the Commonalty and his relation to the Nobility He married the sister of Morcar and Edwin who at that time bore by much the greatest sway and Edric sirnam'd the Wild a man of an high spirit and great authority was his near kinsman It fell out too very luckily that at the same time Sueno the Dane should be engag'd in the Suedish wars and there was an ill understanding between William the Norman and Philip King of France For Edward the Confessor while he lived under banishment in Normandy had made this William an express promise of the Crown in case himself died without issue And Harold who was then kept prisoner in Normandy was bound under a strict oath to see it perform'd and made this one part of the conditon that he might marry the Duke's daughter For these reasons a great many thought it most advisable to make a present of the Crown to the Duke of Normandy that by discharging the promise they might prevent both the war that then threatned them and destruction the certain punishment of perjury as also that by the accession of Normandy to England the government might be established in the hands of so great a Prince and the interest of the nation very much advanc'd But Harold quickly cut off all debates that look'd that way for finding that delays would be dangerous the very day Edward was bury'd contrary to all mens expectation he possessed himself of the government and with the applause of those about him who proclaimed him King without all ceremony of inauguration put on the diadem with his own hands This action of his very much disgusted the Clergy who looked upon it as a breach of Religion But as he was sensible how difficult it was for a young Prince to establish his government without the reputation of piety and virtue to cancel that crime and to settle himself on the throne he bent all his thoughts towards promoting the interest of the Church and the dignity of Monasteries He show'd Edgar Aetheling Earl of Oxford and the rest of the Nobility all the favour imaginable he eas'd the people of a great part of their taxes he bestowed vast sums of money upon the poor and in short what by the smoothness of his discourse patience in hearing others and equity in all causes he gained himself a wonderful love and authority So soon as William Duke of Normandy had certain intelligence of those matters he pretended to be infinitely afflicted for the death of Edward when all the while the thing that lay upon his stomach was his being disappointed of England which he had so long promised himself Without more ado by advice of his Council he sends over Embassadors to remind Harold of his promise and engagement and to demand the Crown Harold after mature deliberation returned him this answer That as to Edward's promise the Crown of England could not be disposed of by promise nor was he obliged to take notice of it since he governed by right of election and not any hereditary claim And for what concerned his engagement that was plainly extorted by force treachery and the fear of perpetual imprisonment did likewise tend to the manifest damage of the Nation and infringe the privileges of the Nobility and therefore he look'd upon it as null in it self That if he could make good his promise he ought not or if he would that it was not in his power being made without the knowledge of the King or concurrence of the People That the demand seem'd highly unreasonable for him to surrender the government to a Norman Prince who was altogether a stranger when he had been invested with it by the unanimous consent of all Orders The Norman Duke did not very well relish this answer but plainly perceived that Harold was seeking out ways to avoid the perjury Upon which he sent over another Embassy on the same errand to put him in mind of the strictness of his Oath and that damnation from God and disgrace among men are the certain rewards of perjury But because William's daughter who as betroth'd to Harold was a tye upon him for the discharge of his promise was now dead they were entertained with so much the more coldness and returned with the same answer as the first In all appearance there was nothing like to ensue but open war Harold prepares a fleet levies soldiers places garisons upon the sea-coasts as he sees convenient in short omits nothing which may any way contribute towards repelling the Normans In the mean time what was never before so much as thought of the first storm of the War comes from Tosto Harold's own brother He was a man of a high spirit and cruel temper and had for some time presided over the Kingdom of Northumberland with great insolence till at last for his barbarous dealings with inferiors impudent carriage towards his Prince and a mortal hatred to his own brethren he was cashiered by Edward the Confessor and went over into France And at this juncture push'd forward in all probability by Baldwin Earl of Flanders drawn in by William Duke of Normandy for Tosto and William had married two of Earl Baldwin's daughters he declares open war against his brother whom he had for a long time mortally hated He set out from Flanders with 60 sail of Pirate-vessels wasted the Isle of Wight and very much infested the Kentish coast but being frighted at the approach of the Royal Navy he set sail and steered his course towards the more remote parts of England landed in Lincolnshire and plundered that County There he was engaged by Edgar and Morcar and defeated then made for Scotland with a design to renew the war Now were all thoughts in suspence with the expectation of a double assault one from Scotland another from
his vast estate made a considerable addition to King Henry the 2's Exchequer His Barony remain'd a long time in the Crown till 10 Sir Hubert de Burgâ— Hubert de Burgh obtain'd a grant of it from King John Farther to the North the shores being something dinted in give free entrance to the sea in two places one of which Bays the inhabitants call Crouch and the other Blackwater formerly Pant. In Crouch there lye four pretty green Islands but the water almost continually overflowing them makes 'em for the most part fenny and moorish The most considerable are Wallot and Foulness Foulness that is the Promontory of Birds which hath a Church that at low tide may be come at on horse back Between these Bays lies Dengy-hundred Dengy-Hundred formerly Dauncing the grass here is excellent good and well stock'd with Cattel but the air none of the healthiest The only trade almost that 's drove here consists in Cheeses Essex-cheese and men milk the ewes like women in other places Where are made those Cheeses of an extraordinary bigness which are used as well in foreign parts as in England to satisfie the coarse stomachs of husbandmen and labourers Dengy the chief town is thought to have receiv'd it's name from the Danes which it gives to the whole Hundred Nigh this stands Tillingham given by Ethelbert the first Christian King of the Saxons to the Monastery of St. Paul in London Up higher toward the Northern shore stood once a flourishing city called by our ancestors Ithancester For thus Ralph Niger tells us out of Bede Ceada the Bishop baptized the East-Saxons near Maldon in the city of Ithancester which stood upon the bank of the rivâ—r Pant that runs near Maldon in the Province of Dengy but that city hath since been quite swallow'd up in the river Pant. I can't exactly point out the place but that the river Froshwell was heretofore called Pant I am pretty confident since one of it's springs still keeps the name of Pant's-Well and since the Monks of Coggeshall speaking of it use the same appellation Some think this Ithancester Ithanceâ—ter to have been seated in the utmost point of Dengy Hundred where stands at present St. Peter's on the Wall For on this shore the Country-people are hardly put to 't with great banks and walls of mud to keep the sea out of their fields I am enclin'd to believe this Ithancester was the same as Othona Othona the Station of the Band of the Fortenses with their Provost in the declension of the Roman Empire placed here under the Count of the Saxon shore to secure the Coast against the Pirating Saxons For Othona might very easily pass into Ithana and the situation in a creek at the mouth of several rivers was very convenient for such a design 11 Yet there remaineth a huge ruin of a thick wall whereby many Roman Coins have bâ—en found Here we may add that the Confessor granted the Custody of this Hundred to Ralph * The Nâ—rmans calâ— him Peâ—â—rell Peperking by a short Charter which I am willing to set down that we who now rake into all the niceties of the Law may see the innocent freedom and plainness of that age It stands thus in the Rolls of the Exchequer but by often transcribing some words are made smoother than they were in the Original Iche Edward Koning Among the Records of Hilary-term E. â— 1â— in the Custody of the Treasurer and Chamberlain of the Exchequer Have geven of my Forrest the keeping Of the Hundred of Chelmer and Dancing To Randolph Peperking and to his kindling With heorte and hinde doe and bocke Hare and Foxe Cat and Brocke Wilde Fowell with his flocke Partrich Fesant hen and Fesant cock With greene and wilde stob and stock To kepen and to yemen by all her might Both by day and eke by night And Hounds for to holde Good and swift and bolde Fower Grehounds and six racches For Hare and Fox and wild Cattes And therefore ich made him my booke Witnesse the Bishop Wolston And booke ylered many on And Sweyne of Essex our Brother And teken him many other And our Stiward Howelin That by sought me for him Seals first 〈◊〉 amâ—â—g the â—â—gâ—th This was the honest undesigning simplicity of that age which thought a few lines and a few golden crosses sufficient assurances For before the coming in of the Normans as we read in Ingulphus Indentures were made firm by golden crosses and such other marks but the Normans used to strengthen their writings with the impression in wax of the particular seals of the parties concern'd and of three or four witnesses But before many Tenures were granted by the bare word without writing or paper only with the sword of the Lord or his helmet with a horn or a cup and several others with a spur a curry-comb a bow and sometimes with an arrow Into Blackwater-bay which as I said before bounds the north part of this Hundred and is famous for abundance of excellent Oysters which we call Wallfleot-oysters flow two rivers that wash the greatest part of the County Chelmer and Froshwell Chelmer flowing from those parts that lye farther in and are thick cloath'd with woods passeth through Thaxsted Thaxâ—ted a little Market-town seated very pleasantly on a hill and Tiltey Tiltey where Maurice Fitz-Gilbert founded a small Monastery to Estannes by the tower now Eston which was the seat of the Lords of Lovain Lâ—â—ds of Lâ—â—â—in descended from Godfrey brother to Henry the sixth Duke of Brabant who being sent hither to take care of the Honour of Eya were accounted Barons to the sixth generation But in the time of Edw. 3. for want of issue male the estate and honour passed by marriage to William Bourgchter whose Posterity were for a short time Earls of Essex Then to Dunmow anciently Dunmawg and in the Rate-book of England Dunmaw a town of a very delightful situation on the top of a moderately steep hill where one Juga founded a Monastery in the year 1111. But William Bainard as we read in the private History of that Monastery of whom Juga held the village of little Dunmow was for felony depriv'd of his Barony and King Henry 1. gave it to Robert son of Richard Fitz-Gislbert Earl of Clare and to his heirs with the honour of Bainard-castle in London which Robert was then Sewer to King Henry These are the Author 's own words Nor do I think it just for me to alter them though they contain a manifest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or anticipation of time a crime to be met withal in the best historians Inasmuch as that family was not yet honour'd with the dignity of Earls of Clare e Now let us retire a little farther back from the river on both sides On the one at a little distance stands Plaisy so call'd in French from pleasing The former name was Estre This was the
seat of the Constables of England in the latter end of the Saxons and afterwards too as the Ely-book informs us 12 At this town the first William Mandevill Earl of Essex began a castle and two c. To the sâ—me place two very powerful Nobles when they could not keep themselves between the two extreams of base flattery and down-right obstinacy to their Prince do owe their death Thomas de Woodstock Duke of Glocester and Earl of Essex 13 Who founded here a College and John Holland Earl of Huntingdon brother by the Mother's side to King Richard 2. and once Duke of Exeter though he was afterwards depriv'd of that honour The former for his rash contumacy was hurried from hence to Calais and strangled the other was beheaded in this very place for rebeilion by command of Henry 4. So that he seems as it were to have satisfied Woodstock's ghost of whose fall he was accounted the main procurer Hence the Chelmer not far from Leez runs by a little Monastery built by the Gernons at present the seat of the Lords Rich who owe their honour to Richard Rich Bâ—â—ons â—â—ch a man of great prudence and Chancellour of England under Edward the sixth Hatfâ—â—ld-Peverel al. Peperking A little lower is seated Hatfield-Peverel call'd so from the owner of it Ranulph Peverel who had to wife one of the most celebrated beauties of the age daughter to Ingelric a noble Saxon. The Book of St. Martins in London She founded here a College now ruin'd and lyes in-tomb'd †In fenestrâ in the window of the Church whereof a little still remains By her he had William Peverel Governour of Dover-castle and 14 Sir Payne Pain Peverel L of Brun in Cambridgeshire The same woman bore to William the Conquerour whose Concubine she was William Peverel L. of Nottingham But to return to the Chelmer Next it visits Chelmerford vulgarly Chensford Chensford which by the distance from Camalodunum should be the old Canonium Canonium f This is a pretty large town seated almost in the middle of the County between two rivers which here joyn their friendly streams Chelmer from the east and another from the south of which if as some will have it the name be Can we may safely enough conclude this place to have been Canonium It was famous in the memory of our fathers for a little Monastery built by Malcolm King of Scotland At present 't is remarkable only for the Assizes which are here kept This place began to recover some repute when Maurice Bishop of London to whom it belong'd in the time of Henry 1. built here a bridge and brought the great road through this town Before it lay through Writtle Writle formerly Estre famous for the largeness of the parish which King Henry the third gave to Robert Bruce Lord of Anandale in Scotland who had married one of the daughters and heirs of John 15 Sirnamed Scot. the last Earl of Chester because he was unwilling the County of Chester should be possessed only by a couple of women But the posterity of Bruce forsaking their Allegiance Edward the second granted this place to Humfrey Bohun Earl of Hereford and Essex Of late when King James at his first coming to the Crown advanced several deserving persons to the honourable degree of Barons among others he created John Petre a very eminent Knight Baron Petre of Writtle whose father 16 Sir William William Petre a man of extraordinary prudence and learning was not so famous for the great offices he had bore in the Kingdom having been of the Privy Council to Henry the eighth Edward the sixth Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth and often Embassador to foreign States as for his liberal education and encouragement to learning at Oxford and for the relief of the poor at d This Place in the Bull of Pope Paul 4. whereby he granted the aforesaid William Petre the sale of several Monasteries belonging to Religious-houses dissolv'd by King Henry 8. is call'd Ging-Abbatissâ—e alià s Ging ad Petram vel Ingerstone And in the neighbourhood are several Villages whereof Ging or inge make part of the name as Ging-grave Menas-inge Marget-inge and Frier-inge Engerston 17 Where he lyeth buried near this place Froshwell call'd more truly Pant and afterwards Blackwater rising out of a little spring near Radwinter which belong'd to the Lords Cobham after it hath run a great way and met with nothing considerable except e Dr. Fuller is mistaken when he says it is in the gift of the Lords of the Manour of Dorewards-hall for it ever was in the Patronage of the Archbishop of Canterbury as the learned Mr. Ousley inform'd me from Records and the whole Town belong'd to the Priory of Christ's-Church at Canterbury till the dissolution The relation it has to this See has made it been always fill'd with men eminent for learning and the present Incumbent Nathaniel Sterry B. D. is inferiour to none of his Predecessors Bocking a very rich Parsonage Cogshal built by King Stephen for Cluniack Monks And the habitation of ancient Knights thence sirnamed de Cogeshall from whose Heir-general married into the old family of Tirrell there branched forth a fair propagation of the Tirrels in this shire and elsewhere Then goeth on this water by Easterford some call it East-Sturford and Whittam built by Edward the elder in the year 914. which is said to have been the Honour of Eustace Earl of Bologn meets with the Chelmer which coming down with its whole stream from a pretty high hill not far from Danbury that was long the habitation of the noble family of the Darcies passeth by Woodham-Walters Woodham-Walters the ancient seat of the Lords Fitz-Walters as eminent for the nobility as the antiquity of their family Barons Fitz-Walters being descended from Robert younger son to Richard Fitz-Gislbert Earl And in the last age grafted by marriage into the family of the Ratcliffs who being advanced to the dignity of Earls of Sussex have now a noble seat not far from hence call'd New-hall New-hall This belong'd formerly to the Butlers Earls of Ormond then to 19 Sir Thomas Thomas Bollen E. of Wiltshire of whom King Henry 8 procur'd it by exchange Leland in Cygnea-Cantio and having been at a great deal of charge to enlarge it gave it the new name of Beau-lieu though this never obtain'd among the common people Now the Chelmer with the confluence of the other waters being divided by a river-Island and losing its old name for that of Blackwater or Pant salutes the old Colony of the Romans Camalodunum Câ—maloduâ—â—m which has made this shore famous call'd by Ptolemy Camudolanum by Antoninus Camulodunum and Camoludunum but that the true name is Camalodunum we have the authority of Pliny Dio and of an ancient marble to evince In the search of this City how strangely have some persons