CORNELL
UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY
Cornell University Library
DA 630.A57 1910
Old
English towns /
3 1924 028 008 039
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*z
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OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
ANDREWS & LANG
SHREWSBURY HOUSE.
The "Bear and Billet."
From 'i water-colour painting by F. Harrison ( omfton.
OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
BY
WILLIAM ANDREWS and ELSIE M. LANG
cc
The Feathers Hotel,1' Ludlow
SJ.&.
NEW YORK
FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY
PUBLISHERS
to
PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY
THE DUNEDIN PRESS LIMITED, EDINBURGH
FOREWORD
An attempt is made in this work to give descriptive
and historical accounts of the more important of
our " Old English Towns." Their rise and the
chief buildings of past ages, remarkable episodes
and phases of old-time social life, receive con-
sideration. It will be shown how towns have risen
under the protection of castles, how others have
grown under the care of religious houses, while
others have advanced under royal patronage. Old
customs linked with the lives of the people receive
attention. The Cathedrals of the country are
fully dealt with in other volumes in this series,
and are, therefore, not described at length.
"K-
- 1
V-uJ fl'
'■■.tnoy-'.'.f
r
• ' '■>■■',' fY\
CONTENTS
Part I
By William Andrews
CHAP.
I.
WINCHESTER
II.
CANTERBURY
• i
III.
BATH
• *
IV.
GLOUCESTER
m
V.
HEREFORD
•
VI.
LUDLOW
• *
VII.
LEDBURY
m
VIII.
WEOBLEY
•
IX.
CHEPSTOW
•
X.
OXFORD
•
XI.
CAMBRIDGE
•
XII.
BURY ST. EDMUNDS
XIII.
LINCOLN
•
XIV.
COVENTRY
•
XV.
LEICESTER
•
XVI.
NOTTINGHAM
•
XVII.
DERBY
•
XVIII.
MANCHESTER
•
XIX.
LEEDS
•
XX.
HULL
•
• •
Vll
.11'
PAGB
I
17
23
29
36
48
7 54
7 61
66
72
85
104
114
126
140
146
152
160
167
173
• •
11
CHAP.
XXI.
CONTENTS
YORK
PAGE
1 88
XXII.
SCARBOROUGH
. 192
XXIII.
WHITBY
204
XXIV.
DURHAM
. 213
XXV.
CARLISLE
. 219
XXVI.
MONMOUTH
. 225
XXVII.
CHESTER
. 230
Part II
By Elsie M. Lang
XXVIII.
DOVER .
. 239
XXIX.
NORWICH
. 249
XXX.
BRISTOL .
. 26i:
XXXI.
GUILDFORD
. 271
XXXII.
LIVERPOOL
. 28l
XXXIII.
EXETER .
, . 293
XXXIV.
NEWCASTLE
. . 304
XXXV.
ST. ALBANS
• 3H
XXXVI.
PLYMOUTH
• 324
XXXVII.
WARWICK . .
• 335
XXXVIII.
BOSTON .
. 346
XXXIX.
ELY
. • 358
XL.
CHICHESTER .
• 375
XLI.
NORTHAMPTON
. 389
XLII.
TAMWORTH
. 402
XLIII.
SHREWSBURY .
INDEX
. 410
. 429
ILLUSTRATIONS
Part I
*Shrewsbury, the " Bear and Billet " Frontispiece
FACING PAGE
Winchester, the High Street in 1838 . . 10
Canterbury, Westgate, 1828 .... 18
Bath, the Pump Room, 1801 ... 24
Gloucester, the Old County Gaol and part of
the ancient Castle, 18 19 . . . . 30
Hereford, North Transept and Tower of the
Cathedral 38
Ludlow, the interior of the Castle, 1852 . 48
Ludlow, the Feathers Hotel . . . iii
Oxford, south front of All Souls College, 1837 72
Cambridge, the Market Place, showing the
Town Hall and Hobson's Conduit, 1845 86
Lincoln, John of Gaunt's Palace, 1834 • .114
Coventry, a performance of a Sacred Play,
period about the end of the 16th Cen-
tury, from an old print .... 126
Nottingham, the Market Place, 1852 . . 146
Manchester, Market Street, at the beginning
of the Nineteenth Century . . .162
* From a Water Colour by E. Harrison Compton.
ix
x ILLUSTRATIONS
FACING PAGE
Leeds, the Central Market, 1831 . . . 168
Hull, the Market Place, 1831 . . .174
York, the Bridge over the Ouse, 18 18 . . 188
Durham, from the north-east, 1834 • .214
Carlisle, the News Room and Library, 1838 . 220
Monmouth, the Church of St. Thomas and
part of the Monnow Bridge, 1801 . . 226
■(-Chester, the East Gate .... 230
Part II
J Dover, the Castle ....
J Norwich, Bishop Hall's Palace .
Norwich, the Cathedral
J Bristol, the Temple Church
J Exeter, the corner of Frog Street
Newcastle, the interior of the Cathedral
JSt. Albans, the Market Place
JSt. Albans, the Fighting Cocks .
St. Albans, the Cathedral
Ely, the Cathedral ....
Ely, the interior of the Cathedral
JChichester, the Courtyard of the Dolphin
^Northampton, Cromwell's House
JTamworth, the entrance to the Castle
t From a Drawing by W. D acres- Adams.
t From Drawings by Myra K. Hughes.
240
250
254
262
294
304
314
316
318
358
376
390
402
OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
WILLIAM ANDREWS
(PART L)
WINCHESTER.
li A city of historical memories " is a modern
designation often applied to Winchester, once the
capital of England. It is one of the most delight-
fully interesting places in the country, and when
once seen can never be forgotten. Here the past
and present meet without spoiling each other. The
city is famous alike for its cathedral, college,
castle, and other buildings of bygone times.
It is pleasantly situated on the Itchen, and is
only sixty miles west-south-west of London. In
far distant times, it was a tribal settlement on the
summit of the hill which overlooks the Winchester
of to-day. As the early settlers grew in strength,
they left St. Catherine's Hill for the more con-
venient plain below. When the invading Romans
became a power in the land the ancient Britons
were driven from their strongholds, and the
strangers occupied their chief towns. The settle-
ment of the British at Winchester was not given
up without battle and bloodshed ; but they had not
the power to withstand the superior numbers of
the highly trained Roman men-at-arms.
2 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
The invaders reached the town by the river, and
recognised the advantages of its site. They
planned the place in a rectangular form, the chief
street corresponding with the High Street of the
present time. Around the town was built a wall
for protection. Within were evidences of southern
civilisation, and temples were raised to Apollo and
Concord. Many of the remains of the Roman
occupation of the city may be inspected in the local
museum; they consist of tesselated pavements and
other objects, and in the ruins of Wolvesey are
examples of Roman bricks.
One is tempted to linger over the legendary lore
of pagan times, and the early dawn of religious
life in the remote past. We should, however, deal
with doubtful topics, which, though not difficult
to state, are not easy to prove. Modern research
has proved that many of the older historians often
substituted fiction for fact in their works. The
chief interest of the city belongs to the five hundred
years when it disputed with London the claim to
be the capital of England. The period covered the
last three Saxon and first two Norman centuries.
Early in the seventh century an Italian monk,
Birinus, converted King Kynegils to Christianity.
It was the King's intention to build a large new
church at Winchester, then a Royal city. Within
six years of his conversion the King passed away,
and was laid to rest before the altar of the church
which was being erected. Kynewald, his son, com-
pleted the building. All land within seven miles
round the city was given for its endowment. Part
of the land belonging to the early sanctuary is still
WINCHESTER 3
held by the Dean and Chapter. Birinus fixed his
see at Dorchester, but it was transferred to
Winchester in 676. Little is known of the Saxon
structure, but within its walls the Saxon kings
were crowned. William the Conqueror, it is true,
was first crowned at Westminster Abbey, but on
the arrival of his Queen in this country he was
again crowned with greater ceremonial display in
Winchester Cathedral. It was at the banquet
which followed that the Champion first comes on
the scene. He rode into the hall, and challenged
anyone to mortal combat who denied the right of
the King to the throne.
Wolvesey, near the cathedral, had long been a
Royal residence. Here lived the kings of Wessex.
Alfred the Great was educated at the Prior's school,
his tutor being St. Swithun, a native of the place,
and who in later years became the Bishop of Win-
chester. It was at Wolvesey that the first English
prose book was compiled — the " Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle.' ' The scribes were assisted in their work
by King Alfred, and he directed that the volume
should be kept there, but in later times it was
removed. In this chronicle was given an annual
record of the country from the invasion of Caesar
down to the accession of Henry II. in the year
1 154. The Winchester copy of this great year
book, by order of Alfred, was fastened to a chain,
so that all who wished might read it.
SL Swithun was the King's Counsellor, and it was
he who recommended the erection of a strong wall
round the precincts of the cathedral. It saved the
building when the Danes burnt Canterbury, and in
4 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
vain attempted to destroy Winchester. St. Swithun
played an important part in Saxon life, and the
story of his career is full of interest. He presided
over the see for eleven years with holiness and
humility. He was of noble parentage. He was
buried, we read, according to his own request, in
a humble grave outside the cathedral, where the feet
of the passers-by might tread and the rain of
heaven fall. According to the common legend, the
monks afterwards tried to remove his bones to a
more fitting tomb for such a great and good man,
but it rained so incessantly for forty days that,
taking such a visitation as a mark of the saint's dis-
pleasure, they were obliged to desist and allow his
remains to continue in their humble resting-place.
Such is the story of the popular superstition of
rain on St. Swithun's Day. Other legends of Saxon
times are linked with the cathedral, and have come
down through the ages, but their interest is not
sufficient to induce us to linger over them.
The present cathedral was begun during the
episcopate of Bishop Walkelin in 1079, and is a
fine monument of the skill of the earlier Norman
architects. Within the fane are the tombs of many
who have added to England's greatness, kings and
princes, bishops, soldiers, men of science, litera-
ture, and art. To this cathedral the remains of
William II. were brought in a charcoal cart from
the New Forest, where he had met with a violent
death. He was buried under the tower ; the record
adds — " many looking on and few grieving." A
number of mortuary chests contain the remains of
Canute and other monarchs, and form a curious
WINCHESTER 5
feature in the church. There are some chantries;
the one of William of Wykeham, who impressed
on his countrymen for all time that " Manners
Makyth Man,'1 is of considerable interest. The
greater part of a day might be spent inspecting the
monuments and their inscriptions. Not only are
they graven in memory of famous men and women,
but often expressed in excellent English. Izaac
Walton, the " Prince of Fishermen, " is commemo-
rated by a memorial slab in the Silkstone Chapel.
He spent the last twenty years of his life at the
city, first with his friend Bishop Morley atWolvesey
Palace and later with his son-in-law Prebendary
Hawkins, in the Close. Walton died during a great
frost, and over his remains is an inscription as
follows :
Here resteth the body of
Mr. Izaak Walton,
Who died the i5th*of December, 1683.
Alas ! He's gone before,
Gone to return noe more ;
Our panting Breasts aspire
After their aged Sire,
Whose well-spent life did last
Full ninety Years, and past.
But now he hath begun
That which will nere be done,
Crown'd with eternal Blisse,
We wish our Souls with his.
Votis modestis sic flerunt Uberi.
Thus with modest vows his children wept.
The foregoing is ascribed to Bishop Ken. An
inscription of more modern interest is one near the
unusually curious font; it is to the memory of
Mrs. Montagu, the founder of the Blue Stocking
6 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Club, a student of Shakespeare and the Chimney
Sweepers' Friend:
Here lies the body of Elizbeth Montagu, daughter of
Matthew Robinson, Esq., of West Layton, in the County of
York, who, possessing the united advantages of beauty, wit,
judgment, reputation, and riches, and employing her talents
most uniformly for the benefit of mankind, might be justly
deemed an ornament to her country. She died on the 25th of
August, 1800, aged 81.
The greatest of English women novelists, Jane
Austen, passed away in a small house not far distant
from the cathedral and near to the college. A
memorial window and underneath it a ledger stone
bearing the following inscription will be found in
the north aisle :
In memory of JANE AUSTEN, youngest daughter of the late
Rev. George Austen, formerly Rector of Steventon, in this
County. She departed this life on the 18th of July, 181 7,
aged 41, after a long illness supported with patience and the hope
of a Christian. The benevolence of her heart, the sweetness
of her temper, and the extraordinary endowments of her mind
obtained the regard of all who knew her, and the warmest
love of her intimate connexions. Their grief is in proportion
to their affection : they know their loss to be irreparable, but
in their deep affection they are consoled by a firm, though
humble hope, that her charity, devotion, faith, and purity have
rendered her soul acceptable in the sight of her Redeemer.
This gifted authoress whose name stands so high
in the annals of literature had a struggle to get her
books published. She sold " Northanger Abbey "
to a Bath bookseller for the insignificant sum of ten
pounds. The manuscript remained for some time
in his possession without being printed, he fearing
that if published it would prove a failure. He was,
however, at length induced to give it to the world,
and its merits caused it to be extensively read.
WINCHESTER 7
In the popular mind these inscriptions wane in
interest before one in the beautifully kept burial
ground around the cathedral. It reads as follows :
In Memory of
Thomas Thetcher,
A Grenadier of the North Reg't of the Hants Militia,
who died of a violent Fever contracted by drinking
Small Beer when hot the 12th of May, 1761,
Aged 26 Years.
In grateful remembrance of whose universal goodwill towards
his Comrades this Stone is placed at their expense as a small
testimony of their regard and concern.
Here sleeps in peace a Hampshire Grenadier,
Who caught his death by drinking cold small beer ;
Soldiers, be wise from his untimely fall,
And when ye're hot, drink strong or none at all.
This memorial being decayed was restored by the Officers of
the Garrison, a.d. 1781.
An honest soldier never is forgot,
Whether he die by musket or by hot.
This stone was placed by the North Hants Militia, when
disembodied at Winchester on 26th April, 1802, in consequence
of the original stone being destroyed.
It was at Winchester that the curfew bell was
first rung at eight o'clock at night by order of
William I. This was the signal for putting out
lights and fires. Not until four next morning,
when another bell was sounded, could the fires be
rekindled. For more than eight centuries the
curfew bell has been heard, and it is still rung at
the present time, but the practice has long been
sentimental. Another curious bell-ringing custom
was instituted by Richard Budd. He was a native
of Winchester, and in 1630 left to the Dean and
8 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Chapter £4.0 on condition that the great bell of the
cathedral be tolled for condemned criminals before
their execution, and that certain prayers be read on
their behalf. The usage was in course of time
discontinued, and the money devoted to other
charitable objects.
Not far distant from the cathedral is Winchester
College. The charter of William of Wykeham
incorporating this school bears the date of October
20th, 1382, and may still be seen in the Muniment-
room. Long prior to the Conquest the city had its
grammar school, in which it is asserted that King
Ethelwulf and King Alfred were educated, and the
present college is a continuation of the earlier
school. The school is a noble pile, and has under-
gone many changes as time has run its course, but
has ever held its reputation for scholarship. In
one of the old schoolrooms on the western side are
inscriptions with emblems :
Aut DlSCE — A mitre and crosier, as the expected
reward of learning.
Aut Disced e — An inkhorn and sword, the emblems
of the civil and military professions.
Manet Sors Tertia Caedi— A rod.
The first sentence may be translated Either learn,
and the second, Or depart hence, and the third, Or
remain and be whipped. A good free translation
of the whole is: — Learn, leave or be licked. Until
modern days the drink at meals was ale, but in a
great measure fea and coffee have taken its place.
The visitor is shown as relics of other days ancient
leathern jacks, mugs, trenchers, and candlesticks
WINCHESTER 9
which were in use long before gas and electric
light were thought about, and when the candle shed
its feeble light. To-day the buildings remain about
the same as when erected by William of Wykeham
at a cost of ,£1,014, equal in modern money to
£20,000. They are more solid in appearance than
rich in detail.
At Hyde Abbey there is little to arrest attention,
but it calls for inspection more for its associations
than its remains of the past. It was here that Alfred
the Great was buried, but the site of his grave is
lost.
The castle at Winchester, built by William the
Conqueror, has been swept away. It was here that
the " Domesday Book " was kept for some years.
During a banquet at the castle Earl Godwin died,
and his end was regarded as a judgment for his evil
life. In later times another castle was built. It
was here Henry III., " of Winchester," was born
and resided. It is rich in history. On its walls
have been spiked the heads of warlike men, and
within its stately rooms parliaments were held. Here
Raleigh was imprisoned. In the hall may be seen
what is called Arthur's Round Table, but most
probably it is part of a gaming table.
Not far from the castle stood the brick palace of
Charles II., which is now used as a barracks. Con-
siderably further away is the City Cross in High
Street. It dates back to the reign of Henry VI.,
and it is believed to have been built by Cardinal
Beaufort, on the site of an ancient market cross.
The present cross was repaired in 1835, and was
restored by Gilbert Scott in 1865. It is enriched
io OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
with saints and notable men. The principal figures
are:
William of Wykeham, with his book of statutes of his College
and Pastoral Staff.
Laurence de Anne, Mayor of Winchester.
King Alfred the Great.
St. John the Evangelist, said to be the only old figure
remaining.
In the top niches are eight figures as follow :
SS. Thomas, Maurice, John, Peter, Laurence, Bartholomew,
Swithin, and the Blessed Virgin.
The cross is a reminder of olden days and olden
ways. We find it stated in a volume of " Tran-
scripts from the Municipal Archives of
Winchester,* ' Compiled by Charles Bailey, Town
Clerk, 1856, "By an Ordinance of the 4th of
August, in the twenty-eight year of the reign of
Elizabeth, bull-dogs were prohibited running
through the city unmuzzled.1
>>
Itm. — That noe person within this citie shall suffer or permit
any of theire Mastife Doggs to goe unmusselled upon paine of
everie defalte herein of 3s. ^d. to be levied by distresse, to the
use of the Poore people of the citie.
The records contain many items on the baiting of
animals. It is stated that certain butchers were
ordered to find bulls to be baited, and the other
butchers were directed to pay sixpence each yearly
towards maintaining the custom. The mayors
appear to have transferred the site of the baiting
from tb^ bull-ring of the city to the vicinity of their
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WINCHESTER n
own houses. The citizens felt that this was an
infringement of their rights, and finally, on the
19th November, 30th Henry VIII., the Corporation
made an order :
That from henceforthe ther shal be no bulstake set before
any Mayor's doore to bayte any bull, but onlie at the bull-ringe
within the said cytie.
Like other old towns Winchester attempted to
gain favours by bribing the palate of those in high
places. The local records include particulars of
many presents of sugar loaves and other gifts. On
March 24th, 1592, it was decided at a meeting of
the municipal authorities to present the Lord
Marquis of Winchester with a sugar loaf weighing
five pounds and a gallon of sack on his coming to
the Lent Assizes. The accounts of the city at this
period contain entries of payments for sugar loaves
given to the Recorder for a New Year's present and
for pottles of wine bestowed on distinguished
visitors.
The fair at Winchester was held on St. Giles's
Downs, and for centuries it was the great
event of the year. It ranked among the largest
fairs of Europe. It is about a thousand years since
Alfred the Great instituted fairs in England. They
were popular among the Saxons, and our first
Norman king recognised their value as a means of
extending commerce. He framed Acts for conduct-
ing trade, etc. William the Conqueror established
the great fair here. Its jurisdiction, we gather from
Brand's " Popular Antiquities," extended seven
miles round, and comprehended even Southampton,
then a trading town. If a merchant sold wares in the
12 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
circuit during the fair he forfeited them to the bishop.
Officers were placed at a considerable distance, at
bridges and other avenues of access to the fair, to
extract toll of all merchandise passing their way.
In the meantime, all the shops in the city were
closed. A court called the Pavilion, composed of
the bishop's justiciaries and other officers, had
power to try causes of various sorts for seven
miles round. The bishop had toll of every load or
parcel of goods passing through the gates of the
city.
On the Eve of St. Giles, the mayor, bailiffs, and
citizens of Winchester delivered the keys of the
four gates to the bishop's officers. Numerous
foreign merchants attended this fair, and several
streets were formed in it, and assigned to the sale
of different commodities. The surrounding
monasteries had shops or houses in the streets, used
only at the fair, and held under the bishop, by
whom they were let for a term of years.
When the fair was first established it only lasted
three days. It was in the reign of Henry III. pro-
longed to sixteen days. Brand says in the days of
William I., the tolls were given as a kind of revenue
to the Bishop of Winchester. He strongly enforced
his privileges, in such a manner as to obstruct local
trade and oppress the people.
Of the old gates of the city Westgate is the only
one left, and an interesting monument it is of the
olden time. The date of the exterior of this gate
dates back to the fourteenth century. It forms a
pleasing entrance to the city, and in the past was a
strong means of protection. In 1558 it was
WINCHESTER 13
converted into a prison. Alderman William Henry
Jacob, in his account of " The Ancient West Gate,"
gives several interesting details drawn from the city
records of some of the prisoners. We reproduce
three entries:
161 5. — Robt Payne, a prisoner for debt in Westgate, in
consideration of his decayed state, being a freeman and one of
the twenty-four (the Corporation), and of good behaviour and
carriage, received a compromise with his creditors, ,£6.13.4.
1723. — Thos. Elton, a prisoner, died of small pox in the Gate.
1724. — A poor woman confined for debt, and likely to perish,
released with 15*.
There are many charges in the old accounts for
persons being whipped. Here was the old whip-
ping post. Some of the entries are as follow:
1555-6. — Whipcord, to whip two vagabonds
beyond the city - ud.
1556-7. — Whipcord, to whip vagabonds twice - iijd.
1653. — Thos. Stone, punishing beggars at West-
gate il. lis. Zd.
To-day in this gate is a small museum of local
antiquities, mainly relating to bygone punishments.
Just beyond the gate is a reminder of the city
when in sorrow. Winchester suffered much from
the plague of 1666. On the neighbouring downs
are numerous curiously-shaped mounds, which are
said to cover the pits into which the dead were cast.
When the pestilence raged a primitive kind of
quarantine was practised. The county folk supplied
food, which was placed on a stone outside the city,
and in exchange citizens placed money in a bowl
14 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
of water. The old plague stone remains, built into
a memorial which bears the following inscription :
This monument is erected by the Society of Natives on the
very spot of ground to which the markets were removed, and
whose basis is the very stone on which exchanges were made
whilst the city lay under the scourge of the destroying pestilence
in the year sixteen hundred and sixty-six. The Society of
Natives was founded on the 26th August, 1669, for the relief of
the widows and orphans of their fellow citizens who died of the
great plague.
The old churches in the city, and some of the
modern buildings, will repay inspection : such are
the Guildhall, the Museum, and a striking statue of
Alfred the Great by Thorneycroft, unveiled
September 20th, 1901.
About a mile distant from the city is the Hospital
of St. Cross, where is still maintained a curious
charity, which was founded by Henry de Blois,
Bishop of Winchester, in the year 1136. This
institution was established for housing, clothing,
and feeding thirteen poor men, " feeble and so
reduced in strength that they can hardly support
themselves without another's aid." In addition
rooms were provided for chaplains and attendants,
and suitable apartments for the master. The thir-
teen poor men on the foundation had a daily allow-
ance of three and a half pounds of bread, a gallon
and a half of beer, a modicum of mortrel (a sort of
egg flip made with milk), and wastel bread. Twice
a day, at dinner and at supper, flesh or fish was
allowed, and dessert followed the former meal.
It has been truly said the appetites of the fortunate
thirteen were certainly not stinted. In addition,
the charity provided food for a hundred of the
WINCHESTER 15
poorest men of good character in Winchester. Each
man, it is stated, was allowed two messes of flesh or
fish, according as the day was a fast or not, a loaf
of bread, and three quarts of beer ; and if a man could
not consume his allowance he might take it home ;
indeed it is suggested that the lavish quantity was
provided so that the poor man's family might share
in it. The beer in these remote times was very light
and not of an intoxicating character.
The founder placed his hospital under the general
supervision of the Hospitallers of St. John of
Jerusalem, an order that had been established in
1 100, but the arrangement did not long survive its
originator. Henry de Blois was succeeded in his
bishopric in 1174 by Richard Tochyve, and he and
the military knights disagreed over the administra-
tion. The second Henry was called upon to act as
mediator in the quarrel, with the result that the
Hospitallers retired and the control passed into the
hands of the bishop, who, in gratitude, endowed
dinners for another hundred men. Scandals in the
management were rife when William of Wykeham
came to the episcopal throne in 1367, and he cor*
rected the abuses. In 1405, Henry, Cardinal Beau-
fort, thoroughly restored order, and greatly
enriched the charity. Extensive enlargements were
undertaken, and provision was made for thirty-five
more inmates and for additional priests. Rooms
were built for three nuns to attend to the sick
in the infirmary.
It had now attained a large measure of useful-
ness, and the name given to it was the " Almshouse
of Noble Poverty," but the older title of St. Cross
16 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
is the one that remains. Henry VIII., at the Refor-
mation, made no formal attack on this house, but it
is said he considerably reduced its revenues.
From the reign of King Stephen down to the
days of Edward VII., this charity has remained,
and still follows in many respects the regulations
and aims of its founder. The residents have sunk
to the original number of thirteen, the daily dinners
for 200 poor men have ceased, but a tradition of it
still survives in the Wayfarer's Dole — a slice of
bread and a horn of ale given to anyone who knocks
at the porter's lodge and asks at reasonable hours.
When Emerson was in England he called at
Si. Cross and received the wayfarer's dole. He
triumphantly related the circumstance as a proof of
the majestic stability of English institutions. When
the late King Edward was the Prince of Wales
he made application and obtained the bread and
beer. American visitors on repairing to this
place usually ask for the royal horn. You have
only to ask and receive, no questions are put.
CANTERBURY.
In distant times a pilgrimage to Canterbury
delighted our ancestors, and to-day a visit to the
ancient city is equally enjoyable. It is delightfully
situated in a district known as the " Garden of
England." It is a city full of interest to the
student of religion, history, architecture, literature,
and kindred subjects. From the dawn of the history
of this country Canterbury appears to have been a
place of importance. Under the Britons it was
known as Dur-whern, and it is supposed that Dane
John mound was one of their works. Lucius, a
mythical British king, is credited with building the
first Christian church, a.d. 187, on or about the site
of the present cathedral.
The Roman name was Durovenum, and is
specially marked on the Itinerary of Antoninus,
and its importance may be realised from the fact
that the two great military roads, Watling Street
and Stone Street, met here.
By the Saxons it was designated Cantwars-byrig,
the fortress of the men of Kent. When Ethelbert,
in 597, was converted to Christianity, this town was
the capital. It was in the Saxon era that
St. Augustine and his faithful companions, bearing
a silver cross and chanting songs of praise, entered
the city; they found the teaching of the Christian
17
18 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
religion recognised. Queen Bertha worshipped in
the church of St. Martin, which belongs to Roman
times, and it was here that St. Augustine started his
teaching. Another fane known later as St. Pancras'
Church, which had previously been used as a place
of pagan worship, was given to the Christian Church.
Other favours were granted by the King; certain
lands were given, and he even retired from his
palace and presented it to the Church. Thus arose
the new Archbishopric of Canterbury, and the first
union of Church and State.
We cannot linger over the first cathedral, and its
romantic history, the story of its pillage by the
Danes, and its almost complete destruction by fire.
The glory and chief attraction of the city is the
cathedral. It and its surroundings are a history
of England in stone. " There is no church or place
in the kingdom,'* says Dean Stanley, " with the
exception of Westminster Abbey, that is so closely
connected with the history of our country as Canter-
bury Cathedral. It is not too much to say that if
anyone were to go through the various spots of
interest in and around and asked — What happened
here? Who was the man whose tomb we see?
Why was he buried here ? What effect did his life
or his death have on the world ? — a real knowledge
of the history of England would be obtained, such
as the mere reading of books or hearing lectures
would utterly fail to supply. M The present building
comes down to us from 1070 to 1495. It is made up
of the various styles of architecture which prevailed
between the times named. The north-west tower
is modern, and was completed in 1840, replacing a
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CANTERBURY 19
Norman tower, which was so much decayed that it
could no longer be preserved.
It was within the walls of this cathedral that
Becket was murdered. The tragedy was the out-
come of a contest between Church and Crown. An
overture was made in 11 70 by Henry II. for the
banished prelate to return to England. He came
back to his diocese, and one of his first acts was to
suspend the Archbishop of York, and excommuni-
cate two bishops who had taken the King's side.
His Majesty was in France when the news reached
him, and without deliberate thinking asked if some-
one would not rid him of the pestilent Becket. Four
knights took up the challenge, and made their way
to his palace at Canterbury. They obtained an
interview with him in his residence; it was of a
stormy character, but happily their weapons were
left outside the house. He was not dismayed, and
boldly said, " You threaten me in vain. Were all
the swords of England hanging over my head you
could not terrify me from obedience to God, and
my lord the Pope."
A terrible scene followed. The monks closed the
doors of the cathedral, where the Archbishop had
repaired to evening prayers, but he bade them open
the doors, saying, " The church must not be turned
into a castle.* ' The knights entered and slew
Becket. Still is pointed out the site of the murder,
but the shrine — one of the most famous in the
Middle Ages — was completely demolished by
Henry VIII.
Of the many interesting tombs, that of Edward,
the Black Prince, receives the greatest attention.
20 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
It is covered with a canopy which was once richly
painted; above it, suspended on a beam, are his
helmet, shield, gauntlets, surcoat, and the scabbard
for his sword. It is said that the sword was there
until the time of Cromwell, and that he took it
away.
Another important memorial of the past is a stone
seat called St. Augustine's Chair, on which have
been enthroned all the Archbishops of Canterbury.
The crypt is large, and has a history of interest,
the more important part of which relates to the
French and Flemish refugees. Queen Elizabeth, in
1 568, gave them the use of the crypt for their religious
services, conducted by their own preachers, and in
which to set up their silk-looms, and to use as a
residence. Sunday services in French are still held
here for the descendants of the Protestant exiles.
Both the inside and outside of the cathedral are
extremely majestic, but the building forms only a
part of the original monastic establishment. It is
difficult to leave the cathedral with its many charms,
but we must remember that the old city has many
buildings of great interest which may be seen in
almost every direction.
It is especially rich in churches. St. Martin's is
the mother church of England, and draws many
people to it on account of its remote antiquity, while
others have special points of interest. There are
the remains of several monastic houses, which are
replete with historic stories of the olden time. The
ancient city gates are very fine, more especially
the West Gate. Some of the old city walls are near
to the famous gate. The Royal Museum should
CANTERBURY 21
be visited, as it contains numerous objects of local
antiquarian interest, including the Burghmote horn,
with which the Corporation was called together,
down to 1835.
The old-time records of Canterbury throw much
light on the social and domestic life of the city. A
quaint note about lighting the place occurs in 1544.
We find that it was decided " that during the
winter, every dark night the aldermen, common
council, and inn-holders are to find one candle, with
light, at their doors, and the other inhabitants are
to do in like fashion upon request, and if any
lantern be stolen, the offender shall be set in the
pillory at the mayor's discretion ; the candles are to
be lighted at six, and continued until burnt out."
It will be noticed that there is an allusion to the
pillory. At Canterbury and elsewhere it was a
custom to punish people at the time of public
market. Here, in the year 1524, a man was set up
in the pillory, which was in the Market Place, bear-
ing a paper on his head inscribed : " This is a false,
perjured, and forsworn man." He was confined
in the pillory until the market was over, and then
led to the West Gate and thrust out of the city
wearing the paper. " If he be proud," says an old
writer, " he may go home and show himself among
his neighbours." The ducking stool was frequently
in use for curing scolding women and others guilty
of breaches of the national and local laws.
Henry VIII., in 1535, ordered courtiers to " poll
their hair," and permit the crisp beard to grow.
Taxing the beard followed. In 1549 tne Sheriff of
the city paid a fine of 3s. ^d. for wearing his beard.
22 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Another quaint item in the records under the year
1556, is an order directing the Mayor every year
before Christmas to provide for the Mayoress, his
wife, to wear one scarlet gown and a bonnet of
velvet. If the Mayor failed to procure the fore-
going he was liable to be fined ;£io.
During the Commonwealth, when attempts were
made to stop the celebrations of Christmas, Canter-
bury was one of the cities where rioting took place.
Those in authority directed the holding of a market
on Christmas Day, and some dozen shopkeepers
opened their premises. The populace, supported
by some of the " classes," requested the tradesmen
to close their establishments, and on their refusing,
broke the windows, scattered the goods, and
roughly treated the shopkeepers. The leading
citizens did their utmost to stop the riot, promising
that if the people would disperse no further notice
would be taken of the proceedings, but the
authorities would not accept those conditions, and
attempted to punish the ringleaders. This action
gave rise to more rioting, but the Government
ultimately dropped the matter, fearing that the
rioting might be taken up in London.
There are several fine monuments in the city. One
is to Marlowe, a native of Canterbury, and another
is to the memory of the Kentish martyrs (thirty men
and eleven women), who suffered death under Queen
Mary. The old streets with their quaint houses
afford pleasure to many, and there are the usual
public buildings of an old city full of importance,
but too numerous to notice at length. Canterbury
has only to be seen to be appreciated.
BATH.
The delightfully situated and well-built city of Bath
has many charms. It is famous in legendary lore,
history, literature, and fashion.
We may regard it as second to no other place in
the country for chalybeate springs. Prosperity has
been obtained from them for the inhabitants from
an early period.
Some writers relate that here, 800 years before
the birth of Christ, Prince Bladud was cured of
leprosy. He was the son of the ancient British
king, Lud Hudibras, and father of Shakespeare's
King Lear. The historian is on far safer ground
when he starts with the Romans, for it is quite
certain that in early Roman times Bath was a place
ot importance, and that the conquerors fully recog-
nised the healing properties of its waters. It was a
Roman station called Aquas Solis, and it was here
that their great roads from London and from
Lincoln to the south coast intersected.
The site of the forum is known, and from time to
time the remains of temples, altars, and pavements
have been discovered. In 1882 a large Roman bath
was laid bare. This and others were founded by
Vespasian, or his son and successor, Titus,
between the years a.d. 69 and 81. The site was
covered with houses and forgotten, and it was quite
23 c
24 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
by accident that it was found, yet the large bath, in
which the Romans bathed in luxury, is 82 feet long,
40 feet wide, and 4J feet in depth. Now it forms
one of the chief points of interest in the place. Some
Roman baths were found in 1755. It is most sur-
prising that such important and large baths should
be so long lost to sight.
The Abbey Church has a long and interesting and
curious history. The building, as we see it to-day,
is the latest example of any magnitude erected in
this country in the purely Gothic style. On account
of numerous and splendid windows it has been
called the " Lantern of England.' * On a cross the
story of the church is told in outline, and reads as
follows :
In 775 the first Cathedral was built by King Offa.
In 973 King Edgar was crowned therein.
About 1010 the church was destroyed by Sweyne, the Dane.
And rebuilt by John de Villula, 1018-1122.
In 1 137 partly destroyed by fire, it was subsequently restored
by Bishop Robert, 1136-1166.
In 1499 the Cathedral, then in a ruinous state, was taken
down, and Bishop King and Prior Bird began to build the
present structure, which was not completed for public worship
until 1616.
In 1834 the Corporation of Bath carried out extensive repairs,
and removed adjoining buildings which for many years had
disfigured the church.
In 1864 the Rev. Charles Kemble, aided by public subscrip-
tions, began the work of restoration under the direction of Sir
Gilbert Scott, R.A
The measurements of Bath Abbey Church are less
than half those of York Minster, with which it dis-
putes for the title of the " Lantern of England. "
Both the exterior and interior of the church of Bath
are deeply interesting, and the windows and many
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BATH 25
monuments are extremely fine. As we inspect the
monuments we are reminded of a well-known
couplet :
These walls, so full of monument and bust,
Show how Bath waters serve to lay the dust.
The poet and the sculptor have united in lifting
the memorials out of the commonplace. One of the
best epitaphs is on Quin, the actor, who died in 1766,
at the age of 73. It was written by David Garrick :
The tongue, which set the table on a roar,
And charmed the public ear, is heard no more ;
Closed are those eyes, the harbingers of wit,
Which spake before the tongue what Shakespeare writ.
Cold is the hand, which living was stretched forth
At friendship's call to succour modest worth.
Here lies James Quin ; deign reader to be taught,
Whate'er thy strength of body, force or thought,
In Nature's happiest mould however cast,
To this complexion thou must come at last
Quin was a somewhat wayward man, and had a
misunderstanding with Rich, the manager of
Covent Garden Theatre, which resulted in the
former leaving in an unceremonious manner. He
soon regretted the step that he had taken, and wrote
to his old friend and manager :
I am at Bath.— QuiN.
Rich did not deem such a letter a sufficient
apology for his unwarrantable conduct, and
replied :
Stay there and be hanged. — Rich.
There is a monument to Beau Nash, the master
of ceremonies at fashionable Bath in his day. In
Latin prose and English verse, we are told the
26 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
virtues and power of the man. As we read the
pompous inscription, we recall his encounter with
John Wesley. " Early in 1739," we read, Wesley
*' was bold enough to visit Bath and brave the
scorn of Beau Nash's fashionable throng. Nash,
whose orders were obeyed by aristocrats, was not
afraid to rebuke the humble preacher, and in Avon
Street, in the hearing of the crowd, he plainly told
him that street preaching was contrary to the law,
1 Besides,' he added, * your words frighten people
out of their wits.' * Sir,' said Wesley, ' did you
ever hear me preach? ' ' No,' said the Master of
Ceremonies. * How then can you judge of what
you never heard?' * By common report,' said
Nash stoutly. * Common report is not enough.
Give me leave, sir, to ask, is not your name Nash ? '
' My name is Nash.' ' Sir,' replied Wesley, ' I
dare not judge of you by common report.' "
The witty retort greatly amused the crowd, and
Nash beat a silent retreat to the Pump Room.
As we read the inscriptions we are impressed by
the fact that within the walls of the abbey many
find a resting-place far from their homes situated
in distant parts of the country. It is asserted that
no other church, save Westminster Abbey,
has so many memorials of the dead as Bath Abbey
Church, which, it is said, has more than six
hundred. There are other interesting churches in
the city which will well repay a visit. Some of the
Nonconformist churches are rich in associations as
well as attractive. The name of Jay, of Bath, is
important in the annals of the Free Church, and
there are others still remembered.
BATH 27
Many of the baths and public buildings which
meet the eye as we wander through the streets
are of considerable interest, and display taste and
wealth. In recent times a most important addition
has been made to the attractions of the town by the
Holbourne Museum, which was presented to Bath
by Sir Thomas Holbourne, Bart., and contains a
fine collection of pictures, china, and porcelain and
other artistic treasures. The Royal Literary and
Scientific Institution has also a museum, especially
rich in geological specimens and in examples of
birds, and eggs, and other natural history objects.
The gardens of the institution are pleasant, and
extend to the Avon, a river which adds to the
charms of the city. The parks and gardens of Bath
are pleasantly situated and well laid out. The
Victoria Park, which was opened in 1830 by the late
Queen, when Princess Victoria, is the chief in the
city, and contains memorials of her Majesty.
The Botanical Gardens are a favourite haunt of
the world of fashion. The best of music adds to
the attractions of Bath, and there are so many forms
of diversion that one thinks that here pleasure is the
only object of life.
The literary annals of Bath include the names of
leading men-of-letters of the past. Jane Austen is
in several ways associated with the city. She made
it her home in the earlier years of the nineteenth
century. Fanny Burney resided in the city for
eight years, in Gay Street. Sir Walter Scott and
Southey spent some years of their youth here.
Landor, Wordsworth, Dickens, Macaulay, Lord
Lytton, Goldsmith, Sheridan, Dr. Johnson, James
28 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Boswell, and many others have been residents or
visitors, and linked their names with the literature
relating to Bath. In many directions you see their
names on the houses they occupied, or find them
mentioned in the local guides. That benefactor to
the journalistic profession, Sir Isaac Pitman,
inventor of shorthand, carried on for many years
his useful work in the city. When Pitman was
knighted he was wont to say the title was a white
elephant, but the stabling did not cost much !
GLOUCESTER.
The city of Gloucester occupies a bold and pleasant
situation on the left bank of the Severn. It is a
place of great antiquity, and during British and
Roman ages was of some importance, while Bede
asserts that in the Saxon era, when it was in the
kingdom of Mercia, it was one of the noblest cities
in the kingdom. The lives of some of the more
notable Saxons are associated with Gloucester.
Here in 896 Alfred the Great held a Witenagemot.
A few years later, if we follow the stream of history
as it flows through the ages, we must record that the
Danes made an attack on the city, but were routed.
Coming down to 940, we find death closing the
career of Athelstan. He had, it has often been
stated, a claim to be called the King of England.
His reputation reached far beyond his native shores,
for no fewer than five of his sisters were united in
marriage to Continental princes. Mr. F. A.
Hyett, B.A., the author of a capital little volume,
" Gloucester in National History " (1896), dismisses
as fiction a statement which has found its way into
local history. "The story of the mutilation and
murder/* says Mr. Hyett, "of Queen JElgifu at
Gloucester, about the year 958, because she had
contracted an uncanonical marriage with King
Eadwig, was coined in the brain of a monkish
29
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writer, and must be dismissed as legendary." Some
ten years later King Edgar made his home in the
city, but not for an extended period. Early in the
latter half of the tenth century the Danes were
spreading terror and committing slaughter in the
locality. They sailed up the Severn in 977. It is
recorded that they attacked the city, which they
ravaged, and it was almost consumed by fire.
Christianity was introduced into Gloucester
before the seventh century, and has since retained
its hold on the people through the changes of
centuries. It has found its way into proverbial
lore. " As sure as God's in Gloucester," is an old
saying, and gave rise to Oliver Cromwell's retort
that " it had more churches than godliness." Here
monasteries and other sanctuaries arose in Saxon
times for praise and prayer. In 1022 an important
Benedictine Abbey was erected, and remained an
important religious house until its suppression in
1539-
Our early Norman kings were often at Gloucester.
William I. and II. frequently kept their Christ-
mases at the abbey. The tables groaned under the
profuse fare provided for the feast. These ancient
and splendid celebrations of the olden time have
passed into history. It is pleasant to recall an
agreement of peace at Gloucester at one of the
Christmas festivals. In 1098 the second William
entertained Malcolm, King of Scotland, and at the
high revels settled a treaty. Another king of the
House of Normandy met his death here, not on the
field of battle, but from feasting at the table.
Henry I., during his residence in the city, acquired
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GLOUCESTER 31
a passion for lampreys, and died of a surfeit of them
in 1 135. We must not forget that he had attained
the age of sixty-seven, and had reigned thirty-five
years, much longer than any other Norman king.
The Empress Maud found support in her
troubled career from the citizens of Gloucester.
When she escaped from the castle of Winchester
she found shelter and assistance at Gloucester. The
first of the Plantagenet line, Henry II., called
together a great council to this city in 1175. King
John was frequently in residence at the castle in the
city, and keenly enjoyed hunting expeditions in the
neighbouring forest. In the Abbey of Gloucester
was crowned Henry III., in 1216, at the tender age
of ten years. His crown was merely a chaplet of
gold, for his father, King John, had lost the
original crown of the country when crossing the
Wash. The third Henry's was one of the longest
and most inglorious reigns in the annals of
England. He was a weak and vacillating king,
and a mere puppet of powerful barons. It is asserted
that he loved Gloucester better than London. When
defeated at Lewes by his brother-in-law, Simon de
Montfort, and taken prisoner, he passed his con-
finement in Gloucester.
It has been an important place of Parliaments,
and among the monarchs who have held them here
were Edward I., Richard II., Henry IV., and
Henry V., and even to-day some of the statutes
passed are still in force, and are known as " the
Statutes of Gloucester." In 1327, that weak
monarch Edward II. was barbarously murdered at
Berkeley Castle, and his remains were interred in
32 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
the cathedral. Richard the Third granted the city
a charter, but his name does not win any local
esteem, for it was from Gloucester that he wrote the
order to Brackenbury for the murder of the princes
in the Tower. A warmer welcome was given to
Henry VII. when on his way to Bosworth Field
in 1485, where Richard, the last of the House of
York, was slain. It is generally recorded that
Henry VII., the first of the long line of Tudors to
occupy the throne, was crowned on the battlefield
with Richard's diadem, which was found in a
hawthorn bush near the spot.
Henry VIII. and James I., during their pro-
gresses through the land, were warmly welcomed
at Gloucester. James I. lodged at the Deanery,
and during his stay touched for king's evil. The
service for this superstitious rite remained in the
" Book of Common Prayer " as late as 1719. The
ceremony had been dropped five years earlier by
George I.
When the Civil War divided the households of
England in twain, when even father and son
belonged to different parties, and brothers fought
under different banners, the city which had so often
basked in the sunshine of monarchs threw in its lot
with Parliament. This was mainly brought about
by the proceedings of the Star Chamber and by
Archbishop Laud, who had been an unpopular
Dean of Gloucester. Charles besieged the city,
and reduced the inhabitants to great straits, but
they were relieved by Lord Essex. The Royalists
lost a thousand men, while only fifty citizens were
slain.
GLOUCESTER 33
When the Stuarts came to their own again,
Charles II. had some of the gates and walls razed
to the ground, and does not appear to have had any-
friendly feelings to the city; yet the citizens sent
him warm congratulations on his safe return to the
throne of his country. In later times other royal
visits have been paid to the city, but these do not
relate so much to the shaping of the history of
England as those of far distant times.
The chief building in the city is the cathedral,
which has a long and interesting history. It is the
outcome of a religious house founded in 681, but
went through many changes down to 1541, in which
year the See of Gloucester was founded, and the
then abbey church became a cathedral. The tower
is very fine, and a beautiful example of fifteenth
century work. The whole of the exterior is pleas-
ing, and the interior is of great interest, and
includes many important monuments. The one
raised over the remains of the murdered King
Edward II. brought much wealth to the church. It
was visited by pilgrims, who gave freely of their
substance. They lodged at the New Inn, in North-
gate Street, one of the oldest houses in the city,
dating back to 1450. It is strong and massive, and
timber was largely used in its construction. It has
external galleries and courtyard, and we get from
it a good idea of an old-time hostelry. There is a
curious monument, of Irish oak, of a chest on
wheels, with an effigy (carved on top) of Robert
Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror.
He was a great benefactor to the church, and when
his career ended after being a prisoner in Cardiff
34 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Castle, he was brought here for interment before
the high altar. Numerous other monuments will
arrest the attention of the visitor, of men and women
who in their day played an important part in the
drama of life. Of those belonging to recent times
is a monument in memory of a famous Gloucester-
shire man, Dr. Edward Jenner (1749 — 1823), dis-
coverer of vaccination. The stained glass windows
are much admired.
Just outside the abbey gate is St. Mary's Square,
the scene of the martyrdom of Bishop Hooper. A
Gothic cross contains his statue. It was erected by
public subscription in 1864. This memorial recalls
the days of Queen Mary, when an attempt was made
to re-establish the Roman Catholic power in
England, and when the faithful would rather suffer
death than give up the religion they believed to be
true.
A half-timbered house is still standing where
Robert Raikes was born in 1735. He established
the earliest Sunday school, which was conducted in
St. Catherine Street, Gloucester. His father was
a printer, and published the first newspaper issued
in the city.
Like all old towns, Ihe city has its quaint and
narrow streets, but generally speaking the thorough-
fares are broad and well kept. The streets are
busy, and prosperity prevails. It is by no means
a sleepy city. There are the usual public buildings,
some of which are imposing, for conducting the
business of the city and county.
A progressive spirit prevails in every direction.
There is a capital public library, well abreast of the
GLOUCESTER 35
times. It has a good special collection of books
relating to Gloucestershire. Near it is a museum
and school of art, which, combined, must greatly
add to the improvement of popular education in the
city. The Gloucester schools are both numerous
and excellent.
Gloucester is noted for its love of music. Alter-
nately with Worcester and Hereford a triennial
musical festival is held in the city. It is an inland
port of sea-going ships. It was declared a port
in 1882, and the Severn is reached by a ship canal.
It has been the birthplace of many notable men,
and among the number George Whitfield, the
popular preacher. It is situated in a charming
district, making a good headquarters for a holiday.
HEREFORD.
This city has a quiet charm of its own, which
few, if any, English cities can surpass. One, it is
true, notices a lack of the wealth which prevails in
a great northern city. There is not the rank and
fashion which makes an inland spa so popular.
Matters are made lively by the motor-car coming
along at a rapid rate, but it does not improve the
scenery. It merely leaves a dust and smell behind.
The shops are well stocked, and give an indication
that the citizens have money and taste. There are
good examples of architecture and important anti-
quarian remains, while the annals are replete with
historical interest; and a rich profusion of flowers
in every direction adds to the beauty of the cele-
brated city on the Wye. It has numerous quaint
alleys; but, speaking generally, the streets are
wide, and the public buildings are seen to advantage.
The first view of Hereford, if it is obtained from
the railway station, is by no means pleasing, but
as one proceeds to the main part of the city, having
passed the grim-looking county prison, and reached
High Town, the attractiveness of the place is
apparent.
Doubtful legends go back to an early period, but
it is not until the Saxon era that the annals take
authentic form. It was ihe capital of Mercia.
Queen Ethelfreda, daughter of Alfred the Great,
36
HEREFORD 37
directed, it is recorded, that a castle and city walls
be built for the protection of the inhabitants against
the inroads of the Welsh. The walls were raised
round three sides of the city, and the Wye afforded
a natural protection from the enemy on the fourth.
Only a small portion of the ancient walls remains,
and the six gates which gave ingress and exit to the
town have long been swept away.
When Edward the Confessor occupied the
throne, history relates that within the walls there
were only 103 families, and each citizen who took
up a plot of land had to pay a tax of fyd. per head,
and an annual payment of 4^. for the hiring of
horses for general use. He had to perform certain
personal services such as the sheriff might fix.
Three days7 reaping in August was one of the
services he had to render. Mr. Richard Johnson,
a former Town Clerk, compiled a valuable volume
on " The Ancient Customs of the City of Here-
ford," which presents a storehouse of local informa-
tion. From its pages we draw a few items of
forgotten lore. Every man's wife, it appears, who
brewed either within or without the city, had to pay
a tax of lod. Brewing is one of the most ancient
trades, but has long been regarded as an inferior
calling, and on this account in bygone times was
usually conducted by women. Tradesmen groaned
under taxes in the past as they do in the present.
The city in early times had six blacksmiths, and
each had to pay a penny for the use of his forge,
besides making 120 nails for the King. William I.
established a mint in the city, and the inhabitants
had to pay him £60 a year in silver money for the
38 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
privilege of coining. Every house in the city was
taxed at the rate of a pound a year. In the every-
day life of the people bells played an important
part. The ringing of the bell was the intimation
that vagrants and night-walkers must leave the city.
When a fire broke out of a terrible character, or
when a coming enemy was announced, a bell was
rung which brought together the citizens. In the
event of a fire, each man came with a leather bucket
to throw water on the flames; but if foes were
approaching he responded to the call armed with
weapons as fitted his degree. Scolding women
could not be tolerated, and were made to suffer
degrading forms of punishment.
Nearly all roads at Hereford lead to the cathedral,
and the visitor experiences little trouble in getting
there. Its beautiful and massive tower at once
arrests attention from different parts of the city. It
may not be so striking as the tall and graceful spire
of All Saints', Hereford, but it is far more impres-
sive, and when seen from the riverside at some little
distance, a picture is presented which cannot be for-
gotten. The cathedral is not a large one, but it is
full of architectural features of the greatest possible
interest. It is built of a reddish-coloured stone,
which gives it a warm and pleasing appearance.
Hereford is one of the oldest sees in England,
dating from the seventh century. There can be
little doubt that the oldest church was a rude struc-
ture of wood. We know that the erection of a stone
church was started in 830 a.d., in honour of Saint
Ethelbert, the King of East Anglia, who was
murdered by Offa near Hereford. Miracles were
HEREFORD.
North Transept and Tower
of the Cathedral.
' -*'
HEREFORD 39
said to have been wrought at the King's shrine.
During the reign of Edward the Confessor the
church was re-built, but it did not remain long a
house of prayer, as the Irish and Welsh plundered
it and set it on fire.
The present cathedral was begun by Robert de
Losing, who was consecrated bishop in 1079 A«D»>
and in 11 10 a.d. the church was consecrated. Many
important additions were made, but prayer and
praise of holy men were heard within the sanctuary,
while the sound of the trowel, hammer, and chisel
was heard without. We have here good examples
of Norman, Early English, Decorated, Perpen-
dicular, and modern architecture. A large pro-
fusion of ball flower ornaments will be noticed. The
outer part of the north porch is the latest addition
to the mediaeval church. On Easter Monday, 1786,
the west end of the cathedral fell, carrying away a
tower and part of the nave. Wyatt was employed
to repair the church, and his extensive alterations
did not improve it ; indeed, his work may be called
vandalism. Happily under Cottingham and Sir
Gilbert Scott many improvements have been
effected.
The interior contains many interesting objects
which charm and detain the visitor. Chantries,
shrines, monuments, crosses, stained glass
windows, a remarkable crypt, and other features
arrest attention. The organ was built in 1686, and
was a present to the faithful city by Charles II., in
gratitude for the aid of the citizens to the Stuart
cause in the time of war. In recent times it has
been rebuilt at a considerable cost. We cannot
4o OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
profess to describe at length the many objects of
interest in the cathedral, volumes would be required
for that purpose; but we must not passa curious map
of the world without reproducing a short notice of
it, for it proves of interest to most visitors. For a
long period it was lost, but was afterwards dis-
covered under the floor of Bishop Audley's Chapel.
It is believed to date back to 1314 a.d., and was
designed by Richard of Holdingham and of
Lafford (Holdingham and Sleaford, Lincolnshire).
1 ' It is believed," says Prebendary Havergal, " to
be one of the oldest maps in the world ; and it is
full of the deepest interest. It is founded on the
cosmographical treatises of the time, which gener-
ally commence by stating that Augustus Caesar sent
out three philosophers, Nichodoxus, Theodotus,
and Polictitus, to measure and survey the world,
and all geographical knowledge was the result. In
the left-hand corner of the map the Emperor is
delivering to the philosophers written orders, con-
firmed by a handsome mediaeval seal. The world
is here represented as round, surrounded by the
ocean. At the top of the map is represented
Paradise, with rivers and trees; also the eating of
the forbidden fruit and the expulsion of the first
parents. Above is a remarkable representation of
the Day of Judgment, with the Virgin Mary inter-
ceding for the faithful, who are seen rising from
their graves and being led within the walls of
Heaven. The map is chiefly filled with ideas taken
from Herodotus, Solinus, Isidore, Pliny, and other
ancient historians. There are numerous figures of
towns, animals, birds, and fish, with grotesque
HEREFORD 41
customs, which mediaeval geographers believed to
exist in different parts of the world ; Babylon, with
its famous tower ; Rome, the capital of the world,
bearing an inscription : * Roma caput mundi,
tenet, orbis fiena rotundi,' and Troy as * Civitas
bellicosissima.' In Great Britain most of the
cathedrals are mentioned; but. of Ireland the author
seems to have known very little. Among the points
of interest are the columns of Hercules, the Laby-
rinth of Crete, the Pyramids of Egypt, the House
of Bondage, the journeys of the Children of Israel,
the Red Sea, Mount Sinai, with figures of Moses
and his supposed place of burial, the Phoenician
Jews worshipping the molten image, Lot's wife,
etc." We must admit that the foregoing does not
equal the rapid and racy description of the map as
given by the verger when he hurries groups of
tourists round the building. His account must be
heard to be fully appreciated.
The cathedral library is full of rare and valuable
works, the outcome of a monastic collection of
books. Many are in chains, and without doubt
form the largest and finest collection of books in
chains in this country. The oldest volume is a
Latin version of the Four Gospels in Anglo-Saxon
characters. It is at least a thousand years old, and
written on stout vellum. The book-lover will
experience some difficulty in tearing himself away
from this earthly paradise.
Hard by the cathedral is the Episcopal Palace,
with its beautiful grounds near the river. It is
formed almost entirely out of an ancient Norman
hall, with pillars of timber. Here rich and poor
42 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
are welcomed to many pleasant functions. The
grounds appear to belong to the public as much as
to the kindly disposed bishop. His lordship sets
an example which others might follow with advan-
tage. On a brass plate on the bishop's garden wall
in Gwynne Street, is the following inscription :
Site of the birthplace of
Nell Gwynne
Founder of Chelsea Hospital, and
Mother of first Duke of St. Albans
Born 1650 ; died 1691.
In the " Story of Nell Gwyn," by Peter
Cunningham (second edition, London, 1903), are
a couple of illustrations from photographs taken
in 1858, of the humble home in which this cele-
brated woman was born.
Not far from the cathedral is the Castle Green,
tastefully laid out with public walks. The winding
Wye and the charming country around may be
seen from this elevated position ; large trees offer
a grateful shelter in hot weather, and the flower
beds and green grass delight the eye. In the centre
of the ground is a column, sixty feet high, erected
in honour of Lord Nelson. Here stood the castle,
pronounced one of the strongest and largest of
English fortresses. Its historical associations are
of national as well as of local importance. As we
sit to-day in the pleasant grounds, pictures of the
past rise before us. We see issue from the strong-
hold in 1055, Earl Ranulph, the Norman nephew of
Edward the Confessor, to meet on the field of battle
Algar, Earl of Chester, and Llewellyn, King of
HEREFORD 43
Wales. The fortunes of war were against Ranulph,
and he was defeated and lost 800 men. The Welsh
invested the city, and the cry of the dying was heard
in a general massacre. In this time of tribulation
the glory of the city departed ; but not for ever, for
it had other dramas to play in history. Soon after-
wards Harold the Saxon came on the local scene.
He entertained his brother Tostig, who showed his
ingratitude by attacking Harold and his followers.
Coming down the historical stream of time, we
find that in 1139, William Talbot, a partisan of
Queen Maud, captured the castle, and held it for
three years, when he was driven out of the strong-
hold by King Stephen. Prince Edward came here
a prisoner after the Battle of Lewes (1264), but
managed to make his escape the following May.
When the Wars of the Roses divided the country
in twain, a tragedy was enacted here. After the
Battle of Mortimer Cross, Owen Tudor and nine
other leading Lancastrian officers were brought
here and beheaded. During the not less severe
Civil War, between King and Parliament, the
castle withstood three sieges. Its end came in 1652,
when the Parliamentary Commissioners disposed of
the materials for £8$. To-day it is a memory of
the past. As we recall the scenes and lives of
bygone times, we feel thankful that our lot has been
cast in happier days.
Let us wend our way through the cathedral close,
and leave it to enter Broad Street. Opposite us
is the Public Free Library and Museum. It is a
building in the Gothic style, and is an ornament
to the street in which it stands. It was given to the
44 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
city by Sir James Rankin, Bart. There is a good
circulating library and a carefully selected and
valuable reference library, which is extremely rich
in Herefordshire books. The museum includes a
fine collection of birds and objects of local interest.
Some good pictures adorn the walls. It is the head-
quarters of the Woolhope Club. It is a most use-
ful and popular institution.
There are several parish churches in the city.
All Saints' attracts the most attention, for it has
many interesting features which are not usually
met with in a parish church. It has undergone a
careful and somewhat extensive restoration, which
has not destroyed its old-time character. Its tower
and graceful spire is 212 feet 4 inches from the
ground. We read that in 187 1 the spire was
repaired, and the weather-cock refixed by Mr. Frith,
of Coventry. His fearless and skilful operations
were watched with interest and anxiety by the
inhabitants. As late as 1892, the whole church was
re-roofed, and other work carried out. It is not
known when it was built, but Henry III. gave it
to the Master and Brethren of St. Anthony of
Vienna. There are some finely carved stalls and
a remarkable pulpit. The registers include the
names of a large number of famous men, including
the baptism of the celebrated actor David Garrick.
A brass plate on the wall near the vestry door bears
the following inscription :
In Memory of
David Garrick
Who was born in this parish, and baptised in this church,
28th February, 1779,
and was interred at Westminster Abbey.
HEREFORD 45
A house known as " The Raven Inn," situated
at the junction of Widemarsh and Manylord
Streets, near the Market Place, is pointed out as
Garrick's birthplace. Near at hand is the Garrick
Theatre. It is asserted at Hereford that Clive, Mrs.
Siddons, Kemble, and Garrick started their stage
careers here. In the vestry of All Saints' Church is a
chained library, perhaps trie last formed in this
country. It was not until 1725 that William
Brewster, M.D., bequeathed the books to the parish.
Many of the volumes are good, but by no means
rare. No doubt the doctor got his idea of a chained
library from the one at the cathedral. After being
lost to the church for many years the preacher's
hour-glass has been returned. It was formerly
placed near the pulpit in sight of the preacher and
the people. The example is one of a type common
in bygone times, and of which only a few remain.
Long discourses were appreciated by the Puritans,
and if a clergyman completed his sermon under an
hour, he was regarded as a lazy man, and obtained
little respect from his critical congregation.
In Wildmarsh Street is the Coningsby Hospital,
better known as the Red Coat Hospital, on account
of the colour of the inmates' coats. It dates back
to the year 1614, when it was founded by Sir
Thomas Coningsby, knight, for occupation by
eleven poor men and a chaplain. The inmates are
old sailors, soldiers, or servants born in the counties
of Hereford, Worcester, or Gloucester. Each has
a home on the foundation, and a sum of money
monthly. The chapel and homes are quaint and
well worth seeing. The founder directed that each
46 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
servitor on his admission is to be supplied with " a
fustian suit of ginger colour, of a soldierlike
fashion, and seemly laced ; a cloak of red cloth lined
with red baize, and reaching to the knee, to be
worn on walks or journeys, and a gown of red cloth
reaching to the ankle, lined also with red baize to
be worn within the hospital.' ' The building was a
commandery belonging to the Knights of St. John
of Jerusalem.
In the rear of the hospital are the remains of the
Black Friars' Monastery, founded in 1276. There
is also a preaching cross, erected in 1350, and
restored by Sir Gilbert Scott. On the White Cross
Road was the Lazarus Hospital, said to have been
founded for persons afflicted with leprosy and other
contagious diseases. Near it is the Lingen's
Hospital, instituted in 1609, for the support of
poor widows. New buildings have replaced the
older structures, but the charities remain ; indeed,
Hereford is a city of charities. The White Cross
Road derives its name from an ancient white stone
cross, which is said to mark the site where the
market was held in 1660, when the plague raged in
the city.
One of the most interesting buildings in Hereford
stands in High Town, and is now used as Lloyd's
Bank. It is half timbered, and of the style which
prevailed in the reign of Queen Elizabeth ; it was
restored in 1882. The carving within and without
is beautifully executed. At one period in its history
it was the Butchers' Guild Hall, and over the
entrance is the old bull-ring, which was used when
animals were baited. A part of the city where the
HEREFORD 47
sport took place is known as the Bull Ring. In
1802 a Bill to abolish bull-baiting was thrown out
of the Commons. Mr. Windham made a powerful
speech in favour of the custom. The brutal pastime
continued down to 1835, when it was made illegal
by Act of Parliament.
Hereford received its first charter in 11 17, and
since that period others have been granted which
have conduced to the welfare of the inhabitants.
Charles I. recognised the loyalty of the citizens
during the siege, and augmented the city arms with
the motto : Invictce fidelitatis prcemtum. The
public buildings for conducting the business of the
city and county include a Guild Hall, Shire Hall,
Town Hall, Corn Exchange, General Hospital,
schools, etc.
The rambles and rides round Hereford are
delightful. A long and pleasant holiday may be
spent in this city on the Wye. The walks along the
banks of the river afford much pleasure, and the
stream provides a good opportunity for boating.
It is an ideal place for a restful holiday.
LUDLOW.
This Shropshire town has been extolled in poetry
and prose, and its charms entitle it to all the praise
it has received. The borough teems with places
of interest, and has a long and stirring history.
For an extended period it was the home of royalty,
and associated with it are some celebrated authors.
As one treads its wide but by no means busy streets,
breathing its pure air, we are not surprised that its
fame is widely known. To have visited Ludlow is
to remember its charms.
As we make our way from the station to the
castle, we pass " The Feathers," which is among
the more famous inns of the country. It is a fine
example of the magpie style of architecture. It is
described in an old deed in 1656 as an inn, but most
probably it was one before that period. Clear
proof has been adduced that there was an
existing house in 1609, and it has been suggested
that as in 1616 there was a celebration at Ludlow of
" The Love of Wales to their sovereign Prince,"
from this circumstance it may have been called
" The Feathers." There is some excellent carving
without and within this inn, and the finely studded
door is of the same antiquity as the building.
The Castle of Ludlow, the chief of thirty-two castles
which guarded the Welsh border, was built in its
commanding position on a lofty promontory, above
the meeting of the Teme and Carve. Its massive
48
CO
o
CD
u
o
CD
CD
H
O
Q
P
LUDLOW 49
Norman keep is no feet high. It dates back to the
eleventh century. We cannot here follow its story
at any great length. For an extended period it was
a royal residence. It has sunny memories of
gladness, and of tragedies which cast a gloom over
the pages of history.
When Edward IV. was on the throne he put this
stronghold in repair, and here his eldest son was
brought up in considerable state. His maternal
uncle, Lord Rivers, and his half-brother, Sir
Richard Grey, had the chief charge of him, and his
tutor was Bishop Alcock of Worcester. Shortly
before his death the King drew up a set of rules for
his son's daily use at this castle. They embraced
orders for his daily attendance at morning mass,
his school tasks, his amusements, and for his treat-
ment at table. No man was to sit with him at
table without permission of Lord Rivers. During
his meals it was directed that there should " be read
before him noble stories as behoveth a prince to
understand; and that the communication at all
times, in his presence, be of virtue, honour, cunning
(knowledge), wisdom, and deeds of worship, and
of nothing that should move him to vice." The
Prince was only twelve when his father died, and
at Ludlow Castle he was proclaimed King as
Edward V. When a couple of weeks had passed
with his guardians he set out for London on the
24th April, 1483, not to sit on the throne, but to
perish in the Tower.
Henry VII. had his eldest son Arthur, Prince
of Wales, educated here, under the guardianship
of a distant relation, Sir Rhys ap Thomas, and the
50 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
King frequently visited Ludlow. Before the Prince
was sixteen he married Catherine of Arragon, aged
eighteen, and he died less than five months after-
wards, and in 1502 was buried at Worcester.
In the hall of this castle was first performed, on
Midsummer Night, 1634, Milton's masque of
"Comus" (the god of mirth). It was written to
commemorate the two sons and daughter of the
Earl of Bridgwater, President of the Marches of
Wales, losing their way at night in Heywood
Forest, Herefordshire. They were coming on
horseback to Ludlow to witness their father's
installation.
Samuel Butler visited the castle at the Restora-
tion, when the President was the poet's friend, the
Earl of Carbenny. In a room over the gateway
Butler wrote part of his *' Hudibras." There are
other literary associations linked with this strong-
hold. The most interesting is the stay of Richard
Baxter, as a pupil, with the chaplain, Mr. Richard
Wickstead. " During his short residence at
Ludlow Castle," it is related in Orme's life of the
popular preacher, " Baxter made a narrow escape
from acquiring a passion for gaming, of which he
gives a curious account. The best gamester in the
house undertook to teach him to play. The first
or second game was so nearly lost by Baxter that
his opponent betted him a hundred to one against
him, laying down two pounds ten shillings to his
sixpence. He told him there was no possibility of
his winning but by getting one cast of the die very
often. No sooner was the money down than Baxter
had every cast tha! he wished ; so before a person
LUDLOW 51
could go three or four times round the room the
game was won. This so astonished him that he
believed the devil had the command of the dice,
and did it to entice him to play ; in consequence of
which he returned the two pounds ten shillings,
and resolved never to play more."
It is not our desire to follow the history of the
stronghold in the time of war, for one tale relating
to a castle is much like others often told. It was
dismantled after its surrender in the Parliamentary
Wars in 1646, and allowed to fall into decay; but
in its fallen glory it is one of the most picturesque
ruins in the country.
An item of folk-lore may be mentioned. It is
believed that if a child is suffering from whooping
cough, and taken to the castle, to waken the echo
with these words, " Echo, please take away my
child's cough," a cure will be effected.
There are some remains left of the old town wall,
and one of the ancient gates of Ludlow still exists.
It nearly blocks the way, but we trust it will long
remain as an example of fourteenth century work.
The once Collegiate Church of St. Lawrence is a
fine late Perpendicular building. It is ranked
among the finest parish churches in England. It
replaces a twelfth century church, and the building
of the present church lasted into the earlier part
of the thirteentn century. Important additions
were made, early and late in the fourteenth century.
The embattled porch at the south entrance is
extremely fine. In the church are many monu-
ments of those connected with the castle, and not-
able people of the town and district. The collegiate
52 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
stalls of the College of the Palmers* Guild have
spirited and grotesque misereres which attract much
attention. Stained glass windows add to the beauty
of the sanctuary.
As might be expected the churchyard has a
number of curious epitaphs. The following is
from the tomb of John Abingdon, " who for forty
years drove the Ludlow coach to London, a trusty
servant, a careful driver, and an honest man." He
died in 1827 :
His labour's done, no more to town
His onward course he bends ;
His team's unshut,* his whip laid up,
And here his journey ends.
Death locked his wheels and gave him rest,
And never more to move,
Till Christ shall call him with the blest
To heavenly realms above
In the churchyard is the Reader's residence, a
good half-timbered house bearing the date 1616.
Another place of antiquarian interest is the
Grammar School, founded by the Guild of Palmers,
and refounded from its property on its dissolution
by Edward VI. There is claimed for it the distinc-
tion of being the oldest grammar school in
England. It has had some famous principals and
pupils. Early in the fourteenth century Dondonit,
a Breton priest, was the master, and while at
Ludlow published several books. He was laid to
rest in the churchyard of St. Lawrence, and it is
recorded that an epitaph as follows was inscribed
to his memory :
* (i
Unshut" is a Shropshire word for unharnessed.
LUDLOW 53
In Dunccumb's grave John Dondonit's body lies ;
His soul, God's grace attend it to the skies ;
Though absent from his native country here,
His grave may still be moistened with a tear.
Thomas Wright, M.A., F.S.A., the antiquary
and historian, was* educated at this school, and
wrote a history of the town.
There are, besides a good museum, numerous
public buildings, and historic sites, as well as many
pleasant walks, which render the little town a desir-
able place for a holiday sojourn;
;r r, '.*;
c i .
v r
LEDBURY.
We see at Ledbury a remnant of Mediaeval
England. Here we get Jacobean houses in their
more attractive style. Not only is it a town to
delight the tourist, but it is rich in historical and
literary associations. It is situated within easy
distance of the Malvern Hills, and may be almost
said to be sheltered by them. In the immediate
neighbourhood is some charming scenery, and for
walks and drives it is a good centre. The origin of
the name of the town is a debated matter; some
writers say that it is derived from the Welsh
" Led," a vale side, while others affirm that it is
from the river Leddon, which flows near the town.
It was not until the Conquest that its historical
importance starts, and in the Domesday Book
it figures as Liedeberge.
It was afterwards a borough, and sent two
members to Parliament. The stately parish church,
dedicated to St. Michael and All Angels, is shown
by the numerous ancient remains found during the
restoration of the fabric, to stand on the site of a
Saxon church. The present building is partly
Norman, and has a detached tower and spire. The
size and beauty of the church are accounted for by
the fact that in the Middle Ages, when Leominster
wool reached a high price, Ledbury was the centre
54
LEDBURY 55
of an important clothing industry. Wealth flowed
into the town, and the inhabitants devoted much of
it to the building of a church which is the pride of
the place, and which wins the admiration of those
who see it. Here are numerous fine monuments
and other famous sculptures. There are within the
churchyard and graveyard memorials with quaint
epitaphs. There are, it should be noted, in Here-
fordshire, several places where the towers are built
apart from the church, most probably as places of
defence.
In the church is the St. Katherine Chapel or
Chantry. It has been suggested that it was the
Chapter House, and not a chapel or chantry. Here
is a very ancient figure resting on a decorated tomb,
which is said to be "Sainte Kateryne," the
patron saint of the town, of whom a
legend is related as follows: " In the reign of
Edward II., a certain Catherine Audley, a religious
woman, had a revelation that she should only
dwell in a town where the bells should ring of them-
selves. She and her maid, Mabel, coming to
Ledbury found the bells ringing without any
ringers, and here she built a hermitage and dwelt."
Two pieces of land near Ledbury are called
St. Catherine's Acre and Mabel's Furlong, and are
linked in the popular mind with the legend.
Wordsworth put the story into verse :
When human touch, as monkish books attest,
Nor was applied, nor could be. Ledbury bells
Broke forth in concert flung aaown the dells
And upward, high as Malvern's cloudy crest,
Sweet tones caught by a noble lady blest
To rapture. Mabel listened at the side
Of her loved mistress ; soon the music died,
E
56 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
And Catherine said : " Here I set up my rest.
Warned in a dream, I wandered, long had sought
A home that by such miracle of sound
Must be revealed." She heard it now, or felt
The deep, deep joy of a confiding thought ;
And there the saintly anchoress she dwelt
Till she exchanged for heaven that happy ground.
One of the most interesting buildings in Ledbury
is the Hospital of St. Katherine, founded in 1232
by Bishop Follcott, which happily escaped the
general wreckage at the Reformation. It was re-
established in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. In
modern times it has undergone various alterations.
The chapel in Early English style is interesting.
During the Civil War it was used as a stable by
Cromweirs troopers. In spite of modern additions,
which do not harmonise with the past, it is an
attractive pile. After passing into the hospital
through the central tower, we seem to step into
mediaeval times.
During the Civil War a battle raged in the streets
of the town, when the Cavaliers gained the victory.
Much blood was shed, and to-day the marks of the
bullets still remain. Ledbury Park, formerly
called the New House, the residence of Lord and
Lady Biddulph, is a half-timbered mansion, built
in 1590, of extreme picturesqueness, at the top of
the town, and has charming gardens and a deer
park. Here Prince Rupert stayed when he occupied
the town.
The Market House in the High Street is a half-
timbered building dating back fo the time of
Charles II., said to have been built by John Abel,
and its rent to be used in charity. The design is
LEDBURY 57
pleasing, and the upper part of the building stands
on sixteen pillars of Spanish chestnut from Malvern
Chase. In bygone times it was called the Corn
Market House. It was used for storing grain when
farmers brought it to the town in bulk. Subse-
quently it was used for housing wool, hops, etc.,
and the profits realised were given towards a fund
for removing some unsightly houses, known as
Butcher's Row, which stood in the centre of High
Street. The Market House was restored about
i860, and the upper part is let for meetings, and the
butter and poultry market is held in the lower part
of the building.
John Abel, the architect of this Market House,
was a man of note, who planned some of the finest
half-timbered buildings in Herefordshire. Little
has been written of his life and work. The follow-
ing particulars are drawn from Price's " Historical
Account of Leominster " (1795). " The most noted
architect in this country of his time; he built the
Market Houses of Hereford, Brecknock, and King-
ton, and did the timber work of the new church at
Abbey Dore. The said John Abel, being in Here-
ford city at the time when the Scots besieged it, in
the year 1645, made sort of mills to grind corn,
which were of great use to the besieged ; for which
•contrivance and service King Charles the First did
afterwards honour him with the title of one of His
Majesty's carpenters. This architect, after he was
ninety years of age, made his own monument,
which is in Sarnesfield churchyard, and engraved
his own effigy, kneeling with his two wives, and the
58 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
emblems of his occupation, the rule, compass, and
square, and he made the following epitaph :
This craggy stone or covering for an architect's bed,
The lofty buildings raised high, yet now lyes down his head:
His line and rule, so death concludes, are locked up in store,
Build they who list, or they who wist, for he can build no more.
His house of clay could hold no longer ;
May Heavens frame him stronger.
John Abel
Vive ut vivas in vitum ceternatn."
Abel died in 1674 at the age of ninety seven. He
had not only a constructive capacity, but a fine
imagination. His outlines are graceful, and his
details extremely good. Architecture owes much
to his ability, more especially the fine examples of
his work in Herefordshire.
The curious custom of sin-eating lingered at
Ledbury much later than in other places on the
Welsh border. Mrs. F. H. Leather, writing in
" Memorials of Old Herefordshire'5 (1904), deals
with the subject in the " Folk-lore of the Shire.'*
She records that on Palm Sunday the day is cele-
brated in a curious manner in Hentland Church.
"The churchwardens," writes Mrs. Leather,
" present to the clergyman and each of the congre-
gation, a small cake, which is eaten within the
church, as evidence of a desire to cease from all
enmities and to prepare for the Easter festival." It
would be interesting to know the connection, if
any, between this custom and the ancient practice
of sin-eating. Formerly a cup of beer accompanied
each cake, but this part of the ceremony has now
been abandoned. This custom was observed also
at Sellack as late as 1867.
LEDBURY 59
The practice of " sin-eating " referred to,
peculiar to the Welsh border, was discontinued
before the end of the seventeenth century. The
following description of it, given in Brand's
" Popular Antiquities,' ' is taken from the Lans-
downe Manuscripts : " In the County of Hereford it
was an old custom at funerals to hire poor people,
who were to take upon them the sins of the party
deceased. One of them — he was a long, lean,
ugly, lamentably poor rascal — I remember that he
lived in a cottage on Rosse highway. The
manner was that when a corpse was brought out
and laid on the bier, a loaf of bread was brought
out and delivered to the sin-eater over the corpse,
as also a mazard bowl of maple, full of beer, which
was also drunk up, and sixpence in money. In con-
sideration whereof, he took upon him ipso facto all
the sins of the defunct, and freed him or her from
walking after death. This custom alludes,
methinks, to something of the scapegoat kind in
ithe Levitical law, and though rarely used in our
days, yet by some people was observed even in the
strictest time of the Presbyterian Government. . . .
The like is done in the city of Hereford in those
times, where a woman kept, many years before her
death, a mazard bowl for the sinne eater."
Another account says the sin-eater " pronounced
the ease and rest of the soul departed, for which
he would pawn his own soul."
Dr. Schuyler, in his book on Turkestan,
describes a corresponding custom : " In Ach Kurgan
... he met an old man called an iskachi, who
made his living by taking upon himself the
60 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
sins of the dead, and devoting his life to prayer for
their souls.' '
Until quite recent times the ringing of the curfew
bell was kept up, and other ancient customs linger
in this quaint old town.
In her childhood Mrs. Elizabeth Barrett Brown-
ing was taken to Hope End, Ledbury, and there
remained until womanhood. It was here that she
embarked on a literary career, which placed her in
the front rank of women writers. In her works are
tender and graceful allusions to her early and
favourite haunts. She thus wrote of the scenery
about her old home :
Hills, vales, woods, nestled in silver mist,
Farms, granges, doubled up among the hills,
And cattle grazing in the watered vales,
And cottage chimneys smoking from the woods,
And cottage gardens smelling everywhere,
Confused with smell of orchards.
In 1892 was erected in the town the Barrett
Browning Memorial, consisting of a Clock Tower,
Library, and Reading Room. It is an imposing as
well as a useful monument to a good and gifted
author.
WEOBLEY.
The old and picturesque market town of Weooley,
Herefordshire, is a favourite haunt of the artist,
and, like numerous other places, it has been libelled
by a popular " people and steeple " rhyme :
Poor Weobley — proud People ;
Low Church — high Steeple.
It was a pocket borough, and for a long period
it returned two representatives to Parliament. We
know for certain that as early as 1295 it sent
members to the House of Commons, and it may
have done so from 12 13, but it is to be regretted
that the lists relating to Herefordshire down to
1290 are lost. For some cause or other no
members were returned after 1306. No reason of
a satisfactory nature has been given for the repre-
sentation being discontinued, but it has been
suggested that the trade of the town decreased and
its importance declined.
In 1628 it regained its lost dignity. James
Tomkins, the then member for Leominster and
Lord of the Manor of Weobley, obtained a resolu-
tion in the House of Commons ordering a writ to
be issued for the borough to return two burgesses,
and because " Weobley ought to send burgesses,
and the long discontinuance was no loss of its right,
61
62 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
for this was no franchise which may be lost, but a
service pro bono publico." On May 13th, 1628, it
once more returned two members, and continued to
do so until the passing of the Reform Bill of 1832.
Although it was a pocket borough it neverthe-
less sent to Parliament some notable men who
figure in the pages of national history. William
Gregory, a native of the county, was a member in
1678-9. He ably, firmly, and fairly discharged
for a short time the position of Speaker in the
House of Commons. Next he was made a Baron
of the Exchequer and knighted. Colonel John
Birch, a celebrated Parliamentarian General, sat
from 1679 to 1681, and from 1689 to his death on
the 10th May, 1691. In the parish church among
other interesting monuments is a life-sized statue
of him standing in a recess. At the election which
followed the death of Colonel Birch, the nephew of
the late member was elected. He did not hold his
seat for long, for in the November following, his
opponent at the previous contest, Thomas Foley,
was declared elected. The result of the polling
was:
Thomas Foley, 26 votes.
John Birch, 23 votes.
From the number of votes given it will be seen
how few electors in a town had the privilege of
sending a member to Parliament.
The famous Lord Eldon, Lord Chancellor, was
a member for the borough from 1783 to 1796, and
frequently visited the place. In the High Street
of Weobley is a large red brick house, in former
WEOBLEY 63
days known as the Bear Inn; over the principal
entrance is a balcony, which was reached by a door
from the second story. It was from here the
burgesses were addressed by those who sought to
represent them, and those who wished to speak
generally on matters concerning the county. This
and other houses we are informed belonged to the
Marquis of Bath, and the tenants only paid a
nominal rent on condition that they voted for their
landlord's nominee. The rent appears to have been
so small that no trouble was taken to collect it. The
circumstance appears to have been forgotten; but
many years afterwards, when the agent tried to
enforce the payment of rent, as no electoral
service could be rendered, the householders stoutly
refused, and as they had held undisputed possession
for twenty years and upwards, claimed the property
as their own, and retained it.
Another house still standing is known as Thorne
Farm, but in the reign of the Stuarts it was the
Unicorn Inn, and here Charles I. slept on
September 5th, 1645. The storms of the Great
Rebellion had gathered about him. Later the
house was called the Crown Inn, in honour of the
visit of the King. When in great trouble, on the
1 8th day of the same month, he again visited
Weobley. He was riding about the neighbour-
hood from six in the morning until midnight.
Nearly opposite the house where the King found
shelter, is the old Grammar School, which is small,
and has an Elizabethan porch of carved oak well
worthy of inspection. Happily, it still remains in
a fine state of preservation, although shorn of its
64 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
ancient glory. The fine old Timber Market and
Town Hall, supported by oak pillars, has been
swept away. It was in disrepair about half a
century ago and was pulled down. The market
had passed away, and the power of the burgesses was
over, so there was no further use for the building
which had been so important in the past in the life
of the borough.
The town is very rich in its beautiful houses. One
of the most delightful is the Ley, dating back to
1589. It was the old home of the Brydges, a not-
able county family, which became extinct in 1704.
In this house may still be seen a Priest's Hole, or
secret chamber. Within living memory it is said
that the only entrance to the secret room was
through a sliding panel in the wall behind a mas-
sive four-post bed. It is some little distance from
the town, but it well repays a visit.
Weobley is full of black and white houses, and
in one, situated in the High Street, a man named
Tomkins became the proud father of thirty-two
children, all born in the same room.
In early times Weobley had its castle, and in its
palmy days it played a part in historic England;
but by the time of the Commonwealth it was use-
less for defensive purposes, and had no concern in
the battles between Roundheads and Cavaliers; to-
day its site may be traced, but no ruins are left and
the moat has been drained. The stones of its once
strong walls made a convenient quarry for !he
obtaining of materials for humbler dwellings.
The fine parish church is now, and long has been,
the crowning glory of Weobley. The spire is very
WEOBLEY 65
striking and graceful, and is regarded as faultless
in proportion. It has a Norman doorway, and
many interesting features, including monuments
and old stained glass, which delight the student
of old churches, and charm the visitor in search of
the curious and beautiful in art. Under the monu-
ment of Colonel John Birch it is stated: " None
who knew him denyed him ye character of asserting
and vindicating ye Laws and Liberties of his
Country in War, and of promoting its Welfare and
Prosperity in Peace." Over the porch is a small
sundial with a motto: " One day telleth another,
and one night certifieth another.* '
The place was once famous for its ale, which
passed into the proverbial lore of the land. It was
not brewed with " the pernicious weed called the
hoppe," nor must it be confused with beer. Large
quantities were sold in Wales, but towards the latter
part of the seventeenth century cider came into
favour, and the trade declined ; and to use the words
of an old writer: " Weobley hath lost the bell for
Weobley's ancient ale.''
In this peaceful place the busy town toiler finds
rest, and many regain health in pleasant rambles
along the lovely highways and byways of the
district. The Rev. S. Cornish Watkins writes:
Oh ! to be in Cider Land
Far from London's roar and rattle,
Where by gentle breezes fanned,
All among the orchard stand
Red-cheeked maids, and white-faced cattle ;
Be the weather wet or dry,
April showers, or December snows,
Flying cloud or sky,
Here's the place where hearts-ease grows.
CHEPSTOW.
The historically-interesting town of Chepstow is
pleasantly situated on the Wye, and for variety
of charms few places in England can equal it. There
is an old-world look about the town which cannot
fail to interest the visitor. In Roman times it
appears not to have been a place of any importance.
Its name and rise belong to the Saxon era. It is
generally agreed that " Ceap,M or " Cheap " (as in
Cheapside, London), means to buy or bargain, and
" Stow " a settlement or town ; so we may readily
understand that the name indicated a trading-place.
Two of the more important buildings are the
castle and the church. The former stands on a bold,
rocky eminence. It is an Early English work.
On the land side was a deep ditch, and its strong
walls were also defended by round towers. During
the Civil Wars the stronghold was a place of
importance. It was in turn held by King and
Parliament. Like other castles, it was long the
home of petty tyrants. Castles are not without
interest to visit. They show us what the places
were like when might and not right prevailed. We
may regard them as museums, from which we may
learn many old-time lessons.
The Wye flows peacefully past Chepstow Castle.
When Shakespeare lived and wrote his undying
contributions to English literature, salmon fishing
was popular in the Wye. Then, as now, it found
66
CHEPSTOW 67
employment for many of the townsfolk. We are
told by a local poet respecting it that —
Unlike the flabby flesh in London sold,
A Chepstow salmon's worth his weight in gold ;
Crimps up, delightful to the taste and sight,
In flakes alternate of fine red and white.
Few other rivers such fine salmon feed :
Not Taff, nor Tay, nor Tyne, nor Thames, nor Trent
nor Tweed.
St. Mary's Parish Church is the other building
of local interest. It stands near the river and is a
striking structure, and dates back to early Norman
times; it is stated that it was built by a Lord
of the Castle at the time of the Domesday Survey,
while others believe that it was a priory in the
reign of King Stephen, and that it was erected by
either Gilbert de Clare or Richard Strongbow. It
was attached to the Abbey of Cormeilles in Nor-
mandy. The building is Norman in character, and
the western door is a fine example of that period.
It maybe fitly described as a poem in stone. Within
the sacred fane are several interesting monuments.
None, however, attracts the attention of the visitor
more than a plain slab with a quaint inscription
placed to the memory of Henry Marten, the
regicide.
Marten's curious memorial calls up striking
scenes in the history of England when King and
Parliament met in that bitter strife for the mastery
of the land which ended in Charles I. being
beheaded before Whitehall. In that terrible
drama Marten played an important part. His life
story may be briefly told, although it fills many
68 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
pages of history, and nearly thirteen columns to tell
it in outline in the " Dictionary of National
Biography.'' He was the eldest son of Sir Henry
Marten, was born in 1602, at Oxford, and educated
in his native city, entering University College as
a gentleman commoner, taking his B.A. degree in
1619. At an early age he was admitted to Gray's Inn.
He travelled for a time in France, and on his return,
much against his inclinations, but pressed by his
father, he married a rich widow. It did not prove
a happy union, for, as a matter of fact, he was a
lover of pretty girls, on whom he spent the greater
part of his estate. At one period his reckless living
cost his father a thousand a year.
It was in 1639 tnat Marten started his political
career by refusing to contribute to the general loan
raised for the Scottish war. This circumstance
made him popular, and in April, 1640, and again in
the following November, he was returned to Parlia-
ment as one of the representatives for Berkshire.
He was soon a notable figure in the House of
Commons, and advocated the popular cause with
zeal.
Possibly he was stimulated by the King publicly
calling him "an ugly rascal," and other offen-
sive names, and directing that he should be turned
out of Hyde Park. Charles I. displayed great
bitterness to Marten, and he figures in the docu-
ments issued by his Majesty. Marten was an active
member of the Committee of Safety. It is said that
he used to snarl at everybody in Parliament. He
did not merely confine himself to snarling, for he
suspected the fidelity of Percy, the tenth Earl of
CHEPSTOW 69
Northumberland, and he opened a letter written
by Northumberland to his wife. The earl was
indignant, and caned Marten. Both Houses com-
plained of a breach of privilege, but the quarrel was
privately made up.
When the war broke out Marten subscribed
;£ 1,200 to the Parliamentary party, and undertook
to raise a regiment of horse. His military career
was not successful, and his real power was in Parlia-
ment. He was one of the King's judges, and
signed his death warrant. Marten's life was not
all sunshine during the Commonwealth, but when
Charles II. was called to the throne trouble gathered
quickly round him. He tried to fly from the
country, but gave himself up on June 20th, 1660,
in compliance with a proclamation summoning the
regicides to surrender " under pain of being
excepted from any pardon or indemnity for their
respective lives and estates." His trial ended in
his life being spared, but the rest of his years were
passed in prison. The latter part of his career was
spent at Chepstow Castle, and the tower where he
was confined is still shown. A good deal of free-
dom was permitted his wife and family, who took
up their quarters with him, and he was allowed to
visit the gentlemen of the district. He was twenty
years at Chepstow. Southey, when he wrote the
following lines, was mistaken in the years of con-
finement and its conditions:
For thirty years secluded from mankind,
Here Marten lingered. Often have these walls
Echoed his footsteps, as with even tread
He paced around his prison : not to him
Did Nature's fair varieties exist ;
70 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
He never saw the sun's delightful beams,
Save when through yon high bars it poured a sad
And broken splendour. Dost thou ask his crime?
He had rebelled against the King, and sat
In judgment on him.
Death ended at a good old age Marten's weary
captivity. He was buried in the chancel of Chep-
stow Church, but his body was not allowed to rest
there, for it was removed to another part of the
building by order of the Rev. Thomas Chest, who
was vicar from 1701 to 1740. His nephew wrote on
him as follows :
Here lies at rest, I do protest,'
One Chest within another ;
The Chest of wood is very good,
Who says so of the other ?
Over the remains of Marten was placed the
following curious inscription :
Here, September the Ninth, in the year of our Lord 1680,
was buried
A True Englishman,
Who in Berkshire was well known,
To love his country's freedom for his own ;
Who being immured full twenty years
Had time to write as doth appear.
HIS EPITAPH.
H ere or elsewhere (all's one to you or me)
E arth, air, and water gripes ghostly dust,
N one knows how soon to be by fire set free.
R eader, if you an old tried rule will trust,
Y ou'll gladly do and suffer what you must.
M y time was spent in serving yours and you,
A nd death's my pay (it seems), and welcome too;
R evenge destroying but itself, while I
T o birds of prey leave my old cage to fly.
E xamples preach to the eye. Care then (mine says)
N ot how you end, but how you spend your days.
Aged 78 years.
CHEPSTOW 71
At the foot of the stone it is stated :
This stone, which formerly marked the grave of Henry Marten
was recut during the restoration of the church in 1895.
It is generally asserted that Marten wrote the fore-
going lines, but by the better informed the compo-
sition is ascribed to his daughter. It seems clear
that a scholar like Marten would not have written
such doggerel.
The minor antiquities of the town are full of
interest, and its walks are pleasant. We regard a
ramble from Tintern Abbey to Chepstow as one of
the most enjoyable walks in England.
F
OXFORD.
It is said that this famous educational centre is
more noted for teaching manners than for imparting
knowledge. There can be little doubt about the
university giving a polish to its pupils, and from
the high places in Church, State, and other liberal
callings which they have taken and are still taking,
there cannot be any doubt that the scholastic train-
ing is imparted on the right lines. Its colleges are
filled with the most promising pupils from the
leading public schools of the land. Education and
sport here go hand in hand, and the university
turns out good all round men.
Situated in the centre of the country, its water-
ways have been of vast importance, linking the city
with the capital of England from early times. The
name of Oxford is derived from the Ox-fords which
abounded about the place. Some of the local
historians have spent much learning to make the
statement clear, but to us it seems simplicity itself,
indicating the fords where the drovers drove their
cattle over the river. We gather from the English
Chronicle that in 912 the town was a place of
importance, and it must have taken some years to
attain ihat position. During Saxon times it played
an important part in the history of the country.
Its historic story is a blending of fact and fiction.
72
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OXFORD 73
It was strongly guarded to keep af bay the Danes
and other hostile forces. In Alfred's reign much
fighting took place on the Ashdown ridge of Berk-
shire, opposite to Oxford. We need not linger
long among legendary lore, or doubtful history,
as the town does not become a place of leading rank
until the thirteenth century.
Oxford became a public teaching centre in the
twelfth century. As time went on teaching became
the profession of the place. The towers and walls
of the colleges attract the eye; they appear like a
series of stately palaces, the best in architecture
and art combine to render them pleasing.
Trees, lawns, flowers, with the mellowing touch of
time, add to their beauty.
Libraries, the result of ages of careful selection,
add to the wealth of these ancient haunts of learning
and peace. Traditions of famous teachers and apt
scholars linger ; men who have added glory to the
colleges, and won world-wide reputations as
scholars and men of action, while others are
remembered for their saintly lives. It is curious to
notice how some students seem to carry all before
them, while others toil to obtain a pass degree.
In later years learning has been obtained under
pleasant circumstances, but it was far different in
mediaeval times. The colleges were open to edu-
cate the poor; he that thirsted for knowledge
obtained it here. The boys were frequently brought
to Oxford in carriers' carts, and all their expenses,
including food and bed, would be at the rate of
fivepence a day, and if very poor threepence a day
wou4d discharge all expenses. It was a common
74 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
custom in early times for poor students to go about
the country collecting money to pay their university
charges. Old account books contain many refer-
ences to the practice. The disbursements appear
to have been small except in cases where the
recipients were natives of the parish where the
money was given. The largest amount we have
noticed occurs in the accounts of the burgesses of
Sheffield, and reads as follows :
1573. Gave to William Lee, a poore scholler of
Sheffield, towards the settynge him to the
universytie of Cambridge, and buyinge him
bookes and other furnyture - - xij . iiij.
The Leverton, Lincolnshire, churchwardens'
accounts state :
1562. Gave to a pore scoller of Oxford - - - 28. od.
Ten years later, in the overseers' accounts of the
same parish, is an entry as under :
1572. Relief to Thomas Berry, a pore scholar of
Oxford - i6d.
In the parish register of Cawthorne, Yorkshire,
under date of August 2nd, 1663, it is recorded :
Cawthorne, for Thomas Carr a poor scholler who
was going to Cambridge, and borne in ye
parish of Ecclesfield - - 6«. 6d.
According to the churchwardens' accounts of
Kirkby Wharfe, in the year 1697, two poor scholars
were presented with sixpence. This begging
became such a nuisance, more especially among
farmers, that it was found necessary to regulate it
by Parliament; it was enacted that no scholar shall
beg on the highways until the chancellor has satis-
fied himself of the merits of the case and granted a
OXFORD 75
certificate. As an example, Bouse, in his " Historic
Oxford,11 cites an instance of Dennis Burnell and
John Brown, poor scholars of Aristotle's Hall in
1461, had official testimonials sealed, allowing them
to ask alms.
We know from many trustworthy sources how
plain was the fare at Oxford in early times, and
even to pay for that much consideration and often
humiliation was brought into play, but this was not
peculiar to Oxford, for the well-known figure of
Luther, the monk who shook the world, rises up
before us, and in fancy we listen to him singing
from door to door to obtain bread.
Early in the history of the colleges, strife between
town and students had become a serious matter, and
a charter of Henry III., in 1248, was framed to
protect scholars from injury by the burgesses. In
the event of the regulations not being observed the
town authorities were liable to heavy penalties.
Among the students a strong feeling prevailed
between those from the north and the south. From
each part of the country a proctor was chosen down
to 1540. The riots between town and gown were
frequent and often serious, and the details add
largely to the annals of the city. Both parties
appear to have been ever ready for a fray.
Many old customs are maintained at the colleges.
At Queen's, for example, is the Boar's Head Pro-
cession, held in honour of a student who, some five
centuries ago, was wandering in the forest of Shot-
over, conning his " Aristotle," and suddenly a
wild boar came springing from its lair at him, with
open mouth ready ?o destroy him, when, with great
76 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
presence of mind, he thrust the tough tome down
his throat, with the annihilating words, " Grae-
cumest!" thus happily saving his own life by
causing the death of the monster.
The procession wends it way into the ancient hall
headed by a boar's head, and all present join in
singing the following version of a fifteenth century
carol :
The Boar's Head in hand bear I
Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary,
And I pray you, Masters, be merry,
Qui estis in convivio.
The Boar's Head, as I understand,
Is the bravest dish in all the land,
When thus bedeck'd with a gay garland,
Let us servire cantico.
Our steward hath provided this,
In honour of the King of Bliss,
Which on this to be served is
In Reginensi Atrio.
The LaFin line of each verse is sung to a chorus
with the concluding words:
Caput apri defero
Reddens laudes Domino.
Not by call of bell but by sound of trumpet are
the diners brought together. It seems pretty clear
that this is a survival of the old Scandinavian
Yule-tide festivities, when a boar was sacrificed to
Freya, goddess of Peace and Plenty.
At Queers another old custom lingers in memory
of Robert de Eglesfield, the founder. At dinner,
after the loving cup has been passed round, the
College Bursar hands to those present a needle and
thread with the admonition, " Take this and be
thrifty." The threads are of three colours — black,
OXFORD 77
blue, and red — representing the three more impor-
tant faculties of Divinity (black), Law (blue), and
Medicine (red). It may happen that the recipient
is not a graduate of either of the faculties, it is
then assumed that he belongs to the Divinity, and
he receives a black thread.
" This custom," we are told in "Some Oxford
Customs, " " is supposed to have been introduced as
a fanciful play upon the name of the founder,
Eglesfeld, aiquille et fil 1 We are told that when
Prince Henry the Fifth, who was a member of
Queen's College, was summoned to Court to clear
himself of 'certain charges of disaffection,' he
appeared in a gown embroidered with eyelet-holes,
a needle hanging by a silk thread from every hole ! "
The hunting of the Mallard at All Souls College
is a well-known Oxford custom. Hearne, in his
diary — edited by Bliss — thus refers to the custom of
hunting the mallard. " 1722-23, January 18. Last
Monday, the 14th inst. (the 14th being always the
day), was All Souls College Mallard, at which time
'tis usual with the Fellows and their friends to have
a supper, and to sit up all night drinking and sing-
ing. Their song is the mallard, and formerly they
used to wander about the college with sticks and
poles, etc., in quest of the mallard, that had been
left off many years. They tell you the custom
arose from a swing(e)ing old mallard, that had been
los? at the foundation of the college (1437), and
found many years after in the sink."
We reproduce, as an example of the rest, three
verses of " The Merry Old Song of the All Saints*
Mallard " :
78 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Griffin, Bustard, Turkey Capon,
Let other hungry mortals gape on,
And on the bones their stomachs fall hard
But let All Souls' men have their Mallard.
Chorus— O by the blood of King Edward, O by the blood
of King Edward
It was a swapping, swapping Mallard.
The poets feign Jove turned a swan,
But let them prove it if they can :
As for our proof, 'tis not at all hard.
For it was a swapping, swapping Mallard.
Chorus — O by the blood, etc.
Therefore let us sing and dance a galliard
To the remembrance of the Mallard,
And as the Mallard dives in pool,
Let us dabble, dive, and duck in bowl.
Chorus — O by the blood, etc.
The stranger in Oxford usually visits as many
of tEe colleges as time and strength permit, but in
such a ramble, where one place gets confused with
another, we must decline to bear him company, as
we prefer to visit two or three and have them photo-
graphed on the brain rather than have blurred and
mixed up outlines of the larger number. The
Cathedral Church of Christ first claims our atten-
tion. It is the chapel of Christ Church College,
and the chief church of the diocese of Oxford. Its
antiquity is greater than the collegiate establish-
ment which is now associated with it. Its early
history goes back to Saxon times. The cathedral,
as we see it at the present day, is an example of the
transition between the Norman and Early English
types. A fine Early English Chapter House is
OXFORD 79
well worth seeing. We cannot designate the
college. Previously the pupils had lodged in the
college as a " venerable pile." It only dates back
to the sixteenth century, and was founded by
Wolsey and Henry VIII. We shall not be far
wrong if we call it in the words of another, " the
most magnificent House of Learning in Europe."
Royalty and aristocracy by their wealth and pre-
sence, combined with men of mind, from the time
of Sir Philip Sidney to John Ruskin and W. E.
Gladstone, have rendered it famous for its learning.
In all branches of art, science, literature, politics,
the Church, and in other callings and studies, Christ
Church men have filled the foremost places. The
dining hall is the grandest of all mediaeval halls in
the kingdom, save the one at Westminister. The
quadrangle, the most spacious in Oxford, is part of
the original plan of Cardinal Wolsey. Other points
of interest will detain the visitor and afford enjoy-
ment as the outcome of taste and wealth.
Merton is in some respects one of the most
interesting colleges in the city. It is regarded as
the Mother of Colleges of Oxford. It was estab-
lished in 1264, by Walter de Merton, at Maiden, in
Surrey. Ten years later it was removed to Oxford,
and its constitution served as the model of other
colleges which followed it. The students were
lodged in suitable rooms in the college, and were
placed under proper control of the staff of the
inns, hostels, etc., of Oxford, and were left to their
own devices when not attending classes, etc. Here
was fitted up the first common room, and perhaps
more important still was established the first College
80 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Library. Mr. J. W. Clark, M.A., F.S.A., our
leading authority on the history of libraries in the
Rede Lecture, delivered June 13th, 1894, has some
important notes on the Merton Library. This
library, says Mr. Clark, is attributed by tradition
to William Rede, Bishop of Chichester, 1368-85 ;
and it has been so little altered that it may be taken
as a type of a mediaeval collegiate or monastic
library. The room is long and narrow as was
customary in early libraries. The books were chained,
but the chains have been removed ; one or two speci-
mens, however, are left to show the ancient method
of securing books to the cases, and that by the
provision of desks and seats they might easily be
used. The chapel was formerly the Church of St.
John the Baptist, and was built in 1264-1310, the
high altar dedicated 1277, the transepts date back
to 1414, while the tower was built in 1444. It is a
striking structure, and the old buildings with
modern additions link the past with the present.
We get a good idea of a modern college in Keble,
erected by subscription to the memory of the author
of the " Christian Year." It was opened by the
Marquis of Salisbury, Chancellor of the University,
June 23rd, 1870. Butterfield designed a beautiful
chapel, which cost the late Mr. W. Gibbs over
;£6o,ooo, and was solemnly dedicated on St. Mark's
Day, 25th April, 1876. The college was founded
"for perpetuating academical education definitely
based upon the principles of the Church of
England, and with the intention of combining sober
living and high culture with Christian training."
Having drawn attention to the most important
OXFORD 81
college, the first and the latest, we must leave the
visitor to inspect the numerous colleges which can-
not fail to afford pleasure and instruction. Much
may be learnt from their history, and from their
impressive buildings full of beauty in form and
richness in colour.
The museums, picture galleries, and libraries add
to the attractions of the city. The Ashmolean
Museum claims to be the first public collection of
curiosities in this country. It was given to Oxford
in 1682 by Elias Ashmole, who had inherited the
nucleus from a popular show in London called the
Ark, which existed in the days of Charles I. Ash-
mole greatly added to the collection, and when it
came from London it filled twelve carts. It is rich
in Anglo-Saxon remains, including King Alfred's
jewel, and among the more modern relics Guy
Fawkes' lantern. There are interesting and impor-
tant antiquities from all parts of the world, and it
is a great educational force in the city. The picture
galleries are rich in works of art, more especially by
modern painters. The University Museum was
opened in i860, and is an institution for the teach-
ing and study of Natural Science.
The Bodleian Library was founded by Sir
Thomas Bodley, a retired diplomatist, a native of
Exeter, born 1544 and died 161 2. It is one of the
great libraries of the world, and is rich in manu-
scripts as well as printed books. The Radcliffe
Library is one of the sights of the city, as it is
housed in a classical building, and of its class the
finest in Oxford. Dr. Radcliffe was a native of
Wakefield, and a Court Doctor to William III.
82 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
and Queen Anne. He left ,£40,000 for the con-
struction of the library ; and smaller sums for a
librarian, purchase of books, and other purposes.
At each of the colleges are libraries, and in some
instances both good and large.
The gardens are an important feature of the city.
In 1632 the Earl of Danby founded the Botanic
Gardens, with a view of assisting those studying
medicine. It has a fine collection of trees and
plants, and here one may dream as well as study,
for the natural beauties of the place are soothing.
The college and other gardens, with their wealth
of flowers and greenery, are large and charming.
The city churches are numerous; not only are
several of good examples in architecture, but
rich in historical and religious associations. The
church of St. Mary the Virgin, with its striking
spire, was built as a memorial to Eleanor of Castile.
Cardinal Newman was incumbent of this church
from 1834 t0 J843. It was from its pulpit that he
preached his " Sermons on Subjects of the Day,"
and an onslaught on them called fortfr his
" Apologia.0
It is recorded that in the chancel the Mayor and
Corporation, with halters round their necks, were
long accustomed to do penance and pay a fine on
St. Scholastica's Day (February 10th), for an out-
rage committed in 1354 against the university.
Some of the other churches are almost as rich in
historical associations, and in the past were closely
connected with the social as well as the religious life
of the city. Those who delight in visiting old
OXFORD 83
churches will find a number here worthy of their
study.
In Broad Street is the Martyrs' Memorial, one of
earliest and best works of Sir G. G. Scott, R.A.
It is modelled on the Queen Eleanor Crosses. On
its base it bears the following inscription :
To the Glory of God, and in grateful commemoration of His
servants Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley, Hugh Latimer,
Prelates of the Church of England, who, near this spot, yielded
their bodies to be burned ; bearing witness to the sacred truths
which they had affirmed and maintained against the errors of
the Church of Rome ; and rejoicing that to them it was given
not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for His sake ;
this monument was erected by public subscription in the year
of our Lord God mdcccxli.
Three striking statues of the Martyrs are in-
cluded in the memorial. The one of Cranmer
represents him holding his large Bible with May
1 541 marked on the cover. The bailiff's account
for burning Cranmer is as follows:
One hundred wood fagots
One hundred and fifty furze fagots -
Carriage of them
Two labourers
£0
6
8
0
3
4
0
0
8
0
1
4
£0
12
0
As we look at this memorial we sigh and reflect
on the wrongs done in the name of religion. Some
of the darker pages of history come within sight.
It is satisfactory to remember that our lot is cast in
happier times.
Long the favourite haunt of Royalty, Oxford has
been on the side of the monarchs, and shed its besf
blood for them. When King and Commonwealth
drew swords, the town fought for King Charles.
84 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
It was protected by walls built in the eleventh cen-
tury, which may be traced to the present day. Some
of the ancient gates were standing in 1771. On a
high mound stands a solitary tower, the remains of
the castle going back to the reign of William
Rufus, and having a long and stirring history. The
chief interest of Oxford centres round its colleges.
They lift the place from a country town fo a city of
culture famous in all parts of the world.
CAMBRIDGE.
Like Oxford the chief interest of Cambridge centres
in its colleges. When we see the stately hallsof learn-
ing, we almost forget the fact that it is the county
town where the business of the shires is trans-
acted. The farmers may discuss crops and the
price of beasts, but this seems to be in an under-
tone, for go where you will the colleges and college-
life dominate the town on the Cam.
We need not be told that we are in a town
founded in the Middle Ages, there is so much about
Cambridge that indicates the fact to those who have
made a study of architecture and the planning of
places. When railways were constructed the
authorities of the university objected very strongly
to that link with the outside world being
brought near their abode of learning. They
feared it would disturb the quietness of those
engaged in study, and the result is that the station
is some distance from the colleges. The entrance
to the town from the station is by no means
pleasing, and that from the London Road, down
Trumpington Street, is much better, but if first seen
from the Backs, it would be difficult to surpass the
panoroma presented. Here are avenues of stately
trees, standing in well-kept grounds, with charm-
85
86 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
ing views of the colleges in the distance. We get
from the facile pen of James Payn, in his poem of
" The Backs," a pretty picture of the scene. It is
far too long to quote, but we venture to give a few
of the lines :
Dropping down the river,
Down the glancing river,
Through the fleet of shallops,
Underneath the bridges,
Carven stone and oaken,
Carved with sphere and pillar,
Linking lawn with lawn,
Sloping swards of garden,
Flowering bank to bank ;
'Midst the golden noontide
'Neath the stately trees,
Reaching out their laden
Arms to overshade us ;
Whilst the winds were heavy
With the blossoms-odours,
Whilst the birds were singing
From their sleepless nests.
The historic tale may soon be told. Some
historians attempt to place its origin in the Roman
era, while others suggest that it may be traced back
to British times, but there is little foundation for
their assertions. The castle hill, a curious mound
from which an excellent view of the town may be
obtained, is supposed to belong to Saxon times.
The name of the place has gone through numerous
changes. In 875 it was known as Grantanbryege ;
in the Domesday Book it was called Grentebrige.
We do not arrive at Caumbrege until 1458, and it
is not until the sixteenth century that Cam-bridge
came into use.
Municipal history starts in Saxon limes.
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CAMBRIDGE 87
Early in the eleventh century the town was
governed by twelve lawmen, and its Thanes had
formed themselves into a Guild. Its objects were
not unlike the friendly societies of the present time.
It afforded mutual help for members in distress,
when death took one of the members away the
brethren attended his funeral. When a member
was sick and away from home, or in the event of his
death, he was brought to Cambridge. If a guild-
man killed another man by accident his brother
members paid compensation to the dead man's
friends. If any one killed a guild-brother and
refused to compensate the deceased man's kindred,
the whole guild would be avenged on him. For
more details of this guild and its regulations con-
sult Atkinson's " Cambridge " (1897).
During the Middle Ages were established a
number of small religious houses, cells, dependent
on the greater abbeys, and at these the young men
from Crowland and elsewhere were educated. The
origin of the university is lost in the mists of
history, but students of the past regard it as an
outcome of the ancient religious houses. One cir-
cumstance is certain — that it has long been the
home of learning. In the earlier times it appears
the teaching was conducted in a primitive manner.
The scholars started their lessons early in the morn-
ing. We have some curious particulars relating to
Cambridge in the reign of Henry I. At first, it is
said, the sludents met in a large barn, but in the
second year each teacher had a separate room. Very
earty in the morning one master taught the rules of
grammar ; at six a second lectured on the logic of
88 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Aristotle ; at nine Cicero and Quintilian were con-
strued and expounded, and before twelve a theo-
logical class received an explanation of difficult
passages of Scripture. Early teaching was not con-
fined to Cambridge, and it was customary in the
older grammar schools. At Bewdley, the church
bell was rung at 5 a.m., to call the pupils
to the grammar school, and this continued till
1801.
The practice gave rise to the following epigram :
Ye rascally ringers, ye merciless foes,
Who persecute every friend of repose :
I wish, for the quiet and peace of the land,
You had round your necks what you hold in your
hands.
However humble may have been the commence-
ment of many of the colleges, they have grown in
wealth, and are now buildings of great beauty, and
the zealfor learning has been maintained. Men have
been students here who have had a foremost part in
the shaping of the world in religion, politics,
science, literature, and in other directions. One is
amazed at the stately piles devoted to education
which are to be seen in every direction. There is
King's College with its chapel, one of the sights of
the world. Henry VI. laid the foundation stone
on July 25th, 1446, and it was not completed until
about a century had passed. Edward IV. and
Henry VII. gave largely to this fabric. The
beautiful stained windows belong to the earlier
quarter (or a little later) of the sixteenth century.
The screen and most of the stalls were placed in the
CAMBRIDGE 89
chapel in 1774. It is 316 feet long, 45J feet wide, and
78 feet high. The service in King's Chapel is not
readily to be forgotten. As we write a picture flits
before us: we see in fancy Mr. W. E. Gladstone,
beside his daughter, Miss Helen Gladstone,
principal of Newnham ; the affection which was so
strong in the family brought father and daughter
frequently together, even when he was guiding the
ship of state in stormy times.
Trinity is the largest of the colleges, and perhaps
not equalled by any other in the world. Henry
VIII. founded it by uniting two older founda-
tions. As we wander through the courts and
buildings of the college we get some idea of its size.
Since the days of the great patron of learning, its
royal founder, building after building has been
added, designed by the chief architects of the time,
from Wren down to Blomfield. There may not be a
unity of design in every respect, but on the whole it
is most effective. Many of our modern famous men
belong to Trinity, we have only to mention such
names in literature as Wordsworth, Byron,
Macaulay, Tennyson. This latter here enjoyed
the friendship of Arthur Hallam. The poet does
not seem to have cherished any tender memories of
Trinity, and went down without taking his degree.
Thackeray was devoted to it, and in his novels
introduces it. We must not forget that it was the
college of Sir Isaac Newton, but, says a recent
writer, the modern history of Trinity for learning
begins with the mastership of William Whewell,
from 1841 to 1866. He was famous as a scholar,
great as an organiser, and generous as a benefactor
go OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
to the college. He was a power in the realms of
learning.
The chapel, completed about 1564, with later
additions down to the days of Blomfield, includes
much that is worth seeing. The art of our times
has increased its charms.
In treasures of literature and art the library built
by Wren is to the visitor the chief attraction of
Trinity. It is of noble proportions, 200 feet long,
42 feet wide, and 37 feet high, and is well lighted.
The carvings of the older book-cases are by
Grinling Gibbons, and are much admired. Here
are manuscripts in various languages, and brought
from distant lands, as well as many relating to this
country. The printed books in many instances are
rare and all are valuable, including several notable
collections. The Capell books relating to Shake-
speare merit special mention. Before visiting this
library we strongly advise the reading of Dr. Robert
Sinker's admirable volume entitled " The Library
of Trinity College, Cambridge." It puts one in
touch with the treasures of the library. Along each
side of the room on the book-cases are marble busts
of famous fellows of the college; they include
among others Lord Bacon, Isaac Barrow, Sir Isaac
Newton, and Lord Tennyson. The bust of Tenny-
son, by Woolner, was refused admission to the
library, because it was held in those days that a
bust of a living person might not be placed in the
library, and those in authority ordered it to be
placed in the vestibule. Tom Taylor, for some time
a Fellow of Trinity, made it the subject of some
verses, which appeared in Punch when he was
CAMBRIDGE 91
editor. The following is an extract from the poem :
the youth
Who loved the Poet, hoped to see him set
Within the Library of Trinity,
One great man more o* the house, among the great
Who grace that still Valhalla, ranged in a row,
Two stately ranks — to where the fragrant limes
Look thro' the far end window, cool and green.
A band it is, of high companionship —
Chief, Newton, and the brow-bowed Verulam,
And others only less than these in arts
Or science ; names that England holds on high.
The bust of the greatest of our modern poets has
now been placed within the sacred precincts.
The most striking monument is that of Lord
Byron by Thorwaldsen. This beautiful work of
art was intended for Westminster Abbey, and was
refused by the Dean, Dr. Ireland, on the ground
that Byron was not a suitable man to have a monu-
ment there. On the Dean's death, in 1842, Dr.
Turton, afterwards Bishop of Ely, was approached,
and he declined the statue for the abbey. After
being in the Custom House vaults for many years
it was finally given to Trinity College. In Dr.
Sinker's volume will be found a detailed account of
the statue which was modelled in Rome in 183 1. In
the "Life of Thorwaldsen " it is stated: "The
poet, in modern costume, is seated upon the ruins
of some Greek columns. His head is uncovered.
He holds in his hand his poem, * Childe Harold,'
and raises towards his chin his left hand, holding
a pen. On one side of the Greek fragment is
A O H N H with the owl ; on the other, Apollo's
lyre and a gryphon. A Death's head is on the
broken column. The bas-relief represents the
92 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Genius of Poetry, who tunes his lyre, and rests his
foot upon the prow of a skiff." On a table at the
back of the statue is exhibited the first letter Byron
ever wrote, and as it is always read with interest we
give a copy of it :
Dear Madam
My Mamma being unable to write herself desires I will let
you know that the potatoes are now ready and you are welcome
to them whenever you please.
She begs you will ask Mrs Parkyns if she would wish the
poney to go round by Nottingham or go home the nearest way
as it is quite well but too small to carry me.
I have sent a young Rabbit which I beg Miss Frances will
accept off and which I promised to send before. My Mamma
desires her best compliments to you all in which I join.
I am,
Dear Aunt,
Yours sincerely,
Newstead Abbey, Nov. 8, 1798. Byron.
I hope that you will excuse blunders as it is the first letter
I ever wrote.
It was Dean Ireland that refused the interment of
Lord Byron in Westminster Abbey. He was
laid to rest in a churchyard not far distant
from Newstead Abbey. Many pilgrims visit
his shrine. The library at Trinity contains
many manuscripts. In a book in the writing of
Milton is " Lycidas," " Comus," and other poems,
and the first draft of " Paradise Lost," showing
that the poet first intended to write it in dramatic
form. Here is Thackeray's MS. of " Esmond,"
and the MS. of Tennyson's " In Memoriam," and
" Poems by Two Brothers." There are some cases
of antiquarian relics and other objects of interest.
At the Backs, after leaving Trinity, one gets per-
haps the most charming view in Cambridge. We
CAMBRIDGE 93
see in the distance St. John's College, founded by
the Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond
and Derby, mother of King Henry the Seventh,
151 1, on the suppression of a hospital dating back
to 1 1 35. It is an imposing building with a striking
entrance gateway. Various architects have added
and altered the pile, and many are the celebrated
scholars who have been educated here. Here came
Wordsworth ; but he did not take a high degree ; he
was too much engaged with his poetry, which
placed him in the first rank of English poets.
Wilberforce and Clarkson were both at this college
at the same time, men who freed the slave. Another
poet must be named — Henry Kirke White. His
poems are not much read at the present time, but
his life, so full of promise, is still an inspiration.
Born in Nottingham, the son of a butcher, he often
carried meat to his father's customers. He passed
a year at the stocking loom, then drifted into law ;
a strong religious feeling induced him to give up
the legal profession, and prepare himself for the
Church. He had published a volume of his poems,
which neither met with praise from the critics nor
attained pecuniary success, but gained him the
friendship of Robert Southey and William Wilber-
force, M.P., who each gave a hundred pounds
towards his college expenses.
In October, 1805, White entered St. John's
College, Cambridge, and at once made his mark in
classics. At the general college examination at the
end of the first term, and again in the summer term
of 1806, he came out the first of his year. His
college was anxious to help a promising student,
94 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
and in the long vacation of 1806 provided him with
a tutor for mathematics. His health was failing,
and he was not equal to the strain ; consumption had
set in, and he was cut down by the hand of death
in his rooms on the 19th October, 1806. He was
laid to rest in All Saints' Church, a few paces from
his college. At the expense of a young American
admirer, Francis Booth, the botanist, a tablet was
placed above his grave with a medallion by
Chantry, and the following lines by Professor
William Smyth, one of White's earliest friends:
Warm with fond hope and learning's sacred flame,
To Granta's bowers the youthful poet came ;
Unconquer'd powers th' immortal mind display'd
But, worn with anxious thought, the frame decay'd ;
Pale o'er the lamp, and in his cell retired,
The martyr student faded and expired.
Oh ! genius and piety sincere,
Too early lost 'midst studies too severe 1
Foremost to mourn, was gen'rous Southey seen,
He told the tale, and showed what White had been ;
Nor told in vain : For o'er th' Atlantic wave
A wanderer came, and sought the Poet's grave ;
On yon lone stone he saw the lonely name,
And raised this fond memorial to his fame.
When the church was pulled down in which the
poet was interred, the monument was removed to
St. John's College Chapel, where it attracts much
notice. Southey collected his poems and letters
and gave to the world " The Remains of Henry
Kirke White, of Nottingham, late of St. John's
College, Cambridge: with an account of his life."
Many editions of this popular work have been pub-
lished, and it is much valued by lovers of good
books. When White passed away many tributes
to his life and labours were published. Byron's
CAMBRIDGE 95
lines in " English Bards and Scotch Reviewers "
are the best known. He says:
Unhappy White ! While life was in its spring
And thy young muse just shook her joyous wing,
The spoiler came ; and all thy promise fair
Has sought the grave, to sleep for ever there.
'Twas thine own genius gave the fatal blow,
And helped to plant the wound that laid thee low.
On August 27th, 181 1, Lord Byron wrote to Dallas
respecting White. " Setting aside his bigotry,"
said Byron, " he surely ranks next to Chatterton.
It is astonishing how little he was known ; and at
Cambridge no one thought or heard of such a man,
till death rendered all notice useless. For my own
part I should have been proud of such an acquaint-
ance; his very prejudices were respected. "
The beautiful chapel designed by Sir Gilbert
Scott, and built in 1864-9, contains much
that is interesting, numerous monuments of an
ornate character, but none attract the same atten-
tion as the monument placed to the memory of the
young Nottingham poet and student of promise.
The general features of the college are good and
well calculated to detain the visitor.
Dr. Hymers, the founder of Hymers College,
Hull, was for a long period the tutor of St. John's.
Many stories are told respecting him, some are
fiction, and handed down from one tutor to another.
We have reason to believe the following is true : A
Johnian undergraduate, having brought himself
under the notice of the police, was sent for by Dr.
Hymers, who sternly rebuked him for his miscon-
duct, and stated that the police would shortly come
96 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
to the college to identify the offender. " You will
come here to-morrow morning/ ' said Dr. Hymers.
As the culprit was leaving the doctor remarked,
" By the way, Mr. , if I were you I should
shave off that moustache.' ' The use of the razor
protected him from identification.
Another college of interest is Magdalen, and was
founded by Thomas Lord Audley ; it is not one of
the larger buildings, and would have little interest
were it not for the fact that it contains the library
of Samuel Pepys, which he bequeathed to his
college. The books are in the cases in which he
kept them. Here is his diary in shorthand, which
gives such a graphic picture of the manners,
customs, and life of the period in which it was
written. Pepys was a great lover of forgotten lore,
and there is a remarkable collection of ballads and
other literary curiosities. The proper pronuncia-
tion of Pepys is a puzzle to the general public. Mr.
J. Ashby Sterry some years ago attempted to
enlighten them as follows :
There are people, I'm told — some say there are heaps —
Who speak of the talkative Samuel as Peeps;
And some, so precise and pedantic their step is,
Who call the delightful old diarist Pepys ;
But those I think right, and I follow their steps,
Ever mention the garrulous gossip as Peps.
Matthew Parker was Master of Corpus Christi
College from 1544 to 1553. It is one of the smaller
colleges, and the students usually prepare for the
Church. Two dramatists were educated here,
Christopher Marlowe and Giles Fletcher, of Beau-
mont and Fletcher fame, but its chief scholars have
gained renown in the religious world. Parker rose
CAMBRIDGE 97
to the proud position of Archbishop of Canterbury.
His college holds his name in great esteem, but he
was more celebrated as an Archbishop than as a
Don. In the library is his great collection of
manuscripts. The bequest was made with a curious
condition. It was to the effect that if twenty-five
of the MSS. are lost, the collection goes to Caius,
and if neglected there it is to pass on to Trinity
Hall. The counting is conducted with great
ceremony. One of the most important MS. in the
collection is the original draft of the Thirty-nine
Articles.
Milton, on February 12th, 1625, entered Christ's
College as a pensioner. His name is associated
with a bath, summer-house, and mulberry tree,
which are shown with great pride to visitors. King
James I. brought into this country in 1609 a large
number of mulberry trees with a view of cultivating
them in England. It has been suggested that this
is a survival of those planted at the instigation of
the King.
One cannot pass Peterhouse without looking high
up on the outside of the college and thinking of the
fire-escape placed there by the poet Gray. He had
a horror of fire, and in the event of one he planned
a means of quitting the building by means of a rope
tied to the ironwork, which remains to the present
time. Gray's manners by no means made him
popular with the undergraduates. An alarm of fire
was raised by them, and straw and paper were
ignited at his door. This terrified the poet, and he
made his escape by a rope only to land at the bottom
in a tub of water. The outrage caused him to
98 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
leave Peterhouse and settle at Pembroke, where he
passed twenty-five years ; the last three years he was
Regius Professor of Modern History.
Charming courts, beautiful gardens, and a wealth
of flowers add much to the attractiveness of the
colleges, which, in most instances, are excellent
examples of architecture. The rooms in the stately
halls are planned with taste, the walls are adorned
with portraits of the men who have made the
reputation of Cambridge for learning. The skill of
the sculptor and the carver has done much to
increase its artistic glory. In recent times Ehe
master minds of Scott, Blomfield, Pearson, Street,
and others have greatly added to the architec-
tural features of the town, more especially that of
the colleges.
The educational facilities of Cambridge do not
end with the colleges. There are notable museums
for the cultivation of art, archaeology, and science.
The chief is the Fitzwilliam Museum. Richard
Viscount Fitzwilliam, of Trinity Hall, who passed
away in 1816, left to the university his books,
illuminated manuscripts, pictures, and the divi-
dends on ;£ioo,ooo for the erection of a museum to
contain them. The foundation stone was laid
November 2nd, 1837, the architect being George
Basevi, and he carried on the work until his death
in 1845, from a fall in Ely Cathedral. Then
followed C. R. Cockerell until operations were sus-
pended for want of funds in 1847. The Entrance
Hall was completed in 1875 from designs by E. M.
Barry, R.A., at a cost of ^23,000; the entire struc-
ture cost about ,£115,000. Some notable collec-
CAMBRIDGE 99
tions of pictures have been bequeathed to the
institution. There are also fine classical antiquities
and objects of interest which cannot fail to instruct
and delight the visitor.
The University Library is one of the great
libraries of the country, and the ever-increasing
additions of books placed on its shelves have at
various times outgrown its space, and important
enlargements have been made to the building. Lord
Acton's library was left to John Morley, and he pre-
sented it to Cambridge. The university is rich
in the quantity and quality of its books. The
college libraries and the one belonging to the
university make ample provison for all classes of
students and the most bookish of people. Near the
university is the Senate House, built in 1722-30
from designs by James Gibbs. Like most of the
Cambridge buildings, statuary adds to its attrac-
tions.
The Botanical Gardens are extensive, and have
a large glass house devoted to various classes
of plants, trees, etc., and in the grounds are
trees from all quarters of the globe. It is an ideal
place for the advanced student of botany and arbori-
culture. The gardens of the colleges are usually
good.
Cambridge churches do not greatly impress the
stranger. They yield in interest to the college
chapels, which, in many instances, are extremely
fine. Great St. Mary's is the parish church, the
largest and most important in Cambridge. Here
the university sermons are preached. On the site
of the present building a church was consecrated
ioo OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
in 135 1. The present fabric, which is an excellent
specimen of Perpendicular Gothic, was started in
1478, but for want of money it made slow progress.
Proctors of the university on horseback rode
through England with begging letters. The impres-
sive tower was started in 1491, and not finished until
1608.
St. Benedict's Church is pre-Norman, and
through the changes of centuries has retained many
of its original features. The tower is divided into
three well-marked stages, each rather narrower than
the one below. The quoins are of long-and-short
work, and the whole tower is a good example of
Saxon work. The other parts of the building are
not so satisfactory on account of the numerous
changes.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, commonly
called the Round Church, is one of the four old
circular churches left in this country. Its founda-
tion dates back towards the middle of the twelfth
century. It reminds one of the days of the Knight
Templars. We need not refer in detail to the other
churches, and the many objects of interest in this
old English town. Its annals are full of curious
and forgotten lore. We may mention that the duck-
ing stool for punishing scolds appears to have been
frequently brought into use at Cambridge. Cole,
the local antiquary, collected numerous items bear-
ing on this theme. In some extracts made from the
proceedings of the Vice-Chancellor's Court in the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, it is stated: " Jane
Johnson, adjudged to the ducking stool for scold-
ing, and commuted her penance." The next person
CAMBRIDGE 101
appears not to have been so fortunate as Jane
Johnson, who avoided punishment by paying a
fine of about five shillings. It is recorded:
" Katherine Saunders, accused by the church-
wardens of Saint Andrews for a common scold and
slanderer of her neighbours, was adjudged to the
ducking stool. "
We get several reminders of the olden time in the
town. Thomas Hobson, the famous Cambridge
carrier, was born about 1544, and died January 1st,
1630-1, and was honoured by two epitaphs written
by Milton. Thomas was the son of a carrier, and
made much money in the same business. Consider-
able profits were realised by carrying letters from
the university to London. He was the first person
to let out horses on hire. The horses were placed
in rotation in the stables, and he would not permit
one to be taken out of its proper order. This gave
rise to the popular saying, " Hobson's Choice. "
Meaning the only one to select from. In 1830 his
visits to London were stopped on account of the
plague raging there, and his death followed through
lack of his usual occupation. Said Milton, " Death
would never have hit him had he continued dodg-
ing it backward and forward between Cambridge
and the Bell in London. "
Much more merits attention in Cambridge, but
we must close our account with a few details respect-
ing an old fair. No fair in England was more
celebrated than that of Stourbridge. A carefully
compiled account of it is given in Walford's " Fairs
Past and Present." We are told that the first
trace of it is found in a charter granted about 121 1,
102 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
by King John to the Lepers of the Hospital of St.
Mary Magcialen, at Stourbridge, by Cambridge, a
fair to be held in the close of the hospital on the
Vigil and Feast of the Holy Cross. Its history
shows how subsequently contentions arose between
the town and university of Cambridge, in respect
to the profits of the fair. It was held on a large
piece of land near the banks of the Cam.
It has been stated that John Bunyan viewed this
fair, and it suggested to him the idea of Vanity Fair.
We learn from the records of this fair that in 1655
a crimson coat, gaily decorated with taps, was
bought for the Lord of Taps, whose duty it was to
sample the ale in any or all of the booths of the
fair, and see if it was fit for consumption. This
office was not formally abolished until 1833.
Down to 1758 a great show was made in proclaim-
ing the fair. A procession as follows proceeded
from Cambridge to the fair-ground:
The Crier in scarlet on Horseback
28 Petty Constables on foot
Three Drums
The Grand Marshal
The Town Music (12 in number)
The Bellman in state on Horseback
The Five Serjeants at Mace on Horseback
The Town Clerk on Horseback
The Mayor in his robes on a horse richly caparisoned,
led by two footmen in scarlet with wands
The two representatives in Parliament on Horseback
Twelve Aldermen on Horseback (three and three) in
their robes, the six seniors each having a Henchman
in scarlet
The Four-and-twenty (three and three)
Eight Dispencers in their gowns (two and two)
Four Bailiffs in their habits
The Treasurers in their gowns
CAMBRIDGE 103
The display began to decline after 1758, and was
discontinued in 1790, when the Mayor, Bailiffs, and
Town Clerk started the practice of proclaiming the
fair.
Defoe visited this fair in 1723, and in the follow-
ing year published an account of it. Referring to
the field where it was held, he states that " if the
husbandmen who rent the land do not get their corn
off before a certain day in August, the fair-keepers
may trample it under feet and spoil it, to build
their booths. On the other hand, to balance that
severity, if the fair-keepers have not done their
business of the fair, and removed and cleared the
field by another certain day in September, the
ploughman may come in again, with plough and
cart, and overthrow all, and trample it into the
dirt." The waterways to Lynn in bygone times
gave rise to its importance. The fair is now shorn
of its ancient glory. In the past it lasted several
weeks ; at the present time it is only held for three
days. On one of the days a good trade is done in
horses.
BURY ST. EDMUNDS.
Charles Dickens, in his " Uncommercial
Traveller," speaks of Bury St. Edmunds as a
bright little town. It is a place of considerable
antiquity, rich in historical associations and
legendary lore. Few, if any, English towns can
equal it in its varied charms. It is well planned,
clean, and is delightfully situated in West Suffolk.
Some attempts have been made by antiquaries to
link it with Roman times, but their speculations
are of little account. It is a fact that a few Roman
coins — and some of them doubtful — have been
found within the town. The immediate district
has yielded evidence of Roman occupation.
The early importance of the town is derived from
its famous abbey, the remains of which are of great
interest. Beodricsweorth, or homestead of Beodric,
was the name given to the site of the present town.
It was here, about 631, that Sigeberht, the King
of East Anglia, is said to have founded a church
and monastery in honour of the Virgin. From
within the walls of this religious house, where he
had assumed the role of a monk, he went forth to
battle with the heathen Penda, and was slain. We
do not hear any more of Beodricsweorth until the
days of King Edmund the Martyr, who was
crowned here on Christmas Day, 855. He was a
brave and good man, living in stirring times, when
might and not right was the order of the day. After
104
BURY ST. EDMUNDS 105
defeat in a battle with the Danes, he was taken
prisoner. Then his life and kingdom were offered
to him if he would renounce Christianity and
acknowledge the Danish supremacy. He declined
the terms, and in 870 was bound to a tree and shot
to death with arrows. He was at last laid
to rest at Beodricsweorth, which was named St.
Edmundsbury in his honour. His constancy to his
faith earned for him canonisation. On the 20th
November, the day of his martyrdom, the English
Church keeps his name in remembrance. Bury is
the Anglo-Saxon Byrig, indicating a town or
enclosed place. We need not repeat the idle stories
which have gathered round the King's life. The
abbey increased in importance, and was ruled by
a mitred abbot.
The shrine of St. Edmund became the chief
religious centre in Eastern England. It was visited
in large numbers by all ranks of the people from
the highest to the humblest. Kings and princes
came as pilgrims, among them the Confessor, who
walked the last mile into the town barefooted.
When the first Henry escaped from shipwreck, he
came to this shrine to give thanks. Eustace, the
son of the Empress Matilda, died at Bury in n 53.
He had been plundering the country round, and the
convent had refused him supplies. In May, 1157,
Henry IT. was here wearing the crown of St.
Edmund. When the struggle between the King
and his sons occurred Henry assembled his army
at Bury; the banner of St. Edmund waved before
them, and they won the day. Richard I. made
several visits to the town. He came hither as a
106 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
pilgrim in 1189, and was hereon St. Edmund's Day
before starting for Palestine, and within a few days
of his return, in 1194, he came and offered at the
shrine a rich banner, taken from the Emperor of
Cyprus. Henry III. was visiting Bury in 1273,
when seized with an illness which proved fatal.
Here, as a guest, Henry VI. spent several months
in 1453.
The royal visits are of little account in the annals
of the abbey as compared with the gathering which
forced King John to observe the conditions of the
Magna Charta. On a tablet in the church of St.
Edmund it is stated :
Near this spot
On the 20th of November A.D. 121 5,
Cardinal Langton & the Barons
Swore at St. Edmund's Altar
That they would obtain from
King John
The Ratification of
Magna Charta.
Where the rude buttress totters to its fall
And Ivy mantles o'er the crumbling wall ;
Where e'en the skilful eye can scarcely trace
The once High Altar's lowly resting place —
Let patriotic fancy muse awhile
Amid the ruins of this ancient pile —
Six weary centuries have passed away ;
Palace and Abbey moulder in decay —
Could Death enshroud the learned and the brave—
Langton — Fitz- Walter — slumber in the grave,
But still we read in deathless records how
The high-soul'd Priest confirmed the Barons' vow
And Freedom, unforgetful still recites
The second birthplace of our Native Rights.
J. W. Donaldson J. Muskett
scripsit. posuit, 1 847.
BURY ST. EDMUNDS 107
On another tablet are the names of the twenty-five
barons appointed to enforce the observance of
Magna Charta.
Several parliaments were held here. The most
notable was the one in 1446, when Henry VI.
decreed the fall of his uncle, the good Duke
Humphrey of Gloucester, who was forthwith
arrested and imprisoned, and in a few days was
found dead, and it is generally believed that he had
been strangled.
Down to the days of Queen Elizabeth many
monarchs visited Bury, and were notably enter-
tained. Some came here to pass Christmas and
other feasts, but in not a few instances they came
to perform religious duties. Henry I., after his
visit to Pope Innocent the Third in 1132, on his
passage to England, was overtaken by a violent
storm, and when death seemed near, he made a
solemn vow of reformation and amendment of life.
No sooner had he arrived safely on land than he
proceeded to Bury to discharge his religious duties
at the shrine of St. Edmund.
It seems doubtful if James I. visited Bury, but
an old ballad says :
King Jamie once in Suffolk went
A-hunting of ye deere
And there he met a Burie blade
All clad in finest gear.
Lamme was the name of the Bury blade, and on
learning this, the King observed: "I know not
what kind of lamb he is, but I am sure he has a good
fleece upon his back."
To understand the life and get the true spirit of
108 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Bury St. Edmunds we must read Carlyle's " Past
and Present." From his graphic pen-pictures we
can fully realise the important part it played in the
olden time. It is not one of the largest, but it
is one of the best of the author's books. Anyone
visiting the place should not fail to read it.
There is not much left of the ancient abbey. At
the dissolution it had a yearly income of
,£2,366 16s., which does not seem a large sum;
but the buying power of money was greater in the
past than at the present time. In bygone days for
a small amount considerable purchases might be
made. We find it stated that the manors which
then belonged to the abbey are now worth
£500,000 per annum. We know from old accounts,
pictures and the remains which have come down to
us, how large and stately was the ancient pile. The
Abbey Gate, the chief entrance to the monastery, is
standing, and is a noble monument of the past. It
replaced the gateway destroyed by the townspeople
in 1327, and was finished in 1377. It is a fine speci-
men of the Decorated style of pointed architecture.
The visitor may enter the monastic grounds by this
gate and inspect the remains of the abbey. The
churches will also repay careful study; these
include St. James's, dating from about 1436. Next
to be seen is St. Mary's, Perpendicular in style, and
erected at the commencement of the fifteenth
century. Both are full of interesting monuments.
In St. Mary's is the tomb of Mary Tudor, widow
of Louis XII. of France.
Behind the striking Norman Tower (1 121-46),
forming part of St. James's Church, is the church-
BURY ST. EDMUNDS 109
yard, known in monastic times as the Cemetery of
St. Edmund. It is full of interesting monuments
and curious epitaphs. On entering this ancient
burial ground the first monument to attract atten-
tion is an obelisk to the memory of seventeen
Protestant martyrs who were burnt to death during
the reign of Queen Mary. On a gravestone is an
inscription as follows :
Here lies interred the Body 01
Mary Haselton
A young maiden of this town,
Born of Roman Catholic parents and virtuously brought up,
Who being in the act of prayer
Repeating her vespers,
Was instantaneously killed by a flash of lightning,
August 16th, 1785.
Aged 9 years
Not Siloam's ruinous tower the victims slew,
Because above the many sinn'd the few
Nor here the fatal lightning wrecked its rage
By vengeance sent for crimes matur'd by age.
For whilst the thunder's awful voice was heard,
The little suppliant with her hands uprear'd
Addressed her God in prayers the priest had taught,
His mercy craved, and His protection sought ;
Learn, reader, hence that wisdom to adore.
Thou canst not scan and fear His boundless power;
Safe shall thou be if thou perform'd His will,
Blest if He spares, and more blest should He kill.
Another inscription tells the low value human life
had at the close of the eighteenth century. Great
efforts were made to save the life of the criminal,
more especially by Capel Lofft, the poet and friend
of poets, and for the part he took in the case on
behalf of the poor woman his name was removed
from the list of magistrates.
no OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Reader
Pause at this humble stone, it records the fell of unguarded
youti\by the allurements of vice and treacherous
snares of seduction
Sarah Lloyd
On the 23rd April 1800 in the 22nd year of her age
Suffered a just and ignominious death,
For admitting her abandoned seducer in the dwelling-house
of her mistress on the 23rd of October, 1799? s^nd
becoming the instrument in his hands of the
crime of robbery and housebreaking.
These were her last words :
u May my example be a warning to thousands."
A number of slight crimes may be cited which
brought criminals to the gallows at Bury in the
past:
In 1802 John Read, alias Oxer, and Thomas Keeley were
sentenced to death for burglary at Thrandeston, and were
executed.
Robert Clarke, in 1807, was convicted of uttering a forged
£1 note to the landlord of the Old Angel Inn, Bury, and was
executed.
Two men, in 1802, one for stealing a sheet and the other
for stealing a sack of wheat, were sentenced to be whipped one
hundred yards in Bury market-place, and were afterwards
imprisoned.
In 1804 a man was transported for seven years to Botany Bay
for stealing a rabbit. Ten years later a man was imprisoned for
six months for perjury, and once within the time had to stand in
the pillory at Haverhill on a market day.
A memorial is placed to an author who delighted
the reading public in his day, but now his books
BURY ST. EDMUNDS in
are little read, and gather dust as they remain
unopened on the library shelf. It read as follows :
To the memory of
Henry Cockton,
Author of "Valentine Vox," "Sylvester Sound," "The Love
Match," and other Works.
His remains were interred in this Churchyard, June 30, 1853.
No stone marks his resting-place. A few admirers
of his genius raised this tablet to his memory
A.D. 1884.
His Works are his best Monument
In early times in this churchyard miracle plays
were performed; wrestling and other sports were
held, but in 1197 they were forbidden by Abbot
Sampson on account of the disturbance which took
place between the townspeople and the servants of
the abbey. Here a chapel was founded in 1301.
It passed through various changes, and in 1637
was a common ale-house and called a common
nuisance; later it was used as a blacksmith's shop.
Defoe and others have placed on record par-
ticulars of a brutal outrage committed on the path-
way running through this churchyard between
the churches of St. James and St. Mary. " In the
pathway," says Defoe, " between these two
churches ... a tragical and almost unheard-of act
of barbarity was committed, which made the place
less pleasant for some time than it used to be, when
Arundel Coke, Esq., a barrister-at-law, of a very
ancient family, attempted, with the assistance of a
barbarous assassin, to murder in cold blood, and
in the arms of hospitality, Edward Crisp, Esq., his
ii2 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
brother-in-law, leading him out from his own
house, where he had invited him, his wife and
children, to supper ; I say, leading him out in the
night, on pretence of going to see some friend
that was known to them both ; but in the church-
yard, giving a signal to the assassin he had hired,
he attacked him with a hedge-bill, and cut him, as
one might say, almost to pieces ; and when they did
not doubt of his being dead they left him. His
head and face were so mangled that it may be said
to be next to a miracle that he was not quite killed;
yet so Providence directed for the exemplary
punishment of the assassins, that the gentleman
recovered to detect them, who (though he outlived
the assault) were both executed as they deserved,
and Mr. Crisp is yet alive. They were condemned
on the statute for defacing and dismembering,
called the Coventry Act." To-day, as we visit the
tombs in this historic burial ground, we can hardly
realise some of the tragic stories associated with it.
It was at this town, in 1644, that forty persons
were hanged under the ban of Hopkins, the witch-
finder. On the Northgate Road is an important
historical site. It is called Thing-hou, or "* the Hill
of the Council or Assembly " of the Anglo-Saxons,
and it gave the name to the Hundred of Thingoe.
In early times the affairs of the district were dis-
cussed in the open air. Down to 1776 it was the
place of public executions, and derived its more
popular name of Betty Burroughs Hill, from the
last person who suffered death there.
A plague of great violence visited the town in
1636, and nearly depopulated the place. A? one
BURY ST. EDMUNDS ;ii3
time no fewer than four hundred families were
sick, and were maintained at the public charge.
People avoided visiting Bury, and in its streets
grass grew. At the bottom of Risbygate Street is
the octagonal base of a cross, which was filled with
vinegar when the smallpox raged in the town in
1677, so that people attending the market, then
held outside the gate of the town, might place in
the vinegar their money to disinfect it, while others
would dip in their handkerchiefs to save themselves
from infection.
The town has many important and interesting
buildings, and flowers and trees add much to its
beauty. It has charms for the antiquary, and
affords delight to the man-of-the-world, and is by
no means a sleepy place; indeed, it is not surprising
that Dickens selected it for the scene of some of the
more diverting events in the career of Mr. Pickwick.
• [
LINCOLN.
It is that poem in architecture, Lincoln Cathedral,
which draws strangers to the city, but there is much
to interest and instruct those who make a pilgrim-
age to the place. Lincolnshire is regarded by many
as a fenland, lacking in striking scenery. As a
matter of fact, few of our English counties are more
varied, and have more beauty spots. It has hills
and dales, with a wealth of trees, winding streams,
dismantled castles, ruined abbeys, and pleasant
towns, which make up a delightful holiday haunt.
Its history and more especially its rural charms
have inspired poets. The Tennysons take the lead-
ing place, but others stand high in the realms of
literature.
The origin of the name of the city is of consider-
able historical interest. It takes us back to the days
of the dim historic past. It was called by the
Britons Caer-lindcoit. By the Celts it was known
as Linn-dun, and when the Romans subdued the
land the name was Romanised to Lindum. A
name identical with that of London, meaning " the
hill fort of the pool." From this we gather ihat
part of Ihe city below the hill was a stagnant mere,
of which, at the present time, Brayford Harbour
is almost the only remains. The ending of the
Roman name Lindum Colonia " proclaims,1 ' says
Freeman, " the rank which Lincoln held among
Roman cities; an ending which it shares with no
114
CO
CO
"J
Z
c
o
z
LINCOLN 115
other English Jown or village, and with but one other
spot (Cologne) throughout the whole dominion of
Rome. Koln and Lincoln are cities kindred in
their origin and name, and each proclaims herself
simply as the Roman Colonia; the city by the
Witham keeps her earlier name as well as the title
of her Roman rank, and proclaims herself through
her long history as the Colony of Lindum."
The British settlement is generally assigned to
the enclosed area outside the Newport or North-
gate. It was left to the Romans to utilise the steep
hill southwards as a means of natural defence, and
to move their city in that direction. The first
Roman city was small. It measured about 400
yards from north to south and 500 from east to
west. There were four gates, of which one still
remains, the Newport; this, with the exception of
the one at Colchester called Balkerne, is the only
Roman gate standing in England. The site of the
first Roman city may still be traced. It soon out-
grew its narrow boundaries so that it had to be
greatly extended, and its extension was southwards,
a movement still followed at the present time.
There cannot be any doubt of the importance of
the city in Roman times, but its historic story of a
colony under Imperial Rome is almost barren of
stirring events, and of the shaping of history in this
country. It must, however, have been a busy city.
The stately tread of the Roman legions must have
often echoed in the city. Ermine Street, from
London to the Humber and into Yorkshire, ran
through it, and another road crossed it in the centre
of the city, running from east to west. In addition
n6 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
to the roads named the great Foss Way from Bath
to Leicester and Newark joined Ermine Street
at Swine Green, a mile south of the city gate. In
627 Blecca, the prefect of the city, was converted by
Paulinus, Bishop of York, the famous Northum-
brian Apostle. The site of the first Christian
church within the city is known as St. Paul's,
which is a corrupted form of the great apostle's
name.
A bishopric of Lindsey was founded by Ecgfrith
of Northumbria, but Lincoln was not chosen as the
bishop's seat. Stow was selected, and its venerable
church must be regarded as the mother-church of
Lincoln Minster; and until the Norman Conquest,
it remained the head of the See.
When the Danes swept the land with the sword
in the ninth century, Lincoln was one of their five
great boroughs in this country. In no other
county in England have they left more abiding
traces, more especially in the place-names. Here,
as in the other four great towns, Stamford,
Leicester, Nottingham, and Derby, a patriciate, and
twelve lawmen, whose office was hereditary, ruled
the town. It was a sort of commonwealth and
independent of the Danish Government. Eadmund,
" the doer of good deeds," was the means of
winning the people of this country back to
Christianity. In 1013 a change took place in the
Danish rule in England. The five great boroughs
submitted to Swein, the inhabitants were treated
with respect, and remained independent com-
munities.
When William of Normandy won the crown at
LINCOLN 117
the battle of Hastings few changes were made at
Lincoln. The Domesday Survey shows that the
old privileges were retained. The King realised
the important position of the place and had the
future shaping of it in his own hands. Where the
old fortress had stood in 1068 he built a castle,
which not only protected the city, but was the key
to the eastern counties. At the present time the
castle is used as assize courts and as a county
prison. It has a stirring history, and is one of the
eight known to have been founded by the Con-
queror. There are two mounds within the boundary
of the stronghold, about 40 feet high. On one
stands the Keep, and on the other the Observatory
Tower. When the struggle between Stephen and
Matilda disturbed the peace of the land, the Queen
made Lincoln her headquarters on her retirement
from Wallingford. In 1140 Stephen pushed for-
ward his troops and laid siege to the castle. In
the battle of Lincoln, which was fought on the slope
below the castle, the King was defeated and taken
prisoner. Matilda, commonly called the Empress
Maud, assumed the throne, but her rule was so
unpopular that the barons took up arms for
Stephen. The Earl of Gloucester was taken
prisoner, and exchanged for the King. Stephen
was finally permitted under the Treaty of Walling-
ford, 1 153, to retain the crown during his life,
which at his death was to pass to Henry Planta-
genet, Matilda's son. Some historians designate
her queen regnant. As a matter of fact this is a
mistake, for she was never crowned by the Church
or the nation.
n8 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Six years later, in "the piping times of peace, King
Stephen spent Christmas at the castle. He wore
his crown, disregarding the old suDerstition :
The first crowned head that enters Lincoln's walls,
His reign proves stormy and his kingdom falls.
The castle figures largely in the times when civil
strife raged at Lincoln. A notable battle occurred
in 1217, the result of King John's breaking faith
with the barons and violating the Magna Charta.
He was plotting to get Louis, son of Philip, King
of France, on the English throne. When John
passed away Louis came to England, but those who
had promised their support deserted his cause. The
Earl of Pembroke, who had been chosen Protector
during the minority of Henry, then only nine years
old, defeated Louis at Lincoln. This engagement
is known as " The Battle of Lincoln Fair." Our
first great naval victory was gained at this time,
Louis' fleet being nearly destroyed off the coast of
Kent.
For a long period little fighting troubled the
citizens, until the civil wars rent the country in
twain, when father met son on opposite sides and
when brothers were fighting under different
banners. At the outbreak of the great struggle
Charles I. visited Lincoln and was welcomed by
60,000 people. Little did he think then, when the
air rang with their hearty cheers, that his career
would end at the hands of a common headsman at
Whitehall. The castle was held for the King by
Sir Francis Fane, who, however, was driven out
of it by the Parliamentary troops under the Earl of
Manchester in 1644.
LINCOLN 119
In later times the castle became a county prison,
and within its walls are not only cells for prisoners,
but courts in which to try them and lodgings for
the judges. Samuel Bamford, the Lancashire poet
and Radical, for a political offence was imprisoned
here for a year, and in his " Passages in the Life
of a Radical " is the best account of prison life of
the period which has come under our notice. Local
writers appear to have overlooked the graphic
account, which pays a warm tribute to the kindness
of justices and jailers. Great liberty was allowed
him, which he took care not to abuse, and thus
made a great impression on all who came in contact
with him. His wife, who inspired his best poetry,
was permitted to live with him. Some interesting
glimpses of prison life in the past occur in connec-
tion with Lincoln Castle. From the top of Cobb
Tower, which was roofed over, criminals were
executed from 1815 until the " Private Executions
Act " in 1868. Prior to 18 15, the place of execu-
tion was at the corner of the road opposite the
north-west corner of the Castle Dykings, and long
bore the name of Hangman's Ditch. On March
19th, 1785, some 20,000 people assembled to witness
the execution of nine persons, one for highway
robbery and the rest for robbery of a slighter
character.
Hanging was not the only means of ending life
in the eighteenth century; the burning of women
was practised long before this period. There is
an account of burning at Lincoln in 1722. Eleanor
Elsom was condemned to death for the murder of
her husband, and was ordered to be burnt at the
120 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
stake. She was clothed in a cloth " made like a
shift,' ' saturated with tar, and her limbs were also
smeared with the same inflammable substance, while
a tarred bonnet had been placed on her head. She
was brought out of the prison barefoot, and, being
put on the hurdle, was drawn on a sledge to the
place of execution near the gallows. Upon arrival,
some time was passed in prayer, after which the
executioner placed her on a tar barrel, a height of
three feet, against the stake. A rope ran through
a pulley in the stake, and was placed round her
neck, she herself fixing it with both hands. Three
irons also held her body to the stake, and the rope
being pulled tight, the tar barrel was taken aside
and the fire lighted. The details in the " Lincoln
Date Book " state that she was probably quite dead
before the fire reached her, as the executioner pulled
upon the rope several times whilst the irons were
being fixed. The body was seen amid the flames
for nearly half an hour, though, through the dry-
ness of the wood and the quantity of the tar, the fire
was exceedingly fierce.
Under the shadow of the castle rises the cathedral,
a building of great architectural grandeur, and one
which dominates the country for many miles round.
The See of Lincoln dates back to 1074, when the
bishop's seat was transferred from Dorchester-on-
Thames by Remigius. The diocese covered much
ground, and its bishops played an important part
in the making of English history. Remigius
built a church, and to-day remains of il may be seen
in the central part of the west front. Hugh of
Avalon was made bishop towards the close of the
LINCOLN 121
twelfth century, and started rebuilding the church
in 1 192. He commenced his operations at the east
end, but died before he had completed his work.
The nave was finished by his successors, and in the
latter half of the twelfth century the apsidal ending
of St. Hugh's choir was taken down, and the
presbytery was extended five bays eastwards. The
extension forms a striking feature in the cathedral
and is the celebrated "Angel Choir,' ' which attracts
world-wide attention. It is called the " Angel
Choir " from the number of the angelic figures that
appear among the carvings. Here are many
monuments, including one to Eleanor, wife of
Edward I. She died five miles from the city, and
her viscera were buried in the cathedral, her heart
was taken to the church of the Friars Predicant in
London, and her body was laid to rest in West-
minster Abbey, not far from the place where her
husband's body was laid to rest when death closed
his active career.
The towers form a striking feature of the cathe-
dral. The central tower is much admired. " By
its dignity in the mass," says Walcot, "and the
picturesque combinations with the cathedral
which it forms from every point of view, it lends
an unequalled majesty to the church. It is the
finest central tower in the world." It is only sur-
passed in height by two cathedral spires in
England, those of Salisbury and Norwich. The
central tower of Lincoln carried a spire, but this was
blown down in 1547. Browne Willis says: "The
disaster happened at a time when faith and devotion
were at a wretchedly low ebb, and men were rather
122 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
occupied in unroofing and stripping the temples
of God, than raising spires to His honour; and the
tower of Lincoln has remained ever since curtailed
of its beautiful termination.' * We might add that
the worshippers have remained in safety and with-
out fear from the falling of a steeple. In this tower
hangs the famous " Great Tom of Lincoln/ ' a
giant among bells. In Macaulay's spirited ballad
on the "Spanish Armada," Lincoln figures as
spreading the news with the lighted beacon of the
approach of the foe. We read :
. . . twelve fair counties saw the blaze on Malvern's
lonely height ;
Till streamed in crimson on the wind the Wrekin's crest
of light ;
Till broad and fierce the star came forth on Ely's stately
fane,
And town and hamlet rose to arms o'er all the boundless
plain ;
Till Belvoir's lordly terraces the sign to Lincoln sent,
And Lincoln sped the message on o'er the wide vale of
Trent ;
Till Skiddaw saw the fire that burned on Gaunfs em-
battled pile,
And the red glare on Skiddaw roused the burghers of
Carlisle.
Near the cathedral is a fine statue to Alfred, Lord
Tennyson, erected by his admirers in his native
county. The Bishop's Palace is a modern build-
ing on an ancient site. The historic house of
Lincoln is the " House of Aaron the Jew," and it
may safely be asserted to be one of the oldest
inhabited dwellings in this country. Here resided
Belaset de Wallingford, a Jewess, who was hanged
for debasing coin in 1290. It was in this year that
the Jews were expelled from England. The
LINCOLN 123
building has round windows, and the usual features
of a Norman house.
Another interesting building is the Stone Bow,
situated in High Street. It is a fine example of a
fifteenth century town gate. There is a large upper
room with a Perpendicular timber roof known as
the Guild Hall. Here are kept the interesting and
valuable regalia. Here is a bell set up by William
Beale, Mayor, 137 1, having an involved Latin
inscription, which has been translated : " When any
good man hears the bell let him open his bag (a
brief-bag for the court), and know ye the hall will
clear when it rings again."
The Hall of St. Mary's Guild may be pro-
nounced one of the most valuable and extensive
ranges of buildings of the twelfth century in
England. The guild was the most important in
the city. It is called erroneously John o' Gaunt's
stables, and keeps alive the tradition that he had a
palace nearly opposite St. Mary's Hall, being the
home of his third wife, Katherine Swynford, of
Ketilthorpe, whom he married in Lincoln Minster,
1386. She was a fair widow with a son, Charles
Beaufort, who became Bishop of Lincoln. His
mother died during his episcopate, and he had her
interred with her daughter near the high altar of
the cathedral.
There are numerous churches in the city. Two
are especially interesting. St. Peter's at Gowts
was built in Norman times. It is to be regretted
that recent enlargements have resulted in the demo-
lition of some of the fine Norman work. It has a
striking tower. The other is St. Mary-le-Wigford,
124 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
which has a stately tower similar to that of St.
Peter-at-Gowts. In the graveyard of this church
is a peculiar epitaph as follows :
Here lies, believe it if you can,
Who though an attorney was an honest man.
Many of the old street names are full of historical
interest. Mint Street calls to mind the minting
of coins, of which examples exist from the age of
Alfred the Great to the reign of Edward I. The
Bull Ring recalls the days when rich and poor
keenly enjoyed the brutal sport. The Corporation
bye-laws, like those of other places, contained a
rule that no butcher should offer for sale bull beef
unless the animal had been baited. " On Guy
Fawkes Day, 1802," it is stated in the " Lincoln
Date Book," " about eleven o'clock in the morning
a bull was dragged into the city amidst the shouts of
an applauding multitude ; it was taken to the Castle
Hill, tied to an iron ring with ropes, and then torn
and worried by dogs. The animal appeared to
possess great strength, and he soon broke loose,
running downhill into the city, to the no small
terror of the country people. It being market day,
several women with butter, geese, eggs, etc., ran
into St. Peter-at-Arches Church during divine
service, their livestock making much noise therein.
The bull was again secured and baited until four
o'clock, when it dropped down dead at the stake."
Another cruel sport was cock-fighting. In the
" Reindeer," the Corporation had their cock-pit.
It was here that King James was made merry by
watching two pairs of cocks being placed in the pit
at the same time. He attended two services at the
LINCOLN 125
minster, and after each touched fifty persons for
king's evil.
There are the usual city and county buildings,
and an up-to-date Public Free Library, with a good
collection of local books, as well as works on the
various branches of literature and science. There
is a pleasant and well planned Arboretum, and the
city has other attractions. There is no missing
Lincoln, for "A city that is built on a hill cannot
be hid."
COVENTRY.
The Warwickshire city of Coventry is a place of
great antiquarian interest. In spite of modern pro-
gress it presents an old-fashioned appearance, and
offers a marked contrast to its busy and bustling
neighbour, Birmingham. Coventry has a bygone
look about it, and in every direction one seems to
come into touch with history, while in modern
Birmingham everything seems to be given up to
trade.
Until the introduction of the cycle, Coventry
appeared to have retired from business. Ribbon
making had gone, and matters were at a standstill.
The new industry put the place once more on its
feet, and when the motor-car came along it set the
old borough humming. The new industries may
have tended fo spoil the place in the eyes of the
students of the past; but they have increased the
wealth and prosperity of the city, and placed it on
a line with other centres of trade.
From time to time it is brought into the public
eye by its famous Godiva Procession, which ranks
among the more important pageants of Merry
England. It is to be feared that in the popular
story of Lady Godiva there is little that is reliable,
but it is quite clear that she was a woman ever ready
to relieve those in distress, pious, and a benefactress
126
COVENTRY.
[From an old print.
A Performance of a Sacred Play.
Period about the end of the Sixteenth Century.
COVENTRY 127
to religious houses. Her lot was cast in a time
when might and not right ruled the land. We have
no fewer than seventeen forms of the spelling of
her name, but as they all refer to the same person
they need not cause any serious consideration. Her
brother was Bucknall, Sheriff of Lincolnshire.
Her first husband was taken from her while she
was still young, and at an early age she was
expected to follow him to the grave. She gave to
Ely monastery extensive lands in Suffolk and other
parts of the country. We are told that she was a
woman of great beauty, and a devoted lover of the
Virgin Mary. She recovered from her illness, and
before 1040 was married a second time to Leofric,
Earl of Chester.
About this time she interested and induced her
husband Leofric to help in the erection of a mon-
astery at Stow, Lincolnshire. The couple made
considerable benefactions to this religious house.
It is with Coventry that her name is associated
in the popular mind. Here her husband had a
villa, and here had been a convent, but when the
Danes ravaged the district it was destroyed by fire.
Godiva induced the earl to found here a Benedictine
monastery for an abbot and twenty-four monks.
The church was dedicated to St. Mary, St. Peter,
St. Osburg (she was the Abbess of the old convent),
and All Saints. The Archbishop of Canterbury
performed the dedication ceremony. Husband and
wife joined in making rich gifts of land to the mon-
astery and church. It is recorded that Godiva made
Jie church resplendent with gold and gems, not
equalled in any other sanctuary in England of that
128 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
time. William of Malmesbury says that the very
walls seemed too narrow for the reception of its
treasures. Cherished and important relics were
deposited here, and we can readily realise that
pious pilgrims would visit the shrine. Around this
famous religious house would soon grow up a town
with a market, and the statement that, when Godiva
performed the feat which has given her lasting
fame, there was no city, is, we think, a miscon-
ception of facts.
According to an ancient tradition, for some
reason now lost in the mists of antiquity, Leofric
at one period greatly taxed and oppressed the
people. His countess was deeply moved to see
them suffering, and she determined if possible to
deliver them from their oppression. Says Tenny-
son :
She sought her lord, and found him, where he strode
About the hall, among his dogs alone,
His beard a foot before him, and his hair
A yard behind. She told him of their tears,
And pra/d him, "If they pay the tax they starve."
The grim earl heard her words with amazement,
and cried in scorn :
"You would not let your little finger ache for such as these!"
"But I would die," replied the pleading Godiva.
Tradition tells how her husband laughed, and by
St. Peter and St. Paul took an oath exclaiming :
it>
" O, ay, ay, ay, you talk." She, persisting, said :
" But prove me what it is I would not do."
And from a heart as rough as Esau's hand,
He answered, " Ride you naked thro' the town,
And 1 repeal it."
COVENTRY 129
His countess accepted the cruel condition :
She sent a herald forth,
And bade him cry, with sound of trumpet, all
The hard condition ; but that she would loose
The people : therefore, as they loved her well,
From then till noon no foot should pace the street,
No eye look down, she passing ; but that all
Should keep within, door shut, and windows barr'd.
The poet says :
Then she rode forth, clothed on with chastity.
Her husband's condition complied with,
She took the tax away,
And built herself an everlasting name.
An old story says that a tailor did basely and
wilfully bore a hole through his shutters that he
might peep at Lady Godiva as she passed. He
suffered for the outrage, for, relates the poet :
. . . . His eyes before they had their will
Were shrivelled into darkness in his head
And dropt before him.
The earliest historians do not mention Peeping
Tom, and his introduction into the city legend
belongs to the reign of Charles II., and was added
to the attractions of the Godiva procession in cele-
bration of the freedom of the city. In the past the
Mayor and other leading men joined in the popular
pageant, but now it is mainly made up of members
of friendly and trade societies. The city has two
figures of Peeping Tom. One was probably an
image of St. George ; it was removed from Grey
Friars Lane, and placed in its present position,
at the north-west corner of Hertford Street, on the
formation of that street in 181 2. In quite recent
times a rival figure was put up at the south-west
corner.
i3o OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
On August 31st, 1057, Leofric died. It is gener-
ally supposed that Lady Godiva passed away
shortly before the Domesday Survey (1085-6).
There is a blending of fact and fiction in the story
of Lady Godiva, but little doubt exists that the more
important part of the story we have brought before
our readers is true, and she will remain a noble
example to womankind, although in the altered
conditions of life her sex will not be called upon to
go through such an ordeal.
After the Norman Conquest the lordship by mar-
riage passed to the Earls of Chester, under whom
the place made rapid advancement. Next came
the Montalts and the Arundels, and the failure
of heirs caused it to pass to the Crown. When
Edward III. made his son, the Black Prince, the
Duke of Cornwall, he annexed the manor of Cov-
entry to the dukedom for ever. This king gave the
place its first charter of incorporation in the year
1344. The great annual fair dates back long
before the incorporation of the town, Henry III.
having permitted it in 12 18.
A singular circumstance stands boldly out in the
history of the city. Here, in 1398, Henry Boling-
broke, Duke of Hereford (afterwards Henry IV.),
and Thomas de Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, met to
decide a quarrel by Wager of Battle. The scene is
immortalised by Shakespeare in his Richard II.
The King and many of his nobles were present, and
when the Champions were ready for the fray his
Majesty stopped the engagement and banished both
from England, Norfolk for ten years and Hereford
for life.
COVENTRY 131
A parliament was held at Coventry by Edward
IV., in 1404, in the great chamber of the Priory,
and a second parliament at the same place in 1459.
Henry V. was supported by the town in the struggles
which ended in his dethronement and death. When
Edward IV. assumed the crown the citizens
were severely fined for their loyal assistance to the
dethroned king. When Richard III. was slain at
Bosworth Field and Henry VII. ruled the land, he
was welcomed to the city with joy, and a cup and
;£ioo were presented to him. In 1565 Queen Eliza-
beth visited the city and was warmly welcomed.
Mary Queen of Scots spent some of her weary
captivity in this city. In 1616 her son, James I.,
visited the city and was entertained at a great feast.
The city was surrounded by walls, which extended
to a circuit of three miles, their average thickness
being nine feet. Some remains of them may still
be seen.
A couple of days after Charles I. had raised his
standard at Nottingham, he demanded admission
to Coventry, but the Puritans of the city refused
to admit the monarch. He then, without success,
attempted to take the city by force. Royalist
prisoners were sent here, and the strict discipline
gave rise to the saying of being "sent to Coventry.' '
Charles II. fined the citizens for closing the gates
of their city against his father, and dismantled the
walls. For the remains of old religious houses few,
if any, towns surpass Coventry.
St. Michael's vies with Holy Trinity, Hull, and
St. Nicholas's, Yarmouth, in claiming to be the
largest parish church in the United Kingdom. Its
i32 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
graceful spire is a striking objeci, rising nearly 300
feet. Two brothers, William and Adam Botoner,
built the tower between 1373 and 1394. Two
sisters, Ann and Mary, added the spire four years
later. It was restored in 1888. The church was
founded in the reign of Henry I., but little of the
original building remains. The present Perpen-
dicular building was erected towards the end of the
fourteenth century and the commencement of the
fifteenth century. The city was rich in its religi-
ous and trade guilds; formerly their chapels were
in this church, and screens divided them from the
rest of the building, but these have been swept
away and the area for the worshippers has been
greatly increased. The extreme length of the
church is 293 feet, and its greatest width is 127 feet.
A curious feature of this church and burial ground
is the number of curious epitaphs. On a brass,
placed to the memory of a Yorkshireman, in this
church is an inscription as follows :
Here lyes the Body of Captain Gervase, of the family o
Scropes, of Bolton, in the County of York, who departed thi
ife the 26th day of August, Anno Domini 1705.
An Epitaph Written by Himself in the Agony and
Dolorous Paines of the Gout, and
Dyed soon after.
Here lies an Old Toss'd Tennis Ball,
Was Racketted from Spring to Fall
With so much heat and so much hast,
Time's arm (for shame) grew tyr'd at last,
Four Kings in Camps he truly serv'd,
And from loyalty ne'r swerv'd.
Father ruin'd, the Son slighted,
And from the Crown ne'r requited,
Loss of Estate, Relations, Blood,
Was too well Known, but did no good,
COVENTRY 133
With long Campaigns and paines of th* Govt,
He could no longer hold it out :
Always a restless life he led,
Never at quiet till quite dead,
He marryM in his latter dayes,
One who exceeds the com'on praise,
But wanting breath still to make Known
Her true Affection and his Own,
Death kindly came, all wants suppl/d
By giving Rest which life denyM.
A famous fencing master was laid to rest in the
churchyard, and his memorial says :
To the memory of
Mr. John Parkes,
A Native of this City.
He was a man of mild disposition, a Gladiator by profession;
Who having fought 350 battles,
In the principal parts of Europe,
With honour and applause,
At length quitted the stage, sheathed his sword,
And with Christian resignation,
Submitted to the Grand Victor
In the 52nd year of his age
Anno Domini 1733.
An old stone, bearing the foregoing inscription,
was replaced by a new one some years ago at the
expense of the late Mr. S. Carter, formerly Member
of Parliament for Coventry. In the Spectator,
honourable mention is made of John Parkes.
A typographical epitaph is also in the burial
ground to the memory of a worthy printer who was
i34 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
engaged over sixty years as a compositor on the
Coventry Mercury :
Here lies intend the mortal remains of
John Hulm
Printer,
Who, like an old, worn out type, battered by frequent use
reposes in the grave.
But not without a hope that at some future time he might be
cast in the mould of righteousness,
and safely locked up in the chase of immortality.
He was distributed from the board of life
on the 9th day of Sept, 1827,
Regretted by his employers and respected by
his fellow artists.
The general reader may not grasp the technical
terms in the foregoing epitaph, but they will interest
the printer and the student of typography.
Another fine Perpendicular church is Holy
Trinity. It suffers much on account of being built
so near St. Michael's. It is on the cruciform plan ;
the greatest length is 180 feet, and its greatest width
105 feet. The tower and a graceful spire rise from
the intersection of the chancel, nave, and transepts.
The interior of the tower is open to the church, and
forms a lantern. During a terrible gale on the
24th January, 1665, the spire was blown down, but
rebuilt in the two following years. The church
stands on the site of one existing in the thirteenth
century ; only a few fragments of the older building
remain. An adjacent Priory appropriated the
church. Before the Reformation were a number
of chapels and altars within this fabric, and at
least two had crypts, St. Thomas's Chapel and the
COVENTRY 135
Mercers' Chapel. Dugdale says that in the time
of Richard II. a window was put up to represent
Leofric holding in his hand a charter with the
following words :
I Luriche for the love of thee
Do make Coventrie Tol free.
At this church a couple were united in marriage
who won fame on the theatrical stage. The
marriage took place by licence on the 25th Novem-
ber, 1773. The signatures attached to the registers
are as follows :
William Siddons.
Sarah Kemble.
The witnesses were Roger Kemble and Mary J.
Godfrey. Mr. Siddons is described as of the parish
of St. Michael, and Miss Kemble of Trinity parish.
The ceremony was performed by the Rev. George
Richards, in the absence of the Rev. Joseph Rann,
who was vicar of Trinity from 1773 to 181 1. In
1776 and the four following years Mr. Rann pub-
lished an edition of the " Dramatic Works of W.
Shakespeare with Notes,'' in six vols., 8vo. Miss
Ellen Terry, the celebrated actress, was born in
Market Street, Coventry, 27th February, 1848.
There is much in the church to interest the
visitor. In the vestry is a portrait of Dr. Hook,
who was the vicar of this church before he was
called to a larger sphere of labour as vicar of Leeds,
and his zeal for church work, more especially for
building new churches, gained for him the title of
K
i36 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
M The Apostle of the North." He died Dean of
Chichester.
Miracle plays were introduced into this country
from the Continent. The earliest pieces were
scriptural or, at all events, of a pious character.
The earliest record of a performance in England
was at Dunstable, about the year iuo, and it was
entitled the " Miracle of St. Catherine. " They
were first performed by the priests as a part of the
service of the Church, but later by the members of
religious and trade guilds. They retained their
popularity until the Reformation.
Coventry was famous for its plays, indeed it has
long been famous for its pageants, the chief being
the observance of the feast of Corpus Christi. The
chief feature of this ceremony was a number of
persons in a procession personating scriptural
characters. Different guilds performed the mystery
or miracle plays at Coventry. A stage was on
wheels, and moved from one part to another.
The stages on which plays were produced consisted
of three floors, the highest representing Heaven, the
next Earth, and the bottom one Hell. On one occa-
sion the lower region was accidently set on fire,
and, however appropriate the incident, great uneasi-
ness was manifested by the occupants. Such
disasters rendered repairs necessary. Here are two
or three items from the accounts of the Coventry
Mysteries :
Item, payd for mending hell-mowthe - - \jd.
Item, payd for makynge of the hell-moth new - xxjd.
Item payd for kepyng of the fyre at hell-mothe - iiijd.
COVENTRY 137
Hell was generally represented by the imitation
of a whale's open jaws, behind which a fire was
lighted in such a manner as not to injure the
damned who had to pass into the gaping mouth,
or the actors personating the demons inside.
Among the chief pieces produced by the different
guilds were " The Trial and Crucifixion of Christ,"
by the Smiths', " The Doomsday," by the Drapers',
" The Nativity and the Epiphany," by the Shear-
men and Tailors'. The play of the Drapers' repre-
sented the world in flames. In the Coventry
accounts are the following items :
1556 payd to Crowe for makyng of iij worldys - ijs.
1558 payd for iij worldys .... ijja. viijd.
A " world" was, of course, destroyed at each
•exhibition. An entry states:
Payd for settyng the world on fyer - - vd.
It would appear that setting one world on fire
•each day was deemed sufficient. The performers
were paid for by the different companies.
Very rarely a new play was put on the stage, but
in 1584 the Smiths' Company presented the
f ' Destruction of Jerusalem " (founded on
Josephus's account of it). This great effort
only took six rehearsals to perfect them for
the performance.
In the Middle Ages trade guilds were a great
institution in Coventry, and some have come down
to the present time. " One of the earliest of these
trading guilds," says Mr. W. G. Fretton, F.S.A.,
4i was the Bakers', which dates back to the sixth
138 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
year of King John, which would be abou! 150 years
before the incorporation of the city by Edward
III." Frequently serious disputes and disturbances
took place between the Bakers and the citizens,
respecting weight and quality of bread. It is stated
in the MS. annals of the city that, in 1374, the
Commons arose and threw loaves of bread at
the Mayor's head as he sat in St. Mary's Hall, and
similar proceedings occurred in 1387. This was the
method adopted by the inhabitants for showing
their disapproval of bread which was light
or of poor quality. It was the Mayor's duty
to attend to superintend the assize of bread,
and see that it was satisfactory in weight and
quality.
Among the more important buildings of the city
is St. Mary's Hall, which dates back to the end of
the fourteenth century. It is the property of the
Corporation, and is used for municipal purposes.
Here trading companies have had their head-
quarters. It is a most interesting place, the great
hall being especially fine, the oak roof being richly
carved. A fine window at the end of the hall is
filled with old stained glass, showing full length
portraits of the Kings of England and others, above
them being their coats-of-arms. John Thornton,
a native of Coventry, is said to have executed the
work. He was the same man who designed the
east window of York Minster. Here is some fine
Flemish tapestry, wrought about the beginning of
the sixteenth century. The old charters may be
seen here in glass cases. In the kitchen is a curious
COVENTRY 139
figure on a buttress. A brass plate under it
states:
This Knaves' Post was ormerly affixed to the wall of a house
in Much Park street It was usual to sentence offenders to be
whipped at the cart tail from the Mayor's parlour in the Market-
place to the Knaves' post and back.
This Post was erected in this place as a relic of the past
By order ot the Corporation, May, 1900.
The figure formerly stood in a shallow niche in
front of a brick eighteenth century house, about 550
yards from the old magistrates' court, so that the
criminal had to walk 1,100 yards when undergoing
the punishment of whipping. The last time anyone
was whipped at the cart's tail in Coventry was in
the early years of the nineteenth century.
There is much in St. Mary's Hall to arrest the
attention of the visitor. It has an old-world air
about it, which is pleasing and cannot be readily
forgotten. Pictures by eminent artists and old
furniture add much to its charms. In Grey Friars'
Lane is Ford's Hospital for old women. William
Ford founded it in 1529; it is a charming speci-
men of a half-timbered house, and of its class is
regarded as one of the finest in the country.
As one wanders about the old city, we are con-
stantly seeing the remains of bygone churches and
religious houses as well as places of great historic
interest. Here we find a city where the
hours may be dreamed away, and in fancy the
past recalled. To-day many would be delighted if
sent to Coventry."
tt
LEICESTER.
Leicester is a place with a past as well as a present
importance. As the visitor leaves the station for
the town the fact is realised that it is a growing
place, but its progress has not equalled that of
Nottingham, Bradford, Sheffield, Hull, and Leeds,
and other towns which in recent times have risen to
the dignity of cities,
Traditional tales tell us that eight centuries before
the birth of Christ the famous King Lear founded
the town. The mediaeval chronicler, Geoffrey of
Monmouth, relates the story; but it is not con-
firmed by more discriminating historians. Many
traces of British remains prove that it was a place
of some importance in the days when the ancient
Britons ruled the land. Little is reliable that has
been written about Leicester as it was before Roman
times. About the year a.d. 50, when the Emperor
Claudius occupied the throne of Rome, the Pro-
praetor Ostorius Scapula pushed forward into the
Midlands at the head of his famed Legions, and
sweeping away the British settlement at Leicester,
formed his military camp on rising ground above
the river, which now forms the older part of the
borough. Soon an important town arose, and its
site has yielded many examples of urns, pavements,
and other Roman remains, displaying artistic faste
and refinement. In the town museum may be seen
many of these ancient relics.
140
LEICESTER 141
Some of the roads in the town and district were
constructed by the Romans, the greatest of road
makers. The Jewry Wall, 20 feet high and 75 feet
long, obtained its name from the mediaeval ghetto ;
it is composed of Roman bricks and rubble.
About the year 450 the Roman forces were called
home to protect their fatherland, and Saxons and
Danes came on the scene and dominated the place
down to Norman times. The name of the town
comes down from the Anglo-Saxon era. It was
then known as Leirceastre, or fortress of the Leire,
as the river on which it stands was named.
In the year 1068 William the Conqueror advanced
towards the Midlands. On his route he took
possession of Oxford and Warwick. The town of
Leicester made a bold stand against the Norman
king. It had then a population of about 3,000
inhabitants, but only sixty-four heads of families
were left when the all-conquering invader planted
his banner in triumph upon the walls of the town.
The Saxon castle, the church of St. Mary, and the
homestead and walls of the town were laid in ruins.
A Norman castle was built and stood until 1645,
when it was dismantled by Charles I.; and a
modernised assize hall, and an artificial earthwork,
known as Castle View, are all that remains of the
ancient stronghold. All that is left might be called
a shadow of the past. There is an old-world appear-
ance about the castle-house and gateway which is
very charming, with its wood and plaster walls and
greenery refreshing to the eye in this busy hive of
industry.
A curious ceremony obtained for many years at
i42 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
this castle. It was customary for the newly-elected
mayor of the town to proceed thither, and in accord-
ance with a charter granted by James L, to take
an oath before the steward of the Duchy of Lan-
caster rt to perform faithfully and well all and every
ancient custom, and so forth, according to the best
of his knowledge. " On arrival at a certain place
within the precincts of the stronghold, the mayor
had the great mace lowered from an upright posi-
tion as a token of acknowledgment to the ancient
feudal earls within their castle. In 1766 Mr.
Fisher, a Jacobite, was elected mayor, and like
others of his class was ever ready when opportunity
offered to show his aversion to the reigning dynasty.
He purposely omitted the ceremony of lowering the
mace. When the servant of the mayor refused to
11 slope the mace," the constable of the castle or
his deputy refused to admit the mayor. It is not
surprising to read that the usage was discontinued
after this occurrence, or that, thereafter, the mayor
went in private to take the oath.
The old Town Hall is a place full of interest and
of historical echoes. It has a quaintness which
must be seen to be fully appreciated. It has some
fine examples of carving and stained glass, dating
back to the days of the seventh Henry. In the
large hall prisoners were tried and plays performed.
Here Richard Burbage, the creator of Shakespeare's
Richard III., acted many times, and the great
dramatist, who was a member of the Earl of
Leicester's Company, is believed — and with some
warrant — to have taken part in plays in this hall.
It was in this old-time hall that the mayor held his
LEICESTER 143
feasts, which were attended by many of the nobility
and gentry of the neighbourhood. The late Mr.
William Kelly, F.S.A., the well-known local anti-
quary, gives some curious glimpses of the gather-
ings which used to take place here. In the " inter-
lude " between the feast and the banquet or the
dessert, bears were baited in the room. " In the
summer of 1589 (probably at the invitation of the
mayor),' ' says Mr. Kelly, " the high sheriff, Mr.
Skeppington, and * divers other gentlemen with
him ' were present at * a great beare-baiting ' in the
town, and were entertained, at the public expense,
with wine and sugar, and a present of ten shillings
in gold was also made."
The old town library, after various changes, was
housed on the eastern side of the Town Hall. The
premises are supposed to have been the Chantry-
house of the priests of the Corpus Christi Guild.
The old books in the library are both valuable and
interesting, and are in excellent condition. The
place is well worthy- of a visit, and may be seen at
certain convenient times without payment. We
read that the town-preacher was the means of get-
ting the books removed to the present rooms. The
appointment of the town-preacher was held in 1632,
when the library was housed here by Mr. John
Angel. It has been suggested that the office of
town-preacher was instituted as a reaction against
Jthe ritual of the day, but most likely the eagerness
of the people to hear the expounding of Holy Writ
at a time when comparatively few could read, had
more to do with its origin. The town-preacher, it
should be remembered, addressed the people on
144 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
politics and social questions, as well as on religious
subjects.
The Blue Boar Inn, where Richard III. slept the
night before the battle of Bosworth Field, in 1485,
and where his corpse was brought back for burial,
was pulled down as late as 1829; but a tavern bear-
ing the old name stands on the site.
Of Leicester Abbey, founded in 1143, but little is
left to attest its ancient glory. It was here that
Cardinal Wolsey, on the 29th of November, 1530,
died. He had risen from a humble position to be
one of the leaders of his time, one of the greatest
of Englishmen. He passed away a prisoner,
suffering and disgraced. Shakespeare's picture of
the prelate's coming to the abbey in the gathering
gloom of a dull November day is one of the finest
passages in English literature. Eight years later
the religious house was dissolved. There is little
to be seen of the ancient fabric, but it is not with-
out interest to visit the site of the abbey and in
fancy recall the past, in which it played so great a
part.
Trinity Hospital, founded in 1331, is an alms-
house for the aged and needy, with a chapel, and
numerous olden-time remains. There are many
old houses worthy of careful study, which meet the
eye as one wanders along the ancient streets. There
are five old churches which may interest the
stranger, and are a matter of great pride to the
inhabitants of the town. St. Martin's Church has
a graceful spire 218 feet high. In the churches are
monuments of importance. There is a fine statue
to the Rev. Robert Hall, a prince of preachers, who
LEICESTER 145
was born near the town, and was for some time the
eloquent Baptist minister of Leicester. He rose to
the highest rank of pulpit orators, with a reputation
which was world-wide, and he died in 1831 in the
West of England.
Leicester has the usual modern public buildings
of a progressive town, including a fine pile of
municipal buildings, a free public library, and a
museum rich in local antiquities. In the centre of j
the town is a handsome cross or clock tower (1868),
bearing the effigies of Simon de Montfori, Earl of
Leicester, Sir Thomas White, Alderman Newton,
and William of Wyggeston, notable men in the
annals of Leicester. The parks and open spaces of
the borough form a pleasing feature.
NOTTINGHAM.
In modern times Nottingham has made great pro-
gress, and now takes its place among the leading
English industrial cities. It is known as " the
Queen of the Midlands,*' and, situated on the river
Trent, is in a picturesque and romantic district.
The city as well as the county is linked with ballads
and stories of far distant times. Some local
historians trace back the foundation of the town to
the days of Coelus, King of the Britons, and
assert that he was buried here about a thousand
years before the Christian era. His place of inter-
ment is a debated matter, as Coisfield, Ayrshire,
and London lay claim to the honour of being his
resting place. He is the " Old King Cole," so
familiar to us in song, though it is by no means
easy to tell the story of his career. Concerning
British and Romans, statements made about the
place are of doubtful foundation.
When the course of history reaches Saxon times
we are on surer ground. It was then a place of
some importance, and known as Nottengaham,
meaning a town of caves. During the Heptarchy it
was included in the Saxon kingdom of Mercia.
When the Danes invaded the country in 787 the
town was taken by them, and so strongly was it
fortified that the combined forces of Wessex and
Mercia failed to drive them from the stronghold.
146
CO
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NOTTINGHAM 147
We gather from the annals of the city that a treaty
was made, and the Danes gave up possession of
the town and advanced to York. When the Saxons
had to submit to the suzerainty of the Danes, and
during the period the invaders reigned in Mercia,
Nottingham was one of the five great seats of the
Danish Government. The inhabitants of Notting-
ham were much averse to the new rulers. The
town was held by the Danes, or Northmen, until
924, when they were dispossessed by Edward the
Elder, who did much for Nottingham, including
the erection of a bridge over the Trent, which was
in use as late as the seventeenth century; he also
built a wall round the town.
The battle of Hastings ended the Saxon rule in
England. Harold, the last of the Saxon kings,
was slain on the eventful 14th day of October, 1066,
and the victor assumed the crown of England under
the title of William I.
When the Conqueror's forces came into the
Midlands a bold stand was made against them at
Nottingham, but the inhabitants were quickly sub-
dued, and the population of the place decreased. A
castle was reared on the site of the building which
is now an art gallery. Much of the tragic history
of the town is connected with the ancient strong-
hold. Lenton Priory, Nottingham, dated back to
Norman times. After England had thrown off
Papal supremacy in 1534, it survived only five years
longer before it was dissolved. To-day it is a
distant echo in the historic record of the city.
When the struggle raged between Stephen and
the Empress Maud the townsmen supported the
i48 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
King, and he established a mint here. Henry, the
son of Maud, took the town, and it was greatly
damaged by him. In 1141 much suffering was
caused in the town by fire. Henry II., the next to
wear the crown in succession to Stephen, won the
affections of the inhabitants of Nottingham by;
assisting to repair the town, which was in ruins. It
speedily rose to be a place of note, and here Parlia-
ment sometimes met and transacted important busi-
ness.
While Richard I. was engaged in the Crusades,
John got possession of the castle, and the King had
to lay siege to it to drive him out. It is said that in
the reign of Richard I. here lived Robin Hood, the
famous outlaw. He is sometimes styled the Earl
of Huntingdon. When John was on the throne of
England, he frequently resided at the castle. It
was here that he caused the youthful Welsh
hostages to be executed.
Another dark page in the history of the castle
relates to the seizing of Mortimer, Earl of March,
by Edward III. He was sent to London, and
executed " for betraying his country to the Scots
for money, and for other mischiefs, ouf of an extra-
vagant and vast imagination designed by him.'1
An entry was made into the castle by a passage 107
yards in length, which extends from the castle to
the river below. It retains the name of Mortimer's
Hole, but was made long before his time.
During the struggle between the houses of York
and Lancaster, the Yorkists usually held the town.
Henry VII. held a Council of War at Notting-
ham Castle, in 1477, prior to his engagement with
( i
NOTTINGHAM 149
Lambert Simnel at Stoke Field, near Newark.
Henry VIII. visited Nottingham in the year 1534,
when Papal supremacy was abolished in England,
On a hill to the north of the castle, now called
Standard Hill, King Charles I. first unfurled the
Royal Standard in 1642, having previously sum-
moned all good subjects able to bear arms to attend.
According to proclamation,' * says Clarendon,
upon the 29th day of August, the standard was
erected about six of the clock on a very stormy and
tempestuous day. The King himself, with a small
train, rode to the top of the Castle Hill ; Verney the
Marshal, who was standard-bearer, carrying the
standard, which was then erected on that place, with
little other ceremony than the sound of trumpets
and drums. Melancholy men observed many ill
presages about that time. The standard was blown
down the same night as it had been set up, by a
very strong and unruly wind, and could not be
fixed again till, in a day or two, the tempest was
allayed. At the start of the Civil War the castle
was held for the King, but soon was taken by Parlia-
ment, when Colonel Hutchinson was appointed
governor, and held it against all attacks. He, in
165 1, however, reduced it to ruins to prevent Crom-
well from getting possession of it and using it for
his own advancement."
At the Restoration the site was granted to the
Duke of Buckingham, who soon sold it to the Duke
of Newcastle, an old Royalist general. The new
owner was eighty years of age, yet full of energy,
and in 1674 started building a new castle in a heavy
Italian style of architecture, from (it is said) the
150 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
designs of Sir Christopher Wren. It was finished
about 1680. During the riots in October, 183 1,
over the Reform Bill, the castle was burnt in the
daytime by a mob, because the owner had taken an
active part in opposing the measure. The Duke of
Newcastle received from the Hundred ,£21,000
compensation, but fearing further mischief, he
declined to rebuild the castle- In 1878 it was
leased for 500 years by the Corporation, and fitted
up as a museum and art gallery.
As one wanders round Nottingham one cannot
fail to notice how clean and wide are the streets in
the newer parts of the town. In the past it had
numerous short and poorly-built houses which have
been swept away by the march of progress. Historic
sites and not old buildings meet the eye. Churches
and chapels are seen in every direction, most of
them of recent date. The two older churches are
St. Mary's, a fine cruciform Perpendicular build-
ing, and St. Peter's, also Perpendicular in style,
with a tower and lofty spire. Both contain monu-
ments and other objects of interest which well
repay careful study.
Factories are to be seen in many directions. It
is here that the lace trade is carried out to perfec-
tion. The pride of Nottingham is its extensive
Market Place, the largest in the kingdom, and
covering five and a half acres. Around it are rows
of shops giving indications of wealth and taste.
There are numerous public buildings, including
the University College erected in 1880-1, contain-
ing lecture halls, classrooms, etc., a natural history
museum, and a free library, the latter being one of
NOTTINGHAM 151
the best in the country. Not only does it contain
books of general interest but a fine collection of
local works formed by Mr. J. Potter Briscoe, the
learned librarian and author of numerous local
historical works. To him we must express our
thanks for many facts in this chapter.
Not far from the Free Library is the Arboretum,
a beautifully-laid-out pleasure ground, with a
wealth of trees and flowers. In the Church Ceme-
tery on the Mansfield Road are some of the old cave
dwellings, which have been enlarged and serve for
catacombs.
There has long been active literary life in Notting-
ham, and among the more noted authors, who have
made their home in the city at one time or another,
may be mentioned Henry Kirke White, Millhouse,
the Howitts, and Philip James Bailey.
DERBY.
The town of Derby is known as " the Gateway of
the Peak." It is situated on the Derwent, and
although it does not contain much that is very
striking, it has some places of interest which repay
inspection. As in other busy centres of commerce,
many ancient structures have been removed to make
room for modern buildings better adapted to the
increasing demands of trade. A progressive place
seldom has numerous remains of past times, and
this, the chief town of one of the most picturesque
counties in the kingdom, is not an exception. It
is a place of memories and not monuments of
bygone times.
Near the town was the Roman station Derventroy
on the site of Little Chester, through which
Ryknield Street ran, and where Roman remains
have been found. It was one of the five burghs of
the Danes, and before the Norman Conquest it is
said to have been held by 243 burgesses. The
number declined to 140 at the time of the Domes-
day Survey. At the battle of Hastings the men of
Derby fought for Harold, and from the reduced
number we know that many of its strongest men
were slain. We know that the town was a place of
importance in the kingdom of Mercia in Saxon
times. The inhabitants varied their employment
by ploughing the land and carrying the sword.
152
DERBY 153
Derby has taken a distinguished place in arms,
art, literature, and commerce, and is of ancient
origin. Its growth has not been rapid; until the
introduction of railways its rise was distinctly slow.
When Defoe visited Derby he described it as "a
town of gentry rather than trade/ * To-day, if he
could visit the place, he would write differently.
Here are factories, foundries, and much work in
progress connected with railways. In 1728 the
population was 6,000; in 183 1 it had reached 22,637 >
in 1841 it had increased to 37,431. The coming of
the railway changed matters; the population has
gone up to 122,000, and one out of every eight of
the inhabitants finds employment on the line or in
connection with it. How different is the Derby of
to-day from that of the wet Sunday when Washing-
ton Irving was weather-bound at the Bell Inn, and
gazed through the coffee-room window, taking a
mental note of the dismal commonplace street.
The English kings have frequently visited Ihe
old borough, and granted it several charters.
Richard I., in the one he gave, stipulated that no
Jews were to be allowed to reside in the liberty.
Another item of curious history relates to the
Society of Friends. At an early period they estab-
lished a meeting house in the town, and, according
to George Fox, were first called Quakers here (1650)
by Justice Bennett, " because I bade him quake at
the Word of the Lord."
All matters of historical interest wane before the
invasion of Charles Edward, the Young Pretender,
and his occupation of the town for a few days. He
arrived in Derby on December 4th, 1745, with an
154 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
army of about 5,000 men. The Prince took up his
quarters at Exeter House, a fine mansion near the
river, which was pulled down in 1854. It was soon
clear that he was not receiving the support antici-
pated, and it was realised that London could not
be reached. He did not proceed further south, but
his advance-guard occupied Swarkstone Bridge,
over the Trent. The day following the arrival of
the invaders a stormy council of war was held,
which occupied several hours. There were three
armies surrounding him, and in the event of an
engagement there was little or no prospect of suc-
cess. Much against his will Charles Edward was
induced to make a retreat, and decided next day to
march towards Scotland.
During their stay in the town the men composing
the army, on the whole conducted themselves well.
Some of the common soldiers attended church and
took the Sacrament, while others thronged the
cutlers' shops to have their swords sharpened. A
contribution of ,£3,000 was levied on the town. We
know how failure followed the course of the Prince ;
how he met with a disastrous defeat at the hands
of the Duke of Cumberland at Culloden, and how
for five months Charles Edward wandered among
the mountains with a price of ,£30,000 on his head,
finally escaping to France.
Some years before the Pretender reached Derby,
an important industrial awakening had set in. John
Lombe discovered the Italian method of silk-throw-
ing, and introduced it into the town in 1718. The
Corporation lent him the Town Hall for his
machinery, and granted a long lease of the island
DERBY 155
swamp in the Derwent at £% a year, on which to
erect a factory. Piles were driven, and a mill was
built, 500 feet long and 52 feet wide, containing
eight large rooms with 468 windows. The build-
ing cost ^30,000. Lombe was poisoned by an
Italian woman, who had furnished him with the
secrets of the trade. His cousin, Sir Thomas
Lombe, took up the business and made a fortune
of ,£120,000 out of the industry. In 1736 Jedidiah
Strutt invented a machine for making ribbed stock-
ings, and found employment for a large number of
people in Derby, but the trade drifted to Leicester.
A china factory was established here in 1750, and
soon obtained national fame. The ware made there
found its way to the table of the King, and was
popular in the mansions of the nobility. After a
period of prosperity the factory waned, but in
modern times there has been a revival under the
Derby Crown Porcelain Company (Limited). It is
one of the largest and most complete works of its
kind in England. On the payment of sixpence a
visitor may be taken over the works, and may
inspect the choice examples of the potter's art in
the extensive show-rooms.
Learning and trade have gone hand in hand. A
Philosophical Society was founded here in 1772, ,
and its first meetings were held at the residence of
Dr. Erasmus Darwin, a noted physician, a man-of-
letters, and a student of science. It formed a
library, and collected antiquities from Little Chester
and other places, which are now in the Free Library,
an institution which is a credit to the borough, and
comprises excellent lending and reference libraries,
156 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
museum, picture gallery, a collection of Derby
pottery, local antiquities, and natural history speci-
mens. Inspecting the objects of interest in the
museum we noticed a framed set of rules which dis-
plays the exclusive spirit of the town in the middle
of the eighteenth century.
Rules to be Observed in the Ladies' Assembly
in Derby.
1 No Attorney's Clerk will be admitted.
2 No shopkeeper, or any of his or her family be admitted
except Mr Franceys.
3 No lady shall be allowed to dance in a long white apron.
4 All young ladies in Mantuas' shall pay 2s. 6d.
5 No Miss in a coat shall dance without the leave of the
lady of the Assembly Room.
6 Whoever shall transgress any of these rules shall be
turned out of the Assembly Room.
Several of the above mentioned rules having been broke through.
They are now printed by order and signed by us the
present ladies of the Assembly.
Anne Barnes
Dorothy Evens
Elizabeth Eyre
Bridgett Baily
R. Fitz-Herbert
Hester Mundy
Mr. Franceys, alluded to in rule 2, was an apothe-
cary, carrying on business in the Market Place. He
was an Alderman, and displayed great public
spirit: he died in 1747, during the year he was
Mayor of Derby. In various forms the apron has
come down to us from Anglo-Saxon times. Beau
Nash, King of Bath, made war against this article
of dress. Charles Dickens when in the museum
DERBY 157
read these rules, which amused him not a little,
and he made them the subject of a magazine article.
The committee-room of the institution is lined with
oak panelling from Exeter House, and it contains a
collection of Stuart relics, with a letter written by
the young Chevalier to his father from Edinburgh,
dated October 22nd, 1745.
There are several old churches in Derby,
The chief is All Saints*, having a fine Per-
pendicular tower dating back to the reign
of Henry VII. It is 174 feet in height;
and has three stages surrounded by battle-
ments and crocketed pinnacles, which are 36
feet more. It is a striking tower, and is the pride
of the place. A defaced inscription has given rise
to a curious story. The words " young men and
maydens " may still be read, and it is said that
bachelors and spinsters of the town built the tower.
When a maiden born in the parish was married, the
young bachelors rang a merry peal. It is more
likely that the words formed part of the verse,
" Young men and maidens, old men and children,
praise the name of the Lord." This large church
contains some striking monuments, including one
to the famous builder, Bess of Hardwick, who passed
away in 1607, and was buried here with the pomp
and display that was deemed befitting for one who
had played a great part in the age in which her lot
was cast. A tradition has come down to us regard-
ing her death, to the effect that it had been pro-
phesied that immediately she ceased building she
would die; and her death is reported to have
occurred during a severe frost when the workmen
158 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
were compelled to remain idle, although they tried
to mix their mortar with hot ale.
At St. Werburgh's Church Dr. Samuel Johnson
married Widow Porter on July 9th, 1735. When
the pair were united he was twenty-six years of age,
and his " darling Tetty " was forty-nine. Both
travelled to church mounted on horseback. The
doctor related to Boswell a battle between the couple
on their way to church. " Sir," said Johnson,
" she had read the old romances and had got into
her head the fantastical notion that a woman of
spirit should use her lover like a dog. So, sir, at
first she told me I rode too fast, and she could not
keep up with me; and when I rode a little slower
she passed me, and complained that I lagged
behind. I was not to be made the slave of caprice;
and I resolved to begin as I meant to end. I there-
fore pushed on briskly, till I was fairly out of sight.
The road lay between two hedges, so I was sure she
could not miss it ; and I contrived that she should
soon be up with me. When she did I observed
she was in tears." It is given to few to become
master before the nuptial knot is tied !
There are numerous old and new churches in the
town worth visiting. It is one of those places where
church building has made considerable progress.
The ancient Bridge Chapel of St. Mary is most
interesting, and dates back to early times. The
nooks and corners of the town are well worth
exploring.
The Arboretum was given to Derby by Mr.
Joseph Strutt. It is laid out in an attractive man-
ner, and is rich in trees and flowers. A relic of the
DERBY 159
plague time may be seen in the Arboretum, and
bears on a brass plate the following inscription :
HEADLESS CROSS, OR
Market Stone.
THIS STONE formed part of the ancient cross at the
upper end of Friar Gate and was used by the inhabitants
of Derby as a Market Stone during the visitation of die
Plague, 1665. It is thus described by Hutton in his History
of Derby.
1665, Derby was again visited by the plague at the same time
in which London fell under the severe calamity. The town was
forsaken ; the farmers declined the Market-place ; and grass
grew upon that spot which had furnished the supports of life.
To prevent a famine, the inhabitants erected at the top of
Nun-green, one or two hundred yards from the buildings, now
Friar-gate, what bore the name of Headless-cross^ consisting of
about four quadrangular steps, covered in the centre with one
large stone ; the whole near five feet high ; I knew it in
perfection. Hither the market people, having their mouths
primed with tobacco as a preservative, brought their provisions,
stood a distance from their property, and at a greater from the
townspeople, with whom they were to traffic The buyer was
not suffered to touch any of the articles before purchase ; but
when the agreement was finished, he took the goods, and
deposited the money in a vessel filled with vinegar, set for
that purpose.
Derby includes the usual public buildings of a
country town. It is not a holiday haunt, but there
is much in the place to entertain a thoughtful
visitor, those who delight in an unconventional
holiday might do far worse than spend a day or
two in Derby.
MANCHESTER.
The cotton and other industries connect Manchester
with the trade of the world. It is a place of con-
siderable antiquity, but is more famous for its
commerce than its history. Towering warehouses
are seen on every hand, and the ruins of ancient
strongholds and old religious houses which we
usually associate with an old-time city are missing.
The place seems wholly to be given up to business,
but it is by no means lacking in culture. Here
trade and learning go hand in hand. Few, if any,
towns display greater public spirit. It has often
inspired the policy of the country. Frequently
what Manchester thinks to-day England will adopt
to-morrow.
Little is known for certain of the early history of
this city. It is supposed that the ancient Britons
had a fortress here, which passed into the posses-
sion of the Romans under Agricola. One fact is
certain, that it was the site of an important Roman
station. Many traces of their occupation have been
unearthed at various periods — not only coins, but
examples of walls, etc.
The story of the town for some time after the
departure of the Romans is of a legendary character,
picturesque, but not reliable enough for the serious
student of history. Down to the seventeenth
1 60
MANCHESTER 161
century the tale was told that Tarquin, the enemy of
King Arthur, kept the castle of Manchester and met
his death at the hands of Launcelot of the Lake.
Most likely the place was the scene of missionary
labours of Paulinus. Saxon kings and queens are
associated with its history, but their lives do not
materially add to the importance of the town or
district. It was not a growing district, for when
the Domesday Survey was made, Manchester,
Salford, Rochdale, and Radcliffe were the only
places mentioned in South-east Lancashire. The
sites to-day of many important towns, the hives of
modern industry and progress, were put down as
forests and waste land.
Manchester's neighbour, Salford, was granted a
charter by Ranulph de Blundevill in the reign of
Henry III., which constituted it a free borough.
Towards the close of the reign of Edward I., in
1301, a similar charter was granted to Manchester
by its baron, Thomas Gresley. The barons exer-
cised great power over the town. It was not until
1845 that the Town Council bought the manorial
rights of Manchester from Sir Oswald Mosley for
,£200,000. The town was granted a municipal
charter in 1838, and raised to the dignity of a city
in 1847.
The Court Leet, which regulated the life of the
town in the olden days, passed many curious orders.
Take, for example, the following relating to bread.
At a meeting held October 1st, 1561, it was resolved
that no person or persons be permitted to make for
sale any kind of bread in which butter is mixed,
under a fine of ten shillings. Later, the use of suet
162 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
was forbidden. In 1595 we are told that the Court
Leet jury ordered that no person was to be allowed
to use butter or suet in cakes or bread, and that
offenders were to be fined twenty shillings. If a
person sold the cakes, etc., he ran the risk of being
fined twenty shillings. We learn from another
order, passed on September 30th, 1596, that the
inhabitants were not permitted to eat flesh meat on
a Friday or Saturday. In the sixteenth century a
single woman was not allowed to keep a house or
chamber. Even wedding dinners were not to cost
more than sixpence a head.
Leland, the antiquary, visited Manchester in
1638, and he describes it as being well built, recog-
nises its trading importance, and speaks of it as
being the most populous town in Lancashire. Man-
chester was made a sanctuary town — a place where
transgressors might remain in safety under certain
conditions. Henry VIII. was petitioned to take
away the rights " because the sanctuary men are
prejudicial to the wealth, credit, great occupyings,
and good order of the said town, by occasioning
idleness, unlawful games, unithriftness and other
enormities.,, The King granted the request.
When the Civil War raged in this country the
inhabitants were active in the strife. The place was
garrisoned in 1642 by the Parliamentary forces,
and withstood a siege of the King's soldiers. At
the Rebellion of 17 15 the leading clergymen threw
in their lot with the Pretender. The inhabitants in
the main supported Prince Charles Edward. He
proudly entered the town at the head of his army
on November 29th, 1745, and took up his residence
MANCHESTER.
Market Street at the beginning of the Nineteenth Century.
MANCHESTER '163
in Market Street Lane, until recently called the
Palace. He was proclaimed in the town as James
III. Many Lancashire people joined his forces,
Colonel Francis Townley and Captain James Daw-
son among the number. These were known as the
Manchester regiment. When it was realised that
the Stuarts' cause was doomed to failure, the regi-
ment surrendered to the Duke of Cumberland, and
the colonel and eight other officers were tried in
London, found guilty, and beheaded on Kenning-
ton Common. The ruthless conduct of the duke
gave rise to a couple of local ballads which are still
remembered, called " Jemmy Dawson " and
"Townley*s Ghost." The former was written by
Shenstone, and tells how Dawson's execution was
witnessed by his intended bride, and how she died
on the spot, broken-hearted.
The dismal scene was o'er and past,
The lover's mournful hearse retired ;
The maid drew back her languid head,
And, sighing forth his name, expired.
Byrom, a Manchester Jacobite and a scholar and
poet of more than local repute as the author of
"Christians, Awake!" expressed himself in an
epigram as follows:
God bless the King ! I mean the faith's defender ;
God bless — no harm in blessing — the Pretender !
But who Pretender is— or who is King,
God bless us all — that's quite another thing.
During our troubles with America and France,
Manchester supplied men and money on behalf of
king and country. In August, 18 19, a large gather-
ing of peaceful men met to discuss political reforms,
and by a mistaken policy on the pari of the local
164 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
authorities the meeting was broken up and several
people killed. It is known as the " Peterloo
Massacre."
The Manchester Ship Canal, connecting the city
with the sea, and making it an inland port, is a
wonderful engineering feat, and was officially
opened by Queen Victoria on May 21st, 1894.
The religious life of the city has kept pace
with its commercial prosperity. The cathedral,
the chief ecclesiastical building, is disappointi lg,
and is unworthy of a wealthy diocese. It was
formerly the old parish church, and for that purpose
met its requirements, but is not of sufficient dignity
for a cathedral. The style is Perpendicular Gothic,
mainly dating back to the fifteenth century. It con-
tains some fine monuments; and is by no means
devoid of interesting features, which well repay
a careful study. The See was founded in 1847.
There are many other churches and Nonconformist
places of worship, whose pulpits have been filled
by some of the greatest preachers of the age.
The Town Hall is said to be the finest municipal
building in Europe, was designed by Waterhouse,
and covers 8,000 square yards. It was erected at
a cost, including interest, of ,£1,062,565 ; on the
organ was spent £5,269, and the bells and clock
cost £6,985. It contains 314 rooms, and round
the great hall are twelve mural paintings by Ford
Madox Brown. From its tower, which is 260 feet
high, may be obtained extensive views of South
Lancashire, the charming plains of Cheshire, and
the bold hills of Derbyshire. The style of archi-
tecture is Gothic. It was opened in 1877. There
MANCHESTER 165
are numerous other public buildings displaying
great taste, and the same may be said of the great
warehouses which rise in every direction.
The scholastic establishments, libraries, and
parks are the chief glory of Manchester. Foremost
is the University, with its colleges, and the
Grammar School, founded in 15 19 by Hugh Old-
ham, Bishop of Exeter, and a native of Lancashire.
Some celebrated men have been educated there.
The most notable scholar is perhaps Thomas De
Quincey, a native of Greenheys, Manchester. In
later times Harrison Ainsworth, the Lancashire
novelist, attended the school. The Free Library
was opened in 1852, and owes its origin to Sir
John Potter. Not only has it one of the finest
reference libraries in the provinces, but it has
branches in the various parts of the city. The Chet-
ham library is frequently named as the oldest
library in Europe. For more than two centuries the
student has entered its doors without let or
hindrance. It is rich in Lancashire and Cheshire
books and manuscripts. It is a strange experience
to leave the busy streets, and retire into the quiet
library, which seems to belong more to monastic
times in England than to this work-a-day world.
It is really the only remains of olden Manchester.
Formerly the ancient barons' hall, it was bought
by the trustees of Humphrey Chetham, and devoted
to a blue coat school and library. The John Rylands
library was founded by his widow in memory of her
husband, a local worthy. It is a library for students,
and contains one of the best collections of books
in the country, brought together regardless
166 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
of cost, and the library is housed in a noble
building. There are other excellent libraries in the
city to meet the requirements of all classes of
readers.
The large and numerous parks, museums, and
picture galleries afford endless pleasure and
instruction to the residents and visitors. There are
many statues, too, of local and national worthies.
The city is rich in philanthropic institutions. The
Manchester man is more noted for sound common
sense than show; as a rule he is a man of culture,
with a strong bent for business. The streets are
well kept, and in some instances wide. "What
art was in the ancient world," says D'Israeli,
" science is in the modern — the distinctive faculty.
In the minds of men the useful has succeeded the
beautiful. Instead of the city of the violet crown,
a Lancashire village has expanded into a mighty
region of factories and warehouses. Yet, rightly
understood, Manchester is as great a human exploit
as Athens.'*
LEEDS.
This great Yorkshire city is certainly not an attrac-
tive place; it has many fine buildings, but in not
a few instances the mean surroundings completely
mar their beauty. One of Leeds' most charming
singers says, " Great town, your smoke hangs
low." No wonder, when we remember the many
hives of industry in nearly all directions, which
give employment to the sons of toil. It is a city
of business and not of pleasure. Here the worker
and not the idler spends his days.
Some provision is made for the enjoyment of the
toiler by means of parks, picture galleries, public
libraries, healthy outdoor sports and pastimes. In
the immediate district round Leeds there is some
of the finest scenery in Yorkshire.
If the visitor is reaching Leeds by rail, he will
be depressed by the outlook, but when he reaches
the city, he will be both surprised and pleased at
the wide streets, and the many excellent shops. He
will at once realise that he is in a city of wealth and
taste. The business establishments are among the
finest in the provinces. The city may fairly be
placed as the best situated industrial centre in this
country. The inhabitants have long enjoyed the
reputation of being shrewd and honest, and have
won a world-wide reputation for fair dealing.
Leeds has a past as well as a modern glory, but
its early history is lost in the mists of antiquity. At
the time of the Domesday Survey it was a farming
167
168 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
village. William the Conqueror gave the manor
to Ilbert de Laci, and he sublet it. Maurice Paganel
granted a charter, in 1207, to the place. This was
the first charter, and proves that in early times
Leeds was a growing town. It is said that
Paganel built himself a castle ; for centuries every
trace of it has been swept away, but its site and
park to-day figure in the street names of the city.
Another street name of historical importance is
Swinegate, which is asserted to be derived from
Sweyn, the father of Canute the Great. We get
an echo to-day of feudal times : the inhabitants were
compelled, down to 1839, to have their corn ground
at the King's mills. The custom of the " Soke "
was only ended by the Leeds Corporation paying
the holder of the rights ,£13,000. The town was
first incorporated in the second year of Charles I.
From the Stuarts, Leeds received marks of favour.
It was from the first Charles that, in 1626, the
earliest Royal Charter was received, and Charles II.
granted two, one in 166 1 and another in 1684. To
this town Charles I. was brought as a prisoner
by the Scots, and stayed at the Red Hall, an old
mansion situated in Guildford Street, and the rear
of the house is known as King Charles's Croft.
We are fold that John Harrison, a noted local bene-
factor, repaired to the Red Hall and obtained per-
mission from the guards to present his Majesty
with a tankard of prime ale, which he carried in his
hand. On Harrison being admitted the King raised
the cover of the tankard and found it full of gold
and not of ale. Charles quickly hid the money
about his person, with feelings of gratitude.
CO
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LEEDS 169
Harrison's home was in Briggate, at the top of
which stood the Moot Hall, and at the bottom Leeds
Bridge, which spanned the river Aire. On this
bridge the early cloth-market was held, and largely
attended by country cloth-makers. We get a curious
sketch of the olden days, written by Norrisson Scat-
cherd, the historian of Morley. In an account of
John Jackson, better known as "Old Trash," poet,
schoolmaster, mechanic, stonecutter, land-measurer,
etc., who was buried at Woodkirk, on May 19th,
1764, "He constructed a clock," says Scatcherd,
" and in order to make it useful to the clothiers who
attended Leeds market from Earls and Hanging
Heaton, Dewsbury, Chickenley, etc., he kept a
lamp suspended near the face of it, and burning
through the winter nights; and he would have no
shutters nor curtains to his window, so that the
clothiers had only to stop and look through it to
know the time. Now, in our age of luxury and
refinement, the accommodation thus presented by
'Old Trash,' may seem insignificant and foolish,
but I assure the reader that it was not. The clothiers
in the early part of the eighteenth century were
obliged to be on the bridge of Leeds, where the
market was held, by about six o'clock in the
summer, and seven in the winter ; and hither they
were convened 5y a bell anciently pertaining to a
Chantry Chapel which was once annexed to Leeds
Bridge. They did not all ride, but most went on
foot. They did not carry watches, for few of them
had ever possessed such valuables." We are told
how their wives would wrap up in a little checked
handkerchief their dinners, which usually consisted
170 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
of a small supply of oatcake and cheese. It
was men like those we are mentioning who built
up the wealth of Leeds, and at the same time made
money for themselves.
Such men, we are told, seldom saw a watch, but
took much of their intelligence from the note of
the cuckoo.
As we pace this famous highway, Briggate, one
of the finest streets in the provinces, many cele-
brated wayfarers are recalled. Leeds took little
part in the invasion of Prince Charles in 1745.
Many of the victims who were involved in that
unfortunate expedition were imprisoned at York
for a long period. Some, after being there a year,
were forwarded to Liverpool for transportation, and
on passing through Leeds, on April 23rd, 1747,
sixty-one men and seven women were lodged in the
Moot Hall for the night. John Wesley paced this
street when he preached in the town. Matters did
not run smoothly here. In 1758, writing to his
brother, he said, " From time to time I have had
more trouble with the town than with all the
societies in Yorkshire." The first Wesleyan
Methodist Chapel was built in Leeds in 1750. Great
has been the work of the Wesleyans since that time.
Their churches extend over the city and district,
and leading preachers occupy the pulpits.
Howard's footsteps were heard in this street in
1788. The philanthropist visited the infirmary,
the workhouse, and the prison, and expressed him-
self pleased with the two former. Leeds has long
been famous for its music. In 17 14 the parish
church had an organ placed in it. Greatly has a
LEEDS 171
love for musical performances increased since that
time. The Leeds Musical Festivals are of world-
wide interest, and the greatest stars of the day take
part in them . Echoes come to us of many notable men
and women who have passed along this great high-
way ; they have figured in local and national history,
and make up such a large number that it is impos-
sible to find room for even a list of their names.
Kirkgate is another street of note leading to St.
Peter's Parish Church, the chief church in the city,
whence successive vicars of Leeds have in the past
often been promoted to Bishoprics or Deaneries.
It was rebuilt in 1839-41 by Dr. Hook, " the
Apostle of the West Riding." He is gratefully
remembered as one of the great and good vicars of
Leeds, and for collecting ^30,000 to carry out the
work. It is to be regretted that it is not a fine
example of church architecture, but still it contains
some interesting monuments. St. John's is an
interesting church built by John Harrison, a
famous local benefactor, and near it is the Harrison
Hospital. Several of the modern churches of the
city are fine examples of ecclesiastical architecture.
The Nonconformist churches are both numerous
and, in many instances, an ornament to Leeds.
Among the more important public buildings is the
Town Hall; the foundation was laid in 1853, and
the building opened by Queen Victoria in 1858.
The architect was Cuthbert Brodrick, of Hull ; it is
an impressive structure with Corinthian columns,
and it has a high tower crowned with a dome. The
cost of the building was about ^140,000. It has
served as a model for several of the smaller town
172 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
halls of the West Riding. Near the Leeds Town
Hall are the Municipal Offices. Part of this struc-
ture is devoted to an Art Gallery and Free Library.
The collection of books brought together is in every
respect worthy of the large city, but it merits a
better position and a more convenient building. It
may fairly be regarded as the best public free library
in the country, and has important branches in all
parts of the city. The Leeds Institute has done a
great work for popular education, and has a useful
library. The Leeds Library, founded in 1768, has
not only a large number of books, but many which
are rare and valuable. There are numerous other
good libraries in Leeds. In the Philosophical Hall
is a Museum, and here, during the winter months,
the leading lecturers of the country appear.
Educational matters have always been kept well
to the front. The Grammar School was founded
in 1552, and in recent times a University has been
established. There is a School of Medicine, and the
present Infirmary was erected in 1863, from designs
by Sir Gilbert Scott; important additions have
been made since that time.
We have only mentioned a few of the public
buildings, but we must in conclusion call attention
to the new Market Hall, built at a cost of ,£100,000,
and pronounced one of the finest in this country.
Within a short tram ride from the city are the
extensive ruins of Kirkstall Abbey. Here one may
study the arrangements of an ancient religious
house dating back to 1152. The greater part of the
remains is Transition Norman, and no one should
visit Leeds without seeing this famous abbey.
HULL.
Few old buildings remain in Hull, for they have
been swept away by the march of progress ; but the
streets in the old town retain their original course,
and their arrangement affords a fine example, one
of the best in England, of a place founded in the
Middle Ages. Edward I. recognised the important
position of the port. It then consisted of two places
near each other, Wyke-upon-Hull and the Manor
of Myton. Wyke was a place of some importance ;
in 1278 it was granted a weekly market and an
annual fair lasting fourteen days. At a much
earlier period it had become widely known for its
commerce, and in 1198 it ranked as the sixth port
in the kingdom, only London, Boston, Southamp-
ton, Lincoln, and Lynn having greater imports
and exports.
In 1287, Edward I. entered into negotiations with
the Abbot of Meaux, the head of a religious house
situated near Beverley, for the exchange of lands
elsewhere of an equal value to those on which
Wyke and Myton stood. In 1293 the negotiations
were concluded. The town of Wyke and the
Manor of Myton were conveyed to the King by a
deed of feoffment, dated from the Feast of Purifica-
tion in that year, in exchange for lands situated in
Lincolnshire.
i73
i74 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
No sooner had the King become the owner of the
place than he gave it the royal title of Kingston-
upon-Hull, which remained the legal title down to
June 18th, 1897, when it was made the City of Hull.
The long title of Kingston-upon-Hull had for
many years been shortened to Hull in com-
mercial and other circles. Royal favours were
granted to the town. Its government was placed
under a Warden (Custos) and Bailiffs. Richard
Oysel, a Court favourite, was the first Warden, and
most probably he induced the King to grant the
town its first charter, which may still be seen in the
Town Hall. It bears the date of April 1st, 1299,
and was granted upon a petition of the inhabitants
presented to the King in person, while keeping
Christmas in 1288 with Lord Wake at Baynard
Castle, Cottingham. The charter made it a free
borough with all the privileges of a royal burgh.
An improvement was made in the harbour, and the
shipping trade advanced rapidly. The place grew
in importance until it became one of the chief towns
in the kingdom. To meet the increasing demand
for money for commercial and other transactions a
mint was established. Hull had four furnaces,
while Newcastle-on-Tyne, Bristol, and Exeter had
only two each.
Edward, when he visited the town in 1300, caused
improvements to be made, the chief being the pave-
ment of the streets, and to meet the expense certain
tolls were levied on all goods coming into the town
for sale. A little later, a couple of burgesses were
sent to Parliament. The citizens of Hull are able
to regard with pride their long list of members,
—
o
-
—
HULL 175
which includes many famous townsmen, including
Andrew Marvefl, the incorruptible patriot, and
William Wilberforce, the emancipator.
In the reign of the second Edward, Scotland had,
by a splendid victory at Bannockburn, re-estab-
lished its independence, and we can readily under-
stand that the northern towns of England were
anxious about their safety. In 1322 a royal licence
was granted for encompassing the town with ditches
and castellated walls. In more peaceful times
these walls were swept away, their site being utilised
for docks.
Edward III., in 1332, on his way to join his army
in the north, visited Hull, when the place far ex-
ceeded his expectations for its situation and the
strength of its fortifications. The King was
warmly welcomed by the people, and magnificently
entertained by William De la Pole. The King
showed his appreciation by knighting his host, and
altering the local governorship of the town from
warden to mayor. He nominated for the first
mayor Sir William De la Pole.
We gather from some ancient bye-laws how the
life of the people was regulated in the olden time.
The Mayor and Sheriff in and previously to 1452 in
the Market Place used to proclaim as follows : —
That all the King's liege people keep his Majesty's peace, and
that no burgess or inhabitant draw any knife, sword, or any other
offensive weapon in breach of the same under a penalty of 3*. 4^.
That no man purchase any victuals coming to the market
before they be got thither, under a penalty of 3s. 4c?.
That no one offer to sell any corn, nor open his sack before
nine o'clock, nor continue it in the market after one, and that
no corn be set up out of the market, upon pain of \d. for e very-
bushel.
176 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
That no person dwelling within the town buy any fish, flesh,
or wild fowl, to sell again to another inhabitant, under the
penalty of forfeiting the same, imprisonment of body, and fine
to the King.
That no man cast any lastage, straw, or muck, out of ships,
keels or boats, into the haven, under the penalty of 6s. Zd. for
every ship, and is. 8d. for every boat.
That no person cast any ashes, dust, muck, or filth down any
staiths under the penalty of 6s. Sd.
That no tavern keeper, victualler, nor tipler, keep any guest
after the bell be rung, on pain of 3s. $d.
That no stranger walk out in the night, or be then suffered to
wear offensive weapons, on pain of imprisonment.
That no one sell or buy any bread in the town, but what is
made or baked therein.
That no one presume to sell a pound of candles for more than
a penny, nor a gallon of small ale for more than a penny.
That all butchers cut their flesh in pieces and sell it by half-
penny worths, two penny worths, or more as the burgesses have
need, according to the quantity and quality.
On the last day of the year 1460 was fought the
battle of Wakefield, and among the slain was
Richard Hanson, Mayor of Hull, who was on the
side of the defeated House of York. The head of
Hanson was spiked, with those of other leaders in
the fight, on the gates of York.
An entry in the annals of Hull states that in
1549 three of the former sheriffs of the town,
named respectively Johnson, Jebson, and Thorp,
were fined £6 13s. 4^. each *' for being deficient in
the elegance of their entertainments, for neglecting
to wear scarlet gowns, and for not* providing the
same for their wives during their shrievalties.' *
Ten years later a Mr. Gregory was chosen sheriff,
and he refused to accept the office. The matter
was referred to the Queen in Council, and he was
ordered to be fined ;£ioo, to be disfranchised and
turned out of the town. The order was executed.
HULL 177
The gates of Hull were closed on two critical
occasions. On July 4th, 1399, Bolingbroke, Duke
of Lancaster, afterwards Henry IV., landed at
Ravenspurne, in Holderness, a port long since
washed away by the sea. Here gathered round him
a number of noblemen who were determined to de-
pose the reigning monarch, Richard II. When the
news of warlike movements reached Hull, John
Tirtbury, the mayor, placed the burgesses under
arms, directed the bridges to be drawn up, and the
gates closed. The inhabitants were ready for
action. Soon the Duke and his followers appeared
before the town, and demanded admission. This
the mayor refused, saying that " he had sworn to
be true to the sovereign, Richard II., and faithfully
keep the town for his use, and that he fully intended
to do his duty, and never prove false to his oath,
and a traitor to his King." On hearing the firm
answer to his request, the Duke marched to Don-
caster. Happily Henry IV. bore no resentment
against Hull, and in the first year of his reign
renewed and confirmed the charters of the town.
A still tenser moment occurred in the days of
Charles I. Hull at that time had the best magazine
of munitions of war in the country. The King
hoped to secure them, as they would have given
him a great advantage in the struggle. In 1642 he
repaired to the royal borough, where he expected a
welcome, for it had been greatly favoured by the
kings of England, but, to his surprise and disap-
pointment, Sir John Hotham, the governor of Ihe
town, closed the gates against him, and the King
had to retire to York in discomfiture. Hull suc-
cessfully withstood two Royalist sieges.
i78 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Parliament thanked Hotham for the bold stand
made on this critical occasion. His subsequent
career was very sad. He felt slighted when Lord
Fairfax was entrusted with the generalship of the
North, believing that he was entitled to the posi-
tion. On refusing to obey the orders of Fairfax,
he was removed from his generalship. In a jealous
pique he decided to transfer his services to the King
and deliver the town into his hands. The plot was
discovered, and Sir John Hotham had to fly. On
reaching Beverley, he was apprehended by his
nephew, Captain Boynton, and carried back fo
Hull, thence to London, where he was tried with his
son for * 'traitorously betraying the trust reposed in
them by Parliament,' ' found guilty, and beheaded
on Tower Hill.
We find in the " Autobiography of George
Pryme," a note showing how closely the town was
guarded in past times. Writing of the years from
1 78 1 to 1796, he states: " Hull was formerly en-
closed by water, and partly by walls. In my
grandfather's times, the gates were closed at ten
o'clock at night, and could not be passed without
an order, which rule was so rigidly enforced that
my great aunt (his sister), who resided a little out
of the town, used on evenings of the assemblies to
sleep at her brother's house."
In 1745 the gates and walls were put in perfect
order in the event of the Pretender's army taking
the eastern side of the country, but as we know the
west was chosen, and Hull escaped a siege.
Later on docks were built on the site of the old
wall and ditches which protected the town in the
HULL 179
past. How different are the sights of the city to-
day from what they were in bygone times. Sir
Robert Constable was gibbeted above the Beverley
Gate, in 1537, for high treason. " On Fridaye,"
wrote the Duke of Norfolk, " beying market daye
at Hull, suffered and dothe hange above the
highest gate of the toune so trymmed in cheynes
that I thinke his boones woll hang there this hun-
drethe yere."
We may enter the old town over Monument
Bridge, getting its name from the Wilberforce
Monument, which occupies the site of Beverley
Gate. We are soon in Whitefriargate, which ob-
tains its designation from the extensive monastery
which occupied the right-hand side of the thorough-'
fare. At right angles several streets lead out of it,
including the Land of Green Ginger, nearly at the
end of which stood the Manor House or Palace of
the King. In another direction is Trinity House
Lane, called after the Trinity House, a place of
great historic interest.
Guilds were popular in bygone times, and many
exist under altered circumstances in the present
day. John Harland, F.S.A., the historian, has
outlined one which still survives in Hull, his native
town. " In the reign of Edward III., in 1369,"
says Harland, " some forty-six persons (one-half of
whom were wives or unmarried females) assembled
in Hull, and founded a guild ' in honour of the
Holy Trinity ' for the relief of distressed seamen
and their widows belonging to that town. Besides
burying their dead at the guild cost, and making
the usual church-offerings for masses, etc., one of
180 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
their laws was that : ' If any brother or sister lan-
guish in a perpetual infirmity, so that they had not
their own to support them with, such infirm man or
woman shall take every week of the goods [money]
of the guild eightpence, and at the feast of St.
Martin in winter [November n] one tunic and a
little cap.' Subsequently this association was
styled ' The Guild or Brotherhood of Masters and
Pilots, Seamen of the Trinity House of Kingston-
upon-Hull.' In 1457, the guild established alms-
houses for the relief of poor and impotent seamen,
in support of which the masters of ships, and
mariners generally belonging to the port, gave what
money became due to them in every voyage,
'aslowage and stowage.' In 1442 Henry VI., by
letters patent, made this guild a body-corporate,
and confirmed the grant of lowage and stowage, to
be applied to building a hospital (with chapel at-
tached) for the sustentation of the relief of persons
who * by the misfortune of the sea have fallen into
poverty/ The masters of ships requested the guild
to provide them with careful pilots for the river
Humber, and this licensing of pilots led to consider-
able yearly receipts. It has built several hospitals
at different times. It is one of the greatest bene-
volent institutions in the North of England. The
house has an old-world appearance, and maintains
the customs of former ages. In place of carpets
rushes are strewn, and peats take the place of coal.,,
This guild took the chief part in the production
of the Miracle play of " Noah's Flood," which used
to be performed on Plough Monday, and which
was extremely popular in Hull. A few extracts
HULL 181
from a version of this play will serve to show its
nature. An actor enters representing God; he
deplores the universal wickedness of the world,
resolves to destroy it, and all the " folke that are
thereon." Noah appears, and is directed by God
to build an ark to save himself and family. His
sons next enter, and, after some conversation, pre-
pare to build the ark, Noah (the orthography is
somewhat modernised) saying —
O Lord, I thank Thee, loud and still,
That to me art in such will,
And spares me and my household to spill,
As I now smoothly find.
Thy bidding, Lord, I shall fulfil,
And never more Thee grieve nor grill (provoke),
That such grace hath sent me till
Amongst all mankind.
Have done, you men and women all,
Go we work, bout din (without noise),
And I am ready bound
Then follow a few words from the wife and sons of
Noah about the work before them. Noah com-
mences building the "shippe," and the play pro-
ceeds^ Noah speaking —
Now, in the name of God, I begin
To make the ship that we shall in,
That we may be ready to swim
At the coming of the flood.
These boards here I pin together,
To bear us safe from the weather;
That we may row hither and thither,
And safe be from the flood.
Of this tree I will make the mast,
Tied with cables that will last,
With a sail yard for each blast
And each thing in their kind ;
With topcastle and bowsprit,
Both cords and ropes I have all mette (measured),
To sail forth at the next wet.
This ship is at an end,
Wife, we shall in this vessel be kept —
My children and thou I would ye in leapt
182 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Noah's wife replies to him thus : —
In faith, Noah, I would as lief thou slept 1
For all thy frynish (nice) fare,
I will not do after thy mede (advice).
Says Noah : —
Good wife, do now as I thee bid.
She replies : —
I' faith I'll not, till I see more need.
Though thou stand all day and stare.
Noah next laments the crabbed nature of woman-
kind. At length the ark is completed, and after
receiving from God a list of animals which are to go
into it, Noah and his family, except his wife, enter
it. Here considerable liberty is taken with the
Biblical story, and a strange scene is presented,
Noah's wife is a person of whimsical temper. In
reply to her husband's appeal to her to enter the
ark, she gives vent to a volley of strong language,
saying that unless her " gossips" are allowed to
go in with her she " wifl not out of this town."
She tells him to " Row where he lists," and get a
new wife. Finally, the dutiful Japhet compels
his mother to enter by main force, and immediately
on her entrance she boxes Noah's ears. He
observes : —
Ha, ha, marry, this is hot,
It is good for to be still ;
Ha, children, methinks my boat removes.
Our tarrying here grieves me ill.
Over the land the water spreads,
God, do as Thou wilt ;
Ah, great God, Thou art so good,
That (who) works not Thy will is wood (mad).
Now all this world is one flood,
As I see well in sight —
This window I will shut anon,
And unto my chamber I will go,
Till the water so great mowe (may)
Be slackened through Thy might
HULL 183
The window of the ark is now closed for a short
time, supposed to be during the period of the flood,
after which it is opened, and Noah thanks God for
such grace. The Almighty replies, and blesses the
patriarch, the play finishing as follows : —
My bow between you and me,
In the firmament shall be ;
By every token that you shall see,
That such vengeance shall cease.
Men shall never more
Be wasted with water, as hath been before ;
But for sin that grieveth me sore,
Therefore this vengeance.
. • • • •
My blessing, Noah, I give thee here,
To thee, Noah, my servant, dear,
For vengeance shall no more appear ;
And now farewell, my darling dear.
This is an example in outline of one of the more
serious of the religious plays ; but it includes not a
few diverting passages for the entertainment of the
people. The nautical allusions would be much
appreciated in Hull and other seaport towns, and
we can readily understand such a piece would be
popular in the olden time.
In the books of the Hull Trinity House are many
entries bearing on this play. A new " shype "
was required in 142 1, and it was obtained at a cost
of £5 85. 4^. In 1447 the wages of Robert Brown,
who represented God, were 6d.y and so continued
until 1484, when Thomas Sawyers played the part,
and was paid 8d.y which was increased in 1487 to
lod. In 1520 the payment went up to is., and con-
tinued at that rate until 1529. We find in 1469 the
N
1 84 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
wages of Noye and his wyff were 2 id.; next year
they were increased by an additional twopence. In
1485 the payments were separated and also reduced
— Noye got 8d. and his wyff a shilling. The pay-
ment was increased to Noye in 1520 to 2s., and his
wyff i8<2.
The performance used to be given in different
parts of the town, and the ark wheeled from one
street to another. On it were painted different
sorts of animals, and when not in use it was sus-
pended in the Holy Trinity Church. This stately
church is one of the largest parish churches in the
country. It was founded in 1285, as a sort of
chapel-of-ease to Hessle. The dead were taken
along the Humber banks for interment at Hessle,
and it is recorded that lives were lost and the
corpses washed away by the river in tempestuous
weather. An appeal to Archbishop Corbridge in
1301 resulted in permission being given for burials
to be made in Hull. The transepts are the earliest
part of the present building, and date back to the
reign of Edward II. It has a fine tower 150 feet
high. During the Commonwealth it was used as a
house of prayer by the Presbyterians and Indepen-
dents, and so divided until the Restoration.
News reached Hull on the 3rd July, 1644, of the
victory of the Parliamentary forces at the Battle of
Marston Moor. The inhabitants were assembled in
the church in prayer for the success of their army
on the field of battle, when a letter was received by
the Mayor, by whom it was hastily perused and
handed to the preacher, who read it to the congre-
gation. It was as follows : —
HULL [185
2nd July, 1644. Mr. Mayor. After a dark cloud it hath
pleased God to show the sunshine of His glory in victory over
his enemies, who are driven into the walls of York, many of
their chief officers slain, and all their ordnance and ammunition
taken with small loss (I praise God) on our side. This is all I
can now write ;
Resting Your Assured
Fairfax.
At various times from the third decade of the last
century some ,£50,000 has been spent in repairs.
It can seat 2,200 worshippers. It contains many
beautiful monuments and other objects of interest.
Near the church is the old Grammar School
founded by Bishop Alcock in i486. Here have
been educated some famous men; Marvell and
Wilberforce are the best remembered. It is now
used as a clergy school, and the Grammar School
is in another part of the town in a modern building.
We may proceed to the Victoria Pier, named after
the late Queen when she visited Hull, and watch
the ships on the Humber, which is three miles wide.
Matthew Arnold was charmed with the view, as
Thomas Carlyle and Alfred Tennyson had been
before him. The Humber, when seen from the
pier, presents a sight which cannot be forgotten.
We have passed streets which recall to mind the
old religious life of Hull, such as Blackfriargate.
We may next get into the historic High Street,
pass the old site of the home of the De la Poles, see
some of the old houses in Hull, and halt at Wilber-
force House, a red-brick mansion, and without
doubt the most interesting building in Hull. It
dates back to Tudor times; it was here that
€harles I. was entertained by Sir John Lister in
186 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
1639, and here William Wilberforce was born in
1759. It was bought by the town, and is now a
museum mainly devoted to local antiquities, includ-
ing much that relates to the slave trade and objects
relating to a local pursuit, the whaling trade, now
defunct, but replaced by the trawling industry,
which affords support to 30,000 people. No person
of taste should visit Wilberforce House without
reading a delightful and informing historical story
entitled "Andrew Marvell and His Friends/ ' as it
throws much light on this house and the Listers who
lived in it. We may proceed to the Charter House,
founded by Sir Michael De la Pole in 1384.
Through the changes of centuries it has provided a
home for the needy. It is an institution of great
usefulness, and, with its chapel, a place of consider-
able interest.
St. Mary's Church is well worth visiting. It
was founded about 1333, and restored by Sir Gil-
bert Scott. There are numerous modern churches,
including All Saints', from a design by Street. The
Nonconformists have some fine places of worship.
Albion Church is an impressive building, and its
first minister was the Rev. Newman Hall. Fish
Street Chapel, which has been removed to another
part of the city, has had connected with it
several men of more than local reputation. Here
the Rev. Joseph Gilbert was pastor, and it was to
Hull that he brought his newly-wedded wife, Ann
Taylor, one of the authors of " Hymns for Infant
Minds." Mrs. Gilbert wrote a charming descrip-
tion of Hull in the first quarter of the nineteenth
century. Wycliffe Church is a modern Gothic
HULL 187
*
structure ; its pastor for a few years was the Rev.
Dr. John Hunter, before he received a call to Glas-
gow. It was in Hull that the Rev. John Pulsford,
the author of " Quiet Hours," laboured for several
years.
There are many fine public buildings in the city,
some of the more important are the Town Hall,
Royal Institution (with its fine library of 70,000
volumes, museum, art gallery, and lecture hall),
Hymer's College, Dock Office, Public Free
Libraries, Queen's Hall, Royal Infirmary, Chil-
dren's Hospital, Exchange, School of Art, Victoria
Hall, etc.
Thanks to the great ability and energy of Sir
Alfred Gelder, five times Mayor of Hull, the town
has been transformed, old buildings have been
removed, new wide streets made, and attractive
shops and public offices erected, which renders Hull
one of the finest cities in the country. It has large
public parks, but the docks full of ships are of the
greatest interest to the visitor. To-day Hull is the
same size as London was in the days of Qkieen
Elizabeth. In conclusion, we may describe the
transformation of Hull in modern times as a
romance in bricks and mortar.
YORK.
The story of York is a miniature history of Eng-
land. In the city annals are included events which
fully illustrate the shaping of this country. The
student of the past may picture the place in pre-
historic times from the numerous relics brought to
light, which enable him to realise the story not
written in words, but plain enough to those versed
in the customs of other days. The relics connect
the city with the dawn of English history.
We may study the history of York under the
Romans without the speculation we are called upon
to exercise with regard to the period when it was
under early British tribal rule. During the occu-
pation of this country by the Romans, York grew
to a place of great importance. The remains of to-
day attest its greatness under Roman rule. It is
often asserted that it was the birthplace of the Em-
peror Constantine the Great. He was at ,York
when his father died in 306, and he succeeded to
the throne.
York, in the Anglo-Danish period, was a place of
stirring events, not less notable in the spread of the
Christian faith than the terrible struggles of war-
like peoples. The clash of arms often gave way to the
song of praise. Here was founded the famous school
in which Alcuin was taught, and of which he rose
to the mastership before he went in 782 to the Court
of Charlemagne. He was the greatest schoolmaster
188
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O
YORK 189
of his time, and in a dark age kept alight the lamp
of learning. York was the home and field of labour
of many famous Christian preachers and teachers ;
it soon became an archbishopric, and its bishop
was Primate of the North. The seed planted by
those early Christians has grown into a city of
churches. A small wooden structure dedicated to
St. Peter, where on Easter Day, April 12, 627,
King Edwin was baptised by Paulinus, was the
commencement of the cathedral. The King began
the erection of a stone structure on the site of the
rudely-constructed wooden church, but he fell in
battle before he had completed it. King Oswald
brought the work to a close. Some thirty years
later it was restored by Bishop Wilfrid.
Under the more settled Norman kings the cathe-
dral rose in importance, and became one of the
most famous fanes in the land. We do not pro-
pose to linger over its rise ; it is a building of vari-
ous periods, but displays a unity of design which
is seldom equalled and not surpassed. It has with-
stood the ravages of time, and twice within the last
century, viz., February 2, 1829, and May 20, 1840,
survived extensive fires. With its lofty towers it
is one of the most impressive cathedrals in
this country. Within are monuments and windows
of beautiful stained glass, which add a glory to the
church. Fully to realise its beauty it must be
visited. It is a poem in masonry. The curiosities
in the fabric are numerous, including a chair in
which Saxon kings have sat at their coronation.
There is an ivory charter horn, known as the Horn
of Ulf, which was given at the High Altar and
igo OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
carried with it his vast estates, an event occurring
shortly before the Norman Conquest. The stone
screen, which divides the choir from the nave,
dates back to the fifteenth century, and is enriched
with figures of the kings of England from
William I. to Henry VI. One cannot even indi-
cate the interesting features of the cathedral, for
they meet the eye in every direction.
In the Chapter House the first three Edwards
held their Parliaments. The Courts of Justice
were held here from 1298, when they were removed
from London, and remained here for seven years.
When money has been wanted for the fabric it has
freely flowed in, not from Yorkshiremen alone, but
from all parts of the world. A world-wide interest
is felt in this stately pile.
Under the shadow of the cathedral the churches
of the city seem small, but several are of great
historic interest and architectural beauty. Days
may be pleasantly and profitably passed in visiting
the numerous churches. All seem to have a story
for the lover of the past, from St. Michael-le-Belfry,
near the minster, where Guy Fawkes, the con-
spirator, was baptised on the 16th April, 1536, to
All Saints' on the historic pavement, with its
elegant octagonal lantern tower, which used to con-
tain a lamp at night to guide belated wayfarers
travelling through the forests near the city.
The remains of religious houses are of unusual
interest, and the ruins of St. Mary's Abbey are the
most beautiful in the county, some even say
in England. Its history is of importance, and
linked with Whitby and Lastingham of Saxon
YORK 191
times. The Abbots of St. Mary's grew in power,
and were mitred and sat with the bishops in the
House of Lords. The touch of time has made it a
place of rare beauty in its decay.
A ramble along the narrow streets of the city is
like walking through a museum. The magic
power of Sir Walter Scott and other masters of fact
and fiction have given life to not a few of the his-
toric sites in the city. Many of the street names
are curious, telling their stories of people, trades,
and manners of bygone times. The Guild Hall
and the halls of ancient guilds, the remains of
monastic homes, the castle, king's manor house,
walls and gates of the city are monuments of the
past replete with matters of the greatest interest.
We do not know a more enjoyable walk than round
the walls of York, stopping in our progress to
inspect the bars where the chief gates secured the
town from the invaders. In the olden time, on the
bars were spiked the heads of fallen foes, a custom
which may be traced back to early times, and
remained until after the battle of Culloden.
In York all classes find something to charm
them ; the lover of the picturesque may be delighted
with its varied beauties, the student may recall the
past, and be carried in fancy to distant times ; the
industrial enthusiast will be pleased with railway
enterprise and other rapid strides in this age of
peace. Yet even the gigantic modern station occu-
pies the site of an ancient Roman cemetery, from
which many strange relics of ancient days have
been removed to the museum in the Abbey
gardens.
SCARBOROUGH.
If we arrive at Scarborough on a day when
crowds are visiting it, and join in the busy throng
on pleasure bent, we shall proceed to the sands
along fashionable streets, and notice large and
modern hotels and many shops which remind the
Londoner of Regent Street. It well merits the
popular designation, " The Queen of Watering
Places." Nature and art have combined in
making it a charming seaside resort, but we soon
realise that it has a past as well as a present. On
the crown of a bold hill stand the picturesque ruins
of the castle, and on a lower elevation is the ancient
parish church, both having stones of more than
passing interest, which find a place in our national
annals.
At the present time Scarborough is given
up to pleasure, though in distant days it was a
thriving port, but as Hull advanced Scarborough
declined. To-day, as far as maritime matters are
concerned, it is mainly given up to sailing pleasure
craft and the fishing industry. In many of the
Yorkshire towns a familiar cry in the streets is
"Scarborough Herrings," or " White Herrings."
The grim fishermen's homes are in the older part
of the place, and present a curious contrast with the
pretty villas in the modern streets and roads of the
borough, where grass, flowers, and shrubs are to
be seen in perfection. Poverty and luxury are near
192
SCARBOROUGH :i93
each other. Little sunshine seems to enter the
dwelling of the toiler, while those that are in easy
circumstances live in a round of pleasure.
The story of old Scarborough starts with the
castle; it stands on a bold rock some 300 feet
above the sea level and commanding the harbour,
which in past times it protected. It may have been
a stronghold of our earliest inhabitants, though
in the ruins no traces of British or Roman work
have been found. The Earl of Albemarle and
Holderness, in the reign of King Stephen, built
a castle, which appears to have been little more
than a wall round the plain on the top of the rock
and a tower at its entrance.
Henry II. commanded a brave and great castle
to be built. It was ably planned, Well built, and
in such an excellent position as to render it one
of the most important fortresses in the north. In
13 1 2 Piers Gaveston, the foreign favourite of
Edward II., sought shelter here. The enemies of
Gaveston laid siege to the castle, headed by the
Earl of Pembroke, and were several times repulsed,
but Gaveston had in the end fo surrender for want
of provisions.
Let us change the scene for a few minutes. Near
Guy's Cliff near Warwick, on Blacklow Hill, is
a monument bearing an inscription by the cele-
brated scholar, Dr. Parr, as follows: —
In the Hollow of this Rock,
Was beheaded
By the Barons lawless as himself,
Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall.
This Minion of a hateful King,
In Life and Death
A memorable instance of misrule.
i94 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
We were alone when we visited the memorial,
but the wood was alive with the song of birds,
and the flowers growing in rich profusion added
a charm to the scene not to be easily forgotten.
As we stood reading the inscription the life story
of Gaveston unfolded itself in our mind. He was
the son of a Gascon knight, who had been a servant
to one of the greatest of our kings, the first Edward.
The son of the serving knight was chosen by the
powerful monarch as the comrade of his weak son,
Prince Edward. His influence over the young man
was great, and the King realised that it was bane-
ful. In February, 1307, Gaveston was banished,
and on the death-bed of the King he commanded
his son never to recall him. In spite of this injunc-
tion, when Edward II. had commenced his reign,
Gaveston speedily returned to this country, and
was created Earl of Cornwall.
Gaveston's rise was rapid. He was appointed
Custos of the Realm during the King's absence,
and other positions of importance were given to
him. He was a man able to play many parts well,
and was most ambitious, insolent, and avaricious.
The honours conferred upon him completely
turned his head. He was unpopular with the
nobles, mainly perhaps on account of the coarse
satire he indulged in at their expense. No doubt he
felt secure in the smiles of his King and the lawless
men he had gathered round him for protection.
Some of his train of retainers, if we are to
believe historical notices of his time, were notorious
robbers and homicides. The nobles compelled the
King to banish him once more, and be was sent to
SCARBOROUGH :i95
Ireland in 1308 as an exile. Here the King be-
friended him, and he was made Viceroy of that
country. He was credited with displaying courage
and skill in his new position. His Majesty recalled
him the following year. Gaveston was again
banished in 131 1, but in January, 1312, the King
welcomed him once more to the shores. It
appeared as if this monarch could not do without
his favourite.
The barons were so enraged by the King's con-
duct and Gaveston's overbearing attitude that they
resolved to end his life. He had sought protection
in Scarborough Castle, and was besieged there by
the Earl of Pembroke, to whom he surrendered on
condition that his life was spared. The compact
was broken. He was conveyed to Deddington
Castle, near Banbury. But Guy, Earl of War-
wick, whom he had mortally offended by calling
him "The Black Hound of Arden," seized him
and took him to Warwick Castle, and told him he
should feel the hound's teeth. A mock trial was
held by torch-light, and the proud Gaveston was
taken to Blacklow Hill and beheaded. This story
has taken us a long distance from the stronghold
of the east coast, but as Gaveston's name is so often
recalled in speaking of the castle, we make bold
to repeat his history.
When Richard II. came to the English throne
in 1377, France was making expeditions against
the coasts of England. Andrew Mercer, a Scottish
pirate, was taken prisoner and shut up in Scar-
borough Castle. The pirate's son entered the
harbour with some Scottish, French, and Spanish
1 96 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
ships, and, out of revenge, carried away vessels.
A wealthy London alderman, named Philpot, on
his own account organised an armed fleet and
chased Mercer, whom he overtook, and after an
encounter retook the Scarborough vessels, as well
as fifteen Spanish ships, richly laden, and brought
them back to the port. The alderman was im-
peached for raising a navy without the consent of
the King, but was honourably acquitted.
During "The Pilgrimage of Grace," when a
foolish and fruitless attempt was made by Aske
and other fanatics to re-establish the old religion,
Scarborough was besieged in 1536. A passage
from Speed proves how powerless these fanatics
were, although 40,000 met in Yorkshire, ready to
take the field and well provided with the imple-
ments of warfare. Priests in sacerdotal vestments,
bearing crucifixes, preceded the fighting men.
Part of the army, under trie command of Sir Robert
Aske, attempted to take Scarborough Castle.
"The garrison," says Speed, "consisted mostly
of the servants of the governor, and were without
military stores, and in such want of provisions that
they were under the necessity of sustaining them-
selves for twenty days on bread and water only;
yet by the great natural strength of the castle, and
the skill and intrepidity of the governor, Ralph
Evers, or Eures, the assailants were obliged to
abandon the enterprise. This insurrection was
suppressed without much bloodshed by the Earl
of Shrewsbury/'
The insurgents cut a sorry figure on ihe field of
battle, and suffered defeat in their engagements.
SCARBOROUGH 197
Most of the leaders were taken prisoners. Sir
Robert Aske was executed and hung in chains at
York, while Sir Robert Constable, of Flam-
borough, was beheaded at Hull and also hung in
chains.
In !553 a rebellion was caused by the national
discontent at the contemplated marriage of Mary
and Philip of Spain. In this insurrection Sir
Thomas Wyatt, the son of Sir Thomas Wyatt,
the poet, took a leading part. Scarborough
Castle was taken by stratagem by Thomas
Stafford, second son of Lord Stafford. He dis-
guised his troop as countrymen, and on a market
day strolled into the castle with some thirty men,
by whom the sentinels were secured, and then the
rest of his soldiers were admitted. It was this sudden
and successful attack which gave rise to the popu-
lar saying, ' ' A word and a blow, but the blow first
— like a Scarborough warning." In three days the
castle was retaken by the Earl of Westmoreland;
and Stafford was tried for high treason, convicted,
and beheaded in London.
Sir Hugh Cholmley, during the struggle
between King and Parliament, left the side of the
Roundheads for the Cavaliers, and held the castle
for the King. It was besieged by Sir John Mel-
drum, who turned the parish church into a battery.
Firing had little effect on the castle, but want of
food, after withstanding a siege of six months, com-
pelled the garrison to surrender in 1645. Meldrum
died of wounds received in his attempts to take the
castle, and Sir Matthew Boy n ton took his place.
He was appointed governor of the castle, and three
/
ig8 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
years later declared for the King. From i August to
December, 1648, it was under siege, and again
passed into the power of Parliament. No wonder,
with such traitors as Cholmley and Boynton, the
Roundheads deemed it the wisest course to dis-
mantle the fortress.
George Fox, the founder of "The Society of
Friends,' ' in 1665 was a prisoner here for his faith.
At one part of the time he was confined in a room
looking over the sea, lying much open, and the wind
drove in the rain so forcibly that the water came
over his bed and ran about the room, so that he was
glad to skim it up with his platter." He seems to
have made a profound impression on the officers of
the garrison, for they declared " that he was as stiff
as a tree and pure as a bell, for they could never
move him."
When England was stirred by the coming inva-
sion of the country by Prince Charles Edward, the
Young Pretender, the castle underwent some slight
repairs, the cost being defrayed by private subscrip-
tions.
The parish church of St. Mary's cannot be truth-
fully described as an imposing structure, but it: is
full of interest, and awakens echoes of distant times.
The first church built on the site was given by
Richard I. to the monks of the Cistercian order.
The present church is but a fragment of the original
building. Formerly there were three towers, a
central one" and two at the west end. In the Parlia-
mentary War in 1645 the Roundheads found it a
convenient place whence to direct their operations
during the siege of the castle. The Cavaliers
SCARBOROUGH 199
within the castle stormed the church and destroyed
the choir, which was not rebuilt, and the, present
chancel was formed out of the central tower. Soon
after the siege the tower fell and did much damage.
It was subsequently rebuilt. At various times the
church has undergone extensive restorations and
alterations.
Some curious historical and folklore items are
connected with this church. In 1694 John Collings,
of Scarborough, was executed at Tyburn, without
Micklegate Bar, York, for stealing lead and copper
from this church.
A pair of stocks used to stand under the
church wall, and Sunday was generally the day
selected for punishing culprits, so that those attend-
ing the house of prayer might see how wisdom was
taught.
In the olden time there was a singular custom pre-
vailing in the town of inviting the people to funerals.
It was customary for all burials to be announced by
the bellman, who concluded his cry thus: " I am to
give notice that Mrs of
will be buried on Her husband
desires your company at his house at three o'clock,
to observe the time of day, and so to church.*' In
the event of the loss of the husband, the wife would
issue the invitation.
The vigil of St. Mark's Eve was kept in the past
at Scarborough, like many other places. It was a
common belief that if a person watched in the
church porch, she or he would see those doomed to
die during the year pass in procession into the
church. About the year 1800 an old Scarborough
200 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
woman saw figure after figure gliding into the
church, turning to her as they glided in, so that she
recognised their well-known faces. At last, it is
related, a figure turned and gazed at her ; she knew
it was herself, and, after uttering a bitter cry, she
fell to the ground. Next morning, says Hender-
son, who relates this story in his " Folklore of the
Northern Counties/' her neighbours found her, and
carried her home, but she did not long survive the
shock.
Anne Bronte passed away at an early age in Scar-
borough, where she had come to try and restore her
health, alas ! in vain. Her grave is out of harmony
in this busy town of pleasure, so far from the old
home on the quiet moorlands which she loved so
well. She had seldom been far from home. Her
two novels were " Agnes Grey " and " The Tenant
of Wildfell Hall." As a writer of religious poems
she displayed greater literary power than as a
novelist. A simple tombstone bears the following
inscription : —
Here
Lie the Remains of
Anne Bronte
Daughter of the
Rev. P. Bronte,
Incumbent of Haworth.
She died aged 28
May 28, 1849.
There is a pathetic interest in the following lines,
the last she composed. After they were written the
SCARBOROUGH 201
pen was laid aside to rust, and her desk was closed
for ever : —
I hoped, that with the brave and strong,
My portioned task might be ;
To toil amid the busy throng,
With purpose pure and high.
But God has fixed another part,
And He has fixed it well ;
I said so with my bleeding heart,
When first the anguish felL
Thou, God, hast taken our delight,
Our treasured hope away ;
Thou bid'st us now weep through the night,
And sorrow through the day.
These weary hours will not be lost,
These days of misery,
These nights of darkness, anguish-tossed,
Can I but turn to Thee :
With secret labour to sustain
In humble patience every blow ;
To gather fortitude from pain,
And hope and holiness from woe.
Thus let me serve Thee from my heart,
Whate'er may be my written fete :
Whether thus early to depart,
Or yet a while to wait.
If Thou shouldst bring me back to life,
More humbled I should be ;
More wise — more strengthened for the strife—
More apt to lean on Thee.
Should death be standing at the gate,
Thus should I keep my vow:
But, Lord ! whatever be my fete,
Oh, let me serve Thee now 1
The churchyard is full of gravestones Hearing
quaint inscriptions. Those placed to the memory
202 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
of sailors are the more interesting. One bearing
the date of 1732 bears the following rhyme: —
Tho' Boreas' blast and Neptune's waves
Have tost me to and fro ;
Yet still, by God's divine decree,
I harbour here below ;
Where I do now at anchor ride,
With many of our fleet ;
But once again I must set sail,
Our admiral Christ to meet.
'Another epitaph, dated 1730, is as follows: —
Awake, arise, behold thou hast
Thy life a leaf, thy breath a blast ;
At night lie down, prepared to have
Thy sleep, thy death, thy wat'ry grave.
The foundations of the old town wall may still be
traced, and one is struck with the smallness of the
place in the past.
A fine view of Scarborough is to be obtained from
Oliver's Mount, five hundred feet above the sea
level. Ther.e is a well-known local sayings —
When Oliver's Mount puts on a hat,
Scarbro', Fals-grave, and Scalby must pay for that
Clouds at the top of this hill indicate wet weather*
It is a popular error to suppose that Oliver Crom-
well battered Scarborough Castle from the top of
this knoll.
The Spa is little more than a name. It is the
haunt of fashionable visitors, yet it was known as
far back as 1698. It has a romantic story ; storm
and fire have brought about changes. Sir Joseph
Paxton planned a saloon and promenade, but the
former was consumed by fire in 1876, and the pre-
sent handsome pavilion was opened in 1880.
SCARBOROUGH 203
Near to the Spa is the Aquarium, an extensive
subterranean building in the Moorish style, with a
large concert room for entertainments. Refresh-
ments are provided in apartments planned on
Eastern models.
The Museum, built in 1828, in the form of a
Rotunda, has 'been enlarged by the addition of two
wings. It is close by the Aquarium, and is well
worth seeing. There is a fine collection of fossils
and specimens of natural history objects found in
the district. Local antiquities find a place — in-
cluding the ancient ducking-stool, used fox curing,
scolding women . It was formerly placed on the old
pier, and was last used about the year 1795, when a
scold named Mrs. Gamble was ducked, and with
this last link with the past we must conclude our
historic story of old Scarborough.
WHITBY.
No North-country town has played a more
important part in the religious and literary annals
of England. In maritime matters it also played a
leading part. It is the most picturesque port on
the East Coast, and in its especial attractions is not
equalled by any other place in Great Britain. The
charming river Esk here finds its way into
the German Ocean, and at its mouth, built
on either side of the stream, stands Whitby, on
the right the old town, and on t*he left the
new watering-place, where rank and fashion
spend their holidays. To the lover of the past the
ancient portion has the greatest charm. The chief
glory of the old town is the ruined abbey, which
crowns the hill overlooking the red-roofed houses.
In the days of our Saxon ancestors, on the then
wild spot, stood the monastery of Streoneshalh.
It was here that St. Hilda ruled. A member of the
Royal Family of Northumbria, she was baptised at
York, when only thirteen years of age, with her
great uncle, Edwin, by Paulinus, who had come
from Kent. For twenty years she led a Christian
life in the Court, and then resolved to enter a
monastery.
The scene of her probation was in East Anglia,
but she only spent twelve months there, for Bishop
204
WHITBY 205
Aidan knew her worth, and bringing her back to
her native North, presented to her the site of a
small monastery near to the banks of the Wear. She
was not suffered to remain there long, as she was
advanced to be abbess of a larger house at Hartle-
pool, which had been founded a few years previously
by Bega, the first lady in the North of England to
take the monastic veil. Here the saintly Hilda toiled
for about eight years. Then advancement came,
and she was chosen the first abbess of Whitby, and
entrusted with building and organising it. Oswin,
it is said, gave its site, with that of eleven others, in
fulfilment of a vow made that if he won the battle
of Winwaed, in 655, he would show his grati-
tude to God by giving twelve sites for religious
houses. The one at Whitby soon grew in impor-
tance.
The wisdom of the abbess gained her great fame,
and the living sought her advice, while the illustri-
ous dead were interred within her peaceful walls,
and among the number Oswin and his queen,
JEanRed.
It was here the lamp of learning and piety was
kept alight in the Dark Ages. St. John of Beverley
was educated here, and from this house no fewer
than five monks were raised to the Episcopate, men
not less noted for their merit than for their sanctity.
Living in a village which arose round the monastery
was a poor herdsman called Caedmon, who became
the first English poet. He was employed on the
monastic estate, and had reached an advanced age
before displaying any poetic power. He could not
even sing a song. " Wherefore," says Bede,
206 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
" when all agreed for glee's sake to sing in turn, he
no sooner saw the harp come -towards him than he
rose up from the board and went homewards."
Once, when he had done this, and gone from the
feast to the stable, where he had the night charge
of the cattle, he lay down to rest at the proper time,
and a figure appeared to him in his sleep, and, call-
ing him by his name, said, " Csedmon, sing some
song to me." " I cannot sing/' he replied, and
"for that reason I left the feast, and am come
hither because I could not sing." He who talked
with him answered, " However that may be, you
shall sing to me." " What shall I sing ? " Caed-
mon was told to sing the beginning of created
things. Soon he praised God the Creator in verse
which he had not heard before. When he awoke
from his sleep he remembered the poetry he had
sung and added more.
On meeting the steward, his superior, he related
his experiences and the wonderful gift which he had
received. He was conducted to the abbess, by
whom he was directed, in the presence of many
learned men, to relate his dream, and repeat the
verses, so that they might give judgment as to
whence his wonderful poetical power was obtained.
They all agreed that the Lord had conferred the gift
upon him. The following morning more poetry
was forthcoming. The abbess realised that he
had received a Divine inspiration, and directed him
to put aside the attire of a herdsman, assume that of
a monk, and enter the monastery. He was taught
sacred history, which he put into harmonious verse.
He repeated it, and his hearers committed it to
WHITBY 207
memory. His poetry, which dealt with the chief
themes in (the Old and New Testaments, has come
down to us through the changes of centuries. As
his knowledge of the Scriptures increased, his
poetry greatly improved.
It was once thought that Milton read parts of
Csedmon's poetry, and incorporated some of his
expressions and sentiments in " Paradise Lost n ;
but scholars now do not regard Ihe suggestion as
well founded.
It is not known how long Caedmon lived after he
entered the monastery ; but we learn that he there
continued composing poetry to the glory of God.
His exemplary career won for him the esteem of his
brethren. He expressed in the every-day words of
the masses the teaching of the Bible, and his life was
a light in a dark age. The lofty pile of which the
ruins remain was not reared in his day ; no doubt
the monastery then consisted of a few rude huts
covered with thatch. One of the dwellings was
used as a hospital for the weak and dying, and when
the poet felt the approach of death he repaired to it.
His brethren were surprised, for they did not think
that his end was near. He cheerfully conversed
with them during the evening. Then he asked if
they had the Eucharist; but they asked, " What
occasion is there for the Eucharist? " They told
him that death was not near if he could talk so plea-
santly to them. The elements were, however,
brought, and, taking them in his hands, he asked if
their minds were at peace with him, without any
ground of quarrel or enmity. They replied that
they were in perfect friendship with him. A similar
208 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
question was put to him in regard to themselves,
and he answered: " My children, I am at charity
with all the servants of God." He then prepared
for the entrance to another life. Next, he asked
when the brethren would be called upon to sing the
midnight praises of the Lord. The time, he was
told, was near. He said, " Let us wait for that
hour " ; and signing himself with the sign of the
Cross, he sank his head on his pillow and passed
away in gentle slumbers.
In the churchyard at Whitby, in 1898, a striking
memorial was erected to the saintly poet. It is in
the form of a Saxon cross, and the spirit of the
seventh-century art is put into nineteenth-century
sculpture. The inscription on the monument says
it was placed " To the Glory of God, and in memory
of His servant Caedmon, fell asleep hard by a.d.
680."
In this abbey was held the great Ecclesiastical
Council of 664, when the Northumbrian Church
decided to adopt the customs of Rome and Canter-
bury. Hilda passed away in 680, in the abbey
which she had founded and ruled so wisely. Legend
and poetry has gathered round her saintly life. She
was succeeded by another member of a royal family,
the Princess lifted, but the glory of the abbey was
fading fast. The Danes overran the country, and
in c. 867-870, the abbey was laid in ruins, and for
two hundred years it was a scene of desolation.
After the Norman Conquest the ruined abbey of
Whitby and others in Northumbria were restored,
and the old home of St. Hilda attained an important
place among English religious houses. Prayer
WHITBY 209
and praise were heard once more within its walls.
The picturesque ruins we see to-day mainly consist
of the abbey church, but no part is earlier than the
twelfth century.
In the sweeping days of change in ihe reign of
Henry VIII., the house was valued at ^347 2s. It
belonged to the Benedictines, and was surrendered
on December 14th, 1540, by Henry Davall, the last
abbot.
On a piece of land known as the Abbey Plain isi
a tall cross, usually described by the people as a
market cross, but more learned authorities regard it
as a cross connected with the burial ground. In
the district are similar crosses, but the one near the
abbey is the tallest.
On the cliffs a little below the ruins of the abbey
is the quaint parish church of Whitby. To reach it
from below 199 steps have to be climbed. It dates
back to the time of Abbot William de Percy, about
1 no, and was buili for the use of the dwellers in
the town and district. Many additions have been
made from time to time. It has a three-decker
pulpit, old-fashioned pews, and quaint galleries.
Words fail to describe the curious aspect of the
church. II must be seen to realise its old-world
appearance. One writer says that it is suggestive
of a ship's cabin.
In the graveyard are many curious epitaphs,
many relating to loss of life at sea. On a slab
affixed to the east wall is an inscription containing
some remarkable coincidences : —
Here lie the bodies of Francis Huntrodds and Mary
his wife, who were both born on the same day of the week
month and year (viz) Sep1 ye 19th 1600 marry'd on the day of
210 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
their birth, and after having had 12 children born to them died
aged 80 years on the same day of the year they were born
September ye 19th 1680, the one not above five hours before
ye other.
Husband and wife that did twelve children bear,
D/d the same day ; alike both aged were
'Bout eighty years they liVd, five hours did part
(Ev'n on the marriage day) each tender heart.
So fit a match, surely could never be,
Both in their lives, and in their death agree.
Mary Linskill, the novelist, is not buried in this
churchyard, as many suppose, from a misleading
inscription on the tomb of her kindred in this
graveyard. After giving her name, etc., it is stated,
■" She wrote for all English readers of the lives and
homes of fier own country-folk, dwellers * Between
the Heather and the Northern Sea.' " The novelist
was buried in the cemetery, where a monument was
placed to her memory, the expense being defrayed
by public. subscription.
The bells of this church call to the house of
prayer the many pleasure seekers, those broken
down in health and spirits and the weary toilers,
too. Mrs. Susan K. Phillips wrote *—
The Whitby bells, so full and free
They ring across the sunny sea,
That the great ocean god, who dwells
'Mid coral groves and silvery shells
Wakes to the summons, joyously.
O'er purpling moors and fernly dells
Sound the sweet chimes, and bird and bee
Pause, hearing o'er land and lea
The Whitby bells.
And as the mellow music swells,
One listener to the Whitby bells
Feels all the days that used to be
Speak in the blended harmony;
They shrine life — death — and their farewells,
The Whitby bells.
WHITBY 211
The streets and yards of the old town, mainly the
home of the humbler members of the community,
are narrow, and the houses are small and in marked
contrast to the stately buildings of New Whitby.
The dwellings of the old town have given shelter
to famous men and women. Captain Cook was
closely connected with old Whitby. He was a
native of Marten, near Middlesbrough, and was
born on October 27th, 1728, being the son of a day
labourer. His parents removed to Ayton, and
there young Cook attended the village school, and
during his spare time assisted his father in the
fields. At the age of seventeen he was sent to
Staithes to learn the business of a general shop-
keeper. Here he mixed with the fisherfolk, and
became filled with a desire to follow a seafaring life.
After being a year and a half at Staithes, he was
bound apprentice to Mr. John Walker, of Whitby.
He first sailed in the Freelovef a vessel of 450 tons,
engaged in the coal trade. It was not customary
for the ship to sail in winter, and when it was laid
up he lived with his master, and the long evenings
were devoted to study. Cook made great progress,
and in his employer's house in Grapes Lane laid the
foundation of his future success. After being five
years in the merchant's service, he entered the navy.
His first voyage round the world was taken in a
vessel built at Whitby. On his third trip round
the world he was murdered by the natives of
Owlyhee, one of the Sandwich Islands, on February
I4> 1777.
There are several novelists associated with
Whitby, but none equal in a knowledge of the local
212 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
folk, the thrilling stories of the "town, and the
lovely scenery of the neighbourhood to Mary Lins-
kill, a native of the town, who was born here in
1840, and died in 1891. Her birthplace was a
humble house in Blackburn's Yard. She was the
daughter of the parish constable. At an early age
she was a milliner, later a teacher, and lastly a
famous author, the friend and companion of the
great and gifted, and, above all, the gentlest and
kindest of women. The magic of her pen has
given a world-wide interest to Whitby.
The trade of the town has nearly all gone. The
whaling industry, for which it was once famous, is
now dead, the jet trade has decayed, and shipbuild-
ing is carried on only to a limited extent. The
fisherfolk exercise their calling on the mighty deep,
and their joys and sorrows have inspired many
authors to tell in poetry and prose the stories of
this hardy Northern race.
DURHAM.
The cathedral and castle at Durham crown a hill
which takes the form of a peninsula surrounded on
three sides by the river Wear, and in bygone times
on its fourth side by a moat. The well-wooded hill-
sides add much to the beauty of the scene. It is
one of the most pleasing pictures in old England;
even a hurried view of it from the railway carriage
as the train passes the city leaves a charming impres-
sion on the memory.
Legendary lore adds a romantic interest to the
history of the city, but unlike many ancient towns
its origin is not lost in the mists of antiquity. It
arose about the year 995, when the bones of St.
Cuthbert were brought hither by Bishop Aldhuin,
from Ripon, and a church was built to enshrine
them. We need not linger over the stories told of
the wanderings of the monks for many weary miles.
O'er northern mountain, marsh and moor,
From sea to sea, from shore to shore,
they bore for seven years the corpse of St. Culhbert,
before a final resting place was found for it. The
Dun Cow guided them to the site of the future
shrine of the saint. On the cathedral of modern
times the circumstance is rudely illustrated in
213
214 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
sculpture. The monks, assisted by Uthred, the
Northumbrian king, cleared the ground of trees and
tangled thickets, and a shelter was constructed of
boughs and wattles for the remains of the saint. A
church was completed about six years later, and
most probably this was the beginning of the city of
Durham. Here were brought the bones of the
Venerable Bede, and his last resting-place is the
Galilee Chapel in the west end of the cathedral. It
is more in harmony with his life than the busy
haunts of men engaged in industrial and commercial
pursuits such as his old monastic homes of Jarrow
and Wearmouth have become.
Shortly after the Norman Conquest the bold sons
of the North suffered much at the hands of the
invaders. The northern parts of the country were
laid waste, and for a time the monks of Durham had
to flee for trieir lives. The church was plundered
and profaned. As soon as the Normans had retired
and the monks had returned to Durham from Lin-
disfarne, Malcolm, King of Scotland, invaded
England, and desolation blighted the district.
The first Norman king realised that the men of
the North must be kept in check. Durham was
raised to a Palatinate, and on Walcher, the Norman
Bishop of Durham, were conferred all the powers of
an independent prince. After his officers had assas-
sinated his friend, the great Saxon Liulph, the
populace rose and murdered the bishop. This
infuriated the King, who with fire and sword
spread misery once more over the North country.
A castle was built at Durham to keep the people
in submission.
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The first church was swept away, and on its site
William de Carileph began, about 1092, the erec-
tion of the present cathedral. It is a fine example
of Norman work, massive, yet not lacking beauty of
design, and was built for the ages. It has been
happily described as " half church of God, half
castle 'gainst the Scot.*' Under great bishops and
builders for four hundred years the stately pile rose
in boldness and beauty. Since 1500 the fabric has
undergone extensive renovation. The bold central
tower is 214 feet high, and the two western towers
138 feet. It remains to-day the noblest example of
Norman architecture in England. In the past, pil-
grims crowded to the shrines of St. Cuthbert
and the Venerable Bede, and their offerings greatly
added to the wealth of the church. The See of
Durham increased its riches from various sources,
but still the guiding animal which determined the
site of the cathedral enters largely into its history.
A local proverb still current says : " The Dun Cow's
milk makes the prebends' wives go in silk."
On first coming into his See the Bishop of
Durham used to take part in the observance of a
singular tenure. Far back, in the days when the
first Richard occupied the throne, it is recorded that
Hugh Pudsey, " the jollye Bishop of Durham,"
bought from the King the title of Earl of Sadberge
for himself and his successors. On the arrival of a
newly-appointed bishop it was the duty of the Lord
of the Manor of Sockburn or his representative to
meet his grace at the middle of Sockburn Ford, or
on the Croft Bridge, which spans the river Tees.
After hailing him Count Palatine and Earl of
216 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Sadberge, he presented him with a falchion, saying
as follows : —
My Lord Bishop, I here present you with the falchion where-
with the champion Conyers slew the worm, dragon, or fiery
flying serpent which destroyed man, woman and child ; in
memory of which, the king then reigning gave him the manor
of Sockburn, to hold by this tenure, that upon the first entrance
of every bishop into the county this falchion should be presented.
The bishop, after receiving the weapon in his
hand, promptly and politely returned it, and at the
same time wished the lord of Sockburn health and
long enjoyment of the manor. The last time the
ceremony was performed was in April, 1826, when
the steward of Sir Edward Blackett, the lord of
Sockburn Manor, met on Croft Bridge, Dr. Van
Mildert, last Prince-Bishop of Durham.
A similar service used to take place when the
bishop took up his residence at Auckland Castle.
He was presented here with a falchion, and
addressed as follows : —
My Lord, I, on behalf of myself, as well as several others,
possessors of the Pollard's Lands, do humbly present your
lordship with this falchion at your first coming here, wherewith,
as the tradition goeth, he slew of old a mighty boar which did
harm to man and beast And by performing this service we
hold our lands.
The cathedral is not rich in monuments, but its
ancient associations are of the greatest interest. On
the north door is the grotesque old sanctuary
knocker. A ring is held between a monster's teeth.
The person claiming sanctuary raised the ring of the
knocker, and sounded it to obtain admission to the
church, where, for a iime, he was out of reach of
the avengers. In the sacred building were men on
DURHAM 217
duty night and day, ever ready to quickly open the
door. A bell was next tolled to make known the
fact that a man had taken sanctuary. When the
refugee sought protection an early intimation was
made to the prior, who gave injunctions that he was
to keep within the limits of the churchyard, which
formed the boundaries of this sanctuary. In the
presence of a witness, a detailed account had to be
given of the crime committed — dates, names of
persons, places, etc., were carefully noted. In cases
of murder and manslaughter, the weapon employed
had to be mentioned. A gown of black cloth,
having on its left shoulder a cross, known as the
Cross of St. Cuthbert, was given him to wear. The
badge was, we are told, " to the intent that every-
one might see that there was such a freelige granted
by God unto St. Cuthbert's shrine, for every such
offender to flee for succour and safeguard of their
lives."
The refugee at Durham was allowed protection
for thirty-seven days, and provided with food and
drink and bedding by the convent. If within that
time he failed to make peace with his adversaries,
he had to abjure the realm. He lost his property
by the proceeding, but saved his life, or evaded
some barbarous form of punishment which often
resulted in mutilation of a most painful character.
Connected with the ringing of the curfew bell is
a curious item of old-world lore. Every night of
the week except Saturday it is rung at nine o'clock.
On Saturday evening long ago a ringer went up the
tower, according to custom, but disappeared in a
mysterious manner and was not seen any more.
Popular belief says the Evil One carried him off.
218 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Since that time the curfew bell has been silent on
Saturday night.
In bygone times acrobatic performances were by
no means uncommon on churches. It is related by
Raine that in 1237, Prior Melsonby was elected
Bishop of Durham, and that the mitre was taken
from him for encouraging a rope dancer to perform
his feats on a cord stretched between the towers of
the cathedral. The man fell and broke his neck.
One might linger longer over the annals and
legends of the cathedral, but other places remain to
be briefly noticed. The castle occupies the site of
the palace of the Saxon bishops, and was burnti
down in 1069, and rebuilt as a fortress by William
the Conqueror in 1072. It suffered from fire, and in
1 174 was rebuilt by Bishop Pudsey. Since then
many additions have been made, and for a long
period it was the residence of the bishops, but is
now used as a residence of students at the Durham
University. A college was founded here by Crom-
well, but it was suppressed at the Restoration. It
was in 1833 that the present university was opened
for students. There are many points of interest in
the castle. The libraries connected with the cathe-
dral and the university are of considerable impor-
tance.
CARLISLE.
The Border city of Carlisle is richer in historical
memories than in ancient buildings. To-day it has
a modern appearance, and one looks in vain for the
picturesque remains of the olden time. It is plea-
santly situated on a gentle eminence in a far-reach-
ing plain, where the Calden and Petteril mingle
with the Eden. The strong walls which surrounded
the city, with its three gates known as the English,
Irish, and Scots gates, have been swept away.
A cannon was formerly fired at night to warn
those who desired to enter the city that they must
do so without delay, and those who wished to leave
must promptly depart. The gates, once closed,
remained shut until sunrise next morning. In the
past few, if any, gates in this country were more
carefully guarded than those of Carlisle.
The heads of the rebels were displayed over the
gates, and often struck terror into the hearts of
Scotsmen when they were invading England. An
old lady from Dumfriesshire related to Allan Cun-
ningham the terror felt in the hearts of the Scotch
at seeing the heads of their countrymen thus exposed
to view. Relating to one of the heads — that of a
comely youth, with long yellow hair — a pathetic
story is told, and it adds romance to the history of
219
220 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Carlisle. " A young and beautiful lady," so runs
the tale, " came every morning at sunrise and every
evening at sunset to look at the head of the yellow-
haired laddie, till at length both the lady and the
head disappeared. The incident is commemorated
in a song, in which the sick-hearted damsel bewails
the fate of her lover." A couple of verses are as
follows : —
White was the rose in my lover's hat
As he rowled me in his Lowland plaiddie ;
His heart was true as death in love,
His hand was aye in the battle ready.
His long, long hair, in yellow hanks,
Wav'd o'er his cheeks sae sweet and r.ud-dy ;
But now it waves o'e Carlisle yetts,
In dripping ringlets soiled and blod-dy.
At the rebellion of 1745, when the Highland
soldiers were passing southward, they did not enter
the city by the Scotch-gate, on which " the grim
and ghastly heads of their brethren were exhibited."
A stranger in Carlisle will first direct his steps to
the castle, and as he winds his way along, historic
ground will recall the past to his memory. In
Roman times it was a place of some importance, but
beyond the relics which have been found at different
periods, little is left to remind us of the days when
the proud Romans were located here. The great
wall in the immediate district is a lasting monu-
ment of their military skill and industry. There
can be little doubt that in Roman times the city was
one of wealth, and that its leading inhabitants lived
in luxury. The remains which have come to light
attest ihe truth of the assertion. When the Romans
had been withdrawn from England in the fifth
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CARLISLE 221
century, to protect their crumbling empire at home,
Carlisle was for centuries the scene of strife, and
among those who fought for it were the Pict, Cale-
donian, Angle, and Celt. During the Roman
occupation the two former had been kept at bay, but
when the Romans had departed they swept south-
wards, and their battle-cry rent the air, and cast a
terror over the land. Poetry, in its old ballad form,
connects the city with King Arthur and his knights,
a connection which gave rise to the title of " Merrie
Carlisle." The designation seems out of harmony
with its quiet business life at the present day.
The site of the castle, or castles (for here have
been reared strongholds at different periods in the
annals of Carlisle) stood on a hill overlooking the
Eden. Here the site was moated by the Roman
vallum, which cut across the neck of the headland
on which the stronghold stands. In 876 the Danes
ruined the town, and for over two centuries it did
not regain its power, until the reign of William
Rufus. At the point of the sword he drove them
away, and in 1092 built a castle for the protection
of the people who colonised the town afresh. In later
Norman and Edwardian times important additions
were made. Richard III. was constable while
Duke of Gloucester, and he is credited with the
erection of the Tile Tower in the wall which runs
from the castle to join the west wall of the city. It
was left for Henry VIII. to adapt the interior of the
building for cannon. At this castle Mary Queen of
Scots spent some time at the commencement of her
long and weary imprisonment. The apartments
she occupied here commanded a delightful view of
222 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
the Eden Valley. From the battlements she could
obtain a distant view of her own land, and dream
of the days when she might recross its border line
to assume the rule of Scotland — dreams never to be
realised. Her captivity ended in death at the hands
of the headsman on a dull February morning, in
1587, in the Banqueting Hall of the Castle of
Fotheringay.
Bonnie Prince Charlie took up his quarters at the
castle, a circumstance which entailed terrible
punishment on the leading citizens. The ravages
of time, and more especially the hand of man,
altered and reduced the old fortress, and at the
present time little of its ancient grandeur is left.
One of the most heroic deeds of the olden days is
still recalled. In 1596, under cover of night,
Buccleuch rescued Kinmont Willie from imprison-
ment in this stronghold.
The next place of interest to be visited is the
cathedral, which is replete with historic memories,
but by no means impressive in appearance. It owes
its origin to William Rufus. After he had
re-established the town, he left as governor when he
returned southwards a rich Norman priest called
Walter, who started building a church, to be
dedicated to the Virgin Mary. He did not live to
see it finished, and the first Henry had the work
completed. In 1133 the King founded the See of
Carlisle, and the church commenced by Walter the
priest became the cathedral of the newly-formed
diocese. It has suffered on four occasions from fire,
the greatest damage being done in 1292. All was
destroyed except the outer walls of the aisles,
CARLISLE 223
including the belfry and bells. Here one may
study every variety of style, from Norman to
Perpendicular. The nave, long used as a parish
church, is Norman, and it is cut off from the choir,
which is mainly in the Decorated style, and one of
the finest in the country. The central tower is by
no means imposing, being only 127 feet high, and
formerly supported a spire of timber, but this was
removed in the eighteenth century. Many of the
details of the cathedral are extremely fine, but the
chief glory is its east window, which is one of the
finest in the kingdom, perhaps unsurpassed in the
world.
Some officers inspected the English cathedrals in
1634, and said that Carlisle Cathedral was "more
like a great wide country church than a fair and
stately cathedral.' ' Eleven years later, when the
Parliamentary troops had captured the city, they
pulled down the nave to repair the fortifications.
It has been pointed out that most probably the
Norman church was partly built of stones from the
Roman wall, and it is curious to find six centuries
later the western part of the same church being
destroyed in order to repair the city walls.
In the Journal of George Fox, founder of the
Society of Friends, is an account of his preaching
in the cathedral in 1653. He relates how some
11 heard him gladly " ; but we are further told "rude
people of the city found their way into the building,
and the governor was obliged to quell the tumult
with musketeers.' '
The cathedral played an important part in the
time of war, for its bells and beacons gave alarm
224 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
when the enemy was coming to the city. When
the young Pretender was defeated, Jacobite pri-
soners were confined in the cathedral, and much
damage was done by them. Many of the monu-
ments, especially those of modern times, are full
of interest, and repay careful inspection.
The usual buildings of a county town are to be
seen. The more important are the Redness Hall,
which dates back to Edwardian times, and over-
looks the green market. It was there animals were
baited. The hall has a room for each of the old
guilds of the city. Another house belonging to the
same period is in King's Arms Lane. A good
specimen of a seventeenth century domestic build-
ing is Tullie House, situated between the cathedral
and castle. It includes a public free library, a
subscription library, and a reference library
extremely rich in local books. There is also a
picture gallery and an excellent museum with anti-
quities belonging to the city and district, ranging
from Roman remains to the stocks and pillory
belonging to the not far distant past. In all
respects the institution is worthy of the city.
MONMOUTH.
In Monmouth there is a feeling that we are in
Wales. It is perhaps an echo of the past which
haunts us. Before the Principality was divided
into twelve counties by Henry VIII., Monmouth-
shire was a part of Wales, but the King decided to
include it among the English counties. He
assigned for Parliament two knights for the shire,
and a burgess for the borough. A change was
made in May, 1895, when the House of Commons
decided that the county for civil purposes should
belong to England, and so far as religious matters
and laws were concerned Monmouth was to belong
to Wales.
The town is delightfully situated, with hills in
every direction ; and the river Wye, which is here
augmented by two streams, the Monnow and the
Trothy, adds a charm to the scenery. Monmouth
is built mainly on the old red sandstone, is clean,
and has many points of interest, and the usual
offices of a county town. There is a pleasant blend-
ing of the past and present in the place. The streets
and shops are lighted with electricity.
In the olden time the town was protected by a
wall and moat, and could be entered by four gates.
To-day only one remains, venerable with age, for it
dates back to the year 1270, and is known as Welsh
Gate on Monnow Bridge. It may be regarded as
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226 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
a curiosity rather than a place suitable for defensive
purposes, but within living memory warlike pre-
parations were made within its walls. The western
side of the gateway contains several rough holes.
These, says the late Mr. R. Waugh, were for
musketry in anticipation of the advance of the
Chartists on Monmouth County Gaol, after their
attack on Newport in 1839; the gateway would then
have been an effective military post, for the river
was not fordable in consequence of the heavy rains
which had delayed until daylight the entry of the
Chartists into Newport, otherwise intended to have
been effected at night. Could the old walls speak,
strange would be the story we should hear from
1270 to 1839 J now tne f°e nad been kept at bay, and
the town saved; tales would be told how gallant
knights had left their sighing lady loves, as they
bravely rode under its archway to war, never
to return, meeting death on the field of battle, while
others would come back covered with glory. As
one gazes at this monument of other days, many
pictures flit across the mind, more or less pleasing,
but all connected with the heroic conduct of the men
of Monmouth.
Castles along the Marches of Wales weie numer-
ous, and to-day one may visit the ruins of not a few
fine examples of the strongholds of bygone ages.
Little is left of Monmouth Castle ; it remains more a
place of memories than a specimen of a fortress. It
is stated that the castle was reared on a British fort.
Here was a Saxon fortress to restrain the inroads of
the Welsh. We are told in the Domesday
Survey that the castle was held for the King by
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MONMOUTH 227
William Fitz-Baron. Camden asserts that ii was
built by John of Monmouth in the days of Henry
III. Here lived in splendour John of Gaunt, and
his son Henry Bolingbroke, afterwards Henry IV.
On August 9th, 1387, here was born Henry V., that
same Harry of Monmouth who, at the battle of
Agincourt, gained a glorious victory against great
odds, and established his fame as a great soldier.
He was a devout and just King, and led a pure life,
yet he did not display mercy to a conquered army.
Monmouth stands in two parishes, one called St.
Mary's and the other St. Thomas's, situated in
Overmonnow. The graceful spire of St. Mary's
Church is a notable landmark, being 200 feet in
height. The present church was erected in 1736,
on the site of an old building, described by Speed as
a beautiful church, which statement is confirmed by
other writers. It was called the Monk's Church,
and here was written the fabulous history of Great
Britain, by Geoffrey, surnamed Monmouth and Ap-
Arthur. A curious story is related of the bells of
this church. When Henry V. had left the harbour
of Calais after the wars with France, thus runs the
tale, the inhabitants of the town were so delighted
that they started ringing the bells of their church.
The King was so much annoyed by their action that
he put back into the harbour, and brought the bells
to England, and presented them to his native town.
The church of St. Thomas is small, but interest-
ing, and some parts of it seem to indicate that it was
built before the Conquest!, as it contains examples of
Saxon work. Near it in the street was an ancient
cross, which in recent times has been restored.
228 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
The sports and pastimes of the place were varied
and popular. Bull-baiting was an appreciated form
of sport, and even to-day echoes of this form of cruel
amusement come down in tales told by sire to son.
Badger-baiting was popular. Archery, quoits,
fives, tennis, and bowls were favourite forms of
diversion for spending the evening. The leading
bowling-green was on the site of the garden of the
Gloucestershire Banking Company, Monnow
Street, in which is a summer house, where Lord
Nelson and a party of friends on August 19th, 1802,
11 took their coffee, and passed the evening in high
glee."
Prior to the formation of turnpike roads in 1755,
and for some time afterwards, Mr. Waugh says
wagons were not in use in Monmouthshire. Grain
and all other merchandise were brought to the town
on the backs of packhorses. The grain was sold in
bulk and not by samples as at present. On a
market day some 500 horses would come into Mon-
mouth by the Welsh gate, each animal carrying five
imperial bushels of corn. The horses were per-
mitted in front of the houses, and wide sheds were
erected for them. It was customary for pent-houses
to be erected before nearly all the residences in the
town, and for farmers to place their grain in them
till sold. The persons providing the pent-houses
took out of each sack a small measure of its contents
as payment for accommodation.
After the roads were made, stage coaches were
employed, and partly used for passengers. Before
a person ventured to undertake a journey to London
and back he made his will ; the road was difficult
MONMOUTH 229
to iravel along, and it was beset by highwaymen.
The start was made at two o'clock on Monday morn-
ing, and the traveller was timed to reach London on
the following Saturday night.
The annals of peace are far more entertaining
reading than those relating to war. The historic
story of Monmouth is full of interest, more especi-
ally of the times which are so near to us, but in this
high-pressure age appear so distant. Monmouth is
a place in which we get into touch with the olden
time.
CHESTER.
Few cities at home or abroad are more picturesque
and historically interesting than Chester, situated
on the Dee^ It is well known as the haunt of the
antiquary, artist, and searcher for the beautiful, and
all must find something to please them. The
origin of the place is lost in the far distant past, and
round its earlier ages have gathered legends which
later writers have linked with its history.
When we deal with the city in Roman times we
are on surer ground than when legendary lore comes
under consideration. The many Roman remains
which come to light from time to time help us to
realise its importance at that period, and remind us
that the name Chester is derived from Castra, a for-
tified camp. The walls which surround the city
and form such a delightful promenade follow the old
lines of the Roman fortifications. They are kept in
an excellent state of repair, and enable us to under-
stand fully what an old English town was like
before cannon and powder played their part in
bygone warfare.
A number of towers are erected on the walls from
which distant views of the country may be obtained.
The county, which is called the " seed-spot of Eng-
lish gentility," has some stately halls and other
historic piles. One of the towers is of red sand-
stone, and is called " King Charles's Tower.' ' The
unfortunate Stuart King watched from this site the
defeat of his troops on Rowton Moor in 1645. The
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CHESTER 231
Parliamentary forces completely put the King's
soldiers to roul, and when the King saw the battle
was lost he made his escape from the city. He left
word that if assistance did not arrive within eight
days the city was to surrender, but stubborn
courage enabled the defenders to hold out for
twenty weeks. No assistance came, and at last
hunger compelled the loyal citizens to open their
gates. The Water Tower is one of the most pic-
turesque bits of ancient Chester. It is supposed to
have derived its name from the fact that, in the
olden times, the Dee came up to its walls, and the
water was deep enough to enable vessels of a con-
siderable size to be moored to it. When day is
drawing to its close, and sunset comes, the " Sands
of Dee " present a remarkable sight, which inspired
Canon Kingsley to write his imperishable song.
We can picture Mary calling the cattle home, and
how she met death when
The creeping tide came up along the sand,
And o'er and o'er the sand,
And round and round the sand,
As far as eye could see ;
The blinding mist came down and hid the land ;
And never home came she.
What a marked contrast to the escape of Charles
was the triumphal arrival of the Saxon Edgar. He
was rowed over the Dee to St. John's by six kings,
and he proudly sat at the stern. The annals of the
city deal largely with Saxon times, and are replete
with interest, but our object is more to make a
survey than relate the history of Chester.
A visitor should first walk round the walls, noting
the objects of general interest in the city and the
232 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
scenery of the country around. Many objects of
minor interest will arrest his attention as he strolls
along the path at the top of the walls.
The cathedral should next be visited, and we
doubt not that some disappointment will be felt. It
has a plain and modern appearance ; it has little rich
ornament and appears more like a parish church
than a cathedral. It is a massive structure of
crumbling red sandstone, irregular in style, from
Norman to Late Perpendicular. It has a massive
tower of 127 feet, and this helps to redeem the plain-
ness of the structure. The interior contains
numerous features of interest which will detain the
visitor. If he be a man of literary taste he will be
struck by the composition of some of the monu-
mental inscriptions. Here is a fine example copied
from a tablet near the door :—
To the Memory of
John Moore Napier,
Captain of Her Majesty's 62nd Regiment,
Who died of Asiatic Cholera
in Scinde
on the 7th of July, 1846,
Aged 29 years.
The tomb is no record of high lineage ;
His may be traced by his name ;
His race was one of soldiers.
Among soldiers he lived ; among them he died ;
A soldier falling, where numbers fell with him,
In a barbarous land.
Yet there was none died more generous,
More daring, more gifted, or more religious,
On his early grave
Fell the tears of stern and hardy men,
As his had fallen on the graves of others.
"Surely," says Mr. Francis Bond, "one hears
the trumpet on the dusty field of Meeanee, and the
CHESTER 233
word of command of the stern old general. The
inscription can be by none other than Sir Charles
Napier." There is not much in verse that rings
like these few lines of prose.
The cathedral was formerly the church of the
abbey of St. Werburgh, which was for 650 years
one of the richest in England. After the dissolu-
tion of the religious houses it became the cathedral
chyrch. It has undergone restorations under the
directions of Sir Gilbert Scott and others. Some
of the details are full of interest, but it lacks the
dignity which one associates with the larger, and
even the smaller, cathedrals of this country. The
best of music and a skilfully-trained choir add a
charm to the services which cannot easily be
forgotten.
Playing at ball in the olden time used to be
extremely popular at Chester on Easter Monday. It
is said that the ball was forced into the cathedral.
*' Strange as it may seem," says the Rev. G. S.
Tyack, in " Bygone Cheshire/ ' " it is nevertheless
asserted that the Bishop and Dean took the ball
into the church, and it was bandied about between
them and the choristers during the singing of the
antiphon, a practice which, to say nothing of its
reverence, can scarcely have assisted much in the
rendering of the said antiphon." Chester was also
one of the most famous places in England for mys-
teries, or miracle plays — pageants which formed
such a curious feature in bygone religious life.
There are several interesting churches in the city ;
for example, St. John's Church. A part of this
Tuined Roman fabric has been restored. It was a
234 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
cathedral church for some years during the eleventh
century, when the See was removed from Lichfield
to Chester. The present bishopric of Chester was
constituted in the reign of Henry VIII.
The Irish poet, the Rev. Thomas Parnell, D.D.,
author of " The Hermit," one of the most beautiful
poems in the English language, died at Chester
when on his way from London to Ireland. His
mortal remains found a resting-place in Trinity
Church. His ancestors were natives of Cheshire,
and of long standing, at Congleton. It does not
seem out of place for the poet to be buried in the
land of his forefathers.
Near to this church is the Yacht Inn. It is a
fine gabled house, and was at one time the leading
hostelry of the city. Dean Swift invited the cathe-
dral dignitaries to supper, but they took no notice
of his invitation, and he revenged himself by
scratching on the window the contemptuous lines :
Rotten without, and mouldering within,
The place and its clergy are all near akin.
There is little left of the ancient castle, some part
of which may have had its origin in Roman times.
Here stood the fortress erected by the Saxon Prin-
cess El fleda in 907. William the Conqueror, in 1069,
added largely to the building, and it is not surpris-
ing that he is credited with its erection. All has
been swept away with the exception of Caesar's
Tower. On its site are barracks and county build-
ings. In 1867 there was a Fenian plot to seize
Chester Castle. Some fifteen hundred Fenians
arrived in the city on February 11, but towards
night it became known that they had been betrayed
CHESTER 235
by some of their own brotherhood, and they beat a
hasty and undignified retreat.
The Rows are perhaps the chief charm of Chester,
and strike the stranger with surprise and pleasure.
One has to see them fully to realise this curious
feature of Chester architecture. It is not easy to
trace their origin, nor yet to describe them. Quaint
Thomas Fuller spoke of them as " galleries wherein
passengers do go dry without coming into the
street, having shops on both sides and underneath,
the fashion whereof is somewhat hard to conceive.
It is worth their pains who have money and leisure
to make tHeir own eyes the expounder of the manner
thereof, the like being said not to be seen in all
England; no, nor in all Europe again." Camden
and other writers notice the peculiar style of build-
ing of these Rows at Chester, and some suggest
that they are of Roman origin. They consist of
shops at the lower storey facing the road, with
larger shops set well back on the second storey,
having rooms over the broad walks. Steps from
the road lead to the Rows. In these later times
much rebuilding has taken place in Chester, and
the old style has been retained. Timber and plaster,
largely used, give a most picturesque appearance
to the houses.
Many of the old houses should be carefully in-
spected, but we can only linger over a few
examples. The chief historic house of bygone
Chester is Derby House, or Stanley Palace ; it is
known by both these titles. The date of the erec-
tion is 1591, according to a carving in front of the
palace. It is a fine specimen of the architecture of
236 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
its period in this country, with slight indications in
the details of the transition to the Italian style.
Within its walls the seventh earl spent the last
night before he was beheaded in the Market Place
at Bolton on October 15, 1651. At the outbreak of
the Civil War he was appointed by the King lord-
lieutenant of the counties of Chester and Derby,
where it was supposed he had great influence. He
is said to have shed the first blood in the Civil War
in a skirmish at Manchester on July 15, 1642. His
influence and ability were over-estimated. By the
King he was mistrusted, and he was not supported
by the people.
In Westergate Street is " God's Providence
House," originally built in 1652, and rebuilt on the
old design in 1862. On the main beam under the
gable is the inscription : —
God's Providence is Mine Inheritance,
1652.
From this pious legend the house obtains its
name. It has long puzzled visitors, and even resi-
dents. The generally-accepted theory, and, we
think, the correct one, is that when the plague in the
seventeenth century desolated the city, this was the
only house in the street that escaped the fearful
scourge.
Another remarkable dwelling is Bishop Lloyd's
House. It has been questioned if this just bishop
had any connection with the house that bears his
name. He was Bishop of Chester from 1604 to
1615, where he died at the early age of fifty-five. It
is recorded of him that he treated the nonconform-
ing clergy with much leniency, protecting them
CHESTER 237
from persecution as much as he could. There are
numerous other houses which merit consideration,
but we have not space to linger over their history.
The Dee Mills must be seen, and will recall the
Jolly Miller of the Dee. He and his mills are linked
with story, proverb, and song. His well-known
song seems to be destined for all time : —
I care for nobody, no not I,
And nobody cares for me.
Old-world Chester favourably impressed Wash-
ington Irving. He introduces it into his " Sketch
Book." " I shall never forget," wrote the Ameri-
can author, " the delight I felt on first seeing a
May-pole. It was on the banks of the Dee, close
by the picturesque old bridge that stretches across
the river from the quaint little city of Chester. I
had already been carried back into former days by
the antiquities of the venerable place, the examina-
tion of which is equal to the turning over the pages
of a black-letter volume, or gazing on the pictures
of Froissart. The May-pole on the margin of that
poetic stream completed the illusion. My fancy
adorned it with wreaths of flowers, and peopled the
green banks with all the dancing revelry of May
Day."
The echo of another old custom comes down to us
which was once common in the city and country,
and under slightly different forms still lingers in
the more remote parts of the county. On All Souls'
eve it was customary for both men and children to
go from door to door a-souling — i.e., begging for
soul cakes, or anything else good-natured folk were
disposed to give. Sometimes a play was performed,
238 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
but in all instances the following or a similar song
was sung :
You gentlemen of England, pray you now draw near
To these few lines, and you shall hear
Sweet melody of music all on this evening clear.
For we are come a-souling, for apples and strong beer.
Step down into your cellar, and see what you can find,
If your barrels are not empty, we hope you will prove kind;
We hope you will prove kind with your apples and strong
beer.
We'll come no more a-souling until another year.
Cold winter it is coming on, dark, dirty, wet, and cold,
To try your good nature, this night we do make bold ;
This night we do make bold with your apples and strong
beer,
And we'll come no more a-souling until another year.
All the houses that we've been at we've had both meat and
drink,
So now we're dry with travelling, we hope you'll on us think;
We hope you'll on us think with your apples and strong beer,
For we'll come no more a-souling until another year.
God bless the master of this house and the mistress also,
And all the little children that round the table go ;
Likewise your men and maidens, your cattle and your store
And all that lies within your gates we wish you ten times
more :
We wish you ten times more with your apples and strong
beer,
And we'll come no more a-souling until another year.
Many public modern buildings are most artistic,
and are in keeping with the ancient city. Among
them may be mentioned the Grosvenor Museum.
It merits a visit, for it is rich in local antiquities,
and is a credit to the taste and public spirit of
Chester.
OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
ELSIE M. LANG
(PART II.)
DOVER
To many of the hundreds of travellers who daily
pass through Dover, it is merely a bustling modern
port from which they can cross to France in the
shortest possible space of time. Perhaps they may
catch a glimpse of the castle, or the cliffs on either
hand recall to their minds allusions to the " white
cliffs of old England," but that is all. Yet it is a
place of unique interest, and modern though its
present aspect is, dates back to the days of the
ancient Britons ; in fact, when our first chronicles
begin, it was already an important and strongly
fortified port, and universally recognised as the key
to England. Julius Caesar sailed for Dover when
he set out upon his great invasion, and although
prevented from landing by the sight of " armed
forces . . . stationed on all the hills," he
returned immediately after his victorious attempt at
Deal and took the town by storm. A hundred years
later, when the Romans renewed their conquest,
their first care was to erect at Dover as a beacon
tower to guide their ships across the Straits, the
pharos which still stands upon the castle heights,
and is undoubtedly the oldest building in the
kingdom. Dover can boast yet another building,
239
240 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
dating from the first century, the church of St.
Mary-in-the-Castle, the tower and nave of which,
in the opinion of archaeologists, were erected by the
Romans as a fortification and joined to the pharos
by an arched passage, concrete foundations and
part of the arch being still in evidence. The
chancel, transepts, south doorway, and some of the
windows appear to date from the fourth century,
and probably the Romans transformed it into a
church shortly before they quitted the country.
It bears traces of a Saxon restoration, and possesses
a coffin-lid belonging to the same period.
William the Conqueror, who came straight to
Dover from his victory at Hastings, found it an
important and prosperous town with a guild-hall,
a strongly fortified castle, and a great Benedictine
monastery, and boasting special municipal privileges
which had been granted by Alfred the Great for a
successful repulse of the Danes : — his soldiers left
it a heap of blackened ruins. For this lawless
act, however, they received severe punishment,
and the astute William, who fully recognised the
value of the portsmen's friendship, compensated the
latter in such royal fashion that the town speedily
rose like a phoenix from its ashes. The Benedictine
monastery dated from Saxon times, and was known
as St. Martin's-le-Grand ; its first home had been
in the castle, its second in the market-place, but the
monks grew so lax and indifferent that in the reign
of Henry I. Archbishop Corbeuil turned most of
them adrift and built a new priory and church
called St. Mary and St. Martin Newark (new work)
outside the town. Various parts of these buildings
DOVER. The Castle.
DOVER 24 r
are still to be seen, some in ruins, but others in a
state of perfect preservation, for the site is now
occupied by Dover College, and the beautiful refec-
tory, one of the finest specimens of a Norman
refectory in the kingdom, is used as the college hall.
Dover's wealth has from time immemorial been
drawn from two sources : traffic with the Continent
and the Norfolk herring fisheries ; the former, of
course, increased considerably under the Norman
kings, and as for the latter, when their ships were
no longer needed to keep the French at bay, the
townsmen were able to send a larger fleet to the fish-
ing. Thus Dover grew and prospered and was made
head of the corporation known as the Cinque Ports,
which is still in existence, although the other ports,
Romney, Sandwich, Hastings and Hythe, have
long since sunk into decay, owing to the perpetual
silting up of their harbours by the wash of the sea.
The installation of the Lord Warden of the Cinque
Ports, an office combined with that of Constable of
Dover Castle, and at present held by Lord Brassey,
is still conducted with the old-time pomp and cere-
mony. The freemen of the Cinque Ports were
advanced by the Conqueror to the, dignity of
barons, and were privileged to send four of their
number to hold a silken canopy aloft upon four
spears over the King's head at his coronation, and to
sit upon his right hand at the banquet afterwards.
It is naturally in the castle that the history of the
town centres. Of the earliest fortifications, the
work of Britons, Romans and Saxons, little now
remains except the earthworks of the middle ward
and Earl Godwin's Tower in the outer wall, and it
242 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
is to the Normans that we owe most of the present
buildings, with additions and restorations made by
succeeding generations. The ancient place of en-
trance is still in use, and British, Roman, Saxon
and Norman feet have wended their way up the path
that leads to the Colt on Gate. The castle covers
about thirty-five acres, and consists of three wards ;
the wall surrounding the outer ward contained
twenty-seven towers, one of which, the Constable's
Tower, with Norman drawbridge, portcullis and
gates, is now used as the main entrance and con-
sidered " one of the grandest gateways in Eng-
land." It was formerly known as Fiennes Tower
after Sir John de Fiennes, who, with a band of eight
other knights, was set to guard the castle by the
Conqueror, each receiving in return for his service
certain manors or " knights' fees." Eight other
towers in the outer wall perpetuate their memory,
Fulbert de Dover's, Arsick, Crevequer, Mamignot,
Fitzwilliam, Averanche, Porthes and Peverell, the
last-named, containing a gateway, ditch and draw-
bridge, being the entrance to the middle ward. The
inner ward stands on much higher ground and is
surrounded by a polygonal wall called the Curtain,
which is strengthened by fourteen towers and
entered by two gates, the King's Gate, on the north,
leading from the outer ward, and the Palace, or
Duke of Suffolk's Gate, on the south, from the middle
ward. In the centre of the inner ward rises the
keep, a splendid square pile with some of its walls
more than twenty feet thick ; it was built with the
curtain and towers in the reign of Henry II.
First of the many names connected with Dover
DOVER 243
Castle is that of Godwin, Earl of Kent, father of
King Harold, to whom is attributed the existing
Saxon work, together with much of which no trace
remains. He was a sturdy champion of the towns-
folks' rights, taking their part against the King.
The first constable was Odo, Bishop of Bayeux,
half-brother to the Conqueror, whose rule was one
of oppression and exaction ; he cared nothing for
the interests of the town, as an entry in the Domesday
Book bears witness ; viz., " In the entrance of the
port of Dover there is a mill " (belonging to the
bishop), " which shatters almost every ship by the
great swell of the sea, and does great damage to the
King and his men." The townsfolk were goaded so
far as to appeal to their ancient enemy, Eustace of
Boulogne, for help in a vain attempt to take the
castle from him ; however, not long after he fell
into disgrace with the Conqueror and had to leave
the town. Greatest of all the early constables
was Hubert de Burgh, the most famous Englishman
of his day, but perhaps best remembered now as the
kindly custodian of the luckless Prince Arthur. He
held the castle during the Barons' War, when the
Dauphin of France, at their invitation, came over
to seize the throne of England, and began by attack-
ing Dover Castle. It was the most terrible siege
the castle has ever sustained; the French erected
machines round the walls for the ceaseless discharge
of huge blocks of stone, and wooden towers on the
edge of the ditch from which invisible soldiers kept
up an incessant shower of darts, but the besieged,
encouraged by De Burgh, met the attack with a
dashing gallantry which compelled the enemy to
244 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
fall back for awhile, though the Dauphin vowed he
would never leave the place until he had taken the
castle and hanged every man in it. Then came
the news of King John's death, but still De Burgh
held out, and neither bribes nor a threat to hang his
brother, who had been captured by the French,
before his eyes, could move him ; his sole answer
being : " Let not Louis conceive at all a hope that
I will surrender the castle. As long as I draw
breath never will I resign to French aliens the castle
which is the very key and gate of England." The
attack was therefore renewed with greater fury
than ever, but without result, and eventually the
arrival of reinforcements forced the French to beat
an ignominious retreat. The Dauphin collected a
fleet for a second attempt, but De Burgh, with a
few of the Cinque Port ships, drove him back before
he reached the coast. Directly peace was restored
De Burgh proceeded to strengthen the castle and
built the outer ward with its wall and towers, several
of which are connected by subterranean passages
with other parts of the castle. Part of this wall
and the cliff on which it stood fell down in an
earthquake in Queen Elizabeth's reign. Dover also
owes to De Burgh its old Town Hall, formerly known
as the Maison Dieu, which he founded as a hospital
for the rest and refreshment of the many pilgrims
who were continually journeying backwards and
forwards to France. Henry VIII. suppressed the
hospital, and the building, fallen into decay, was used
as a brew-house or victualling yard until 1852,
when it was restored to all its former beauty and
converted into a town hall. Its windows are filled
DOVER 245
with stained glass after designs by Sir E. J. Poynter,
P.R.A., and represent famous personages and events
in the history of the town. In 1868 a council
chamber was added to it, and in 1882 the Duke and
Duchess of Connaught opened the adjoining or new
town hall, the windows of which contain pictures
of some of the constables. Up to the days of the
Tudors the castle was used as a royal residence, and
many a king has been here on one of the most
important occasions in his career : — Richard I. stayed
in Dover Castle before setting out full of gallant
enthusiasm for the Crusades ; Henry III. after his
disastrous French campaign, and again when the
Barons had risen against him ; Edward I. was con-
fined in the castle as Prince of Wales during the
same Civil War, and later on met with a very differ-
ent reception when he landed at Dover on his way
back from the Crusades to receive the crown of
England. Edward II. brought his beautiful bride
Isabella straight to Dover Castle from her French
home, current gossip proclaiming them the " hand-
somest pair in the world." Henry V. landed at
Dover after his famous victory at Agincourt, and
was carried up to the castle on the shoulders of the
enthusiastic crowds, who rushed into the water to
meet him.
As for Dover harbour, that unceasing anxiety and
expense to the good burgesses of Dover, its history,
properly speaking, begins in the reign of Henry VII.
In early days the river ran out into the sea under
the castle cliff, and the ships, which were then quite
small, could sail up to Buckland, where the harbour
apparently was. At the beginning of the fourteenth
246 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
century a great fall of the cliff turned the course of
the river westward, and the wash of the sea having
built up a pebble beach on the western side of the
bay, the drift of the current changed, and the waves,
of enormous strength during the frequent south-
easterly gales, began to beat upon the town, causing
endless damage and choking the mouth of the river
and harbour with beach. To prevent this a strong
wyke or sea wall had been built across the sea-front,
but it could not long withstand the force of the
waves, and as ships were now being built on a much
larger scale a stone pier was erected running from
the western beach into the sea, to protect the town
and form a harbour for the shipping, and so great a
boon did this at first prove that the seamen gave it
the name of Paradise Pent. Before forty years
had gone by, however, it was partially destroyed,
and the entry into the harbour so choked up that
" horses and drags " were required to clear a passage
before any ship could enter or leave the port, and the
mayor and burgesses in despair sent a petition to
Henry VIII. stating that " unless some remedy be
provided the inhabitants, ship-owners as well as
others will be forced to forsake the town." Luckily
for Dover Henry fully recognised the great national
importance of its harbour, and he came down and
inspected the town himself, with the result that a
great restoration and fortifying of both castle
and harbour was put in hand, and a new pier built
on a plan that seemed to promise well. But Dover
harbour has been the grave of many engineering
reputations, and a source of much quarrelling, bad
feeling and disappointment. The new works very
DOVER 247
soon proved to be a failure, and as no more money
was forthcoming, matters were soon as bad as ever,
and so continued until Sir Walter Raleigh drew the
attention of Queen Elizabeth to the town. Once
more money was granted, all sorts of schemes were
suggested, and another pier built ; but a violent
storm spoilt most of the new work, and for the next
two centuries the pier was constantly in need of
repair and the harbour entrance choked up. To
meet the heavy expense a harbour tax was imposed
and the ancient custom revived of a drum being
beaten by the mayor to summon every householder
on pain of the fine of one shilling to repair to the
harbour with a shovel and clear away the shingle ;
and once after a great storm had done incalculable
damage every able-bodied person had to assist in
making a mud wall to keep out the sea. A letter
is still extant, superscribed " in haste, post haste, or
all's lost ; port, town and people " in which the
writer describes " a fearful inundation " and begs
that a Commissioner be immediately sent down from
Trinity House " to see the danger of desolation."
At last, after various other schemes had been tried,
the harbour was in 1791 put into a fairly satisfactory
condition, and ships drawing twenty feet of water
could enter it without damage. But it was the
nineteenth century which assured the future import-
ance and usefulness of Dover Harbour. The great
Duke of Wellington strongly advocated its extension
into a National Harbour of Refuge, and although
more than sixty years went by before money was
actually voted by Parliament for thte great under-
taking, the Admiralty Pier, which is to form its
248 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
western boundary, was built in 1847-71, and
various other works carried out for the improvement
and enlargement of the existing harbour. The
memorial stone of the outer harbour was laid by the
late King Edward when Prince of Wales in 1893,
amidst the greatest possible rejoicing, and the
work is now far advanced ; when it is completed
Dover will be the proud possessor of a magnificent
national harbour covering an area of 685 acres of
water, in which twenty of the largest battleships
and any number of cruisers and smaller boats can
ride in safety.
Meantime, among many other improvements
effected in the town, enormous care and expense
have been lavished upon strengthening and arming
its defences. It was at the time of the scare of an in-
vasion by Napoleon, when William Pitt was Warden,
that the first earthworks were thrown up on the
Western Heights and armed with cannon, and forts
erected along the sea front in which a strict watch
was kept night and day. Since then more than a
century has elapsed, and now upon the Western
Heights may be seen the Citadel, Grand Redoubt,
and Deep Redoubt, splendid specimens of modern
fortification, while in the castle 4,000 soldiers can be
assembled, and, at the end of the Admiralty Pier,
in a turret which no stranger is ever allowed to enter,
some heavy guns lie hid ready for immediate
action.
Truly Dover may be reckoned chief among our
fortified towns.
NORWICH
The fair city of Norwich has been variously called
the " City in an Orchard/' the " City of Churches/'
and to those who gaze down upon it from the lofty
battlements of the castle in its centre, or the green
heights of Mousehold Heath rising up beyond its
great cathedral, the reason for both titles is clearly
apparent. Picturesque it is still in many an odd
corner, and although the march of modern progress
has swept away much that is old, we cannot but
rejoice in widened streets and well-kept thorough-
fares when we recall the Black Death ever lurking
in the dim depths of the narrow mediaeval streets
with their picturesque signs and house-fronts, to
break out now and again in an epidemic that robbed
the good city of half its population, and the terrible
skin diseases that necessitated the building of
innumerable leper hospitals.
The origins of Norwich are so ancient that they
are lost in the mists of time, but the earliest historians
inform us that the invading Romans found a settle-
ment here surrounding a fort which they named
Venta Icenorum, held by a tribe called the Iceni,
who, led by the heroic Boadicea, made so stubborn
a resistance that even when they were subdued the
Romans had to erect a strong camp at Caistor, and
249
250 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
maintain a military force there to keep them under ;
it served, moreover, to help keep out the fierce
vikings, Danes and Angles, who were continually
swooping down upon the coast of Norfolk, and
endeavouring to effect a landing. When the
Romans at length, recalled by the needs of their
own empire, left England defenceless, the Northmen
overran the county in such numbers that it came
to be known as Norfolk, the land of the North folk.
The Angles were the first ; under their cyning or
king, Offa, they settled at Cyning's ford, now
Conisford, the oldest part of Norwich, down by the
river at the foot of the Castle Hill. Some anti-
quaries think they raised the artificial mound on
which the castle stands, and erected a stockade ;
at any rate, the burgh in their days grew into a
place of considerable importance ; it was the seat
of a royal mint, and we have coins that were minted
here by King Athelstan in the tenth century.
Then, says the Saxon Chronicle in 1002, " Swegen
came with his fleet to Northwic and wasted and
burned the burh," and the Danes took possession
of the land ; antiquaries assure us that 256 out of
the 740 Norfolk parishes were settled by them, and
Christianity, which the Saxons had introduced, had
to make way for the worship of Woden until the
time of the converted Canute. Tombland (the
Danish tomland meaning vacant land), was the
centre of Norwich in those days. Here the market
was held, and the citizens met to discuss the events
of the day ; all the main streets led up to it, and
here were the church of St. Michael, the principal
church in the burgh, and the earl's palace. By the
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NORWICH 251
time of the Conquest Norwich had grown into a
town containing 1,238 burgesses, and was considered
one of the most important cities in England. One
of the townsmen, Ralph de Guader, whose mother
was a Breton, had fallen into disgrace shortly
before, and fleeing the country, had sought refuge
in William's Norman Court. He managed to worm
his way into the Conqueror's favour, and following
in his train when he went to invade England, man-
aged to secure the earldom of East Anglia, and to
become lord of the town out of which he had been
cast. For a time all went well, and Guader was
very busy ; he built a timber keep on the top of the
castle mound, and surrounded it with a deep ditch.
He also followed the example of the Norman nobles,
and established a new burgh in which some of the
Normans, Bretons and Flemings who had come over
with the Conqueror took up their abode, also a
number of Jews under the special protection of the
King, who found their treasure chests very useful.
But the restless treachery of Guader's ambition was
not satisfied, and at the magnificent bride-ale
which celebrated his union with FitzOsbera's
daughter, he hatched a plot against his new King,
which led to his undoing ; he was not strong enough
to carry it through, and forced for the second time
to flee from Norwich, he left his brave bride to hold
the castle a little longer. Great was William's
wrath, and it fell not only upon Guader and his
followers, but also upon the innocent townsfolk,
particularly those who lived in the old burgh, and
so many of them were killed or exiled that they
could no longer hold their own against the new-
252 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
comers, and the centre of the town was removed
to Mancroft, where the new burgh was.
William now bestowed the earldom of Norfolk
upon Roger Bigod, one of the many bold, arrogant,
turbulent barons who thronged the Court, always
seeking to extend their power, always on the eve of
rebellion, and entrenching themselves in the massive
castles they built all over the kingdom. Bigod and
his sons erected the great stone keep that dominates
Norwich, but before it had risen upon the castle
mound a yet greater edifice had grown up below.
Herbert de Losinga, a brilliant and courtly young
priest, high in the favour of William Rufus, bought
from him the bishopric of East Anglia, and after-
wards realising and repenting this act of simony,
determined to build in expiation a great cathedral.
He purchased the Cowholm, a wide meadow east
of Tombland, and effected an exchange with Bigod
by which he obtained possession of St. Michael's
church and the earl's palace, both of which he
removed, and then proceeded to lay the foundation
stone of what is still " the most perfect of Anglo-
Norman cathedrals," and " has come down to our
own day with nearly the entire shell of the original
fabric intact." The presbytery choir, the north and
south transepts, and the three beautiful chapels,
St. Mary's, St. Luke's and the Jesus, are all the
work of Losinga, and his effigy stands over the
outer door of the north transept. The nave and
cloisters, which are the second largest in England,
were not completed until the twelfth century, and
in consequence of their slow construction we can
study in them the whole development of Gothic
NORWICH 253
architecture. The nave is of unusual length. The
best views of the cathedral, which is unfortunately
situated on some of the lowest ground in the city,
are to be obtained from the south-west angle of the
cloisters, and from the Ethelbert and Erpingham
gates. Alongside the church Losinga also founded
a Benedictine convent for sixty monks, between
whom and the townsfolk there soon came to be
perpetual feuds ; these usually came to a head on
Fair Day, a fair having been granted to the town on
the foundation of the priory. The monks were
frequently the aggressors, and used to shoot arrows
and throw stones at inoffensive citizens strolling
across Tombland. On one occasion the monks
sallied forth from the priory, drank and caroused,
fought and plundered, and did so much damage
that the townsfolk in revenge burnt the close, the
gates and adjoining buildings, and carried off
everything they could lay hands on. Several monks
were killed and the prior escaped to Yarmouth,
where he appealed to the King. Rough justice was
dealt out all round : the ringleaders were executed,
or dragged about the city by horses until they died ;
the prior was imprisoned, and the townsfolk had to
pay a heavy fine towards the restoration of the
cathedral.
The Jews, too, were seldom left in peace. They
were the physicians, pawnbrokers, and usurers of
the community, and occasionally became very rich,
but scandals were frequently got up about them,
and every one conspired to defraud them. They
were robbed and imprisoned, banished and killed.
The King would remit debts to them and extorted
254 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
money from them whenever he wanted it. King
John ordered the teeth of Isaac of Norwich to be
drawn out one by one until he consented to yield
up 10,000 marks ; this famous Jew's house, once
known as Isaac's Hall, is still standing in King Street,
and in later days passed through the hands of the
Yelvertons, the Pastons, and Chief Justice Coke.
The worst persecution of the Jews was in 1144,
when they were accused of crucifying a little Chris-
tian boy and burying him in Thorpe Wood ; the
body was exhumed and the child canonized as St.
William, Boy and Martyr. A history of the affair
was written by a monk and a shrine set up in Norwich
Cathedral, to which numberless pilgrims travelled.
Henry V. left his coronet in pawn with the Jews of
Norwich when he went to the French Wars, taking
with him amongst others the gallant Sir Thomas
Erpingham, builder of Erpingham Gate.
In 1252 the city was enclosed with walls and a
ditch. The woollen and weaving trades, upon which
the prosperity of Norwich has been chiefly based,
were by this time beginning to grow ; even in the
twelfth century an old chronicler tells us the Norwich
men were " for the most part weavers, they knew
not how to bear arms in knightly wise." Weaving
had been introduced into Flanders by the grandfather
of Queen Matilda, wife of the Conqueror, and was
brought into this country by the Flemings, many
of whom had come over to England at the Conquest,
while others were included among Losinga's army
of foreign workmen and Stephen's foreign mercen-
aries ; thus for more than a century there was a
constant influx of Flemings into England. By the
NORWICH.
The Cathedral.
NORWICH 255
end of the thirteenth century eight Cistercian
convents were established in or near Norwich, and
as this order derived the greater part of its income
from sheep-breeding and wool, the woollen trade
of Norwich increased by leaps and bounds. About
I33° John Kempe came from Flanders with his
family and servants and settled in Norwich, where
he taught his system of weaving. In 1338 a further
number of foreigners settled in Norwich, and the
town began to be very crowded. Again and again
the Black Death appeared, and in the fourteenth
century it carried off so many of the working-class
that the labourers felt themselves in a position to
insist on higher wages and better conditions. All
over the country there was great discontent and
rioting, and at Norwich 40,000 malcontents gathered
round John Littester, a dyer, known as the " Idol
of Norwich." Their first step was to send for the
Governor of Norwich, who was one of the hand-
somest and bravest men of his time, and having
by sheer force of numbers compelled him to appear
before them, their leader thus addressed him : —
" Robert, you are a knight and a man of great
weight in this county, renowned for your valour ;
yet, notwithstanding all this we know who you are ;
you are not a gentleman, but the son of a poor
mason, just as ourselves. Do you come with us as
our commander, and we will make so great a lord
of you that one-quarter of England shall be under
your command." But Sir Robert was faithful
to the trust reposed in him by his king, and indig-
nantly rejecting their proposals he set about him
with his sword, and killed twelve of the rebels,
256 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
besides wounding many others, before he was
overpowered and cut into bits. Having wrung a
large amount of money from the frightened towns-
folk, the rebels entrenched themselves at North
Walsham, making their camp secure by piling up
around it gates and tables, and anything on which
they could lay hands, and enclosing it with a deep
ditch. Meantime the townsfolk waited in fear and
trepidation. When news of the rising reached the
ears of Spencer, Bishop of Norwich, who had been
away travelling, he clapped on a helmet and coat
of mail, and taking a sword in his hand, called on
every man able to bear arms to follow him ; hundreds
joined him and they set off hot-foot for the rebel
camp. Led by the fiery bishop, they bore down
upon the unsuspecting insurgents with such extra-
ordinary fury that in a very short space of time the
ringleaders were captured and the camp was com-
pletely at their mercy. The conflict over, the
bishop resumed his episcopal robes, heard the
confessions of the captives and accompanied them
to the gallows.
By the fifteenth century civic life in Norwich was
a gaily-coloured, flourishing affair; the trades
had grouped themselves into guilds, of which the
first and foremost was " The Gild of St. Mary, called
the Great Gild of Norwich/' and on high days and
holidays they had brilliant pageants or gave per-
formances of quaint miracle plays. All the great
families of Norfolk had town houses in Norwich,
the Fastolfs, the Erpinghams, the Pastons, the
Yelvertons, and many others. The Duke of Norfolk
had his palace here, and his son, the Earl of Surrey,
NORWICH 257
a mansion both on Mousehold Heath and in Surrey
Street. Every monastic establishment in the county
also had its town house or inn. But though the
town grew wealthy and the trades flourished, there
was much misery among the poor, who were op-
pressed by the wealthy landlords, and in 1549,
unable to bear it any longer, a band of peasants
armed themselves with pikes and scythes, and swore
that their wrongs should be redressed. Robert
Kett, a tanner, was their leader, and they encamped
upon Mousehold Heath in huts of turf, roofed with
boughs. In a few days their numbers had reached
20,000, and Kett felt emboldened to take possession
of the Earl of Surrey's mansion, which he turned
into a prison, shutting up m it all the gentlemen he
could capture, one of whom was the mayor. Every
day he held a court under a tree known as the Oak
of Reformation. There he drew up a petition
containing a list of grievances which he sent to the
King. In it the peasants begged that the lords of
the manor should no longer be allowed to enclose
the common lands ; that " prests or vicars that be
not able to preche and sett forth the woords of God
to hys parisheners may be thereby putt from hys
benyfice ; that all bonde men may be ffre, for God
made all ffre by His precious blode sheddynge ;
that all the rivers be ffre and comon to all men for
fyshyng and passage, and that pore men's chyldren
of tier paryshe should be taught the boke called
the Cathakysme and the prymer." This petition,
simple and pathetic though it was, left the King
indifferent ; he merely sent a herald to proclaim
pardon to all that " wolde humbly submit them-
258 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
selves and depart quietly every man to his house.1 '
Kett replied : " Kings are wont to pardon wicked
persons — not innocent and just men. We have done
nothing to deserve such pardon, and have been
guilty of no crime. We therefore despise such
speeches as unprofitable to our purpose." For a
time they kept the King's troops at bay, aided by the
secretly sympathizing townsfolk, fighting being
confined to skirmishes in the streets and alleys,
but at length the Earl of Warwick, with a large
army of Italian and German mercenaries, drove
them forth to Mousehold Heath and forced them to
open battle at Dussyn's Dale. The inexperienced
peasants had no chance against the highly-trained
mercenaries in the open, and they went down like
grass before them, dying where they stood, but
holding on undauntedly until Warwick, struck by
admiration and pity, promised the survivors pardon
if they would surrender, Kett and the ringleaders
alone being hung on the Oak of Reformation.
In 1564 the trade in woollens and worsteds
declined to such an extent that the workers were
sore put to it, and Elizabeth, in the hope of reviving
it, permitted a number of Dutch and Walloons,
fleeing from the Duke of Alva's persecutions in the
Netherlands, to settle in the town, into which they
introduced the making of " bayes, sayes, arras,
mockades and such like," to the great advantage
of the city. On the whole they lived peaceably
with the inhabitants, and it was said of them,
" They live wholly of themselves without our charge,
and do beg of no man, and do sustain all their own
people." In 1582 their numbers had increased to
NORWICH 259
4,679. When Elizabeth paid a visit to the city one
of the many pageants arranged in her honour was
called the " Artizan Strangers' Pageant/' which
included representatives of all the various manu-
factures of the city, and had eight little girls spinning
worsted on one side of the platform and eight
knitting on the other. To them was due the
introduction of printing into the city, the first
Norwich book being printed by Anthony Solen in
1570. Doubtless it was the memory of former
persecutions of the many foreign citizens that made
Norwich so zealous in the raising of forces and money
to repel the Spanish Armada.
The Howards, who were now the Dukes of
Norfolk, attained great eminence, the Duke of
Norfolk in Elizabeth's reign even aspiring to the
hand of Mary Queen of Scots. In 1602 he began to
build a wonderful palace in Norwich, which took
fifty years in the making, and was esteemed one of
the most magnificent buildings in England ; it
had splendid gardens stretching along by the river,
with a tennis court and walks twenty feet wide,
and in it the reigning duke feasted and entertained
right royally ; here Charles II. was once a guest,
on which occasion he knighted Thomas Browne, the
famous author of the " Religio Medici," who lived
for many years in a house near St. Peter Mancroft,
and was buried in that church. Sir Thomas was
one of the most learned men who ever lived in
Norwich, the most renowned antiquary of the day,
interested specially in Roman remains. It was
the discovery of some Roman urns at Norwich that
was the occasion of his writing " Urn Burial."
26o OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Another most famous citizen of Norwich was
George Borrow, who was clerk in a lawyer's office
in this city. It was in the cattle mart that he first
met the gipsies, whose wild free life and strange
haunting dialect appealed to him so strongly;
in the long summer evenings he used to sit with
them by their camp fires on Mousehold Heath,
listening to the curious tales which stood him in
such good stead when he wrote " Lavengro " and
" Romany Rye." His younger brother was a pupil
of the famous artist, of whom Norwich is justly
proud, " Old Crome," whose father had been an
innkeeper in the worst part of Norwich. As a boy
he was apprenticed to a sign painter, and on his
rare holidays used to wander over Mousehold
Heath and drink in the loveliness which he after-
wards immortalised in his pictures. He was the
founder of the Norwich School of artists, one of
whom was Cotman, the son of a Norwich silk
mercer. Crome lies buried in St. George, Colegate,
where there is a tablet to his memory.
For five hundred years the great castle was used
as a gaol, but it is now the property of the Corpora-
tion, who have converted it into one of the finest
museums in the country.
BRISTOL
Bristol is a city of merchants, and the churches
and charities they have founded. It was the
Saxons who first discovered what an excellent har-
bour was afforded by the river Avon near its junction
with the Frome, and they speedily turned the little
town that already stood on the river banks into a
port which in after years was rivalled in importance
only by London itself. The first known date
connected with its history is furnished by two silver
pennies of the reign of Ethelred the Unready (978-
1016), which have an inscription signifying that they
were struck at Bristol. The earliest merchants
dealt in slaves, young men and girls, whom they
obtained by force and sold in the market-place or
shipped to Ireland. This traffic in human beings
was strictly forbidden after the introduction of
Christianity, but the Bristol merchants contrived
to evade all laws even after the Conquest. At last
Wulfstan, bishop of Worcester, came to plead, and
so wrought upon them that with one exception
they promised to give up their wicked trade, and
turning upon the merchant who remained stubborn
they put out his eyes and drove him from the town.
This, however, was by no means the last of the slave
trade in Bristol ; centuries afterwards it again became
a source of great profit to the town.
261
262 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
In early days the Frome and the Avon entirely
surrounded Bristol except for a narrow neck of land
on the Gloucestershire side, on which in 1088 the
castle was built, and, being on an eminence, the
highest point of the present Castle Street, it com-
manded the harbour as well as the one approach by
land. A bridge spanned the Avon just where it
does now, and beyond it the town centred round
the carfax formed by Wine and Corn Streets, and
High and Broad Streets. To render it even more
secure it was enclosed by walls ; no wonder that in
Norman days Bristol, besides being one of the
richest, was considered the most impregnable city
in England. Nothing of the castle now remains
except the entrance to the banqueting hall in Tower
Street, the sub-structure of the chapel and a large
room in Castle Street, while the site of the old draw-
bridge is occupied by the tramway centre, one of the
busiest parts of the town.
After the Conquest all sorts of religious com-
munities settled near Bristol, and among them
the Knights Templars, who lived for a century or
more in the present parish of Temple and built the
Temple Church. The hospital of the Bons Hommes
was also instituted about this time, the beautiful
chapel of which, recently restored, is now known as
the Mayor's. At the beginning of the twelfth
century the Abbey of St. Augustine was founded,
and when four hundred years later Henry VIII.
suppressed the monasteries and raised Bristol to the
dignity of a bishopric, the abbey chapel, partly
restored and rebuilt, became the cathedral, although
it did not attain its present size and beauty until a
BRISTOL. The Temple Church.
BRISTOL 263
generation or two ago. Nothing of the original
building now remains except the Norman gateway
and the chapter house.
In the thirteenth century the channel was cut
through which the Frome now flows, and the old one
filled up, and a second bridge was built over the Avon
to connect Redcliff and Temple with the town of
which they soon became part. Bristol by this time
was doing a thriving trade in wool, cloth of home
manufacture, soap also made in the town, fish
caught along the coast and in great request for fast-
days, leather from the tanneries already springing
up along the banks of the Avon, and wines from
the south of France, a branch of trade introduced
by Henry II. when he married Eleanor of Aquitaine.
By degrees the various trades formed themselves
into guilds, each having its own district : the weavers
occupied Temple, and numbered among them some
of the wealthiest citizens in Bristol, one of whom,
Thomas Blanket, gave his name to that useful
article which he manufactured in great quantities ;
their guild chapel, dedicated to St. Katherine, still
stands near the Temple Church. The fullers or
tuckers lived in Tucker Street, the corn-dealers in
Corn Street, and so on. The chief guild was, oi
course, the merchants', which in the fifteenth century
developed into the famous corporation known as
the Merchant Venturers. Many of the members
of this guild lived magnificently in great houses
luxuriously furnished, but in spite of their wealth
and splendour and the beautiful buildings already
in existence, Bristol in mediaeval days was a dirty
and squalid town. The streets, unsafe for vehicles
264 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
on account of the many cellars for the storage of
merchandise which ran underneath them, were very
narrow and dark, with great bulkheads over the
shops, stalls encroaching upon the roadway and a
drain running down the centre into which the refuse
from all the houses streamed. It is not surprising
that three leper hospitals were considered necessary,
and that when the Black Death came in the four-
teenth century it wrought so great a destruction
that " the whole strength of the town perished/'
and grass grew in the principal streets. But when
the visitation was over, those who survived and
upon whom the whole wealth and trade of the town
devolved, set to work with the energy for which the
men of Bristol have always been renowned and,
hiring a large number of the rural population to
come in and work for them, they gradually built
up the prosperity of the town anew and by the begin-
ning of the fifteenth century it was more thriving
than ever. The trials through which they had
passed, however, were not without effect upon the
burgesses of Bristol : religion began to occupy a
far more important place in their lives, and they de-
voted great sums of money to restoring and building
churches and the relief of the sick and poor ; pil-
grimages were frequent, the festivals of the Church
were observed with ceremony and rejoicing, and no
new enterprise was undertaken without a priest's
blessing.
The exquisite upper stage which has caused the
Temple Church to incline slightly to one side dates
from this period, and so does the restored fabric of
St. Mary, Redcliff, that thirteenth century church
BRISTOL 265
which was afterwards praised by Queen Elizabeth
as " the fairest, the goodliest and most famous
parish church in England." Its restoration was due
to the liberality of William Canynges, chief of the
merchant princes of that age, whose trade with
northern Europe far exceeded that of any of his
contemporaries. He was five times mayor and twice
represented Bristol in Parliament ; his good deeds
were endless, and towards the close of his life he
retired from the world and, taking Holy Orders,
spent his last few years at Westbury-on-Trym.
During the fifteenth century there was a great
revival of learning, and the eager desire for know-
ledge which was felt all over England, took the form
in Bristol port of attempts to discover the unknown
lands which it was confidently believed existed on
the other side of the Atlantic. These attempts were
directed by John Cabot, a Genoese merchant, who,
after sundry visits to Bristol, had settled in the town
in 1491. For six successive years Bristol men sailed
with him in search of the ** Island of Brazil and the
seven cities," and returned disappointed. In 1498
they set out for the seventh time, in five ships, and
accompanied by Cabot's son Sebastian, and after
a voyage of nearly two months, their perseverance
was rewarded by the first sight of the new world,
and, landing, they planted the flag of England on
the coast of North America a year before Columbus
discovered the southern continent. After sailing
round the Gulf of St. Lawrence, John Cabot returned
to Bristol, where he met with an enthusiastic recep-
tion and was hailed as the " Great Admiral," but
Sebastian went on further along the coast of Labrador
266 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
" until seyng suche heapes of Ise before hym, he
was enforced to tourne his sayles." He brought
back to England as a present to the King three
savages who " were clothed in beasts' skins and
ate raw flesh, and were in their demeanour like brute
beasts." England, however, had few charms for
him, despite the fact that Bristol was his birthplace,
and he soon left it to enter the service of the King of
Spain. These discoveries were followed by others
described by Richard Hakluyt, then a canon of
Bristol, in his famous book, " Navigations, Voyages
and Discoveries," and enthusiasm for foreign trade
grew until every one who could scrape together a
little money invested in some such enterprise.
This private trading, however, proved a great
hindrance to the Bristol merchants, and they com-
plained to the King, who gave them a charter, which
conferred upon them the title of the Merchant
Venturers of Bristol, and forbade any one else to
trade beyond seas. Another great hindrance to
the merchants was the Spaniards, who continually
attacked their ships, and great were the rejoicings
in Bristol when the Spanish Armada was defeated,
as the Neptune Fountain in Victoria Street bears
witness.
By the end of the seventeenth century trade with
the southern States of America and the West Indies
was thoroughly established, and the golden age of
Bristol commerce had set in, sugar and tobacco were
at first the chief imports, but the great plantations
in which they were grown being worked by negroes,
the Bristol merchants soon discovered that slaves
were more profitable still, and traffic in human life
BRISTOL 267
became for the second time the chief source of the
town's wealth. For bars of iron and other manu-
factured goods they purchased negroes on the coast
of Africa, packed them tightly together in the
holds of their vessels, and sailed for the West Indies,
or the southern States. Many of the poor wretches
did not survive the horrors of the voyage, but they
had cost little, and their loss did not affect the mer-
chants who, their human freight disposed of, re-
loaded their ships with sugar and tobacco for the
journey home. For more than a century and a half
the infamous trade went on, and it only came to an
end when the noble efforts of Wilberforce brought
about the abolition of slavery. Meanwhile, Bristol
flourished exceedingly, the docks were crowded
with West Indiamen, the yards with vessels in
course of construction, the great sugar refineries,
one of the sights of the city, were in full swing, and
the whole town was pervaded with the pleasant hum
of bustling prosperity. The merchants' wealth
caused the King himself to pay them court, and the
voices of visitors to the town, among whom were the
famous Evelyn and still more famous Pepys, were
loud in its praise. Defoe stayed in Bristol when he
was collecting material for his " Tour Through the
Whole Island," but unfortunately it was when he
had just been made bankrupt and he had in conse-
quence to spend most of his time in hiding from the
bailiffs, a circumstance which earned him the title
of the " Sunday Gentleman." It was at Bristol
that Defoe saw Alexander Selkirk, brought thither
by the sea captain who had rescued him from his
uninhabited island, and learnt the story of his
268 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
adventures upon which he afterwards founded
" Robinson Crusoe/'
Best and greatest of all Bristol's many merchant
princes, the man whom the town will never grow
weary of honouring, and whose birthday is regarded
as the most important day in the year, and celebrated
with prayer and feasting, speechmaking and collec-
tions for the poor, was Edward Colston, whose chief
pleasure lay in spending his great wealth for the
benefit of his native city. On all sides there are
memorials of him : the splendid school at Stapleton
was his gift, so were the almshouses on St. Michael's
Hill, the charity school in Temple Street, and the
merchants' almshouses in King Street. His statue
stands in the centre of the gardens near the tramway
centre and a hall in memory of him was opened in
1900 on the site once occupied by a Carmelite
monastery. He died in 1721, in the days when the
Hotwells was a fashionable resort that rivalled
Bath in elegance and popularity.
Another man, or rather youth, whose fame is now
world-wide, did much, although unconsciously, for
Bristol, the ill-fated Thomas Chatterton, for it was
his daring forgeries which first aroused in the town
an interest in literature. He was born at Bristol
in 1753, his family having been connected with the
town for centuries, and was educated at Colston
School, leaving at an early age to be apprenticed to a
small solicitor. He relieved the tedious drudgery of
the office by writing verse and dreaming of fame, but,
fearing he would never obtain a hearing for his poems,
he pretended they were the work of one Rowley, an
imaginary chaplain of Canynges, and that his father
BRISTOL 269
had found them in the muniment-room of St. Mary,
Redcliff , when he was sexton there. His statements
were believed, and the successful publication of
the poems tempting him to continue he produced the
** Rise of Peynctynge in England/' and had the
audacity to send it to Horace Walpole. That astute
authority was deceived for the time being, although
he afterwards discovered his mistake, and Chatterton,
full of hope, came to London. Three months'
starvation, however, in an obscure lodging com-
pletely disillusioned him, and utterly despairing, he
put an end to himself at the age of seventeen. His
work shows traces of great genius, and but for his
unnecessary and most unfortunate imposture, he
might have lived to enjoy an honoured position in
the world of letters. It was soon after his death
that Hannah More, the poetess, began her literary
career. Her work, unlike his, was greatly appre-
ciated in her lifetime, but is seldom read in the
present day. She helped her sisters to keep a
select boarding-school in the town, and a public
hall bearing her name now stands on the site of the
house and garden in which they lived for many
years. Robert Southey's is another and greater
literary name connected with Bristol. He was the
son of a linendraper in Wine Street, and went to
school at the Fort on St. Michael's Hill. One of his
greatest friends was Robert Lovell, the Quaker
poet, son of a pin-maker on Castle Green, and the
other was Coleridge, whom he first met in Bristol in
1794 ; all three were ardent Revolutionists, and
their dream was to found a settlement in the New
World where all should labour for the common good
270 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
and live in peace and harmony. Fired with youthful
enthusiasm they gave a series of lectures in the town,
which were very popular, and brought them a
publisher, a young man named Joseph Cottle, who
issued from his shop the early poems of the three,
which included Coleridge's " Ancient Mariner."
They married the three daughters of a Bristol
tradesman, and often returned to the town in latei
life.
The trade of Bristol began to decline a hundred
years ago, largely owing to the keen competition
of Liverpool, but Bristol men have set to work
with a will, and there is every reason to believe thai
she has a future before her not unworthy of her past.
GUILDFORD
Rising from the banks of the gently gliding Wey
in the heart of the North Downs, which, in sweeps of
moorland, green pasturage, and wooded upland lie
upstretched around, Guildford is one of the most
picturesque of our county towns. Cobbett, writing
of it in his " Rural Rides," in October, 1825, says :
" . . . the town of Guildford, which (taken with
its environs) I, who have seen so many many towns,
think the prettiest, and taken all together, the most
agreeable and happy-looking that I ever saw in
my life." The most plausible explanation of its
name is that an ancient trade guild ruled the place,
and that there was a ford over the river at the foot
of the High Street, and certainly the story of its
guild, or Gild-merchant as it was called, is very
closely interwoven with the history of the town.
The first mention of Guildford is in the will of
Alfred the Great in a.d. 900, wherein he bequeathed
it to his nephew Ethelwald ; when Ethelwald died
it reverted to the Crown, and continued to be Crown
property and a place of royal residence until the time
of the Tudors. From the reign of Ethelred II. to
the reign of Henry I. it was the seat of a royal
mint, the earliest coins bearing the name of Dunstan,
evidently the famous Archbishop, who is known to
have been a skilled worker in metals. In the Domes-
271
272 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
day Survey is the entry : — " In Guildeford King
William possesses 75 tenements in which reside
175 men." These " tenements " were mostly down
on the west side of the river, and there the wool
and cloth trade began, later to become so important,
but when the castle was built at the beginning of
Henry II.'s reign, another part of the community
grew up under the shelter of its walls on the east
side. By the twelfth century the wool and cloth
trades were in full swing. The reason Guildford
was chosen to be a seat of these manufactures was,
not only that the water of the river was particularly
good for the fulling, but because in the neighbour-
hood were to be found three plants which were
constantly used by the dyers : the fullers* teasle,
the buckthorn and the woad, all of which still flourish
here. The great day of the year was the Feast of
St. Blaise, the patron of the town and of all wool-
combers. On this day no work was done, High
Mass was observed in St. Mary's, alms were given to
the poor, the Gild-merchant met for the election of
officers and for a banquet, bonfires blazed on all
the hills, and early next morning the new officers
made their communion together " at the Mass at the
church nigh unto the river, where the fulling took
place." The church referred to was the first of the
four churches which have stood on the site of the
present St. Nicholas. St. Mary's, which, though
added to and restored, dates back to the eleventh
century, is the oldest building in Guildford. By the
time of Richard II. the cloth trade of Guildford had
become so important that an Act of Parliament was
passed concerning it, and the ancient Company
GUILDFORD 273
known as the Merchants of the Staple, whose officers
examined the various cloths of the country and
made reports thereon, granted a certificate to the
town in 1482, stating that they had no fault to find
with the Guildford cloth-workers and that their cloth
was " honest/' and accordingly allowed their arms, a
woolsack tied at the four corners, to be included
in the arms of the town. Queen Elizabeth issued
an order that every inn in Guildford was to have a
sign with a woolsack painted upon it hung over the
door on penalty of a fine of six and eightpence.
She also bestowed upon the mayor as his staff of
office a rod of the rare Campeachy wood, which was
used to dye objects of special value and importance.
In the seventeenth century the trade had begun to
decline. This, according to Aubrey, was because of
the clothiers' " fraudulent practice '* and " avaricious
method of stretching their cloth from 18 yds. to 22
or 23, which being discovered abroad they returned
their commodity on their hands and it would sell
in no market." Archbishop Abbot, the town's
chief benefactor, whose father had been a Guildford
clothier, took great interest in the trade and did his
best to revive it. He gave £100 to be distributed in
£5 portions to every man who would set up a loom
in the town, and later he allotted certain rents,
amounting to £100 a year, for the employment of
young persons in some manufacture to be carried
on in the town. He also required the brethren of
his hospital to wear gowns of Guildford blue cloth
when they attended Divine service. His efforts,
however were of only temporary avail, and by 1755
the trade had entirely died out. Many of Guildford's
274 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
chief benefactors had been clothiers or cloth manu-
facturers, and various memorials of the trade
remain ; the mill at the foot of the town is still
called the Fulling Mill, there is a building in a
passage in the High Street which has always gone by
the name of the Manufactory, while the approach
to the caverns near the castle is known as Rack Close
because the large wooden racks were set up there
on which the dyed cloths were placed out in the sun
to dry.
The story of the birth of Archbishop Abbot,
most distinguished of Guildford's sons, is an inter-
esting one, as told by Aubrey : — " His father was a
Cloathworker and he was born at the first house
over the bridge in St. Nicholas parish (now, 1692,
a public house known by the sign of the Three
Mariners) and his mother when she was with child
of him dreamt, that if she should eat a jack or pike
the son in her womb would be a great man ; upon
this she was indefatigable to satisfy her longing as
well as her dream ; she first enquired out for the
fish ; but accidentally taking up some of the river
water (that runs close by the house) in a pail
she took up the much-desired banquet, dress* d it
and devour' d it almost all. This odd affair made
no small noise in the neighbourhood, and the
curiosity of it made several people of quality offer
themselves to be sponsors at the baptismal font
when she was delivered ; and three were chosen
who maintained him at school, and at the university
afterwards. This dream, etc., was attested to me
by the Minister and several of the most sober inhabi-
tants of the place." Abbot was educated at the
GUILDFORD 275
Free Grammar School, and at Balliol College, Ox-
ford ; in 1597 he was elected Master of University
College ; in 1609 he was created Bishop of Coventry
and Lichfield, in 1610 Bishop of London, and in 161 1
Archbishop of Canterbury. " He did first creep,
then run, they fly into preferment, or rather, prefer-
ment did fly upon him without his expectation/'
wrote Fuller* His last years were saddened by an
unfortunate accident : when deer-shooting at
Bramshill he unwittingly killed a keeper who had
twice been warned to keep out of the way ; he was
horribly distressed, pensioned the unfortunate man's
widow and imposed upon himself several severe
penances, but this was not the end of the matter.
Certain bishops-elect who were jealous of him,
among them Laud, who was afterwards to take his
place, refused to receive consecration at his hands.
A commission was therefore appointed to sit in judg-
ment upon the matter and foreign Universities
were invited to give their opinion ; meantime he
retired to Guildford and stayed in the hospital he
had founded in the High Street, busying himself
with its affairs. Eventually it was decided to go
through the formality of giving him a free pardon,
and as three of the bishops-elect still held back, they
were consecrated by the Bishop of London. As to
the fine hospital which is still the most important
building in the High Street, he wrote in his preface
to the statutes : — " My affection leading me to the
town of Guildford where I was born, and where my
aged parents lived many years with good report I
thought upon the erection of an hospital there which
I have dedicated to the blessed Trinity." The
276 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
inmates were to be unmarried persons not less than
sixty years of age, inhabitants of Guildford or resident
there twenty years. It is nearly three hundred years
since the foundation-stone was laid, but the institu-
tion still flourishes, the buildings are unchanged,
the old furniture and fittings may be seen in all the
rooms, and the inmates number twenty-two. The
Archbishop's coat-of-arms— three golden pears —
most beautifully painted, appear in many of the
windows, frequently with the motto : " Clamamus
Abba Pater/'— "We call Abbot our Father."
In the chapel which faces the entrance in the extreme
left corner of the quadrangle are two very beautiful
stained glass windows, part of which — containing
the stories of Isaac and his two sons — is believed
to have been bought by the Archbishop from the
chapel of the old friary, a very important Dom-
inican establishment in the Middle Ages, now
entirely vanished except for a memory in the names
of Friary Street and Walnut Street Close, where the
monks planted their walnut trees. In the room over
the great entrance of Abbot's Hospital, the window of
which looks into the quadrangle, the Duke of Mon-
mouth was confined after the battle of Sedgemoor,
on his way to London. A portrait of the Arch-
bishop hangs in the board-room. On the same side
of the High Street, a little farther down, is the town
hall, first mentioned in the thirtieth year of Eliza-
beth's reign, when it was enlarged and the " Queen's
armes and the armes of this towne sett in the windows
at the north end." In 1683 the front was rebuilt.
The fine clock has a history : John Ay 1 ward, a
clockmaker, came to Guildford with the intention of
GUILDFORD 277
setting up in business, but was forbidden by the Gild-
merchant on the ground that he was a " foreigner/'
i.e., not a native of Guildford. Not to be beaten he
set up a workshop just outside the town, and made
this clock, which he presented to the borough, to the
admiration and delight of the townsfolk, who
immediately granted him the freedom of the town.
He settled in the High Street, in the premises now
occupied by Mr. Perkins, and worked there at his
trade for many years.
There are quite an unusual number of old houses
in the High Street, some of which were probably
built with stones from the castle as parts of it were
removed. No. 25 has been called one of the most
remarkable houses in England ; it has a wonderful
old staircase, elaborate plaster ceilings and marble
mantelpieces, and can generally be seen on applica-
tion by the courtesy of the owner. The Angel Inn
has a fine old hall, surrounded by a gallery, and a
clock dated 1658 ; underneath the Angel and the
Savings Bank opposite are two thirteenth century
crypts or vaults, which with the castle and St.
Mary's are the only really mediaeval buildings left in
the town. They still contain traces of ancient fres-
coes and probably formed part of a monastery of
White Friars which once stood here, the Angel Inn
occupying the site of the ancient guest-house. In
Spital Street is the Royal Free Grammar School,
founded in 1507 by Robert Beckingham, a wealthy
London grocer : —
" And benefactor principall
Or more was Beckingham :
For first in Guildford by his gift
The name of free-school came." :.:-
278 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
The original building was soon found to be too
cramped, Edward VI. made a grant towards the
expenses of a larger site, and the present schoolhouse
was erected in 1557. Many distinguished men have
been students in this school, including an Archbishop,
six Bishops, a Speaker, two Lord Mayors of London,
a great Greek scholar and a Colonial Premier. A
treasured possession of the school is the chained
library, containing eighty-nine books ; there are
only eight of these libraries in the kingdom. It is
also notable as being the first place in connection
with which cricket is mentioned — in Elizabeth's
reign.
As for Guildford's churches, Holy Trinity contains
the tomb of Archbishop Abbot, removed from an
earlier building ; St. Nicholas has the beautiful Losely
chapel, which was for more than three centuries the
burial-place of the More family ; each time that the
church was rebuilt it was carefully preserved and
connected with the new building ; it contains the
finest collection of monuments in Guildford ; St.
Mary's has an Anglo-Saxon tower and a Norman
nave and chancel, the latter used to be twelve feet
longer ; but in the days of George IV., when the
Prince Regent used to drive down to Brighton
through Guildford, the lane outside the church was
so narrow that his carriage had great difficulty in
passing, and in a fit of irritation one day he
promised the townsfolk a handsome sum if they
would widen the roadway ; this they accordingly
did, not by curtailing the county gaol opposite
as they could easily have done, but by sacrificing
a portion of St. Mary's chancel ; in spite of their
GUILDFORD 279
zeal no money was ever forthcoming from the
Regent.
The castle has not had an eventful history ; it
was mostly used as a gaol, the royal residence
being a palace in a park at the north of Guildford,
built by Henry II., and long since vanished. It
was taken by the Dauphin of France in John's
reign when he invaded England at the request of the
Barons. James I. granted it to Francis Carter,
and passing from hand to hand it was eventually
bought by the Corporation, and in 1886 laid out as a
town pleasure ground. Near it are some chalk
caverns, once evidently used as quarries ; Henry II.
converted them into a storehouse for wines from his
vineyards in Gascony and Poitou, which he used to
sell to the people, forbidding the consumption of any
other wines until his stock was disposed of. The
only occasion on which these caverns are mentioned
in history is in 1688, when the women and children
of Guildford hid in them, fearing a civil war when
William of Orange landed in England.
Guildford has a daughter town in the U.S.A.,
Guilford in Connecticut ; it came about as follows :
in 1639 some forty traders left England for America,
they were " Congregationalists and Puritans, driven
from their native land because of their religion."
Henry Whitfield was their leader, and when they
settled in Connecticut they " called the place
Guilford in remembrance of Guildford, a borough
town, the capital of Surrey, where many of them
had lived." Guilford contains the oldest house in
U.S.A., built of stone as a fortification against the
Indians, and in it Mr. Whitfield's family lived. It
28o OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
now belongs to the town, and is used as a museum
in which the townsfolk place every object connected
with their early history they can gather together.
Whitfield was a great friend of the Rev. John Wilson,
at that time Rector of St. Nicholas, to whom Dr.
Cotton Mather alludes in one of his works as
the great Guildford preacher from whose teachings
he derived his religious beliefs.
LIVERPOOL
This great seaport, which is one of the largest in the
world, and apparently a mere growth of modern
times and centre of twentieth century commercial
activity and progress, has its mediaeval memories,
although its antiquities may have been swept away
by a practical and ruthless corporation. It is true it
cannot boast, like Dover, of Roman remains, as vast
forests covered its site in those ancient days, but as
far back as the reign of Richard Cceur-de-Lion,
when Chester harbour became too silted up for the
approach of heavily laden vessels, men recognised the
natural advantages of the small inlet in the estuary
of the Mersey that went by the name of Lithepool,
or Liverpool (Pool of the sea). Protection of course
in those troubled times was essential, and it was
not until they had built a castle at the top of what is
now Lord Street that they began upon the town. It
consisted at first of the four streets, Castle Street,
Dale Street, Water Street and High Street, with a
great cross, called the High Cross, to mark their
meeting-place. To this budding township King
John granted a charter which, written in a neat, clear
hand on a small parchment, is still preserved among
the muniments of the city, inviting such of his
subjects as were able to settle therein, and promising
them special privileges. The new port was useful
281
282 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
for shipping troops and stores to and from the
recently conquered Ireland, but beyond that the
trade was small, as it was long before the days of
manufactures or of commerce with distant lands, and
after the three streets now known as Chapel Street,
Tithebarn Street, and Old Hall Street had been
added, the whole containing about a hundred and
sixty-eight houses, the town remained just as it was
for at least four centuries. But towns were small
in the Middle Ages, and it was regarded as an
important place even in the thirteenth century, as
when the first Parliament was held in 1296 Liver-
pool furnished two members, paying their travelling
expenses and wages for their services. Two places of
worship sufficed until the beginning of the eighteenth
century ; indeed, one of these, St. Mary of the Quay,
built in 1464, was turned into a Free Grammar
School in Elizabeth's reign ; the other, St. Nicholas,
was built in 1356 on the same site as the present
church.
The Wars of the Roses left their mark upon the
little town, its trade fell off, its population decreased,
and though the burgesses made every effort to stay
the decline, it continued until Elizabeth came to the
throne ; then, in desperation, they sent their M.P.
to her with a petition, describing their troubles
and begging for aid, ending with the words : " Liver-
pool is your own town. Your Majesty hath a
castle and two chauntries clear, the fee farms of the
town, the ferry boat, two windmills, the custom of
the duchy, the new custom of the tonnage and
poundage which was never paid in Liverpool before
your time, and the commodity thereof is your
LIVERPOOL 283
Majesty's. For your own sake suffer us not utterly
to be cast away in your Grace's time, but relieve us
like a mother/ ' The Queen straightway sent down
Lord Derby, attended by numerous lords and gentle-
men, to enquire into the matter, and the town re-
galed them " with a banquet of delicious delicates
of two courses of service." The result was so
satisfactory that on the anniversary of the Queen's
accession the mayor caused " a great bonfire to be
made in the market-place, and another anenst his
own door, giving warning that every householder
should do the like throughout the town, which was
done accordingly. And immediately after caused
to call together his brethren the aldermen and divers
others of the burgesses, and so went all together
to the house of Mr. Ralph Burscough, alderman,
where they banqueted a certain time, which done
Mr. Mayor departed to his own house accompanied
of the said aldermen and others, a great number,
upon whom he did bestow sack and other white wine
and sugar liberally, standing all without the door,
lauding and praising God for the most prosperous
reign of our said most gracious sovereign lady the
Queen's most excellent Majesty." Among her other
bounties the Queen made a grant towards a Free
School. Emboldened by her interest, the town
made a final effort to throw off the yoke of Chester,
which city had always been jealous of the Port of
Liverpool, claiming it "as a mere creek within its
jurisdiction," and of late had been particularly arro-
gant because it was backed by a powerful company
of merchant adventurers to whom the Queen had
recently granted a monopoly. The Mayor of Liver-
284 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
pool went up to London to declare that " Liverpoole
hath ever heretofore been reputed and taken for
the best port and harbour from Mylf orthe to Scotland
and so hath always been proved, with all manner of
ships and barks, owners, masters and mariners."
A long course of litigation followed, but the good
burgesses of Liverpool stuck to their guns with
indomitable perseverance and, eventually triumph-
ing, shewed their appreciation of the decision in their
favour by sending a hogshead of wine to " the right
Worshipful the Master of the Rolls."
Grateful though they were to the Queen, the
burgesses rebelled when her troops were quartered
upon them for what they considered too long a
period during the Irish wars. They were wont
to stand upon their rights, but they did not disdain
honest labour, for we are told that when an effort was
made to mend the streets which were sadly in need
of repair, the mayor "in his own proper person
laboured himself." In Elizabeth's reign Liverpool
was represented in Parliament by the most illus-
trious of her M.P.s, Lord Bacon. The largest of the
ships which went out of the port at this time was
forty tons, worked by twelve men, and the port
only possessed twelve vessels ; sometimes they
went as far afield as Spain and Portugal, taking with
them herrings and salmon, and bringing back iron
and wine, and there is one mention of a cargo of
Manchester small cottons, showing that the Lanca-
shire manufactures were beginning.
With the dawn of the seventeenth century were
visible the first stirrings of the new life that was to
make Liverpool one of the first ports in the world.
LIVERPOOL 285
Woollen manufacture started in the West Riding,
and the Manchester merchants began to buy yarn
from Ireland, and to return thither the manufactured
article, all the trade, of course, passing through
Liverpool* In 1628 Charles I. sold the Crown rights
in the town and lordship of Liverpool to Lord
Molyneux, in whose family the constableship of the
castle had been hereditary for many generations ;
he laid out Lord Street, originally Lord Molyneux
Street, built a bridge over the Pool brook, for which
he paid a rent of 2d. a year, and made a road
(now Church Street), across the Common ; he then
handed the lordship with all dues and customs
over to the Corporation on a lease of one thousand
years for the rent of £30 ; an agreement his descend-
ants must have bitterly regretted, as the dues and
customs thus valued in 1672 produced in 1886 a re-
venue of £260,698, and of course in the present day
are worth far more.
Richard Mather, a minister at the old chapel,
Toxteth Park, was one of the early upholders of the
Protestant faith, and being in consequence silenced
by the Bishop, escaped in disguise to Liverpool, and
from thence took ship to New England, where he
became very popular and distinguished ; Cotton
Mather, the famous historian of New England, was
his grandson. In those days the Corporation of
Liverpool took the greatest interest in all matters
connected with the church ; they appointed the
minister, paid his " wages/' and kept a careful eye
on all his doings. He had to " weare the srplus
ev'y Sabothe, and ev'y holiday at the tyme of Dyvine
Service," and " cause his haier to be cut of a comly
286 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
and seemely length in such decent manner as
best befitteth a man in his place." Besides his
wages and his house he was allowed " a reasonable
milk cowe whilst he remaineth a preaching minister
here and shall have allowed yerely for her keepinge
ov* his twenty pounds wages the sum of 46s. 6d.,
but if the said Mr. Lappage shall hereafter publicly
murmer or sue for more allowance, then this order
to be void." When in 1622 the first public clock
was placed in the " Chappel of Liv'poole, to the
great benefitte and pleasure of the inhabitants "
... the minister promised that he would
" well and duly dureinge the tyme of his ministrie
at Liv'poole keep and sett the said clock. And
if he shall neglect the doeinge of the same, that
then he is willinge that forth of his wayges from the
towne of Liv'poole soe much money shall be abated
and defalked as the tendinge and keepinge of the
said clocke shall lye in." When the Commonwealth
was instituted and Cromwell issued an order requir-
ing all ministers in the presence of their congregations
to subscribe to an engagement, to be " true and
faithful to the government established without
king or House of Peers," the Liverpool minister
was one of the many who refused, and was in con-
sequence ejected from his position. However, he
afterwards repented, and on promising to " sub-
scrybe to the Ingudgment," was reinstated.
The town suffered several sieges during the Civil
War, and being " in a great p't destroyed and burnt
downe by the Enemie," Parliament issued an order
that " 500 tons of Tymber be allowed unto the
Towne of Liverpoole," for its rebuilding, and
LIVERPOOL 287
" that the said 500 tons be felled in the grounds
and woods " of certain Royalist lords. A decree
also went forth that the Castle was to be dis-
mantled, the Corporation becoming tenants under
the Crown. The streets were now lighted for the
first time, it being ordered that " Two Lanthorns
with twoe candles, burneing ev'ie night in ye
dark moone be sett out at the High Crosse, and at
Whyte Crosse, and places p'pared to sett them in
ev'ie night till past eight of the clock by ye Srjant
and Water Ballive. This to be obs'ved from All
Saints to Candlemas/' The Civil War, of course,
had checked the progress of the town, but at the
Restoration, when the affairs of the kingdom had
settled down into their normal course, a steady tide
of progress set in which has gone on increasing right
up to the present day ; the discovery of new lands
extended the commerce of the port all over the
world ; the names of its merchants became famous,
and the town itself began to expand in all directions.
Hitherto its limits had been marked by the Pool
Stream, which ran along what are now Byrom,
Whitechapel, and Paradise Streets, and was crossed
by three bridges ; the streets were only seven or eight
yards wide, without footpaths, and having a gutter
iruining down the centre ; the roads leading out of
Liverpool, even the highway to London, had simply a
strip of paving in the middle for packhorses, but were
impassable for carriages up to the middle of the
eighteenth century. The houses were small and
mean, of wood or brick, and with thatched roofs. The
water of the town was obtained from the old Fall
Well, which stood on the Great Heath, near the
288 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
corner of what are now St. John's Lane and Roe
Street, and it had to be ordered that " Noe Manner
of p'son shall wash either yarne or woole there upon
paine of three shillings and four pence for ev'y
offence." The Great Heath extended from what
is now Whitechapel to the present Crown Street,
and was used for public meetings, demonstrations,
and the practice of archery. The two hills now
occupied by St. James's Cemetery and University
College were used as stone quarries. In 1660 the
common lands which extended between what are
now Hanover Street, Park Lane, and Wapping were
" taken inn, and inclosed, at the town's charge, and
mannaged for ye best use and benefitt of ye towne."
In 1673 the High Cross was pulled down to make
way for the first Town-hall and Exchange, " a
handsome building . . . the same sett upon
pillars and forthwith sett out as Mr. Maior shall
think meete." This site is now occupied by the
Liverpool and London Insurance Offices. As the
commerce of Liverpool went on increasing, the
harbourage in the Pool was found insufficient, and
an act of Parliament was obtained authorising the
Town Council to borrow £6,000, construct a dock
and levy dock dues on all ships entering the harbour,
and thus came into being what was afterwards known
as the Old Dock, the beginning of the largest system
of floating docks in the world. The architect whose
idea it was, settled in Liverpool and had a long and
prosperous career ; he was appointed Harbour
Master, chosen architect for St. George's Church,
and finally elected Mayor, when he built himself a
handsome mansion in Hanover Street. This dock
LIVERPOOL 289
was soon found to be too small, and extended. At
the beginning of the eighteenth century Union
Street and Fazakerley Street were made ; the
stream which fed the old Pool was arched over and
Paradise Street and Whitechapel formed ; forty-five
lamps were ordered for the lighting of the town ;
the ruins of the castle were removed, and fine
mansions began to appear in various parts of the
town, particularly in Hanover and Paradise Streets.
The most imposing building of the time was the
Exchange, now the Town-hall, which was com-
pleted about 1760. By the middle of the century
five large churches had been built. In 1796 the
title of Earl of Liverpool was conferred upon Lord
Hawkesbury, subsequently Prime Minister, and
very proud the good burgesses were to see the name
of Liverpool in the peerage.
There were two blots on the fair name of Liverpool
in the nineteenth century, privateering and the
slave trade ; for the former there was excuse, as
the trade of the city suffered so severely during the
seven years' war between France and Spain, the
War of American Independence, and again when
war with France broke out, that little legitimate
business could be done, and other countries having
set the example Liverpool did but follow suit.
Indeed, when in 1793 war was declared with France
the commerce of Liverpool was so seriously affected
that a general panic set in, numerous mercantile
houses of the highest standing were ruined, and a
run on the banks took place. After considerable
discussion among the merchants, chief of whom were
John Gladstone and William Rathbone, it was
290 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
resolved to apply to the Bank of England for a loan
and to Parliament for permission to issue certain
notes to the value of £300,000 for three years, a wise
and public-spirited measure that saved the commerce
of the city. As for the slave trade, by the middle
of the century the majority of the Council were
engaged in it, and in 1771 105 slave ships sailed
from Liverpool to the West Indies, carrying 28,200
slaves. William Roscoe, attorney, of Liverpool,
published a pamphlet, demonstrating its inhumanity
and bad policy and urging its abolition, but the
Council strenuously opposed him and paid the
Rev. Raymond Harris £100 to write a reply ; they
also despatched various petitions and delegates to
London ; in fact, so deeply were they involved that
when slavery was actually abolished it was three
years before the town made good its losses. Despite
these commercial crises, however, many canals
were constructed towards the end of the eighteenth
century ; the opening of trade with India, and the
application of steam power to locomotion gave a
fresh impetus to progress ; in 1817 the first steamer
appeared on the Mersey, and in 1830 crossed the
Atlantic ; in 1830 the Liverpool and Manchester
Railway was opened.
Wonderful is the change the last century has
wrought ; seven miles of docks now confront the
traveller, and every day sees the arrival or departure
from the Prince's Landing-stage of some of the finest
steamers in the world. The streets have been
widened, and when the traveller leaves the railway
terminus in Lime Street he sees before him a magni-
ficent series of buildings, such as few towns can
LIVERPOOL 29 1 i
show : St. George's Hall, the Walker Art Gallery,
the Picton Reading Room, the William Brown
Free Library and Museum, the County Sessions
Court and the Technical Instruction Centre. Then
in Water Street and Chapel Street are the Town
Hall and Exchange, in the latter, of course, being
concentrated the vast commercial life of Liverpool.
Of the great Liverpool families I may mention
a few : the Moores, who first appeared in the
thirteenth century, and lived in the Old Hall, Old-
hall Street, and afterwards in the Bank Hall, Kirk-
dale ; Edward Moore, the author of the " Rental "
was created baronet in 1675. The Stanleys were
the ancestors of the present Earls of Derby ; they
lived in the Tower in Water Street, which was pulled
down in 1819 ; during the eighteenth century the
chair of chief magistrate was filled nine times either
by the Earl of Derby or a member of the family.
The Bootle family were the ancestors of the Earls of
Lathom ; Thomas Bootle, K.C., was M.P. for Liver-
pool from 1727 to 1735, Mayor in 1726, knighted
in 1743, he then purchased the Lathom estates and
built the present mansion. Other names still
remain which have been prominent in the mercantile
world for two centuries, e.g., Clayton and Cleveland,
after whom the squares are named. John Glad-
stone's is a name much honoured ; in 1798 he built
a house on the west side of Rodney Street, in which
on the 29th December his famous son, the Rt. Hon.
W. E. Gladstone, was born. In 1829 he moved a
resolution for the opening of China trade, and in
1829 for the removal of restrictions on India trade,
both of which were successfully carried.
292 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
In 1880 Liverpool was created both a city and
a bishopric ; St. Peter's in Church Street was chosen
as the Pro-Cathedral, but there is now rising on St.
James* Mount, a splendid cathedral which when
completed will be worthy of the great city in which it
stands ; the exquisite Lady chapel is already
finished and open for worship.
EXETER
Exeter, the city on the Exe, is the capital not only
of lovely, leafy Devon, but in reality of the whole
of the West Country. It is set on a hill in the green
valley of the Exe, with the river flowing at its feet,
and all around the softly wooded heights of other
hills. West Country folk love it with a love that
neither time nor distance can alter ; it was enshrined
in their hearts before the making of history, for it
is the oldest city in Britain, and, in the words of
Professor Freeman, " It is the one great English
city which has, in a more marked way than any other,
kept its unbroken being and its unbroken position
throughout all ages." Before Christ was born it
was " a city walled and suburb to the same, of the
most reputation, worship, defence and defensible
of all these parties." The earthworks on the
Castle Hill were made by the ancient Britons ;
the thousands of Roman coins dating back to Nero
and Claudius, the pottery and other relics that
have been dug up within its walls prove the city to
have been the Isca Damnoniorum of the Romans ;
and its importance as the key to the West Country
may be gathered from the fact recorded in the quaint
old chronicles of Izaacke : —
" In midst of Devon, Exeter city, seated
Hath with ten sieges grievously been straitned."
293
294 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
The first of these sieges was in a.d. 634. It was
twice besieged by the Danes in the reign of Alfred
the Great, and he came anxiously to its assistance.
An earthwork north of the city, dating from this
period, is still known as Danes' Castle. Athelstan
surrounded it with walls and towers and bestowed
upon it in 926 the monastery of St. Peter, the minster
church of which was the beginning of its great
cathedral, and is said to have stood on the site of the
present Lady chapel. In Ethelred's reign the
Danes made two more attempts to take the city ;
on the second occasion, led by Sweyn, they succeeded,
and in revenge for the brave resistance of the towns-
folk they pillaged and burned it to the ground. Not
long after, however, Canute, the Christian Dane,
rebuilt the minster church, and it was the scene of a
grand and imposing festival in the reign of Edward
the Confessor. When transformed into the cathe-
dral of the new see of Devon and Cornwall, it
received Leofric, the King's Chancellor, as its first
Bishop. There he stood before the high altar,
robed in splendid vestments, in full view of the
assembled multitude, the King holding his right
hand and the Queen his left, while the two Arch-
bishops invoked " blessings upon all who might
increase the See," and a " fearful and execrable
curse upon all who should diminish or take aught
therefrom." Leofric was a good and great Bishop,
reverenced even by the Normans, and he was left
undisturbed in his diocese until his death in 1072.
Meanwhile there had been stirring doings in the
city, for Exeter held out long and valiantly against
the Conqueror, and two vears after the battle of
^•CORNER- OF FROG STREET-EXETER--5K-
EXETER. The Corner of Frog Street.
EXETER
295
Hastings was still unsubdued. At last the new
King came in person to demand submission, but he
found the gates fast barred, and all the answer
made by the townsfolk to his threatenings was,
" We will neither take any oath to the King, nor allow
him to enter our city, but the tribute which, following
ancient custom, we were wont to give formerly, the
same we will give to him." In great anger William
caused a hostage to be brought forth, and his
eyes put out in view of those upon the walls, but
they remained obdurate. Then he brought to bear
upon the town all his great military skill and many
devices quite unknown to the Devonians ; for
eighteen days they held out, and then when, already
weak with hunger, they beheld their walls crumbling
around them, they bowed their proud heads, and
came forth to beg for mercy. William, whose policy
was mercy to the conquered, received them graci-
ously, and suffered them to return to their homes
in full security, but he took the precaution to replace
the Saxon buildings upon the Red Mount with a
strong Norman castle, and to man it with a sufficient
garrison to keep the town in check.
Neither Leofric nor the Norman bishops who
succeeded him touched the Saxon fabric of the
cathedral, but with William of Warelwast, in Rufus's
time, the rebuilding began which was to continue
for four centuries, and to transform the simple
minster, in the words of Mr. Bumpus, into " one of
the finest examples of symmetrical decorated
Gothic in existence." Warelwast's two vast towers
still stand, serving as transepts, and distinguishing
Exeter Cathedral from every other church in the
u
296 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
kingdom. Nearly every bishop who followed him
added something towards its perfecting, many
expending vast sums and infinite pains upon it.
Bishop Marshall added the Lady chapel, Bruere,
in the first half of the thirteenth century, built the
chapter house and carved the beautiful misereres —
the earliest now existing in this country ; Grandisson
completed the nave, Brantyngham the wonderful
west front with its niched statues of prophets,
apostles, martyrs, saints and kings. These have
survived the effects of weather and west country
superstition remarkably well, considering that even
now some of the country folk will surreptitiously
chip off a fragment to pound into a " Peter plaster "
for a sore that will not heal. The choir screen and
the splendid episcopal throne, with its great carved
canopy, were the work of Bishop Stapleton, founder
of Exeter College, Oxford. These are only a few
out of the many who embellished the ancient fane,
and by 1320 it was completed much as we see it
now. Many of these early Bishops of Exeter were
men of great note : two were Lord High Chancellors,
two Lord High Treasurers, one Lord High Privy Seal,
three were founders of colleges at Oxford and
Cambridge, and one helped in the translation of the
Bible.
One of the chief beauties of Exeter Cathedral
is the tracery of its windows, no two of which are
alike, and another is its pillars. The vaulting has
been declared to represent " the high-water mark
of English vaulting." In the nave is the picturesque
minstrels' gallery, from which singers and players
were wont to greet with sweet music the entry of
EXETER 297
any members of the royal family, as when the
Black Prince, passing through Exeter on his way to
London, visited the Cathedral with his captives,
the French King and the Dauphin ; and in this
gallery the seven best boys were stationed to sing,
" All glory, laud and honour," during the pro-
cession on Palm Sunday. The beautiful pulpit
in the nave was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott in
memory of Bishop Patteson, of Melanesia, who was
killed by savages on a South Pacific island twenty-
two years after his ordination as deacon in Exeter
Cathedral ; one of the three principal compartments
represents the dead body of the bishop, wrapped in
palm leaves, being borne to a canoe.
To go back to the history of the town. When
Matilda strove to wrest the throne of England from
Stephen, it was in Exeter she centred her hopes.
Baldwin, the Governor, was her strong partisan, and
cared so little for the city which had been entrusted
to his charge that, failing to move the townsfolk
from their loyalty, he began to burn and destroy ;
but a relieving force from Stephen quickly put a
stop to such proceedings, and Baldwin and his
men were forced to take refuge in the castle, which
they held for three months, thirst ultimately driving
them to surrender, and thus ended all hope for
Matilda in the west.
Edward I. and his Queen spent a Christmas at
Exeter, on which occasion the Bishop and Chapter
were granted the right to enclose the ecclesiastical
precincts with a walL During the same visit the
King interested himself in a change in the city's
ground-plan. The principal thoroughfares no longer
298 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
conformed to those of the Romans, the present
High Street being formed, and the older streets
becoming of secondary importance. Eleven years
later Edward was again in the city. In consequence
of these visits a strange story was circulated many
years afterwards by the son of a tanner in the town,
who claimed the crown on the plea that he was the
true son of King Edward and Queen Eleanor, having
been changed at birth with the present holder of the
throne. His tale received no credit, and he was
promptly hanged, after a confession had been ex-
torted from him that it was all a falsehood, his
excuse being that a familiar spirit who attended
him in the shape of a cat had put it into his
head.
In the Wars of the Roses the town remained
staunch to the Lancastrians ; Henry VI. was
entertained for a week " with the best the church
and city could afford, clergy and citizens sharing the
cost " ; and for twelve months the town sustained a
siege before it finally surrendered to the Yorkists.
Exeter played a large part in the conspiracy of
Perkin Warbeck ; he marched for it immediately
after landing in Cornwall, but his undisciplined mob
of followers were no match for the armed and sturdy
townsfolk, and were driven off before they effected
any mischief beyond setting fire to the gates.
Exeter, however, had not seen the last of them, but
next time they came as captives, and were conducted
into the presence of the King in the Cathedral Close,
" bareheaded, in their shirts, with halters about
their necks " ; the King, happening to be in a for-
giving mood, " graciously pardoned them, choosing
EXETER 299
rather to wash his hands in milk by forgiving
than in blood by destroying them."
Richard III. visited Exeter for the purpose of
chastising certain rebels, and when this had been
accomplished he gave his attention to the town.
The Castle met with his entire approval until he
heard its name, Rougemont, also pronounced
Richmond, whereupon he was, in the words of an
ancient chronicler, " suddenly fallen into a great
dump and as it were a man amazed," for, as Shakes-
peare makes him say —
" Richmond ! when I was last at Exeter
The Mayor in courtesy showed me the castle
And called it Rougemont — at which name I started ;
Because a bard of Ireland told me once
I should not live long after I saw Richmond."
Nor did he long survive.
In the time of the Western Rebellion, soon after
the Reformation, when the men of the West Country
uprose in violent protest against the compulsory
substitution of the Prayer Book service for their
beloved mass, Exeter was the stronghold they
immediately tried to secure. Ten thousand rebels
marched upon the town and called upon it to
surrender. Among them was Welch, the vicar of
Saint Thomas by Exeter, who was " in this rebellion
an arch-captain and a principal doer." He was
evidently a formidable fighter, for we are told :
" He was a very good wrestler, shot well both in the
long bow and also in the cross bow ; he handled his
hand gun and piece very well ; he was a very good
woodman and a hardy, and such a one as would not
give his head for the polling, nor his beard for the
1300 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
washing. . . ." But the men of Exeter kept
their gates shut and stood firm, and the siege began.
After a few weeks their supply of food became
so low that the " bakers and householders were
driven to seek up their old store of puffins and bran,
wherewith they in times past were wont to make
horsebread and to feed their swine and poultry ;
and this they moulded up in cloths, for otherwise
it would not hold together, and so did bake it up,
and the people were well contented therewith . . .
In the end, for want they were fed on horseflesh,
which they liked, and were well contented withal."
But they were at length delivered by Lord John
Russell with an armed force, and so great was their
relief and thankfulness that it was determined the
anniversary of the day "in memorial for ever to
endure was (to be) kept for a high and holy feast."
Most of the ringleaders of the rising were sent to
London for trial and execution, but the vicar of St.
Thomas was hanged in full canonicals on his own
church.
The staple industry of Exeter in ancient days
was the manufacture of a famous woollen cloth,
merchants coming from every part of England to
traffic in it. Their meeting-place was in a finely
plastered chamber, still in existence, in what was
once the " New Inn," and is now a draper's shop,
in the High Street, and while they deliberated in the
stately chamber above, the courtyard beneath was
alive with the bustle of the continual coming and
going of the carriers, who brought in the cloth not
only from the neighbouring towns and villages,
but also from the lonely farmsteads and cottages
EXETER 301
on the moors where it had been woven by the
peasants during the long winter evenings. The
trade was greatly developed by the " Society of
Marchantes Adventurers of the Citie of Excestre,
trafiquing the Realms of Fraunce and the Dominions
of the French King," to whom Elizabeth granted a
charter ; it grew to such an extent that goods to the
value of half a million were sent every year to Spain,
Portugal, Italy, Germany and Holland, and to
facilitate their export the Exeter Canal was con-
structed, thus enabling vessels to come right up to
the city quays. It was one of the first canals to be
opened in the kingdom, and so eager were all the
members of the community for its completion that
even the parish churches contributed a quantity of
plate towards the expense. As years went by the
merchant adventurers extended their trading over-
seas, to the Indies, the New World, they went with
Adrian Gilbert to discover China, and helped Sir
Humphrey Gilbert on his last expedition. These
merchants were widely travelled men, versed in the
speech of many lands ; their " Society " reached the
zenith of its prosperity in the reign of James I.,
but the Civil War of his son's reign checked all
enterprise for many a year. When the war first
began the Roundheads took possession of the town,
but it was easily wrested from them by the Cavaliers,
with whom the townsfolk were in sympathy, and it
was then looked upon as one of the chief Cavalier
strongholds in the kingdom.
Charles I. took up his abode for some time at
Bedford House together with his queen, and it was
there that on the 16th June, 1644, Princess Henrietta
302 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Anne was born ; on the 3rd July she was baptized
in the cathedral at the font which stands in the bay
at the south side of the nave, and was used for the
purpose for the first time. The princess's portrait
by Sir Peter Lely hangs in the Guildhall, having
been presented to the city by Charles II. at his
Restoration in recognition of its kindness to his
sister. The days of the Commonwealth were sad
ones for Exeter Cathedral ; the Roundheads, in the
course of their usual work of destruction, " brake
down the organs and taking two or three hundred
pipes with them, in a most scornefull, contemptuous
manner, went up and downe the streets piping with
them ; and meeting with some of the choristers of
the church, whose surplices they had stolne before
and imployed them to base servile offices, scoffingly
told them, ' Boyes, we have spoyled your trade,
you must goe and synge, " hot pudding pyes." ' "
The present organ was put up at the Restoration,
when every church was busy repairing the damage
wrought, but it has since been rebuilt. No city in
the west welcomed Charles II. more eagerly than
Exeter, but its loyalty met with scant reward,
and as time went on its feeling changed, so that
when William of Orange came into Exeter four
days after his landing at Brixham, he was heartily
welcomed by a cheering multitude, in spite of the
torrents of rain that poured down upon them ;
the Bishop and the Dean alone refused to acknow-
ledge the usurper, and left the town. The Prince
thereupon took up his residence in the deanery.
An immense crowd gathered in the cathedral to
listen to the Te Deum sung in celebration of his
EXETER 303
arrival in England, while he took his seat upon the
bishop's throne. Then the Declaration was read,
which set forth the reasons for his invasion ; at
the first words all the clergy left the building,
but the crowd which remained endorsed it with a
loud " Amen." William stayed some time in
Exeter and received recruits from all parts of the
country, and when he left the town his success was
practically assured. This was the last great his-
torical event which took place in Exeter.
Though much that was old in the town has, of
course, been swept away, there still remain some
fine old timbered houses with elaborately carved
gables, among them the Guildhall, dating from 1466,
the front alone being late Elizabethan ; it has a fine
projecting porch. Many parts of the town walls
still remain, but all the gates have gone.
To mention three out of Exeter's many famous
sons : Archbishop Langton, framer of the Magna
Charta ; Sir Thomas Bodley, born here in 1544 ;
and Matthew Baring, who in 1717 came to Exeter
to learn the serge manufacture, and marrying the
daughter of a rich grocer, was enabled to set up a
factory, which was the beginning of the great
mercantile fortunes of his family.
NEWCASTLE
When any one wishes to express the superfluity
of a gift, he says, " Why, it's like carrying coals to
Newcastle," and indeed Newcastle is so much iden-
tified nowadays with coal that its name calls up a
vision of mines and collieries and the town's romantic
past is in danger of being forgotten. Modern New-
castle with its tall grimy houses, pall of smoke and
rough mining population, does not date back more
than a century and a half, having come into being
with the development of the coal fields in the south-
east corner of Northumberland ; but old Newcastle,
a fortress on the Border, that historic fighting
ground of Englishman and Scot, has a history that
goes back to the days of the ancient Britons.
In prehistoric times, possibly three or four cen-
turies B.C., a series of ditches and mounds, of which
a considerable number is still intact and known as
the Four Dykes, stretched from the Tyne to the
Solway, and formed the boundary line between
Britain and Caledonia. When the Romans came
they strengthened this boundary by building to
the north of it a stone wall, eight feet wide and six-
teen feet high, with forts at every mile, and extending
between what are now Wallsend and Bowness. One
of these forts, called the Pons Aelius, from the bridge
across the Tyne which it commanded, was the first
304
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NEWCASTLE 305
beginning of the ancient town of Newcastle. A
stone slab, broken in half, which was found in the
old church at J arrow, records that " troops sta-
tioned in the province of Britain in forts between
the two shores of ocean, were commended by Hadrian
for having under circumstances that tried the faith
and loyalty of all, preserved intact the boundaries
of the Republic, being only restrained by dire
necessity from subduing the furthermost limits of
the known world." In early days, therefore, New-
castle stood on the Border line, in the thick of the
never-ending frays between English and Scots, but up
to the time of the Conquest it was merely a fort, and
sometimes a neglected one, for neither Britons,
Saxons nor Danes, as in turn they occupied the
country, were capable of the systematic defence
practised by the Romans, although gradually they
pushed the boundary line a little to the north.
A sturdy, independent race the men of bleak
Northumberland were in those days, impatient of
control, lovers of a fair fight, haters of shams and
double-dealing, swift to avenge a wrong fancied or
real, and loyal, chivalrous, even romantic to the core,
characteristics which time has hardly obliterated.
They were among the first to obey the call of Christi-
anity, and the abbey church on the Isle of Lindis-
farne, that retreat of St. Aidan and St. Cuthbert,
was for many years the most venerated shrine in
Britain, the mother-church of more than half Eng-
land and Germany. They were always the last to
submit to any usurper, and William the Conqueror,
in his efforts to subdue them, laid waste the country
from the Humber to the Tweed, turning it into a
306 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
desert in which for nine years no attempt at cultiva-
tion was made.
It was William's son, Robert, who made a later
campaign famous by building the New Castle upon
the site of the old Pons Aelius, his practised eye
having at once perceived the advantages of its posi-
tion. Round the castle a town quickly grew up, which
soon came to be regarded as one of the chief Border
strongholds, and consequently of particular value
to the English kings. William Rufus enclosed it
with walls, strengthened the castle, and provided
a permanent garrison in the shape of twelve Barons
with their retainers, whose services he rewarded with
the grant of certain lands. The old church, dedi-
cated to St. Nicholas, patron saint of those " who go
down to the sea in ships, and occupy their business
in great waters/' was built in his reign, and became
the chief sanctuary for Border fugitives ; it was
entirely rebuilt in the fourteenth century, and the
only remnant of the ancient fabric that has come
to light is a shaft and capital.
Henry II. built the square keep to the castle as a
further measure for defence, but he managed through-
out his reign to maintain friendly relations with the
Scots, and, in consequence, Northumberland pros-
pered until " right down to the Pyrenees there was
no country so well provided with the necessaries of
life, nor inhabited by a race more universally res-
pected." In the early part of Stephen's reign,
David of Scotland, following the invariable custom
of the Scotch kings when trouble in England or war
abroad drew off the troops, advanced over the
Border, and forced the harassed King to create his
NEWCASTLE 307
son Earl of Northumberland. Stephen tried hard
to retain Newcastle, but David promptly took
possession of the town. He made no attempt, how-
ever, to curb the independent spirit of the burghers,
but admiring their method of government, caused
it to be adopted in the various burghs he founded
north of the Tweed, and thus Newcastle came to be
regarded as the civic authority for Scotland. With
the death of the Scotch prince Northumberland again
lapsed to England.
Richard Cceur-de-Lion, when in urgent need of
money for the Crusades, tried to sell Northumber-
land, but the negotiations fell through because he
would not part with Newcastle. Henry III. built
the Black Gate as main entrance to the castle, and
the ruin in Heaton Park is a remnant of one of
the great battlemented houses he encouraged his
northern nobles to build for the protection of the
Border.
During the reigns of the first three Edwards there
was a continuous series of Scotch wars ; for years
Northumberland lay waste, no one daring to live
outside the walls of town or castle, and when
Richard II. came to the throne the famous feud
between Percies and Douglases, celebrated by Border
minstrels in the ballads of " Chevy Chace " and the
" Battle of Otterburn," was at its height. One
encounter took place before the gates of Newcastle,
young Henry Percy, surnamed Hotspur, the Earl
of Northumberland's impetuous heir, meeting the
Earl of Douglas in single combat, amidst the Scots
who were besieging the town. Douglas was the
victor, and as he triumphantly bore away the
3o8 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
gauntlets, embroidered in pearls with the arms of the
Percies, which Hotspur had carried as a pennon at
his lance point, he shouted : " This much of your
finery, Henry, I will carry back with me to Scotland,
and set on the highest point of my castle at Dal-
keith, that it may be seen the farther." " Par Dieu,
Earl of Douglas," the undaunted Hotspur replied,
" Never shall you carry it out of Northumberland,
be sure of that." True words, for before the Scots
had crossed the Border the English were upon them,
and in the bloody battle of Otterburn which followed
the Douglas lost his life./
In the Wars of the Roses the men of Northumber-
land were faithful to the unfortunate Henry VI. to the
very end, affording him and his Queen and the little
Prince their last refuge on English soil.
When all the country had turned Protestant the
Northumbrians still clung to their old faith, and
despite the persecution their steadfastness brought
upon them, flaunted it openly in the sight of men.
At the death of one well-known Roman Catholic, who
had built a house dedicated to Saint Anthony on
the banks of the river and called every room in it
after some saint, her remains were brought on a
barge into Newcastle at night, the streets illumin-
ated so brightly that " it was as light as if it had
been noon," and magistrates and aldermen assembled
on the landing-stage to meet the coffin and convey
it in solemn procession to the church. Even when
Elizabeth had reigned several years, there were, it
is said, not three Protestant gentlemen to be found
in the whole of the East Marches, and the Nor-
thumbrians' love for their ancient belief, coupled
NEWCASTLE 309
with the chivalry aroused in their breasts by the
beauty and sorrows of Mary Queen of Scots, impelled
them to make an attempt to free her from Bolton
Castle and place her on the English throne ; but
the rising ended in disaster, disgrace and death were
the portion of the Earl of Northumberland, and Mary
was removed to a safer prison in the South. This
was the beginning of the whole-souled devotion to
the Stuarts which characterised the Northumbrians,
many of whom willingly sacrificed everything in
their cause, and reverenced their memory long after
the rest of the country had practically forgotten
them. Chief and most unfortunate among these
staunch adherents were the Radcliffes, Earls of
Derwentwater, who remained faithful to the end,
losing their lives and the whole of their estates, the
last young earl dying a hero's death on Tower Hill.
Mary's son, when he entered Newcastle as the first
King of Great Britain, was received with such
enthusiastic joy that he is said to have remarked : —
" By ma saul, they are enough to spoil a gude king."
Charles I., when discontent was stirring in the
country, and he was obliged to proceed against the
rebellious Scots with an army, was " magnificently
entertained at Newcastle, and the town seemed
unanimous for him," in spite of the fact that Parlia-
ment had forbidden any to trade with it, an injunc-
tion which had speedily to be revoked, as lack of
coal caused distress all over the country. Twice in
the following year Newcastle was besieged by the
Roundheads. On the first occasion, when the mayor,
Sir John Marley, and his councillors were called
upon to surrender the town, they made answer that
3io OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
they would not " betray the trust reposed in them,
or forfeit their allegiance to his Majesty for whose
honour and preservation, together with the Religion
and Lawes of the Kingdome, they intended to hazard
their Lives and Fortunes." On the second occasion
Sir John Marley, with a garrison of 1600 men, half of
whom were volunteers, having strengthened the
fortifications with the utmost care and ingenuity,
proceeded to conduct the defence with extraordinary
spirit. The enemy encamped round the town in
such fashion that no provisions could be received
by the besieged from the outside, and proceeded to
direct their batteries upon it. The upper stage of
the Carpenter's Tower was first to go, then part of
the wall near St. Andrew's Church was " brashed
down " and a breach made through which ten men
might have entered abreast had it not at once been
filled up with timber and rubbish. St. Andrew's
Church suffered considerably, and the beautiful
spire of St. Nicholas would certainly have been
demolished if the burghers had not discreetly placed
their captives in the lantern. A sharp look-out
was kept for the mines which the enemy persistently
laid beneath the walls, and all one night the church-
bells rang to celebrate the discovery and destruction
of three large ones. The siege dragged on until
Marley sent a messenger to enquire politely if the
Scotch general were dead, as he had not been seen
for some days, and the angry Scots determined to
storm the town. Their preparations were rather
lengthy and were watched derisively from the ram-
parts by the besieged, who repeatedly urged them
to come on. All being at length in readiness the
NEWCASTLE 311
batteries commenced their deadly work and four
great breaches were made in the walls, but so furious
was the fire kept up by Marley and his garrison that
it was two hours before the Scots managed to effect
an entry, and three times they were driven forth
again. The defenders of Pilgrim Street gate did not
give in until they were attacked in the rear, and Sir
John Marley with a small but resolute following re-
treated to the castle, which they held for yet another
three days. Then the sack of the town began and
lasted for a never-to-be-forgotten day and night.
At the Restoration, in memory of this gallant resist-
ance, Newcastle adopted as her motto the words,
" Fortiter Defendendo Triumphat " (she glories
in her brave defence), afterwards altered to " Fortiter
Defendit Triumphans." Two years after the siege
Charles I. was brought a prisoner to Newcastle and
lodged at Anderson Place. With the aid of friends
he managed to escape in disguise, but was discovered
and brought back, and his one recreation, that of
playing golf on the Shieldfield, was stopped. That
he had many sympathisers in the town is evident
from the fact that on one occasion when he was
attending Divine service in St. Nicholas', and a Scotch
minister pointedly gave out the fifty-second Psalm :
" Why dost thou, tyrant, boast thyself, Thy wicked
works to praise," the congregation, at the King's
instigation sang instead the fifty-sixth : — " Have
mercy, Lord, on me, I pray, For men would me
devour." At length the Scotch, having sold him
to the English Parliament, evacuated the town and
returned home. Long after the Stuarts had for the
second time been driven from the kingdom the North
312 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
remained secretly faithful and in every Jacobite
rising Newcastle men played a part. As late as
1750, five years after the battle of Culloden had
extinguished the last hopes of the ill-fated family,
the keelmen, going out on strike, proclaimed Charles
Edward king, in Elswick fields ; and the northern
squires for years and years had a rose and an oak-
leaf engraved on their Venetian wineglasses so
that they might drink to the King " over the water "
and " under the rose." With the failure of the last
Jacobite conspiracy Border warfare came to an end.
Northumberland was no longer a fighting ground
and Newcastle became a quiet country town. Then
came the great development of the coal-mines, and
a rush into the town on the part of the rural popula-
tion, and Newcastle grew and grew until it merged
into Gateshead and stretched down to the mouth
of the Tyne, a dense mass of houses. They rise up,
tier above tier, on the hill crowned by the beautiful
spire, upborne on flying buttresses, of what is now
the cathedral church of St. Nicholas ; that spire
which is " justly the pride of the inhabitants," the
only ancient landmark left untouched by the hands
of the ruthless utilitarians of the eighteenth century.
These zealots, in the first rush of modern progress,
forgot the historic past and set about re-modelling
the town in such reckless fashion as to give rise to
the following satire :
"Their foolish pride there's none to stop,
Improvement's all the go ;
Unseemly's everything that's old
So all that's old's laid low."
They carried the East Coast railway right through
NEWCASTLE 313
the castle, and after advertising the ancient Norman
keep as suitable for a mill, and failing to dispose of it,
conceived the ingenious idea of utilising it as a signal
box, and were proceeding to carry out the necessary
alterations when the Society of Antiquaries fortu-
nately stepped in and took it off their hands. The
Society also rescued the Black Gate, and after
judicious restoration, placed therein the splendid
collection of Roman altars and other " treasures of
the wall," which had long been lost to sight in the
dungeons of the castle. The utilitarians meantime
were busy, pulling down the great town wall along
the quay, destroying the monuments in St. Nicholas,
demolishing All Saints, one of the most interesting
of the old churches, depriving the Guildhall of its
ancient features, and removing the gates of the
town. But amidst the work of devastation an
improved Newcastle has gradually grown up, with
many modern buildings and thoroughfares of which
it may well be proud. To cite one or two : Grey
Street is one of the " finest streets in the kingdom,"
the markets are of unusually excellent design, and the
portico of the Central Station an admirable piece of
architecture.
ST. ALBANS
The neighbourhood of St. Albans is singularly
rich in associations of ancient history. It is close
upon two thousand years since the gleaming cohorts
of Julius Caesar, penetrating the country, van-
quished the brave British Prince Cassivelaunus
upon the south slope of the valley of the Ver, where
they subsequently proceeded to build the town
of Verulam. Before long, Watling Street, the
Romans' Great North Road, connected Verulam
with the south, and along it came long trains of
merchants, traders, artificers and workers of all
kinds, eager to participate in the prosperity diffused
by the conquerors, and Verulam with its wide
streets, temples, luxurious villas, public buildings,
and theatre — the only one of which remains have as
yet been discovered in this country — became the
splendid southern capital of England. Here Chris-
tianity was preached for the first time in Britain,
persecution following hard upon it, and many a
Christian being hunted to death in the days of the
Emperor Diocletian. One priest sought refuge in
the house of Albanus, a young patrician, and so
powerfully moved him that when the Roman guard
came to seize the Christian, Albanus yielded himself
up instead and suffered the first martyrdom in
Britain upon the hill on the opposite side of the
314
ST. ALBANS. The Market Place.
ST. ALBANS 3*5
stream. A wooden chapel marked the spot for a
few years, and then all traces of the martyr's grave
disappeared. The Romans left the country, and
Verulam the magnificent sank into decay, hastened
by fire, which left it nothing but a desolate mass of
ruins. Three centuries elapsed and then the Saxon
king Offa, tormented by the memory of many crimes,
declared that in expiation he would search for the
martyr's bones and build an abbey over them.
Accompanied by a band of chiefs he set forth upon
his quest ; at the summit of Holmhurst Hill a flash
of lightning struck the ground at their feet, and
digging eagerly they came upon the sainted relics.
Offa conveyed the joyful news to the Pope, who
canonized Albanus, and gave the King authority to
found an abbey with whose privileges none could
interfere except the Holy Father himself. A
gathering of the noblest in the land witnessed the
laying of the first stone of the abbey, which was
destined to become the most magnificent, except
Westminster, in the kingdom.
Of the thirteen abbots who ruled over it from
its foundation to the Conquest, many were of royal
birth. The sixth, Ulsinus, encouraged the building
of a town round the walls, bringing in folk from the
country-side to live in it, and erecting for their
benefit three parish churches at the three principal
entrances, which he dedicated to St. Michael, first
among the angels, St. Stephen, the first martyr, and
St. Peter, the first of the Apostles. He is also said
to have been the founder of the Grammar School,
the oldest in England, which by the end of the
eleventh century was a large and flourishing one,
316 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
ruled by the abbot. Indeed, the abbot was lord of
the town ; it was mentioned in the Domesday
survey as a part of his possessions, and the forty-six
burgesses were termed " the demesne men of the
abbot."
By this time the property of the abbey had grown
to such an extent that the Conqueror, fearing its
power, distributed some of its lands among his nobles,
and the Saxon abbot protesting, took the oppor-
tunity to depose him, appointing in his stead Paul
de Caen. A wise and fortunate choice, for this
Norman abbot was strong alike in intellect, character
and piety. His first care was to restore the Bene-
dictine discipline that had grown lax under his
weaker predecessors, and his next, to rebuild Offa's
church, with tiles from ruined Verulam, in a style
that earned for it a name for being " the vastest
and sternest structure " of that age ; it was an
edifice of rigid simplicity, massive construction and
enormous size, so solidly built that even now Paul de
Caen's transepts and central tower and twelve
bays of his nave may still be seen. Probably he
utilised some of Offa's work, for part of the columns
in the transepts are evidently Saxon.
The first change in the austere Norman structure
was begun in 1195 by Abbot John de Cella. He
was a man of intense spirituality and asceticism,
whose one great aim was to make his beloved church
the most beautiful in Christendom. He began
with the west front, but lack of money prevented the
realization of his lifelong dreams, and all he com-
pleted was three portals which must have been
perfect of their kind, but unfortunately were
ST. ALBANS.
The "Fighting Cocks.
ST. ALBANS 3*7
obliterated in the restorations of recent years.
Yet his dreams were not wholly futile, for his
example fired his successors with an enthusiastic
desire to make their abbey more and more mag-
nificent. William de Trumpington (1215-1235),
achieved most ; he rebuilt the first nine bays at the
west end of the nave in the beautiful Early English
style, but each of those who followed helped on the
work, extending the aisles and chapels, enriching
the architecture, adorning the church with lovely
paintings, raising the magnificent reredos, of which
the central feature — the great crucifix — was cut
from a single block of stone weighing seventeen tons,
and heightening the splendour of the gorgeous
ceremonial. It was not only the example of those
who had preceded them which inspired these later
abbots, for during the fourteenth century, when
there was the most wonderful revival of art and
learning that the world has ever seen, an immense
impetus was given to ecclesiastical architecture, and
all over the country Early English churches were
growing up, whose beauty has never been equalled.
By the end of the century St. Albans possessed an
eastern end " which is one of the most perfect pieces
of complete Gothic in the country," and a Lady
chapel, which is a dream of Decorated work and
exquisite window tracery. But while they thus
strove to render their church magnificent, the
abbots, preoccupied, allowed the reins of monastic
discipline to slacken, and, moreover, alienated the
affections of the townsfolk, as enormous sums of
money being required for all the building and
beautifying that was going on, and the funds of the
3i8 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
abbey, though very large, not sufficing, they cast
about for some new method to supply their needs,
and squeezed money out of their tenants in the
town. They set up mills for fulling cloth and
grinding corn, and compelled all and sundry to bring
their cloth to be fulled and their corn to be ground,
charging them high prices. The townsfolk grumbled
and at length rebelled, and set up mills of their own ;
the abbot tried force, but they were desperate and
carried their complaint to Westminster. " An
appeal from the decision of their spiritual lord to a
secular judge appeared to the monks no better than
sacrilege. They tolled the great bell. They walked
in procession, singing their penitential psalms
and invoking the aid of the blessed Alban." West-
minster supported them, and the monks, emboldened,
went further still, enclosing woods and preserving
fish streams hitherto open to all. The people
grumbled more than ever, but waited : in the down-
fall of Edward II. they saw opportunity, and again
appealed to Westminster. This time the decision
was in their favour and, " mad with delight the boys
dashed off with their nets and lines to the ponds.
The men rushed to the woods, tore down the fences,
and marched back to the town in procession,
carrying branches of the trees as a symbol of their
victory/' It was short-lived. They had only had
to deal with an old abbot, bowed down by debts and
worn with care, who died soon after his humiliation
at their hands. The next abbot, Richard of Walling-
ford, was of far sterner stuff, son of a blacksmith,
who by sheer force of character had risen to the
position he occupied. He restored discipline among
u
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C/3
pq
H
ST. ALBANS 319
the monks, and watched for an opportunity to
subdue the townsfolk to his will. Arrogant in their
new freedom, it was not long before the wilder
spirits among them outraged the law, and then the
abbot, backed up by the civil authorities, compelled
the restitution of all the privileges they had wrested
from his predecessor, and as an object lesson he
seized the millstones they had set up to grind their
own corn, and used them for the paving of the abbey
" parlor." During the next few reigns the sullen,
enforced submission of the townsfolk continued, but
all the time the gulf between abbey and town was
widening, and at last, in the reign of Richard II.,
when the whole country seethed with revolt and the
peasants' wars broke out, the townsmen, taking
courage from the example of Wat Tyler and Jack
Straw, marched in a body to the abbey, forced their
way in, compelled the abbot to sign a parchment
restoring all their privileges, and celebrated the
occasion by tearing up the millstones from the
** parlor " floor, and breaking them up, distributed
the fragments around the town as memorials of their
triumph. But again it was short-lived. Richard
calmed rebellion by agreeing to all claims, but when
the insurgents had returned to their homes and the
danger was over, he determined to teach them a
lesson. In every part where risings had taken place
assizes were held in turn, and the ringleaders tried
and hanged. Hearing this the burgesses of St.
Albans, in great alarm, came to the abbot and begged
him to intercede for them, resigning their newly-won
privileges, replacing the broken millstones in the
" parlor " floor, and even offering him gold. But
320 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
all in vain. The King came in person to St. Albans,
and held an eight days' court in which he sentenced
fifteen of the leading townsfolk to be hanged in his
presence. When he had left the town their sorrow-
ing relatives took the bodies down and buried them,
but word of this reaching the King, he sent an order
back post haste that the bodies were to be dug up
and replaced upon the gallows. Thus ended the
town's second attempt at freedom.
The first battle in the Wars of the Roses took
place at St. Albans ; both sides fought bravely,
but the Lancastrians were put to flight, and Henry
VI. had to take refuge in a baker's shop, where he
was discovered and conveyed a prisoner to the
Tower. Later on a second battle was fought at
St. Albans, the Yorkists now being in possession of
the town and Henry a prisoner in their hands.
They were taken unawares by a large Lancastrian
force, driven back upon the market-place, and
finally as night came on, they fled precipitately.
The victorious Lancastrians, led by the exulting
Margaret, took the King from his guards, and
placing him at their head proceeded to the abbey,
at the door of which they were met by the abbot
and his monks, chanting hymns of thanksgiving
for the King's safe restoration, and a solemn service
was held. But that night Margaret's triumphing
army sacked the town, in spite of all the abbot's
earnest entreaties, for the Queen could not control
the rabble of forces she had raised. This was fatal
to the cause ; it hardened the hearts of the Lon-
doners against them, and soon Margaret's brief
triumph ended in despairing exile.
ST. ALBANS 321
Cardinal Wolsey was the thirty-eighth abbot of
St. Albans. There is no record of his ever having
come down to take possession, but his influence was
exerted at least in one direction, and that was in
the stoppage of the printing press which had been
brought to the town by Caxton, who issued from it
the first historical work printed in this country.
Wolsey declared that if the clergy did not
suppress the art it would be the ruin of the
Church.
The freedom for which the townsfolk of St.
Albans had striven so long was at length secured
them by Henry VIII.'s suppression of the monas-
teries, and the constitution of the town " a free
borough corporate in deed, fact and name for ever."
But though they had won their freedom, they had
lost the abbey, under whose protection their town
had come into being, and which had been their pride
and glory for eight hundred years, second only to
Westminster in dignity and magnificence, whose
monks had visited them in sickness, relieved them
in poverty, administered to them the rites of the
Church throughout their lives, and taught them in
youth ; for with the fall of the abbey the Grammar
School ceased to be. The abbey church, too,
would have been swept away had not the townsfolk
begged to be allowed to purchase it for use as their
parish church, and on payment of four hundred
pounds it was handed over to them. Now that the
gorgeous ceremonial of Roman Catholicism was
abolished the church contained a great deal more
space than was needed for the services, therefore the
beautiful eastern chapels were turned into a school-
322 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
house, and a passage-way was cut through the
venerable walls, dividing the fine old church into
two parts. This arrangement was continued up
to comparatively modern times, when the abbey
church was transformed into a cathedral, and the
school was removed to the great gatehouse, a
picturesque old place, sole remnant of the mag-
nificent abbey buildings which had once covered the
hill on the south side of the church, stretching
down to the river.
One of the best known patrons of the original
Grammar School was Sir Nicholas Bacon, father of
the famous Sir Francis. His country seat was at
Gorhambury, and he took great interest in the
school, used his considerable influence with Elizabeth
to obtain a grant for it, and drew up a set of rules
for its governance. When Sir Francis succeeded
to the estate at Gorhambury he spent much of his
time there, particularly after he had fallen into
disgrace. His will contained the following clause :
" For my burial I desire it may be in St. Michael's
Church, St. Albans ; there was my mother buried,
and it is the parish church of my mansion house of
Gorhambury, and it is the only Christian church
within the walls of ancient Verulam." His wishes
were carried out. The monument to his memory,
which was erected in St. Michael's, is a most ex-
quisitely executed white marble one, representing
the philosopher sitting in a high-backed chair,
arrayed in his Chancellor's gown and apparently
meditating. After a eulogy of his virtues and
attainments, the Latin epitaph, translated, reads
thus : M Of such a man that the memory might
ST. ALBANS 323
remain, Thomas Meautys, living his attendant,
dead his admirer, placed this monument."
The new diocese of St. Albans was created in
1877, and during the seventies the great church,
which is one of the largest and most interesting in
England, was restored in a manner which caused
considerable controversy. At the same time a
wonderful archaeological triumph was achieved in
the almost complete reconstruction of the shrine of
St. Alban ; two collections of fragments having been
discovered by accident, it was pieced together with
the utmost pains, and now stands behind the great
reredos, on the spot it had occupied for many
centuries close by the old watching gallery, from
which the shrine which then contained the martyr's
relics had been watched night and day in unbroken
succession by the monks of the abbey. South of the
shrine is the chantry, which was erected in memory
of Humphrey, the good Duke of Gloucester.
Of ancient Verulam, whose tiles form so large a
portion of the fabric of the cathedral, nothing can
now be seen except two remnants of a Roman wall
in a field near the river.
PLYMOUTH
From the broad walk that runs along the top of
the famous hill known as the Hoe, standing between
Plymouth and the sea, a view is obtained which
" has no rival in England." In front, three miles
away, is the great breakwater which, at the cost
of a million and a half, was built across the mouth
of the Sound at the beginning of the nineteenth
century, converting it into one of the finest natural
harbours in the kingdom. On the right are the
green slopes of Mount Edgecumbe, crowned by the
Earl's mansion, the wide and shining Hamoaze
into which the Tamar empties its waters, and,
beyond, glimpses of the Cornish shore. Beneath,
in the centre of the Sound, Drake's Island, named
after Plymouth's hero, Sir Francis, bristles with
fortifications, on the left lie outspread the broad
Catwater and the downs of Staddon, while fourteen
miles out in the channel rises the Eddystone light-
house.
The Hoe is of very ancient fame indeed ; here,
as Spenser tells us in his " Faerie Queene," the giant
Cormoran, or Corineus, afterwards done to death
by Jack the Giant-killer, slew the giant Gogmagog,
or Goemot : —
" The Western Hogh besprinkled with the gore
Of mighty Goemot, who in stout fray
Corineus conquered and cruelly did slay."
324
PLYMOUTH 325
Gogmagog's jawbones with the teeth still in them are
said to have been dug up when the foundations of
the citadel at the eastern end of the Hoe were
being laid in the time of Charles II., and in Spenser's
time figures of the two giants were cut out of the
turf, an item of 8d. " for new cutting of the Gog-
magoge on the Howe," being entered in the town
accounts.
It is to some Augustinian monks in the far-off
days of King Edgar, or possibly even earlier, that
we owe the beginnings of the present flourishing
seaport. They lived in Plympton Priory, and it
was on some land of theirs in Sutton that a few
fisher folk and small traders, encouraged by their
kindly aid, began to build the hamlet which by the
thirteenth century had developed into the town of
Plymouth and begun to play a part in the history of
England.
One of the most romantic figures connected with
the town in early days is that boyhood's hero, the
Black Prince ; from Plymouth he set sail with a
fleet of three hundred ships to invade France,
and here he landed in the full flush of his victory,
both at Crecy and Poictiers, bringing with him not
only the flower of the French nobility, but King
John and his youngest son, hostages for the observ-
ance of the treaty of Bretigny. He treated his royal
captives with all the chivalry that has made his
name famous. At the banquet given by the town
in his honour he " stood at the French King's
back . . . constantly refused to take a place
at table, and declared that, being a subject, he was
too well acquainted with the distance between his
326 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
own rank and that of royal majesty to assume such
freedom." His fourth visit to the town fourteen
years later was a sad contrast ; his chivalrous ex-
pedition into Spain to restore the ungrateful Pedro
to his throne had cost him his health, and he was
returning home to die, saddened by news from
France that England was losing all he had fought
for there. He was too ill to continue his journey
at once, and lingered at the priory until he was
able to bear the journey to London, where he died
soon after, leaving behind him " a character illus-
trious for every eminent virtue, and from his earliest
youth till the hour he expired, unstained by any
blemish."
Plymouth had now become the fourth largest
town in England, and as the French had twice
descended upon and sacked it, the citizens, urged
by the Prior of Plympton, decided on fortification
and built " a strong castle quadrate, having at each
corner a great round tower "ona rocky point at the
east end of the Hoe, commanding the Catwater
and Sutton Pool. Except for the remains of a tower
in the outworks of the citadel, and some fragments
of a gateway in Lambhay Street, Plymouth Castle
has long since disappeared, the name Barbican alone
preserving its memory. But it was in the days of
good Queen Bess that the town reached the height
of its glory and produced the long series of heroes
the fame of whose exploits made the name of England
resound in every quarter of the globe. " In the
latter part of the sixteenth century Devonshire
was the foremost county in England and Plymouth
its foremost town. Elizabeth called the men of
PLYMOUTH 327
Devonshire her right hand." " If any person desired
to see her English worthies, Plymouth was the
likeliest place to seek them. All were in some
fashion associated with the old town. " Per mare,
per terram," was the motto of Elizabeth's true-born
Englishmen, and familiar and dear to them was
Plymouth with its narrow streets, its dwarfish
quays, its broad waters and its glorious Hoe."
On the roll of Plymouth's illustrious men the
Hawkins family figures largely : " For three genera-
tions in succession they were the master spirits
of Plymouth in its most illustrious days ; its leading
merchants, its bravest sailors, serving oft and well
in the civic chair and in the Commons House of
Parliament. For three generations they were in
the van of English seamanship, founders of England's
commerce in South, West and East, stout in fight,
of quenchless spirit in adventure — a family of mer-
chant statesmen and heroes to whom our country
affords no parallel." In 1573 Sir John Hawkins
was chosen by the Queen " as the fittest person in
her dominions to manage her naval affairs," and
for twenty-one years he served her faithfully as
Comptroller of the Navy, turning out her ships in
such taut and trim condition that " they had no
match in the world."
Never was such pleasant bustle as at Plymouth
in those days. The very air seemed full of the spirit
of enterprise and adventure, and all the gossip ran
upon the strange countries overseas, the wonders
to be beheld there, and the vast riches waiting only
to be gathered. Now it was Sir Richard Hawkins,
nephew of stout Sir John, off to the South Seas with
328 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
five ships ; and now Sir Humphrey Gilbert bound
for the New World with the " first European
settlers of Northern America " ; or Sir Walter Raleigh
in search of new land to add to his Queen's posses-
sions ; or Grenville, Frobisher, Cox and countless
others ; or, prime favourite of all, Francis Drake,
starting out on his wonderful voyage round the
world. When he returned in triumph the whole
town turned out to welcome him, and the bells
were set a-ringing in his honour ; with one voice
the pleased burgesses elected him mayor, and the
Queen commanded him to bring round his ship to
Greenwich in order that she might knight him on
board.
Then one day came news of a great Spanish
fleet, named vaingloriously the " Invincible
Armada " setting sail from the Tagus to avenge
a long series of harassments by Hawkins and
Drake, and all the English ships that could be
mustered assembled in Plymouth harbour, eager
for the fray. There they waited and waited, day
after day, and the captains and officers beguiled
the time with games of bowls upon the Hoe. They
were in the midst of one of these when word was
at length brought by a Scottish privateer that the
Armada, ranged up in the form of " a crescent, of
which the horns were seven miles asunder " had ap-
peared off the Lizard. At once all was ardour and
bustle; only the imperturbable Drake remained
cool and wanted " to finish the game and beat the
Spaniards afterwards," but for once he was over-
ruled, and all embarked. The history of that day
is well known ; how, with the aid of fireships and
PLYMOUTH 329
tempest and their own skilful manoeuvring and brave
right hands, the English soon sent the Spaniards
flying, and it was a very battered Armada, shorn of
ninety-nine ships and many thousands of men, that
returned sadly to Corrunna. And this is not all that
Drake did for Plymouth ; he it was who set on foot
the great work for which the town could never be too
grateful, the bringing of an efficient water supply, by
means of an artificial channel, though the poorer folk
believed he did it by magic, from Dartmoor right into
the town. On the back of his portrait in the Guildhall
the burgesses recorded their gratitude as follows^ : —
** Great Drake, whose shippe about the world's wide waste
In three years did a golden girdle cast ;
Who with fresh streams refresht this towne that first
Though kist with waters, yet did pine with thirst *
Who both a Pilot and a Magistrate
Steered in his turne the Shippe of Plymouthe's state."
In 1592 Drake was elected M.P. for Plymouth ;
no wonder the town was proud of him. A splendid
bronze statue of the hero, by Sir Edgar Boehm,
stands on the Hoe, and also a tercentenary monument
in memory of the Armada. Drake's Island too
commemorates the great man.
Now we come to the Pilgrim Fathers ; they were
a company of Independents who had sought refuge
for a time in Holland from religious persecution, and
in 1620, having heard much talk of Raleigh's dis-
covery, Virginia, had resolved to begin a new life
there. Returning to England they embarked at
Southampton in two vessels, the " Mayflower "
and the smaller " Speedwell " ; countless were the
delays and difficulties, chiefly caused by the poverty
of their resources, before they were really off, but
330 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
at length, in the words of Nicholas Bradford, after-
wards their first governor in the New World, " with
good hopes they put to sea, conceiving they should
go comfortably on, but it fell out otherwise, for after
they were gone to sea again, about ioo leagues
without the Land's End, holding company together
all this while, the captain of the small ship com-
plained his ship was so leaky that he must bear up
or sink at sea, for they could scarce free her with
much pumping. So they came to consultation
again and resolved both ships should bear back
again and put into Plymouth, which accordingly
was done." They landed at the Barbican and were
so " kindly entertained and courteously used by
divers friends there dwelling/' that afterwards
in grateful remembrance when they landed in
Massachusetts they gave the name of New Plymouth
to their settlement. While they were in Plymouth
'* no special leak could be found, but it was judged
to be the general weakness of the ship and that
she would not prove sufficient for the voyage.
Upon which it was resolved to dismiss her and part
of the companie, and proceed with the other ship.
The which, though it was grievous and caused great
discouragement, was put in execution. So after
they had taken out such provisions as the other
ship could bestow, and concluded both what number
and what persons to send back they made another
sad parting, the one ship going back to London
and the other proceeded on her voyage."
Three times Plymouth, which was a Puritan strong-
hold, was besieged by the troops of Charles L, and
three times it successfully withstood them ; on the
PLYMOUTH 331
first occasion the Puritans might well think that
the Lord was on their side, for when they were on
the verge of starvation a shoal of pilchards suddenly
appeared in the harbour and Sutton Pool in such
quantities that the besieged were able to dip
buckets into the water and draw them out.
Admiral Blake, another of our great naval heroes,
died as he was. entering Plymouth Sound on his
return from a successful expedition against the
Spaniards at Teneriffe, and though his body was
interred in Westminster Abbey, his heart, at the
earnest wish of the people of Plymouth, was buried
in St. Andrew's Church " by the door of the Mayor's
pew." Blake was one of the staunchest, bravest
and best of England's many naval heroes ; he
had his work to do and he did it, regardless of any
man's opinion. " It is not for us to mind State
matters," he said, " but to keep foreigners from
fooling us." His despatches were a marvel of
brevity ; the following being a typical example :
" Please your honours and glory, yesterday met
with the French fleet, beat, killed, took, sunk
and burned as per margin." It is to him we owe the
long pennon that floats from the mainmast of our
men-of-war. Van Tromp adopted a broom as a
token that he would sweep the sea, Blake retorted
by hoisting a horsewhip, which we have borne ever
since.
One event in Plymouth at the beginning of the
nineteenth century excited the most extraordinary
interest, and that was Napoleon's arrival as a
prisoner on the " Bellerophon " on his way to St.
Helena. " The Sound was covered by one entire
332 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
mass of boats filled with people. Every boat that
could swim was there, from the splendid barge to
the little cockleshell, and so closely were they
wedged together that no sea could be seen." This
historic event was the occasion of a young native
of Plymouth springing into fame. Charles East-
lake, later to be President of the Royal Academy,
took the sketch from which he afterwards painted
his great picture " Napoleon standing on the gang-
way of H.M.S. ' Bellerophon.' " Napoleon, who
heard what the young artist had done, courteously
sent him the clothes he had been wearing to enable
him to complete his picture. Another great artist
connected with Plymouth is Sir Joshua Reynolds,
who was born at Plympton in a house which is still
standing, as is also the old Grammar School where
he received his first lessons. In the Plymouth
Library are three portraits he painted, one of
himself and the other two of his father and youngest
sister. James Northcote, Samuel Prout, Hay don
and Cook were also natives of Plymouth.
Old Plymouth is almost a thing of the past, and
has to be searched for in odd corners ; the present
town is supremely modern with many Government
buildings, and all the hustle and bustle of modern
days, for Plymouth is the place of call for all the
great lines of steamships sailing from London or
Southampton for the east or south, and vice versa.
Next to it, so close as to appear from the water all
one town, have, almost within the last century,
grown up Stonehouse, with its Naval Hospital,
Marine Barracks and Naval Victualling Yard, the
largest in the kingdom, and Devonport with its
PLYMOUTH 333
dockyard, seventy acres in extent and employing
3,000 men, which turns out every single requisite
for the building of the largest battleship. They
are known as the Three Towns, and each has its
separate governing body ; a line of fortifications,
consisting of sixteen forts, protect them, stretching
from Staddon Heights on the east to Tregantle on the
west, besides which there is a great iron fort just
within the Breakwater, to say nothing of Drake's
Island, which is practically covered by batteries,
and would form a very strong protection against
any attack from abroad.
On the Hoe may be seen a relic of great interest,
the tower of Smeaton's lighthouse, the third erected
upon the dangerous rocks upon which the fourth
Eddystone now stands. The story is a strange one.
The rocks, which are covered at high water, had
been the cause of so many wrecks and loss of life
that Mr. Winstanley, a wealthy gentleman with a
hobby for mechanics, designed and erected a light-
house which he frequently boasted would stand the
strongest gale that ever blew, adding he only
wished he might have the opportunity of being in
at the time. His wish was granted with tragic
results ; one day, while he was in it superintending
some repairs, a storm came on of such extraordinary
violence that in London alone 800 houses were
destroyed, 315 ships were wrecked, and in Kent
50,000 trees blown down. When it was over no
trace remained of Winstanley, the men who had
been with him, or the lighthouse. Three years later
a London silk merchant named Rudyerd made
another attempt ; his structure also was made of
334 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
wood, but circular instead of polygonal, like Win-
Stanley's. For fifty years it successfully weathered
every storm, and then in 1755 it caught fire ; the
three keepers tried in vain to extinguish the flames,
but the lead with which it was roofed spouted off in
molten streams, and they had to take refuge in a
hole in the rock, but not before one of them in look-
ing up had received a quantity down his throat ;
he died twelve days afterwards. One of his com-
panions, when rescuers appeared to take them off
the rock, went raving mad, and breaking away
flung himself into the sea. Twelve months later
Mr. Smeaton began to build a third lighthouse,
made of stone. We were at war with France at the
time, and a privateer carried off the workmen
engaged upon it to a French prison. When news
of their capture reached Louis XV. he was exceed-
ingly angry : " I am at war with England, but not
with all mankind," he said, and releasing the
workmen with a handsome present he placed their
captors in prison instead. This lighthouse might
have lasted to the present day but for the under-
mining by the waves of the rock on which it stood ;
so 123 years after its first erection it was removed
to the Hoe, and the present structure put up in its
stead at a cost of £80,000.
Plymouth still ranks as one of the most important
towns in England, and it may have an even greater
future before it, if the men of Devon, with the
enterprise which distinguished them in the reign of
good Queen Bess, profit by the natural advantages
of the town, and erect docks which might easily
rival those of Southampton or even Liverpool.
WARWICK
" Nothing," says one chronicler, " can well be
imagined more happily chosen than the situation of
Warwick " ; "in which," adds another, " this
town may justly glory beyond any other." It
stands on a gentle hill in the beautiful valley of the
Avon, its four main streets climbing up to the fine
old church of St. Mary's, which towers above the
surrounding houses. Lower down, yet rising high
above the river, stands the splendid castle, " one of
the greatest and by far the most famous in the
Midlands, famous not only for its early strength and
later magnificence, but for the long line of powerful
earls, culminating in the Kingmaker, who possessed
it and bore its name." It is one of the very few
Norman castles now used as a residence, and the
earl holds it, just as he did in Saxon days when it
consisted of a mere timber keep, erected by Ethel-
fleda the warlike daughter of Alfred the Great, and
surrounded by a deep fosse or ditch.
Warwick is one of the oldest towns in England ;
its early history is partly legendary, but Rous, a
chantry priest at the chapel at Guy's Cliff in the
fifteenth century, the most learned of its first his-
torians, declares it was founded by an early British
king, used as a military station by the Romans,
created a bishop's see by St. Dubritius, and regarded
335
336 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
as of such importance that it was six times destroyed
by invading enemies and as often rebuilt by the
surviving inhabitants before the Conquest. The
device of a bear and ragged staff, which has been
borne by the Earls of Warwick for many centuries,
and meets the eye continually in church and town, is
said to have had its origin in the name of one British
earl, Arthal, signifying a bear, and the exploit of
another British earl who vanquished a giant with a
young tree he had plucked up by the roots.
Evidently there was a royal mint at Warwick
in the time of Harthacanute, for a genuine Saxon
penny still exists bearing his name and that of the
town. Rous gives a list of eight Saxon earls and
recites at great length the romantic history of the
famous Guy of Warwick, whose humble birth had
been attended by remarkable portents, and who
dared to fall in love with the fair proud Phyllis,
daughter of Earl Rohand ; but he had to perform
many marvellous feats before he won her, the chief
of which was the slaying of a monstrous dun cow,
the terror of the countryside. Married bliss and
high estate, however, could not long content him,
and he returned to the wars, where he soon became
known as the most valiant of warriors, and the slayer
of a mighty Saracen giant. Years passed and
" At length to Warwick I did come,
Like Pilgrim poor and was not known ;
And then I lived a Hermit life
A mile and more out of the town (at Guy's Cliff).
And daily came to beg my bread
Of Philis at my Castle gate
Not known unto my loving wife,
Who daily mourned for her mate*
WARWICK 337
Till at the last I fell sore sicke,
Yes, sick so sore that I must die.
I sent to her a ringe of golde
By which she knew me presentlye.
Then she repairing to the Cave
Before that I gave up the Ghost,
Herself closed up my dying eyes,
My Philis fair whom I lov'd most."
Various relics of this doughty champion are still
preserved and shown to visitors at the castle, such
as his porridge pot, meat fork and sword, and in the
courtyard Felyce's Well is still a feature.
At the time of the Domesday Survey Warwick
was evidently considered a town of considerable
importance and strength ; it contained two hundred
and sixty-one houses and two churches, St. Mary's
and one on the site of the present St. Nicholas'. The
earl was a Saxon named Turchill, afterwards
known as the " Traitor Earl/' because he submitted
to the Conqueror, and was in consequence allowed
to retain possession of his estates on condition that
he fortified the town. This he did by surrounding
it with strong walls and a ditch, and rebuilding the
castle. When he died, the Conqueror bestowed the
earldom upon his favourite, Henry de Newburgh.
In 1268 the title passed by marriage into the
Beauchamp family, in whose time the present castle
was built, and the importance and prosperity of the
town were steadily in the ascendant, as may be
judged from the fact that in Edward III.'s reign it
contained at least eight churches. The second of
the Beauchamp earls was that Guy of Warwick,
who, among Edward II.'s proud barons, was the
most incensed by the weak King's preference for the
338 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
upstart Piers Gaveston. When he heard that the
favourite had mockingly nicknamed him " the black
hound of Ardern," he exclaimed, " Let him call
me hound, one day the hound will bite him/' and
true enough, when the barons did conspire against
Gaveston, it was the earl who headed them and
seized the wretched man, imprisoning him for a
night in a dungeon in Warwick Castle, the entrance
to which is still shown, and the next day leading
him out to Blacklow Hill, where they smote off his
head. The name of Piers Gaveston and the date
of his death may still be seen cut in the rock on the
brow of the hill. Soon after the earl mysteriously
died. His breastplate and shield are in the armoury
of the castle. He began the fortifications.
His son Thomas, who succeeded him, became
Earl Marshal of England, and took a very prominent
part in the French wars of Edward III., displaying
remarkable valour ; he led the van of the English
army in the battle of Crecy and greatly distinguished
himself at Poictiers. A piece of the Black Prince's
armour, relic of those days, is in the castle armoury.
This earl rebuilt the walls of the castle, erected the
fine tower in the n.e. corner named after the Saxon
Guy, added strong gates, fortified the entrance with
embattled towers, and built the choir of St. Mary's,
in the centre of which he lies, under a tomb bearing
his efhgy and that of his countess, beautifully
carved in white marble. His son Thomas, the next
earl, was governor to Richard II. during his minority.
He built Caesar's Tower, which is considered one of
the strongest and most graceful in England* He
was buried with his countess in the south part of
WARWICK 339
St. Mary's, and their portraits, engraven on brass, are
still there.
His son Richard, who followed next, was one of
the most famous personages of his time, not only
in his own country but on the Continent. The
German Emperor declared " That no Christian
Prince hath such another knight for Wisdom, Nur-
ture and Manhood, and that if all Courtesie were lost
it might be found again in him," and thus he came
to be known as " the Prince of Courtesie." He was
concerned in all the principal transactions of the
reign, acted as governor to Henry VI. during his
minority, and as Regent of France after the Duke
of Bedford. To him Warwick owes the exquisite
Beauchamp chapel, a building only surpassed by
Henry VII /s chapel at Westminster, and one of the
most perfect examples of Perpendicular architecture
in the kingdom. In the centre of it is his beautiful
tomb, bearing his effigy in brass gilt, larger than life
and in full armour, around which are carved four-
teen figures of mourning relatives, all belonging
to the noblest families in England. Opening out
of the chapel is a small chamber called the Oratory,
remarkable for its fine fan tracery roof. This earl
also rebuilt the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene at
Guy's Cliff, established a chantry there, of which
Rous, the historian, was priest, and erected the statue
of the Saxon Guy which is still there. His son
Henry was only fourteen when he succeeded, yet
before he died at the early age of twenty-two he
had received from the King all the honours royalty
had to bestow and was even declared and crowned
King of the Isle of Wight. His brother-in-law,
340 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Richard Neville, the greatest of all the earls of War-
wick, and called the Kingmaker, because he played
with kings as if they were pawns, was the next earl.
" He was the greatest as well as the last of those
mighty barons who formerly overawed the crown,
and rendered the people incapable of any system of
government." It was in the Wars of the Roses
that he played his game of kings ; first he sided with
the Yorkists and himself offered the crown to
Edward IV. ; afterwards connecting himself still
more closely with the new King by marrying his
two daughters to Edward's brothers, the Duke of
Clarence and the Duke of York, later Richard III.
Then at some fancied slight he veered completely
round, and joining the Lancastrians captured Ed-
ward IV. and kept him prisoner for a month, part
of the time at Warwick Castle. His next step was
to restore Henry VI. to the throne, but eventually
his plans failed and he was defeated and killed at
the battle of Barnet. A mace and other relics of
him are preserved at the castle. His son-in-law,
the Duke of Clarence, next took the title, but he soon
incurred the royal suspicion and was sent to the
Tower, where he was secretly murdered, tradition
says, in a butt of malmsey wine. The story of his
little son and heir is most pathetic ; when only nine
years old he was shut up in the Tower by Henry
VII., for fear of his claims to the crown. There he
languished in secret for years, once or twice when
impostors, such as Lambert Simnel, personated
him, being paraded through the streets of
London. Finally, on the excuse that he was
concerned in the conspiracy of Perkin Warbeck,
WARWICK 341
the unhappy young man was beheaded on Tower
Hill.
The Dudleys were the next earls ; John Dudley,
who was Duke of Northumberland as well as Earl
of Warwick, rivalled his predecessor, the Kingmaker,
by endeavouring to make a queen of his daughter-
in-law, Lady Jane Grey ; an attempt that ended in
disaster and brought about his downfall and execu-
tion. His son Ambrose, who was forgiven his share
in the conspiracy by reason of the gallantry of the
Dudleys in the foreign wars, was known as the " good
Earl of Warwick," and became a great favourite
with Elizabeth. One of the most interesting inci-
dents in his life was a magnificent reception he gave
her in 1572, when there were the greatest rejoicings
and festivities, and " it pleased the Queen to have
the country people resorting to see the dance in the
court of the castle, the Queen beholding them out of
her chamber window," the evening ending with
" a show of fireworks prepared for that purpose in
the Temple Fields." Warwick is specially inter-
esting as containing enough old houses to show one
what the town was like in Elizabethan days. The
East Gate with St. Peter's Chapel and the West
Gate with St. James's Chapel, the beautiful chancel
of St. Mary's, the vestry, the chapter house and the
Beauchamp Chapel are all untouched. Mill Street
is full of ancient half-timbered houses, and at the
bottom of it are the picturesque remains of the Great
Bridge over which the Queen rode, when she entered
Warwick. Then to the north of the town there is
the Priory, built by a man named Fisher in the time
of Henry VIII. on the site of the ancient Priory
342 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
of St. Sepulchre, which was founded by the first of
the Norman earls, and of which two galleries are
included in the newer building, while the ruined
chapel is still standing. Queen Elizabeth herself
visited this house on the occasion of her second visit
to Warwick and honoured the family by sitting down
to supper with them. Fisher's large fortune was
entirely self-made, his father having been a fish
seller in the market-place of Warwick, and when he
died his riches were speedily dissipated by his son,
who perished miserably in the Fleet prison. Last
but perhaps the most interesting of all is the Leicester
Hospital, a very old building at the top of the High
Street, and a perfect example of a half-timbered
house. The chapel and gateway date from the reign of
Henry I., the tower and hall from that of Richard II.
The place having passed into the possession of
Ambrose Dudley's younger brother Robert, the famous
Earl of Leicester, lover of Queen Elizabeth, he founded
therein a hospital for a master and twelve brethren,
and it is still maintained as such, the brethren wearing
the dress of the order as commanded by the founder,
a blue gown with a silver badge of the bear and
ragged staff on the left sleeve ; the present badges
are the identical ones worn by the first brethren,
and bear their names on the back and the date 1571.
The Earl of Leicester was a great figure in Warwick
in his day and accounted a considerable benefactor
by the people. He has a splendid tomb against
the north wall in the Beauchamp Chapel, with statues
of himself and his Countess Letitia, successor of the
unhappy Amy Robsart ; and against the south wall
near the altar is a monument to his son Sir Robert
WARWICK 343
Dudley, " The Noble Impe," a very remarkable
personage, who was never able properly to establish
his legitimacy and spent the greater part of his life
in Florence.
The Dudley family having died out, the title
passed into the self-made family of Rich, while the
castle was granted by James I. to Sir Fulke Greville,
whom he also created Lord Brooke. The castle at the
time was terribly dilapidated, and Sir Fulke repaired
and adorned it at a cost of £20,000. Sir Fulke was
one of the most accomplished men of his day and
the lifelong friend of Sir Philip Sidney, with whom
he was at school. He was one of the pall bearers
at Sir Philip's funeral at St. Paul's Cathedral, and
wrote his life, and a portrait of Sir Philip hangs in
the castle. Sir Fulke's end was a tragic one ; he
was murdered by a servant, who immediately after-
wards committed suicide. He was buried in the
chapter-house north of the choir, where his monu-
ment, erected by himself, may still be seen.
Warwick Castle underwent a great siege in the
Civil War, when Sir Fulke's cousin, an ardent Round-
head, had succeeded to the title : — " Lord Brooke
had gone, leaving it to be defended by Sir Edward
Peyto, who was twice summoned to surrender by
an army under Lord Northampton but refused ;
after two days Sir Edward ordered all to leave the
town and a red flag floated out from Guy's Tower ;
the strong massive walls of the castle were proof
against all attack and the besiegers tried to starve
them out ; then Sir Edward hoisted the quaint device
of a Bible and winding sheet, implying that as he
put his faith in the one, he was not afraid of the
344 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
other. At last the Cavaliers in despair raised the
siege and joined the King's forces."
In 1759 the title of Earl of Warwick passed into
the Greville family and is still borne by them.
A great fire in 1694 destroyed a large portion of
the town, as well as the nave of St. Mary's Church,
but it was very carefully rebuilt, subscriptions
coming in from all parts of the country. In the
days of Catholic superstition St. Mary's possessed
a remarkable number of holy relics — e.g., part of the
chair of the patriarch Abraham, part of the burn-
ing bush of Moses, part of the hair of the Blessed
Virgin, part of the manger in which the infant Jesus
was laid, part of the pillar to which He was fastened
when scourged, part of the crown of thorns, part of
the cross, part of the towel in which His body
was wrapped by Nicodemus, part of the hair
of Mary Magdalene and part of the face of
Stephen.
In 1871 there was a terrible fire at the castle which
destroyed all the private apartments and many
treasures ; but it still contains a very large number
of valuable and interesting objects, such as the
beautiful portrait of Charles I. on horseback by
Vandyke, a helmet studded with brass worn by Oliver
Cromwell, a magnificent table known as the Grimani,
inlaid with precious stones and worth £10,000, a set
of bedroom furniture which belonged to Queen Anne ;
portraits by Holbein of Henry VIII., Martin Luther,
and Anne Boleyn ; the beautiful white marble vase
known as the Warwick Vase, five and a half feet
high, which was found in the Vale of Tempe by Sir
William Hamilton in 1770 and presented by him to
WARWICK
345
the Earl of Warwick ; it stands on a high pedestal
in a glass house in the gardens overlooking the park.
Izaak Walton's marriage chest is another treasure,
and a travelling trunk which belonged to Queen
Anne, etc., etc., etc.
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BOSTON
Boston, the humble and primitive mother of the
great city in the U.S.A., has a curious history,
reaching back to Roman times, though such Roman
remains as have been found in the neighbourhood
are scanty, and sometimes doubtful. The Romans
probably had some sort of defensive post here to
defend the builders of their sea-wall.
Founded by a saint, and ruined by a quarrel-
some brawler, it has recovered through the efforts
of its Corporation. In the middle of the last century
it was so decayed that the American driver in
" Martin Chuzzlewit " was able to say : " It brought
Old (New) York home to him quite wivid, on account
of it being so exactly unlike in every respect." At
one time, not more than a century ago, no vessel
of more than 150 tons could reach the town, and
matters had been even worse ; now the docks
have quayside accommodation for vessels of 3,000
tons' burden.
Of its origin, Bede informs us that St. Botolph,
patron saint of mariners, founded a small monastery
at Icanhoe, which Leland and others take to have
been on the site of the present city. From its
foundation in a.d. 654, it continued until the Danish
invasion of 870. A village seems to have grown
up beside the convent, to be included in the survey
346
BOSTON 347.
of Skirbeck by the compilers of Domesday Book.
The Chronicles of Croyland state that after the
terrible conflagration which destroyed that abbey,
Fergus, a brazier, of Botolphstone, gave two skillets
to make good the loss of their bells and tower.
This was in 1091, only five years after the com-
pilation of the great survey; we must suppose
that the two towns were returned under the name
of Skirbeck, which is mentioned as having two
churches, two priests, two fishgarths, and the
equivalent of forty acres of meadow.
Alan Rufus, Earl of Brittany, later of Britain and
Richmond, became the feudal lord.
The rise of the port under its early Norman lords
must have been extremely rapid, for in 1204 we
hear of the men of Boston paying £100 and two
palfreys in order that no sheriff or bailiffs should
interfere with them, but that they should choose a
bailiff among themselves. Already, vague as history
is as to the growth of the port, it had come to be of
the greatest importance ; for in this very year of
1204 the quinzaine, or tax of one-fifteenth, was
nearly as high as that of London, being no
less than £780, as against £836 ; moreover, it
was no poor community that was in those days
ready to pay £100 for the privileges of a primitive
charter.
In the reign of Edward I. the first blow was struck
at the port's early prosperity. One Robert Cham-
berlain, gentleman, with a number of followers,
came to the annual fair at Boston disguised as monks
and canons, and set fire to the town. While the
people were fighting the fire the conspirators
348 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
plundered the fair ; and even after the raid the fair
was so rich, and the fire so fierce, that gold and
silver ran melted in the street. Chamberlain was
hanged, but resolutely refused to betray his accom-
plices. Soon afterwards — in 1285 — there was a
disastrous flood. But prosperous years succeeded,
the town was rebuilt, and the staple for wool, felt,
leather and lead was fixed at Boston. Then
followed the great days of the port. The Hansa
merchants — the " Esterlings," as the men of the
Baltic provinces were called — settled in great
numbers, and formed their guild or " steelyard."
In 1336, Boston sent members to Parliament, and
continued to do so until 1352.
Despite these advantages, it was natural for
Boston to suffer by the rise of other ports, for the
estuary was swift and awkward to navigate, with
constantly shifting channels.
But before speaking of decay we must mention
the great glory of Boston, and one of its greatest
assets — the church of St. Botolph. It was not at
first the parish church, but its size and beauty,
together with the numerous religious houses and
guilds founded and flourishing in the town, brought
many pilgrims and religious thither, Boston offering
the devout Catholic very superior facilities.
In 1309 " the foundation of Boston steeple on the
next Monday after Palm Sunday was begun to be
digged by many miners, and so continued till the
midsummer following, at which time they were
deeper than the haven by five foot. . . . Upon
the Monday . . . was laid the first stone by Dame
Margery Tilney, and thereupon she laid £5 sterling.
BOSTON 349
Sir John Truesdale, then parson of Boston, gave also
£5, and Richard Stephenson . . . gave £5 more.
These were all the great gifts at that time." For a
time the tower made slow progress, but the rest of
the church rose quickly : about 1450 the chancel
was lengthened, and early in the fifteenth century
the beautiful tower and lantern were completed.
Leland tells us that originally St. Botolph's " was
but a chapel to " St. John's. " But now it is so
risen and adornid that it is the chiefest of the toune,
. . and so served with singging, and that of cun-
ning men, as no paroche is in all England. . .
The society and bretherhodde longging to this
chirch hath caussid this."
Leland is speaking of the guild of the Blessed
Virgin. He relates a curious anecdote of one
enterprise of theirs. It must be understood that
the attractions of religion were well nigh as profitable
as the famous fairs. In the year 1510 (Leland quotes
from Fox's " Acts and Monuments ") it happened
" that the town of Boston thought good to send
up to Rome for renewing of their two pardons,
one called the great, the other called the lesser
pardon. Which thing, although it should stand
them in great expences of money (for the Pope's
merchandize is always deare ware), yet notwith-
standing such sweetnesse they had felt thereof, and
such gain come to their towne by that Roman
merchandize," that, to cut a long story short, they
sent " one Geffrey Chambers with another cham-
pion," supplied with money and all that was fitting,
'* who coming to Antwerp, and misdoubting to be
too weak for the compassing of such a weighty
350 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
piece of work, conferred and perswaded with
Thomas Cromwell ... to assist him " — to wit,
in making an easy bargain. Cromwell, despite his
apprehensions of " the unreasonable expences of
those greedy cormorants,", consented, and the three
travelled together to Rome. Pope Julius II.,
that wily diplomat and downright old soldier,
was on the throne. How circumvent him ? Crom-
well inquired and meditated, having already dis-
covered what served him so well in later life, that
great men are to be managed through their weak-
nesses. At length, " having knowledge that the
Pope's holy tooth greatly delighted in new-fangled,
strange delicates and dainty dishes of gelly," and
that his " greedy humour must needs be served with
some present or other (for without rewards there
is no doing at Rome) " he waited until a day when
Julius returned from the chase to his pavilion, hot
and famished ; when he and his companions ap-
proached with divers confections of the " gelly "
nature, " with a three-man's song." " The Pope
suddenly marvelling at the strangenesse of the song,
and understanding that they were Englishmen, and
that they came not empty-handed, willed them to be
called in. Cromwell there shewing his obedience
and offering his gelly junkets, "such as kings and
princes only," said he, "did vie to eat in England,"
and which he and his fellows, poor suitors, had
brought as a novelty meet for his recreation, etc.,"
the Pope, after prudently getting a cardinal " to
take the assay," presently ate of them himself, with
the result that the astute Cromwell made a very
much better bargain than was usual in that city of
BOSTON 35*
" cormorants," getting both the " jolly pardons of
the towne of Boston " stamped in return for the
recipes of his " gelly junkets."
The pardons were curious documents, giving the
brethren and sisters of the guild of Our Lady in St.
Botolph's Church many privileges and facilities,
especially in respect of carrying a portable altar and
having masses said in any place and at any time4,
and enabling them to bestow 500 years of pardon
upon any one who subscribed to the guild, while
a visit to the chapel of the guild on certain days
was equivalent to a visit to all the stations of Rome.
All members of the guild, moreover, might receive
full remission a poena et culpa once in life or at the
hour of death.
Such privileges as these were swept away by the
Reformation, and their loss accelerated the already
apparent decline of the town. Let us hear Leland
as to its condition before that change : —
" Al the buildings (east of the river) of this side
of the towne is fair, and marchaunts dwelle yn it ;
and a staple of wulle is used there. ... A
gentleman . . . told me that syns that Boston
of old tyme at the great famose fair there kept was
brent, that scant syns it ever came to the old glory
and riches that it had ; yet syns hath it beene
manyfold richer than it is now.
" The Staple and the Stiliard houses yet there
remayne but the stiliard is little or nothing at all
occupied."
He tells us further of all the rich foundations of
friars ; and that there were " I1II colleges of
Freres Marchaunts cumming by all parts by Este
352 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
were wont greatly to haunt Boston ; and the
Grey Freres toke them in a manner for founders
of their house, and many Esterlinges were buried
there." The Black Friars had a house there since
before the year 1288, in which one of the house of
Huntingfield lay buried, and on being exhumed was
found to have " a leaden Bulle of Innocentius, Bishop
of Rome, about his nek." This house the Duke of
Suffolk obtained at the Reformation. The White
Friars were founded about 1300, and their property
was granted to the Mayor and Corporation ; the same
fate befell the Augustines, founded by Edward II.,
and the Grey Friars, founded in the reign of Edward
III. There were other smaller establishments,
mostly founded by the Tilneys, who had a manor-
house in Boston. Many of these communities were in
reality wealthy corporations of farmers and wool-
merchants.
In the hope of recovering some of their former
greatness the Mayor and Corporation applied to
Henry VIII. for an enlarged charter ; but all in
vain ; they obtained the charter, but not the results
they hoped for, in spite of other charters and the
institution of a Court of Admiralty. But before
the Dissolution the end was in sight.
In the reign of Edward IV., one Humphry Little-
bury stabbed " an Esterling," i.e., a merchant of
the powerful Hansa league, " whereupon rose so
much controversy that the Esterlinges left their
course of marchandise to Boston." Before very
long Boston was a mere fishing village, its harbour
silted up, its wharves deserted. Not until the time
of George III. did the trade begin to return ; then
BOSTON 353
the harbour was improved and the town largely
rebuilt, so that it again became the richest port of
Lincolnshire. But the port has grown to its present
dimensions only since 1882, when a new dock was
built, of seven acres area, admitting ships of 3,000
tons to the quayside. The river was deepened and
a new channel cut, giving a depth of 27 feet ; the
railway was brought across the river to the dock
by means of a swing bridge, and building and repair-
ing slips were laid down. Now Boston is a model
of a modern fishing and trading port, having a fleet
of deep-sea trawlers and other fishing vessels, with
fishmarkets at the dock, granaries, warehouses,
timber-yards, and all the usual facilities. The
trade is largely in Baltic produce — grain, timber,
pitch, linseed, hemp, cotton, etc. It increased
eightfold in the first twelve years after the improve-
ments were instituted. Oil-cake and tobacco are
local manufactures ; other industries are the
making of sail-cloth, ropes, sacking, engineering
and light foundry-work, etc.
The church — to speak of such monuments of old
Boston as remain — is of unusual size, with a light
and spacious interior. The roof perhaps is a fault,
being an elaborate imitation of stone vaulting in
oak ; as usual, when the natural genius of a material
is violated, the result is not satisfactory to a cultured
eye. There is evidence that an open timber roof
was intended. The tower — now open within to
the great height of 160 feet, and 288 feet in height
externally — is visible far out at sea, and is a well-
known landmark ; with its lantern and flying
buttresses it strongly resembles the tower of
354 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Antwerp. Its truncated appearance from a distance
has earned it the name of " Boston Stump."
The finest old houses remain in Spain Lane —
named after the great trading family, the De
Spaynes ; on the wall of a house in Spain Court
is the monumental slab of one Wisselus de Smalen-
burg, an " Esterling," showing a figure of a man
with his feet resting on a dog ; it is dated 1340,
and was dug up near the Grammar School, on
the site of the Grey Friars.
The house of the Guild of the Virgin is still extant,
serving now as the Guildhall ; it is a fine red-brick
building of the fifteenth century. The window in
the west wall has some remains of the original
stained glass. Near by is the Grammar School,
dating from 1567, also of red brick, with modern
glass; behind it is the Hussey Tower, part of the
dwelling of the Lord Hussey who joined the Lincoln-
shire Catholic rebellion in 1537, and was beheaded.
Near by are the public gardens and baths, and
behind them the docks. By the iron bridge — a
single arch, by Rennie (1803), is the market-place,
affording an excellent view of the church. In one
corner stands a much-restored timbered house
— Shodfriars Hall — and, by the river, the fish-
market.
The famous chimes of Boston, played on thirty-six
carillons, are now disused, having a poor tone ;
they were set up in 1867. There is included in the
full list of chimes a tune known as " The Brides
of Mavis Enderby " ; but at the time when Miss
Ingelow wrote her well-known poem, " The High
Tide on the Coast of Lincolnshire," no such tune
BOSTON 355
existed ; the tune included among the chimes is
a modern fabrication. There is also a peal of
eight bells ; there used to be an unusually large
clock bell, covered with curious rhyming inscriptions,
but it was broken in 1710, and no record kept
of the inscriptions.
A certain amount of misapprehension has existed
in England as to the founding and naming of the
American Boston ; the facts, which are perhaps not
yet quite generally known, are briefly these :
Governor John Winthrop, with his followers, sailed
from England in the " Arbella," with the King's
charter to establish a government, in the year
1630. They settled temporarily at Charleston,
on the Charles. The present site of Boston appeared
to them across the water as a hill with three summits,
which they named Tremont, or Trimountain—
hence Tremont Street. The one summit of the
three to-day remaining appeared to have been used
as a signal-station, and became Beacon Hill. It
seemed that a pestilence had removed the aboriginal
inhabitants ; the hill was tenanted by one white
man, the Rev. William Blaxton, one of a few isolated
settlers about the capes and islands of the Charles ;
he had been there some seven years. He invited
the new settlers to cross over, the water being good.
A court was held at Charleston on September 17th
(N.S.), at which it was ordered " that Trimountaine
should be called Boston.' ' Associated with Win-
throp in the settlement was Isaac Johnson, of
Boston, with his wife, Lady Arbella, daughter
of the Earl of Lincoln ; Atherton Hough, ex-mayor,
and Thomas Leverett, ex-alderman of Boston.
356 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Isaac Johnson died in September, his wife having
predeceased him. In October or thereabouts the
settlers crossed to the peninsula of Boston ; Blaxton,
not liking their company, departed in search of fresh
fields. The first pastor was the Rev. John Wilson,
of Sudbury ; Cotton, attacked on account of
Nonconformity and administering the sacrament
to persons seated, arrived in the " Griffin " three
years later, accompanied by Bellingham, afterwards
governor. A memorial of Cotton will be found in
St. Botolph's in the " Cotton Chapel," a Decorated
structure now used as vestry and morning chapel ;
formerly it sheltered a fire-engine, but the citizens
of Boston, Mass., descendants of John Cotton and
members of his American church, subscribed toward
its restoration, as a memorial tablet in the chapel
relates, Edward Everett, then United States
Minister at the Court of St. James, being responsible
for the inscription. The restoration was commenced
in 1856.
Certain of the Pilgrim Fathers and other " Puritan
Separatists " of Scrooby and Gainsborough had
an extremely unpleasant experience at Boston, some
years before the sailing of the " Mayflower/' In
1608 two parties of these worthies, intending to sail
for Holland, repaired to Boston and the Humber
respectively, the Boston party including Bradford
and Brewster. Just as their vessel was on the point
of sailing the captain betrayed them to the Boston
magistrates, with the result that they were at once
taken ashore, " not without circumstances of
contumely," which seem to have included the
plundering of their personal effects. By whose
BOSTON 357
authority the arrest was made is not clear ; how-
ever, the emigrants were " put into ward " and the
Lords in Council informed. After a month's
detention, robbed of their goods, they were sent
back to their homes, there to " endure the rigours of
ecclesiastical discipline " ; seven were kept in prison
and bound over to the assizes. Brewster seems to
to have been the chief sufferer. Of the party who
were to have sailed from the Humber half were
served in a similar manner. Before the lapse of
many months, however, the majority of the Scrooby
" separatists " seem to have arrived safely in
Leyden, from which town the " Mayflower " party
set out some twelve years later, on the first stage
of their memorable journey.
ELY
Ely is best approached by rail ; the finest view
of the city dawning on the approaching traveller.
Like Venice it rose from an inland sea, of waving
cornfields now, but once a vast reedy lagoon,
subject to tide and flood, the haunt of beast and
fowl and fish, and the last eastern refuge of the
ancient British race.
Much of the fertile plain, sprinkled with hamlets
that mark the islands of an ancient archipelago, is
below the level of the sea ; it is drained by pumps
which pour the water into M lodes " discharging
into the New Bedford river. The stupendous task
of draining the fens was commenced by a company
promoted by the Earl of Bedford, the engineer
being Cornelius Vermuyden, a Dutchman. The
scheme first saw the light in the reign of Charles I.,
but Cromwell, who opposed it, preferred to flood
land rather than drain it, if by so doing he could
annoy the King and his tenants ; for Charles had
bought up the company. When Lord Protector
Cromwell changed his tactics, and the New Bedford
river was cut, the drainage of the fens meant
ruin and a total change of life to the fenmen, but
their expostulations, after many riots and much
breaking of sluices, were overcome by the presence
of troops ; and the work was cheaply executed
358
ELY. The Cathedral.
ELY. The Interior of the Cathedral.
ELY 359
by such Dutch and Scottish prisoners of war as
Cromwell did not sell to the slave-owners of the
West Indies or the galleys of Venice. Windmills
at first supplied the motive power, but are now
superseded by steam. The whole scheme was not
fully completed until late in the nineteenth century.
The old fenmen, racked with ague and steeped
in opium, are gone ; and gone, too, is the last corner
of primeval England. All but treeless now, the
fens were once a vast forest of oak and beech,
willow and alder, forming part of the great continent
now severed by the North Sea, where elephant and
rhinoceros, elk and bison, lion and bear roamed at
will.
Even in Roman days the fens, though subsiding,
were still mainly forest ; but the Roman dykes
gave way, the land continued to sink, the streams
of the forest delta became choked, and the country
was gradually changed into a labyrinth of sluggish
channels, reedy broads, and impenetrable bogs.
Here, during the Saxon invasion, the British, else-
where exterminated, or absorbed, or driven into the
west, found a refuge, and lived a life of their own
until the Conquest. They were known as the
Girvii (Welsh, gwryw, manly or brave), and Ely
itself is derived from the Welsh helig (willow),
though the Venerable Bede naively suggested that
the derivation of the word might be found in the fact
that the waters of the district were eely. Another
Welsh word — basket — has passed into the English
as it did into the Latin tongue. As early as ioo B.C.
the baskets of the fen district were known to Europe.
Posidonius, the Rhodian, mentions them as an
2a
360 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
article of export ; Strabo tells us they were used in
granaries, and Martial speaks of a gift contained in
" A basket rude, from painted Britons brought."
Here we may picture a British, then a
Romano-British people, busied in snaring fish and
fowl, in hunting game, in growing corn on the
uplands, and in their special industry of basket-
making, driven by Saxon invasion into the fastnesses
of the fens, but still surviving as a separate people
when the Normans came upon the scene.
The nucleus of the present city was the work of
Etheldreda, daughter of Anna, a Christian Saxon
king, who fell defending his country against Penda
the heathen. Etheldreda, who was one of four
sisters, all queens and saints, was strongly influenced
by Hilda, her aunt, who founded Whitby, and that
bold and somewhat officious prelate, Wilfrid.
Married to Tonbert, a lord of Mercia, she refused
him the usual privileges of a husband, and when a
widow, and remarried to Egfrid, king of Northum-
bria, she treated that prince in the same way.
At Wilfrid's instance she eventually left him, and
fled to her own domains, Egfrid in hot pursuit.
We are told that he would have caught her, but
that the waters, in defence of her virginity, rose
suddenly and divided them, which so impressed
her husband that he departed.
At Ely she founded a religious house for monks
and nuns; Peterborough, Thorney, Crowland and
Ramsey were contemporary.
Etheldreda died of a quinsy ; not unnaturally,
as she used to pray from midnight until daybreak.
ELY 361
She regarded the affliction as a special punishment
for the wearing of a necklace in the past. It is
curious that so austere a lady should be immortalised
in such a word as tawdry t but so it is ; the popular
form of her name is St. Audrey, and St. Audrey's
fair, at which all kinds of showy and inferior
trinkets and stuffs were sold to the primitive fen-
folk, gained such a name for the cheap and nasty
that the word tawdry resulted as a natural corrup-
tion of the saint's name used as an adjective (S't
Awdrey — a " s't'awdrey stuff.")
Saxon England appeared to be quieting down
when in ySy, " first there came three ships out of
Haeretha-land " — Norway. In a few years fire,
pillage, and massacre followed Dane and Northman
from end to end of England. In the Wash their
ships lay snug, their wives and families often
aboard, while they raided inland, after a time
horsing themselves for their greater raids. Cam-
bridge was soon part of the Danelagh, abbeys
and convents, and monkish learning were all swept
away.
Not until 912 did Edward the Elder, in con-
junction with his sister, Ethelfleda, commence the
re-conquest of the Danelagh. He brought up
fighters from all parts of England.
Alfred re-established a small religious foundation
at Ely, which prospered awhile ; but in 982 the
Danish raids recommenced. Brithnoth, a patron
of Ely, headed the heroic defence, but fell in battle
in 991, as the " Lay of Maldon " tells us. Only
his headless corpse was recovered. The body, with
a ball of wax in place of the head, was buried in the
362 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
abbey church, to be discovered rather more than a
century ago. The Danes, though victorious, were
so discomfited that they sailed away. But then
came Sweyn, and finally Canute ; the Danes now
fighting on horseback. Ely, however, escaped, Canute
being a Christian ; indeed, he became a notable
benefactor, and paid frequent visits to the Abbey.
An old tradition states that it was the singing of
the monks which first brought him to the spot, and
an old ballad says :
" Merrily sang the monks at Ely
When Cnut the king he rowed thereby ;
Row to the shore, men, said the king,
And let us hear these monks to sing."
In his days the Abbot of Ely was chancellor of the
kingdom for four months in each year ; this was in
the winter, and most of Canute's visits fell in that
season. A tradition tells of his coming on a sledge,
with the heaviest man to be found — one Pudding
— skating ahead to prove the ice.
Emma, his wife, and widow of Ethelred the
Unready, gave hangings for the church and shrine ;
and here Edward the Confessor, her younger son by
Ethelred, was educated. Edward, when he came
to the throne, confirmed the charters of the abbey
and made extensive grants of land. In his reign
there was not in all Cambridgeshire one gentle family
of English blood left, and no free churls. But Ely
still prospered.
In 1069 the Danes made their last invasion in the
hope of placing Sweyn, nephew of Canute, on the
throne of England. After raiding Yorkshire they
came south to Ely; Christian, the bishop, Earl
ELY 363
Osbjorn, and the Danish house-carles (Royal Guard).
The remnant of the English flocked to their standard,
in the hope of expelling the Normans ; the fenmen
came in under the leadership of Hereward the Wake.
We learn that Hereward led the Danish fleet to
Peterborough, then held by the Normans, and ruled
by a Norman abbot, in order to rescue it from alien
hands. The rescue took the shape of pillage and fire,
after which the Danes, whose object had been pillage
as much as the hope of establishing Sweyn, sailed
away, leaving Hereward to be excommunicated.
It is possible that Hereward acted thus to get the
Danes away from Ely, which he regarded as defen-
sible ; at all events, at Ely he established himself
as leader, in spite of the ban of the Church, with the
intention of defying the Conqueror. At this time
no causeway existed, and the game, fish, and fowl of
the fens — stags, roes, goats, hares, eels, pike, perch,
roach, burbot, lamprey, salmon, and sturgeon, and
more birds than we can mention — would have
nourished the garrison indefinitely. Morkere of
Northumbria broke prison at Winchester to join
Hereward ; the Bishop of Durham left the safety of
the Scottish Court, and lesser nobles and leaders
flocked thither by the score, and monks and soldiers
crowded the abbey halls.
This was a serious matter, that called for the
presence of William himself. He at once came
down to Cambridge. His plan of attack was to
harry one side of the island with his fleet, while
building a causeway to the opposite side. When
the causeway, made of logs, bavins, sacks of earth
and bundles of rushes, was all but completed,
364 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Hereward fired the reeds, and destroyed a column
of the enemy.
No general rising of the English supported the
garrison of Ely, so one by one the leaders surrendered,
to be rewarded by imprisonment for life. Not so
Hereward the " strenuissimus," but at length the
monks betrayed him ; William threatening to
confiscate all the property of the abbey outside
Ely, they guided the Normans across the Ouse.
Hereward escaped, and later obtained lands from
William ; his followers were brutally mutilated.
The monks, despite their treachery, were fined 700
marks of silver. The moneyers who minted their
plate for William at Cambridge were fraudulent,
so the fine was increased to 1000 marks, or 8000
ounces-worth, £20,000 of our money.
William left a garrison of forty knights quartered
on the monks ; one on each monk. In the cathedral
is a most interesting relic, the " Tabula Eliensis," on
which are painted (it is a Tudor copy of the original)
the portraits, names, and arms of the forty knights,
and the names of their unwilling hosts. This table
is valuable as demonstrating the immense variety
and splendid organisation of William's army ; there
were cavalry and infantry, archers and spearmen,
sappers, seamen, marines, commissariat men, am-
bulance men, and scouts. A few extracts may
interest the reader :
1. Opsalus, Miles, Ballistarum Dux (artillery
captain, the artillery consisting of catapults or
slings hurling great masses of stone or ponderous
javelins), cum Godfrido Monacho.
ELY 365
5. Hastingus, Miles Nauttic, Exercitus (of the
marines), cum Nigello Monacho.
9. Bryan de Clare, Veteranus, cum Clitone
Monacho.
Of these the first was probably a Swede, and the
ninth, the veteran, an Irish soldier of fortune.
Among the monks' names are Donald, Duff, Owen,
and David, all Celtic names.
The cathedral, as we know it, was commenced by
the first Norman abbot, Simeon, who erected the
greater part of the nave ; it was completed by
Bishop Ridel in 11 89. We owe its continued exist-
ence to a squabble ; for as a result of a dispute as to
the right of nomination to the post of abbot, the
crown was appealed to, and the see of Ely in-
stituted. But for this the Reformation would
have swept it away with many another noble fabric.
Henceforth the history of Ely is the history of
the cathedral. Much of it is written in the stone
for all to read. The Bishop of Ely was a Bishop
Palatine ; that is, he had the prerogatives of a
sovereign in the Isle, appointing his own justices
and police. His London palace was in Holborn.
Richard III. refers to the garden :
" My Lord of Ely, when I was last in Holborn
I saw fine strawberries in your garden there/'
Ely Place, being part of his dominions, was
long a sanctuary to debtors, the King's writ not
running there. This condition of things only
ceased in the nineteenth century. All that is left
of the Palace is St. Etheldreda's Chapel. Ely
Place still has its own local government of com-
366 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
missioners, and a day and a night watchman take
the place of the police. The later palace was in
Dover Street ; it was built in 1775, and is now the
Albemarle Club. The bishop's mitre may be
seen on the facade.
Having admired the vast fabric of the cathedral
from the railway, the visitor leaves the station, and
proceeds, passing a row of old thatched cottages,
to the iron gate of the Cathedral Park. Here, in the
midst of sixteen acres of undulating ground, beyond
which the cathedral rises, as a modern writer has
noted, like a ship from the waves, is an artificial
mound, thickly wooded, now surmounted by a
monument to Bentham, the historian of Ely, but
of old by the abbey windmill. This mill was known
as one of the four marvels of Alan de Walsingham,
the others being the octagon with its lantern, the
Lady chapel, and the abbey vineyard. Near the
Walpole Gate (commenced in 1396 and completed by
Prior Walpole) is the abbey tithe-barn, one of the
largest known examples, with its tiled roof ; a
relic of the days when rents were paid in kind.
The Walpole Gate, or " Ely Porta," is worth
attention ; it bears the arms of Edward the Con-
fessor and those of the see, for the upper chamber
(used in the past as a chapel, a prison, and part of
a brewery) is now the schoolroom of the famous
choir school, at which Edward received his educa-
tion.
Near by, but without the gate, is the beautiful
little building known as Prior Crauden's Chapel,
built, like so much of what is best at Ely, by Alan
de Walsingham. Prior Crauden " ruled the con-
ELY 367
vent as a peaceable shepherd, and was beloved by
God and man." He was elected Bishop of Ely by
the monks, but the Pope refused to confirm the
election. This chapel he built for private prayer
and meditation. It measures only fifteen feet by
thirty. It is a beautiful example of the Decorated
style ; there is a mosaic pavement of Adam and
Eve, and on one wall the remains of a fresco of
trefoil and daisies. This beautiful little chamber is
approached by a spiral staircase ; a vaulted chamber
is below. The chapel is now part of the King's
Grammar School, and is in daily use.
Next to the chapel is the priory, now the candn's
residence. Here Crauden once entertained Queen
Philippa, wife of Edward III. Next we come to the
deanery, once the dining-hall of the abbey, and then
to the fair-hall, meant for large assemblies, now
the residence of the head-master of King's School.
Returning to the gate, passing through, and
turning to the right, we find ourselves in a street
known as the Gallery, from an overhead gallery or
covered bridge which once connected the palace and
cathedral, spanning the roadway. Opposite the
gateway is Hereward Hall, a modern adjunct
to the King's School. On the left is the wall of
the palace garden, with its magnificent old plane-
tree, planted in 1639.
The palace was built by Bishop Alcock, late in
the fifteenth century ; it is of red brick, faced
with stone. Note the punning coat of arms, all
cocks, or rather their heads, and the arms of the
see, and the empty canopied niches. Goodrich
added the west gallery with its oriel window. On
368 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
the stonework of the window are inscribed Bishop
Goodrich's " Duties," the germ of the catechism ;
they are much defaced by time. They end with the
phrase so often misquoted by the smug in criticism
of the discontented poor, "in ye state of lyfe it
plese God to call us on to." It is interesting to
note that the original, like the Catechism, expresses
the idea of progress and uncertainty, which is
lacking in the popular ihisquotation — " to which it
has pleased God to call them."
We have now reached the cathedral. Across
the road is the beautiful Galilee Porch — nearly re-
moved by Essex, the fashionable " restorer " of
the time of George III., as «• neither useful nor orna-
mental." Its date is probably about 1200. It
acts as a buttress to the great tower. The tower
was originally surmounted by a spire ; it was pro-
posed to remove this in 1748, but the inhabitants
protesting it was left thirty years longer, when it
was demolished as unsafe. This spire crowned the
octagonal lantern, which, with four turrets, forms
the upper portion of the tower.
The splendid Norman nave is one of the most
impressive features of the interior. The great
timber roof is now hidden by a vaulted ceiling, which
was beautifully decorated in the last century by
two amateurs ; the subject of the decorations is the
Root of Jesse. The dignity and harmony of the
grave Norman arches of the supporting tier, the
triforium, and the clerestory, the massive lower
piers being alternately clustered and circular,
produce an impression of restful simplicity and
majesty.
ELY 369
The most remarkable feature of the building is the
famous octagon tower and lantern, erected by
Alan de Walsingham to replace the great Norman
tower, which fell in 1322, crushing the Norman
choir. The stonework of this daring structure was
completed in six years ; the woodwork took six-
teen. To provide the eight gigantic balks of oak
that support the roof, they are sixty-eight feet in
length, was a matter of no small difficulty ; and
even in our times, when timber was needed for
repairs, the transport of such enormous beams
proved a most formidable difficulty.
The windows contain modern glass ; but there
are ancient portrait-heads in the mouldings of the
arches, and a series of corbels depicts incidents in
the life of St. Etheldreda. It is believed that the
builder lies here, under a much-worn slab, at the
commencement of the nave.
The transepts are earlier than the nave, being
the work of the first Norman abbot. The presby-
tery of Bishop Northwold, with its three orders of
windows, is an unusually fine example of the late
Decorated style. The beautiful Lady chapel is
another example of the same style. It measures
about 100 feet by 50, and has a vaulted roof of a
single span. Canopied niches divide a stone
bench* which runs round the walls like so much
mediaeval and ancient sculpture, the richly decorated
canopies were originally painted ; traces of blue,
green, red and gold still remaining. The statues
are of course gone ; and of the stained glass only a
few fragments are left.
John of Wisbech built this chapel, to the designs
370 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
of Alan of Walsingham. When he was ready to
begin the actual work of erection there was a dearth
of funds. Brother John took to prayer, called
some monks and lay brethren to help him, and
commenced to dig the foundations by night. While
digging, John found a pot of ancient silver coins,
but said nothing at the time ; all night they dug,
until " a small rain came on." John hid the money
secretly under his bed, and cleaned the coins a few
at a time, and with them paid the workmen as long
as the money lasted. John finished the chapel,
and a few months later fell a victim to the Black
Death.
The cloisters, alas ! are no more ; their site is
now the deanery garden. They played a dominant
part in the old corporate life of the abbey, being
schoolroom, study, atelier, office and library in one.
Here the clerical, artistic, literary and educational
work of the community was performed, as far as
possible in silence, and not always interrupted by the
cold of winter. Many reference books were kept in
the cloister, and here were compiled the famous Liber
Eliensis, containing the history of the abbey from
its foundation till the end of the twelfth century,
the episcopal rolls and registers, the account rolls —
nearly 300 in number — the cellerarius rolls, con-
taining all the details of housekeeping, and many
others — now in the cathedral library, or at Lambeth,
or in the British Museum. From these records we
find that the monk, who was a gentleman by position
and usually by birth, cost the community the
equivalent of £4 of our money weekly in food and
clothing ; so that apart from discomforts incidental
ELY 371
to the age — such as the lack of windows and chim-
neys— he lived in comfort and dignity.
We find in the outfit of the monk such articles
as cowls, frocks, winter and summer coats, wool-
lined cassocks, furred tunics, blankets, counterpanes,
day and night boots, gaiters, and " willcocks " —
a species of headgear to defy the wind, and possibly
the progenitor of the modern * ' billy-cock. ' ' Novices
carried pencils and tablets on which to note breaches
of the rule, to be referred to at confession. As for
the pleasures of the table, we do not find the diet
ascetic. Five kinds of bread and beer were supplied,
beef, mutton, venison, fowls and fish — and of these
the variety would be endless — rice, sugar, milk, and
vast quantities of eggs, seem to have formed
the staple diet. The vineyard produced vinegar
only, but foreign wines were consumed on special
occasions.
The rule of the Benedictines was fairly strict.
The monk rose at two in the morning — it is only
fair to say that he had had seven hours in bed —
and attended matins ; at four he returned to bed for
another hour. Then came prime and tirce ; then
the Chapter met to apportion tasks for the day ;
then came low and high mass. At ten the monk
broke his fast, while a brother read the scriptures.
Then came study or scholastic or clerical work in
the cloisters, lasting till 3 p.m. ; then vespers, and
at 5 supper, compline, and bed. At certain seasons
games were allowed. Once in six weeks each monk
was bled, so faithfully as to necessitate a week in
the infirmary.
All this came to an end in 1539. Members of
372 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
communities that made " voluntary surrender "
were modestly provided for. The abbey became a
chapter of dean and canons.
Returning to the cathedral, we should especially
note Bishop West's chapel, despoiled by his suc-
cessor, Goodrich, who was bishop at the time of the
Dissolution. It is a rich example of the finest
Perpendicular style. Over two hundred stone
canopies once held statuettes, broken by Goodrich,
the last bishop to be abbot. Alcock's chapel is
earlier, but of the same period in style, and contains
some wonderful carving of grape-vine ornament ;
a curious boss seen from one point of view becomes
a grinning demon. The bishop's coat-of-arms is a
frequent motive.
The shrines of the four saints and queens were
long ago despoiled. The shrine of Etheldreda was
once rich in silver and pearls, emeralds and onyx,
with crystal lions and ivory angels. One Bishop
Nigel robbed it, but others enriched it again. The
coffin was a Roman sarcophagus, found soon after
her death by a party of monks on the ravaged
site of the Roman city of Grantchester, Cambridge.
The monument, by Alan de Walsingham, still
survives, but the coffin was broken up at the time
of the Reformation, and the dust within it scattered.
The body of another Queen — Witburga — was
stolen from Dereham, to make the collection com-
plete. The abbot held a Court of Justice at Dereham
and afterwards feasted the inhabitants royally ;
in the night he secretly dug up the body of the saint,
and by horse litter and boat conveyed it to Ely, the
men of Dereham in vain pursuit. Ely was forced
ELY 373
on appeal to give up the spoil, but revenged herself
by saying that she had surrendered only a worthless
skeleton, and still possessed the true relics. An
inquiry forced the monks of Ely to confess that this
was a trick ; Dereham had her saint again.
In Bishop West's chapel lie the remains of Brith-
noth. His widow gave a " curtain " depicting his
deeds, possibly the Bayeux tapestry was suggested
by this.
Before leaving the cathedral the visitor should
climb the tower, whence a magnificent view may be
obtained of the fertile plain, the villages marking the
situation of the islands of old. Peterborough and
the spires of Cambridge are visible on the horizon.
Leaving the cathedral and passing the palace we
come to St. Mary's Church, an interesting combina-
tion of Norman and Early English architecture.
Near it is the present vicarage. This was once the
tithe house, attached to the tithe barn, and the
residence of the hereditary steward. Steward
indeed became the family name, and when the last
of the male line died in 1636 Oliver Cromwell, who
was his grandson, stepped into his office. Here
he lived for ten years, becoming in time Governor
of the Isle of Ely. Here he drilled the levies that
formed the nucleus of his Ironsides ; and from this
house he crossed to the cathedral, in January, 1643,
while Canon Hitch was conducting the choir
service after having received and ignored a letter
from Cromwell requiring him to discontinue that
" so unedifying and offensive " service. Sword
in hand, hat on head, he requested the canon to
" leave his fooling and come down," and drove the
374 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
people from the building. In 1648 the cathedral
had a narrow escape. Parliament made an order
that it should be examined with a view to pulling it
down and using the material for a hospital for sick
and wounded soldiers. It was then in a somewhat
ruinous condition.
Not far away is the modern Theological College.
St. John's Farm should be visited, — the remains of
a thirteenth century hostel for such monks as were
not of the foundation. To the south of Ely is the
water tower. Before the water supply was estab-
lished water for brewing and washing was brought
from the river in great leather bags, slung one on
either side of a horse ; an arrangement that made a
livelihood " for many industrious poor." The
industrious poor are now largely occupied in fruit-
picking, jam-making, farming, and the making of
the classic basket.
CHICHESTER
If to be happy is to have no history, Chichester
should be accounted fortunate, for it very nearly
fulfils that condition. A quiet agricultural market-
town, once one of the towns of the Staple and later
the home of the needle-making industry, its existence
has for the most part been prosperous and uneventful
and it has given few hostages to fortune in the shape
of eminent sons.
In one respect, however, Chichester is in the proud
position of being unique among English towns ;
there is good reason to believe that two of its early
inhabitants are mentioned in the Bible.
Chichester is ancient as English towns go. Below
it he the remains of the Roman Regnum, capital of
the Regni, a British people friendly and subject
to Rome from an early date. In the time of Claudius,
Plautius was commissioned to subdue the Sussex
coast, and the local British ruler, Cogidubnus,
became king and imperial legate. Of all Roman
relics found in Chichester the most interesting is a
slab of Purbeck marble now at Goodwood, which
contains the dedicatory inscription of a temple
erected in the time of Cogidubnus — who, as the
custom was, took the name of his Roman suzerain
— which reads as follows :
" The temple of Neptune and Minerva, erected
375 2b
376 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
for the preservation of the Imperial house, by the
authority of Tiberius Claudius Cogidubnus, the king
and legate of the empire. The college of artificers
(the guild, probably, of shipwrights) and those who
were desirous of supplying materials defrayed
the expense ; Pudens the son of Pudentinus gave
the site."
Now there are fairly good reasons for believing
that this Pudens, and Claudia, the daughter of
Cogidubnus, are the Pudens and Claudia mentioned
not only by Martial, but by St. Paul in the second
epistle to Timothy ; they having eventually, like
so many influential Britons of the time, visited Rome
and embraced Christianity. Cogidubnus is men-
tioned also by Tacitus.
The church of Roman Chichester was evidently
on the site of the present St. Olave's, both tiles and
urns having been found in the walls ; and one small
doorway is probably actually of Roman construction.
Under Roman rule Chichester was evidently a
place of considerable importance. The walls fol-
lowed the line of the present city walls, indeed the
latter are largely Roman, and the town itself has
retained the general plan of the Roman city. Not
only was Chichester a stronghold, but a considerable
garrison seems to have been maintained without the
walls, as the lands known as the Broyle (Latin
bruillum, coppice) show the remains of a military
station. Relics of the Roman city have been found
in abundance, and the church and churchyard of
St. Andrew conceal a large tesselated pavement,
which lies at a depth of four or five feet, so that the
coffins in the churchyard actually rest upon it.
CHICHESTER. The Court Yard of the "Dolphin."
CHICHESTER
377
The end of the Roman Regnum came in the year
480. Ella, the first of the Saxons to invade Sussex,
had landed three years previously, and in the year
after his landing had sent for reinforcements. When
the city was finally taken there was the usual scene
of fire and pillage. Cissa, who succeeded Ella as
king of the South Saxons, rebuilt the town on the
old ground-plan and gave it the name of Cissa's
ceaster or camp — Chichester. He ruled about seven
years.
Chichester remained pagan until the year 650.
Then Adelwalch, king of Sussex, taken prisoner by
the Christian king of Mercia, became a convert and
was released. On returning to his city he founded,
according to Bede, the church which was the prede-
cessor of the cathedral and also the monastery and
see of Selsea. Another tradition, however, makes
Caedwalla the founder of Selsea; but Bede and
William of Malmesbury state that Adelwalch was
the founder, Caedwalla being an unruly person who
slew Adelwach and obtained the throne of Wessex,
but was driven out of Sussex.
However this may be, it is clear that Wilfrid,
after being previously wrecked on the Frisian coast,
was with other Northumbrians shipwrecked on
the Sussex coast, on his way back from Rome, and
reached Selsea, the " island of seals " at a time when
the Saxons, driven frantic by a three years' drought
followed by famine and pestilence, were chaining
themselves together in batches and casting them-
selves into the sea. As soon as Wilfrid landed rain fell
abundantly, and he was credited with a miracle
He founded a monastery and an episcopal see, and is
378 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
said to have taught the inhabitants to fish. After
sojourning there some five years he returned to the
north, " and while yet living did not cease to per-
form miracles." His church now lies beneath the
sea, and the anchorage off Selsey, known even
to-day as the Park, was in the time of Henry VIII.
a stretch of forest full of deer.
Thanks to Athelwulf, son of Egbert, Chichester
seems to have escaped the common fate of ravage
by the Danes, who, sailing up the muddy Sussex
rivers, devastated so many other towns ; now and
again, however, coming off second best, as is proved
in one instance by fragments of the skin of a flayed
pirate still adhering under the nail-heads of a church
door. In the time of Alfred the Danes, returning
from the sack of Exeter, put in to a neighbouring
harbour, but the men of Chichester fared forth and
slew them in hundreds, taking or sinking several
vessels of the fleet.
Just before the Conquest Chichester was a town
of some importance for those days, containing
283 houses, and paying a yearly rental of £15,
{to going to the King and 100 shillings to the earl
(Godwin, father of .Harold). At the time of the
Conquest the rental was £35, and Domesday Book
informs us that one Humphry Flamen possessed a
house of 10s. value— perhaps the old Saxon castle.
The Saxon town was divided into ten wards, each
having two constables, and the whole presided over
by two head-boroughs, each of whom officiated for
six months in the year. In the year 992 a mint
was erected here. We may picture the town as
four streets of wooden houses, or houses of timber
CHICHESTER 379
framing filled with clay stiffened with twigs or reeds,
and thatched roofs ; probably only the castle and
the abbey were of stone. Each house had its garden,
either beside it or within the walls, and a corre-
sponding piece of pasture without the walls.
William the Conqueror gave the town to Roger
de Belesme or Montgomery, together with the city
of Shrewsbury and 157 manors. He also removed
the see of Selsea to Chichester. Probably the church
of St. Peter's Abbey served as the early cathedral.
Roger had two sons ; Hugh, the younger, inher-
ited the English manors ; Robert de Belesme,
of whom we shall hear in connection with Shrews-
bury, the elder, the Norman estates. Hugh tried
to dethrone Rufus and had to pay a fine of £3,000 ;
he died in repelling a raid of Magnus of Norway
upon Anglesea and the north-west of Wales. Robert
then inherited ; on the death of Rufus, when Robert
of Normandy was in Palestine, and Henry II.
usurped the throne, Belesme conspired to obtain the
crown for his sovereign. Robert eventually " sold
out " his claim, on the understanding that his
supporters were to be reinstated ; Henry broke his
word. Belesme fortified Arundel, and Henry
besieged him ; he fled to Bridgenorth, and was
taken and expelled the country. The lordship of
Chichester and the earldom of Arundel were then
granted to William de Albini.
The feudal lord residing at Arundel or elsewhere,
Chichester was singularly free of the usual feudal
squabbles, having always been a quiet agricultural
centre rather than the stronghold of a few powerful
families.
380 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
The first cathedral built as such was the work of
Ralph Luffa, and was completed in 1108, only to be
destroyed by fire in 11 14. It was a wooden building,
and the succeeding fabric was partly of wood. In the
year 1180 another fire destroyed the greater part
of the cathedral, and Seffrid, then Bishop, built the
cathedral very much as we see it to-day. Ralph II.,
who followed him, built the great central tower and
broadened the nave by adding chantries. Bishop
Gilbert of St. Leofard added the Lady chapel, and
John of Langton (1305-37) the cloisters. Bishop
Sherborne (1508-36) added screen and stalls, and
employed three Italians of the name of Bernardi
who embellished roofs and walls ; one of these was
responsible for the curious pictures of English kings
and saints, Henry VIII. appearing both as himself
and as Caedwalla, and Sherborne figuring as himself
and as Wilfrid. Much of the Bernardis' lace-like
decoration was whitewashed by a vandal dean in
1817, but was to some extent rescued some twenty
years later.
The most exciting events in the history of the
cathedral were the irruption of the Parliament men
in 1643, when Sir William Waller besieged and took
the city, and the fall of the great tower. " Although
it rained heavily half an hour after the town was
taken, no rain had fallen while the besiegers were
lying abroad/' so the troops were well, and in excel-
lent humour for the cheerful work of destruction.
They " pulled down the idolatrous images from the
market-cross; they brake down the organ in the
cathedral, and dashed the pipes with their poleaxes,
crying in scoff ' Hark how the organs goe ! ' " and
CHICHESTER 381
after the thanksgiving service, held appropriately
in the cathedral, they " ran up and down with their
swords drawn, defacing the monuments of the dead
and hacking the seats and stalls."
On February 21, 1861, a terrible gale did much
destruction in the southern counties. The cathedral
was undergoing extensive repairs at the time. The
four great piers of the tower, Norman rubble-work
cased in stone, were known to be insecure, and the
superincumbent arches were shored with timber.
Suddenly cracks appeared in the piers, the dry rubble
within began to pour out like sand, a fissure was
seen to run up the spire, and suddenly tower, spire
and all collapsed and sank, slowly and in a dignified
manner, like a telescope shutting of its own weight.
Singularly little damage was done to the rest of
the building, and a new tower and spire were soon
commenced.
Of notable bishops of Chichester we may mention
St. Richard (1245-53) whose relics were translated
hither in the presence of Edward I. and his Queen
in the year 1276 ; and now lie in a much-restored
tomb in the choir ; Bishop Sherborne, to whom the
cathedral owes much indeed, and his successor, the
infamous Christ opherson, who was jointly with
Bonner responsible for the burning alive of twenty-
seven people, ten in one fire at Lewes, none of whom
were arrested upon a proper writ, but were burned
two or three days only after their arrest. Bishop
Lake is famous as one of the seven bishops who
protested against James II.'s declaration of the
liberty of conscience, and was therefore imprisoned,
but released, to the joy of the populace. He was
382 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
deprived on the accession of William III., as he
refused the oath of allegiance.
It was said of Christopherson, who had translated
Eusebius, the historian of the martyrs of the early
Church, that he behaved "as if he had studied the
arts of cruelty in the school of the heathens." For-
tunately he was not long bishop, being installed
only a year before Mary's death. He was suc-
ceeded by William Barlow, Bishop of St. Asaph's
under Henry VIII., then of St. David's, then of Bath
and Wells. Barlow was deprived by Mary, and fled
to Germany, but returned upon the accession of
Elizabeth, and was sent to Chichester. He had five
daughters who married five bishops ; his wife's
tomb (in Hampshire) bears the following epitaph :
Hie Agatha tumulus Barloi Praesulis inde
Exulis inde ; iterum Praesulis, Uxor erat ;
Prole beata fuit, plura annis, quinque suarum
Praesulibus vidit, Praesulis ipsa, datas.
" The tomb of Agatha, of Barlow, sometime a Bishop,
Sometime an exile, then Bishop again, the wife ;
Full of years and of blessings, five of her daughters
Saw she to Bishops, herself to a Bishop, given."
The visitor to Chichester will obtain a handbook
of the cathedral. Here it suffices to mention that
the building is best seen from East Street looking
west. Its central spire and flying buttresses give it a
graceful pyramidal outline. Entering through the
west porch, the five-aisled nave displays a wonderful
effect of light and shade. In the nave are ten monu-
ments by Flaxman ; one of the poet Collins, who
was born in Chichester on Christmas Day, 1719,
and died in a house near the cloisters in 1759. He
is buried in St. Andrew's.
CHICHESTER 383
The pictures by Bemardi the elder are at the back
of the stalls in the south transept, and in the north
transept, which for a long time was in use as the
parish church of St. Peter. In the latter are portraits
of all the Bishops of Selsea and Chichester from the
foundation of the see to the Reformation ; the
companion portraits of the Kings of England have
not all survived. The loss may be regarded as less in
that they all have a very strong family resemblance.
In the south transept is a picture representing Caed-
walla bestowing the monastery of Selsea on Wilfrid,
and Henry VIII. confirming the grant to Bishop
Sherborne.
The Lady chapel gives an unusual length to the
cathedral ; it is a prolongation of the retro-choir.
The latter contains some splendid Norman and
pointed arches, with Purbeck marble shafts and foli-
ated capitals ; the Lady chapel is largely Decorated.
On the whole the cathedral is Norman, with
Early English and Decorated additions. An unusual
feature is the separate campanile — a squat tower
some 120 feet in height. The stone of which it is
built came from the Isle of Wight, and was intended
by one Rimare, of Appledram, for the material of his
castle, but his sovereign — Edward II. — forbade the
erection of any such building, and the stone was sold
to Bishop Langton.
Collins, the poet, has been mentioned as a native
of Chichester. He was not its only poet, A
historian, writing of the city early in the nineteenth
century, speaks warmly of one Daniel Foot; like
Collins, the son of a Chichester tradesman, who
during his minority wrote and published, " Poems
384 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
on Various Occasions, and Three Letters on Moral
Subjects," which subjects, we must suppose, did
not include prudence or moderation, since the
unfortunate young man died at the age of twenty-
three " from a surfeit of hedge-picks " consumed
during a country walk.
A more eminent native was Bishop Juxon, perhaps
the best known of Chichester's sons. From Mer-
chant Taylors' he went to St. John's, Oxford, and
followed Laud as president. He became Dean of
Worcester, Prebendary of Chichester, Dean of the
Chapel Royal, Bishop of London, and Lord High
Treasurer — the first Churchman to hold the office
since the reign of Henry VIII. He advised Charles I.
to refuse his assent to the bill which sealed the fate
of Strafford, '* seeing that he knew his lordship to be
innocent." It was he, as all will remember, who
attended Charles on the scaffold. During the Com-
monwealth he kept a pack of hounds in Gloucester-
shire. Charles II. created him Archbishop of
Canterbury.
The bishop's palace has been in part rebuilt, but
the dining-room ceiling is decorated with heraldic
devices by Bernard! The chapel is Early English,
and contains a curious old fresco. The palace stands
at the west end of the cloisters of the cathedral ;
at the south-east corner is the chantry of St. Faith,
founded in the fourteenth century, but now a
dwelling-house.
An interesting old building is St. Mary's Hospital,
which still supports eight poor people. It was
founded as a convent about the middle of the twelfth
century, by a dean of Chichester, but was suppressed
CHICHESTER 385
in 1229, and the endowments applied to the support
of thirteen decayed persons and a warden. It is
entered from the street by an arched doorway. A
long refectory ends in a chapel, which is separated
from it by an open oak screen. The roof is very wide
in span, and is supported by wooden standards ;
the aisles at the side contain the inmates' apartments,
which consist each of two rooms. The timber roof
comes to within six feet of the ground on either
side.
St. Olave's Church has already been mentioned ;
it stands in North Street. Near the end of the same
street is the Guildhall, once the chapel of the Grey
Friars. It is Early English, and has a very fine
window of five lancets ; the sedilia behind the mag-
istrates' bench are also fine. The garden, now a
cricket-club ground, contains a mound which is
probably the site of the old castle keep.
St. Andrew's Church, mentioned in connection
with its underground Roman pavement and the
tomb of Collins, contains also the monument of
John Cawley, father of Cawley the " regicide."
This Cawley founded almshouses for the poor, but
the endowments have been vested in the Corporation
and go towards the upkeep of the workhouse. The
almshouses were intended to support twelve poor
tradesmen. In 1772 a tobacconist of Fleet Street
left his estate " to ease the inhabitants in their
poor-rates for ever."
The Canon Gate, opening from the close into South
Street, was probably erected by Sherborne, as it bears
his arms ; the same street contains the museum, in
which an excellent collection of local antiquities
386 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
may be seen. A curious exhibit is a vast lantern,
known as the moon, which used to be borne in front
of the Mayor when he went abroad at night. South
Street also contains some interesting old houses,
some of which are attributed to Wren. Opening
out of South Street is the Pallant — i.e., the Palatinate
or " Archbishop's peculiar." It forms a miniature
city in itself, with four main streets.
In Canon Lane is the hall of the old Vicars' College,
founded for the vicars choral in the fourteenth
century. It contains the ancient lavatorium and
pulpit. It is now used by the Theological Training
College.
The old city walls are fairly intact, with their semi-
circular bastions ; in parts they form the boundaries
of the gardens of the dignitaries of the cathedral ;
in several places they have been laid out as public
promenades. They are mostly of Roman flint.
The gates are not extant. They last played a part
in the defence of the town during the civil war.
After Edgehill, when the King lay at Reading, the
gentlemen of Sussex sent thither to ask his authority
to raise the south. They assembled at Chichester,
but the south failed to rise. Sussex is a phlegmatic
county. Recruits were few, and the citizens none
too friendly. However, they repaired the walls,
and razed two churches that hampered their
artillery ; but Waller had them ready to surrender
at the end of ten days, with no great damage
to either side.
Chichester has been mentioned as one of the towns
of the Staple. The Staple was instituted for the
furtherance of trade — and incidentally the filling of
CHICHESTER 387
the king's exchequer — by Edward III. The object
of the Staple was to collect all the chief exportable
produce of the realm — wool, felt, lead, and tin — and
to store it in certain towns, from which it could be
exported against goods or bullion, and to which
foreign merchants could resort. The company of
merchants of the Staple formed an independent
commonwealth within the State ; there was a mayor
and a constable of the Staple in each Staple town,
and six mediators — two Germans, two Lombards,
and two Englishmen. It is obvious that such an
arrangement greatly reduced the cost and difficulty
of collecting taxes on produce and exports, and was
also of assistance to commerce. The towns of the
Staple were originally Chichester, London, York,
Canterbury, Winchester, Bristol, and Exeter. The
Brotherhood of St. Thomas a Becket, which was a
kind of wool trust, founded in the reign of Henry IV.,
did much to injure the merchants of the Staple. The
organisation of the Staple did not prove successful,
and from 1360 to 1558 the Staple for wool — that
is, the trading-town for English wool — was usually
fixed at Calais. This organisation hardly affected
Chichester as the market-town of a wool-producing
country.
Chichester was once famous for its needles, and
also for its malt. The malt was exported chiefly
to Ireland (the port of Chichester is a little to the
west of the town) but the quality of the malt fell off,
and the trade decayed. The needle industry for
some reason never recovered from the effects of the
civil war. It was carried on chiefly in the suburb
of St. Pancras without the gates, and both church
388 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
and suburb were destroyed to clear the ground
adjacent to the walls.
A notable monument not yet described is the
market cross. It was built by Bishop Story, about
1500, who left an estate of £25 to pay for its upkeep.
Originally the niches above each arch contained
figures, but Waller's troops destroyed them. The
clock was given by Dame Elizabeth Farrington in
1733. The bronze bust of Charles I. on the east
side is probably by Le Soeur or perhaps Farrelli.
The whole structure forms a sort of open arcade
being octagonal in form, with buttressed angles and
a central pillar supporting a groined roof. The
arches were long filled in with iron railings ; the
stone seats are recent. The lantern surmounting
the structure is a doubtful " improvement " ;
the original finial was probably a cross. Bishop
Story was the founder of the Grammar School,
whose scholars wear upon their caps a represen-
tation of Prester John, the Bishop's heraldic
cognisance.
A good example of a mediaeval moated dwelling-
house, though now modernised, is Kingsham House,
now a farmhouse, on the south side of the railway,
in St. Pancras' parish.
NORTHAMPTON
For centuries the town of Northampton occupied a
position, both geographical and political, of peculiar
importance. It is almost exactly in the centre of
England, " so that travellers from the remotest parts
of the land may be said to meet by the town " ; it
was the natural meeting-place for north and south,
east and west. Its surrounding forests, rich in all
kinds of game, attracted monarchs and their courts,
with the result that many councils and parliaments
were convened here.
There is no very good evidence of its existence
during British or Roman times, unless we may accept
the evidence of its name in Saxon times, Hamtune,
which would appear to be a tautological compound
of the British and Saxon words for town — somewhat
analogous to such names as Wickham, Berwick, Ham-
boro, Burton. As Southampton rose in importance
the northern town naturally became Northampton.
The county was extensively settled by the Romans
and was crossed by Wat ling Street and Ermine Street.
The town was an important centre of the Middle
Angles. In the ninth century it was, like so many
English county towns, taken and occupied by the
Danes, but in 921 it submitted to Edward the Elder
as he made his famous advance upon the Danelagh.
In 1010, however, the Danes returned and burned
389
3go OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
the town, " and took thereabout as much as they
would " ; this was in the harrying that preceded the
conquest of Sweyn. In 1063, when Northumbria
deposed Tostig, his successor Morkere marched south
to Northampton, raising the country as he went,
and made his headquarters in the town ; and thence,
with his brother Edwin, he ravaged the country round
about, " slew men, burned houses, corn, took cattle/'
and departed with a number of slaves, after the
lively fashion of the day. Then a great " gemote "
was convened in the town by Harold — perhaps its
earliest Parliament — at which Morkere and Edward
the Confessor settled various points of difference.
The earldom of Northampton was severed from
that of Northumbria — Siward had held both — and
given to Siward' s son, Waltheof. Waltheof married
Judith, niece to William the Conqueror. He was
beheaded at Winchester in 1076, and his daughter
brought the earldom in marriage to Simon of Senlis,
the first of the three Norman earls of that name.
He it was that built the castle on the bank of the
Nene, and in all probability the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, of which more anon.
The " Saxon Chronicle " speaks of sixty burgesses
and sixty houses, but at the time of the Conquest
fourteen of these were waste. Domesday Book
mentions forty burgesses.
With the third Simon, the earldom became
extinct, and the castle reverted to the Crown, in
1 1 84. The second Simon built the abbey of Delapre,
of which nothing now remains.
From the time of Henry I. onwards we find the
Kings of England constantly visiting the town for
- -
NORTHAMPTON. Cromwell's House.
NORTHAMPTON 391
sport or sterner reasons. Here Henry kept Easter
with his court in 1123 ; here in 1131 he called the
barons together to swear fealty to his daughter
Maud or Matilda, wife of Geoffrey of Anjou, and
later of the Emperor Charles V. Here the barons
reassembled to do the same for Stephen. In
1 144 Stephen held his court here ; and twenty years
later Northampton was the scene of the famous
Council of Northampton, when the Constitutions of
Clarendon, subjecting the Church to the Crown,
were ratified. Becket had agreed at last to the
proposed provisions, but he retracted his promise,
and came to Northampton in a mood of defiance.
Taking his archiepiscopal cross from Alexander, the
Welshman, he swept into the presence of the
assembly, protested against the claim of the nobles
to judge him, and appealed to the Pope. He was
followed, as he left, by cries of " Traitor ! " Henry,
sulking in an inner chamber, would not see him.
" A fool he was and ever will be," was his comment
upon Becket's somewhat theatrical appearance.
Becket fled that night in the dress of a monk, and the
quarrel commenced which ended in his assassination.
Ten years later Henry's sons were in arms against
him. Anketil Mallory, supporting Prince Henry,
defeated the loyalists of the town, plundered it,
and returned to Leicester with booty and 200
prisoners.
Ten years later still the famous Assize of
Northampton was held. Barons, prelates, knights
and burgesses were called to form a Parliament,
which was the first in England to unite the three
estates of the realm, and so may be regarded in a
2c
392 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
sense as the parent of the English Parliament,
although many assemblies were held subsequently
which did not represent the Commons. This
assembly confirmed the Constitutions of Clarendon,
and divided the kingdom into six circuits for the
administration of justice, thus subordinating both
the Church and the Law to the control of the
Crown, and admitting the right of the Commons to
advise the Crown. The King and clergy of Scotland
were present, for the purpose of making submission
to the English Church.
In 1 199 we find one Geoff ry Fitzwalter paying a
fine of 40s. to be discharged from the inspection
of the coinage, which proves that the town possessed
a mint at that time ; it is mentioned in the records
of the two subsequent reigns. In 11 84 Richard
granted a charter which gave the burgesses the right
of choosing a portreeve and of " holding the town "
— always a somewhat expensive privilege. Kings
were accustomed to sell charters when impoverished,
and if there were none to sell would " resume "
a charter and charge a substantial sum for its
restoration.
In the same year, Richard being dead, the nobles
of the realm again assembled, and were prevailed
upon to accept John.
John was a frequent visitor to the city. Even
before his time Northampton was famous for its
boots, and an old record exists to the effect that
King John bought a pair of single-soled boots here
— " 8 tari botarum singularum " — at a cost of
twelve pence.
In 1209, John having a difference with the
NORTHAMPTON 393
burgesses of London, Northampton was honoured
by the removal of the Royal Exchequer thither.
In 12 12 he met the Papal nuncios, Pandulph and
Durand, who came to demand the restoration of
property confiscated from the clergy, and upon his
refusal excommunicated him.
Henry III. also was a frequent visitor. In the
Barons' War both sides took and lost the town.
We read that he was here when the news of Fulke
de Breaut6's rebellion reached him, and his council
granted a subsidy for the manufacture of machines
to be used in the reduction of Bedford, the forests
close at hand supplying abundant timber for such a
purpose ; hides too, a staple article of commerce
in Northampton, were largely used in the construc-
tion of mediaeval scaling towers, catapults, and so
forth. We read that he confirmed the charter
granted by Henry II. for a fee of 200 marks, in
Teturn for which considerable sum he gave it new
liberties as ample as those of London.
In 1234 tne disputes between " town and gown "
at Oxford became acute, with the ultimate result
that the majority of the students of the University
removed to Northampton. A similar migration
occurred from Cambridge, and Northampton bade
fair at one time to become the great university town
of England. However, the scholars did not con-
fine themselves to the gentle paths of learning.
Despite the fact that in 1261 Henry bade the
mayor and bailiffs and other good men afford the
scholars every facility and protection, they sided
with the barons in the war, and in 1264, fighting
under their own banner, " did more with their
394 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
slings and longbows and crossbows to vex and gall
the king's men than all the forces of the barons
besides." " Henry swore to hang them, but in the
end he only packed them back to Oxford, making
an enactment prohibiting Northampton from ever
becoming a university town." On this occasion the
King's men, who were led by Prince Edward, entered
the town by undermining the wall of St. Andrew's
convent. Simon de Montfort, the younger, had
twice beaten off the attack, but the third time was
taken prisoner " with all honour." The town was
sacked. Simon retook it, and held a tournament,
inviting the knights and barons of England " to
give proof of their manhood."
By this time, as in most cities of England, there
was a large and wealthy Jewish community. For
a long period the Jews, as almost the only bankers,
were protected by the Crown, but now greed regarded
persecution as a more profitable policy. In 1278 no
less than 300 Jews were hanged for clipping money,
and in 1279 the old cry was raised, just as to-day
it is from time to time raised in Russia — the Jews
were accused, on Good Friday, of sacrificing a
Christian child. Thirty were dragged behind horses
and afterwards hanged. Ten years later Edward I.
expelled all the Jews from the country, confiscating
their property.
Edward I. was a constant visitor. In his reign
letters patent were issued permitting the burgesses
to keep dogs — previously forbidden, perhaps, by
reason of the nearness of the royal hunting-grounds.
An old tapestry shows some five or six different
breeds of dogs used in venery ; a long-coated deer-
NORTHAMPTON 395
hound, greyhounds or whippets, something like a
setter, a sort of spaniel, and a dog strongly resembling
the modern bull-dog ; these latter are in leash,
evidently to be slipped at the last to pull down the
quarry.
In the year of Edward's death a Parliament met
to arrange for his burial, and the marriage and
coronation of his successor, in whose reign one
John Poydras, the son of an Exeter tanner, was
examined by a Parliament on account of his claim
that he was the true son of Edward I., the King being
the child of a carter. As he failed to bring forward
any proofs he was hanged. In 1328 the Statute of
Northampton confirmed the great constitutional
charters and amended the laws. In 1338 the
Corporation obtained permission to hold an annual
fair of twenty-eight days. In 1380 the second
Statute of Northampton was enacted, taxing
foreign wines. The Parliament responsible for this
measure did not meet in the castle ; it is doubtful if
any did so after the year 1323, when the great hall
was destroyed by fire, but in the priory of St.
Andrew. The last Parliament held here was in 1381,
when the poll-tax was imposed that led to the
rebellion of Wat Tyler. In the reign of Edward III.
Thomas Wake, sheriff, claimed the castle as apper-
taining to the county ; thenceforward it was held
by the sheriffs, and later was used as a prison.
So far the history of the castle has been the
history of the town. The next hostilities of note
in which the castle was concerned were the Wars of
the Roses. In 1410 the Battle of Northampton
was fought on the meadows belonging to the abbey
396 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
of Delapre\ Margaret fled to Scotland and Henry
VI. fell a prisoner into the hands of York. In this
year the borough was finally incorporated.
Northampton boasted of many guilds at this
period. When precisely the boot and shoe industry
was first established we do not know ; but it existed,
as we have seen, in the twelfth century, and pro-
bably centuries earlier. Northampton supplied
Cromwell's army, the army sent to Ireland by
Charles I., the English army in the Crimea, and the
French army in the Franco-Prussian War. Spencer
Perceval, who is chiefly famous for having been
assassinated in the lobby of the House of Commons
in 1812, was member for the borough, and obtained
valuable Government contracts for the town. The
old leather fair was and is of great importance.
The " leather bottel " was a local product.
Northampton used to be an open borough — that
is, every householder paying " scot and lot " could
vote. In the eighteenth century the contests were
as spirited as they were corrupt. Pennant in-
genuously remarks that the householder's vote
" was a cruel privilege " to such provincial magnates
as " were ambitious of recommending their own
representatives " — in coarser language, of buying
the seat. Such ambitious gentry certainly found
the privilege a very costly one for them. In
1768 the Earls of Halifax and Northampton, and
Spencer tried each to return his own member, and
materially impoverished themselves in the process,
Spencer paying £100,000, and the other two £150,000
apiece. This for 1000 voters ; many of whom, by
the way, voted twice, in which case they presumably
NORTHAMPTON 397
sold themselves more than once. A wide-awake
tradesman, in those days, might easily make a
thousand pounds at election time. Reform must
have been a sad blow to such.
To return for a moment to the castle, and the
Wars of the Roses, we read that the unfortunate
Earl Rivers, father of Elizabeth, Queen of Edward
IV., and Constable of England, was seized and
beheaded in Northampton in 1469. During the
Civil War the castle was seized by Lord Brooke,
and a Parliamentary garrison left in charge. The
battle of Naseby was fought only twelve miles away.
In 1662 the demolition of the castle was ordered,
and the ruins were used as a quarry.
Charles II. seems to have been the last king to
resume and regrant the charter of the Corporation.
The plague visited the town in his reign, and in 1678
a great fire destroyed 600 to 700 houses. For the
rebuilding of the town it is curious to note that
£20,000 was publicly subscribed, but for the re-
building of London after the Great Fire only £18,000.
One of the finest views of the town may be
obtained from the well-known Eleanor Cross, one
of the many similar monuments erected in commem-
oration of the sad journey of the court from Harby
in Notts to Westminster. Each night, when the
bier was set down before bearing it into the church
or religious house that was to give it shelter, " the
King's chancellor and the great men " fixed upon a
suitable site for such a memorial. Two of the three
remaining crosses are in Northamptonshire.
The Northampton cross, actually a mile south of
the town, is in very fair preservation, and has on the
Sg8 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
whole been respected by the restorers. It consists
of an octagonal base, a lower stage of canopied
panels and shields of arms, a second stage containing
four statues of Queen Eleanor, under richly carved
canopies, and a final tier which presumably was once
surmounted by a cross, but which now supports a
broken shaft. Near by is a causeway from the
town built at a cost of £20 " for the soul of the
Queen." The accounts of the payments made to
the sculptors and stonecutters engaged on the work
are still extant.
Beloved as she was, Eleanor had some surprising
characteristics. She acquired lands which the Jews
had extorted from Christians, and to such an extent
that Archbishop Peckham informed her that her " il-
licit and damned gain " had become " a scandal and
byword," and refused her absolution. Carpets were
introduced into England by Eleanor ; daughter of
the King of Castile, she would have seen them at her
father's court, to which the Spanish Moors introduced
them.
The popular tradition that her presence of mind
saved her husband's life in Palestine, appears to be
a myth. Knighton says that when the wound had
to be dressed the King had to order her to be carried
shrieking from the room. But of Edward's passion-
ate devotion to her there can be no doubt.
From the cross the city is seen to cover a ridge
by the banks of the Nene. Delapr6 Abbey, a modern
dwelling, may be seen on the right.
The town contains no very ancient houses,
probably as a result of the great fire. There are
four principal streets, and a market square, which
NORTHAMPTON 399
lies off the Drapery. Here is the Corn Exchange,
a somewhat unlovely building.
Of the old churches the most curious is that of
the Holy Sepulchre, built, in all probability, by the
first of the Norman earls. It is one of four English
churches, built after the model of the Church of the
Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. The other three
are the Temple Church in London, and the churches
at Cambridge and Maplestead in Essex. The nave
is circular. The font in the centre is modern. The
windows are late Decorated. The building was
restored by Scott in i860. The tiled floor and
sepulchral inscriptions are worth noting. The
Perpendicular tower has curious and unusual but-
tresses.
St. Peter's Church was probably built by the
grandson of the first earl ; the date is about 1160,
being late Norman with Perpendicular alterations.
The north gate, the corbels under the roof, and the
tower buttresses, are interesting. John Smith, the
mezzotintist, is buried here, and Dr. William Smith,
the " father of English geology," whose observation
of fossil remains peculiar to different strata was an
epoch-making discovery.
All Saints' Church, in the Drapery, was burned
down in 1675. Charles II., whose statue may be
seen over the portico, gave " 1000 tun of timber "
for the rebuilding of the church and the town. The
tower and lantern are old, in the Decorated style.
The annual bills of mortality kept in this parish
are famous as being the basis of Dr. Price's " North-
ampton Tables," on which all life insurance calcula-
tions are founded. These bills used to be posted
4oo OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
at the end of each year, with a suitable " copy of
verses " attached. Cowper, in a letter to Lady
Hesketh, tells us that the clerk of All Saints walked
over to Weston Underwood to speak to him, explain-
ing that " the verses had been supplied by a gentle-
man of so much reading that the people of our town
cannot understand him/' and begged that Cowper
would undertake the matter ; which he did, for
seven years.
St. Giles (enlarged 1857) has a Norman west door,
but is chiefly Perpendicular ; a chapel contains a
tomb of the Gobion family.
Northampton contains many new churches in
various styles, including a Roman Catholic cathedral
and church.
Of the old priory of St. Andrew nothing is left ;
of the abbey of St. James a wall remains.
Another old foundation was a college of sixteen
priests, founded by Henry VI. to pray for the souls
of Margaret of Anjou and Prince Edward. St.
Thomas's Hospital, founded in 1450, the Bluecoat
School, and the Free Grammar School still exist.
Other institutions are an orphanage, an infirmary,
an asylum, a corn exchange, two jails, a barracks,
a theatre, and an opera-house.
Of modern buildings the town-hall is worth a
visit. On the facade are statues of English kings,
incidents in the history of the town, and carvings
illustrative of the trades of the town. The great
hall and committee room are good ; there is a stained
glass window on the staircase, and in the council
chamber Chantrey's statue of Perceval.
The county-hall (seventeenth century) contains
NORTHAMPTON 401;
some royal portraits and two fine ceilings in high
relief. The museum and free library were enlarged
on the fabric of the old jail.
Northampton had a notable citizen in Laurence
Washington, the ancestor of George. He came of
the branch of the family settled in Lancashire, was
a member of Gray's Inn, and established himself in
Northampton, where he was mayor in 1533 and 1546.
He married a cousin of Spencer of Althorp. At the
dissolution of the monasteries he received the manor
of Sulgrave, and removed thither ; part of the house
still stands. He migrated later to Brington, to a
house still standing. His great grandson, Lawrence,
was the father of the John and Laurence Washington
who emigrated to Virginia, and the great grand-
father of George. Lawrence was buried at Sulgrave
in 1584.
The American Northampton (Mass., co. Hamp-
shire) on the Connecticut was founded in 1654
on lands bought from the Indians the preceding
year. Jonathan Edwards was pastor there from
1727 to 1750.
TAMWORTH
Tamworth is a pleasant, prosperous town, partly
dependent on the rich grazing grounds and market
gardens that surround it, and partly on the numer-
ous local industries ; it has a goodly number of
citizens in comfortable circumstances, and therefore
a wealth of respectable houses and suburbs. Nearly
half way between Birmingham and Burton-on-
Trent, built on both banks of the Teme at the
confluence of the Anker, it stands partly in Stafford-
shire and partly in Warwickshire, the two halves of
the town being connected by several bridges.
The inhabitants have rights of pasture over two
large tracts of common land, known respectively
as the Stafford and Warwick " moors."
The surrounding country is mainly level meadow-
land to the south, rising a little and more enclosed
to the north. Coal, fireclay, blue and red brick clay
are found in the district, and vegetables are grown
for the market ; the industries are various, including
textile printing and weaving, brewing, paper-
making, etc. ; Tamworth used to be famous for its
superfine narrow woollen cloth.
Leland the invaluable, describing the town as it
was in the Tudor period, states that it " was all
well builded of tymber," which usually meant
what we call a "frame" house. "The town of
402
TAMWORTH. The Entrance to the Castle.
TAMWORTH 403
Tamworth having a celebrated market is of ancient
memory, and after the Danes had razed and defaced
it, Ethelthleda, lady of the Merches, and sister of
King Edward, sen., repayred it. ... I saw but
three notable thinges, the paroch-church, the
castle, and the bridge/ ' To go back to the earliest
times we find that Watling Street ran near by, but
Tamworth was not a Roman settlement. Precisely
when it was founded we do not know, but we may
judge that it was of importance at a very early
period, for numerous charters signed by the Saxon
Kings of Mercia in their palace of Tamworth prove
that it was long a favourite residence of the Mercian
house. The whole town was then surrounded by a
great moat as to three of its sides, the river protecting
the fourth ; this moat, of which traces still remain,
and which is known as the King's Dyke, was 45 feet
in width. Possibly it was from this circumstance
that Tamworth or Tamanweorthe — the island of
the Tame — derived its name.
One such charter, granted to the monks of Worces-
ter, bears the name of Offa, and the date 781. At
the invasion of Mercia by the Danes the town was
completely destroyed, but the celebrated Governess
of Mercia, Ethelfleda, daughter to Alfred, rebuilt
it in 913, after she had expelled the invaders. On
the site of the present castle she raised a fortress
and watch-tower, and until her death in 920 was
frequently in the town.
The form of military service instituted by Alfred
is well known ; the land was divided into military
districts, each five hides sending an armed man at
the summons of the King, and sustaining him during
404 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
his service. The army so constituted — all of
freemen — was divided into two parts, one of which
took the field while the other served as garrison.
The eastern half of Mercia was now the " Five
Boroughs " of the Danes : Derby, Lincoln, Stam-
ford, Nottingham and Leicester being linked in a
loose confederacy, each ruled by an earl and having
an army of its own, with twelve " lawmen ' to
administer justice — which they found no easy task
— and a supreme federal court over all. It was not
leisure alone that brought Ethelfleda to Tamworth ;
as a stronghold it played a part in her plan of
conquest. Her tactics were to lay siege and to build
forts. At Tamworth, Stafford and Warwick she
built castles, securing the lines of the Trent and the
Avon ; then, closing the approach to Wales, she
moved upon Derby and Leicester, taking each in
succession. Before her triumph was complete she
died ; but in the year 922 Tamworth saw the sub-
mission of all the tribes of Mercia and the Prince of
Wales to Edward, her brother, who, attacking the
five boroughs from the south, reduced the Fens,
the Ouse, and the Nene, and annexed Wessex to his
dominions. Then the north suddenly owned his
lordship, and for a few years the whole country
was at peace.
From the time of Edward the Martyr to that of
Rufus Tamworth was a royal mint. At the time of
the Conquest it became a royal demesne, but after
a while was leased to the lords of the castle. The
castle itself, or the site thereof, William gave to
Robert Marmion of Fontenoy, in whose family it
remained until 1291, when a daughter of the house
TAMWORTH 405
brought it to William Mortem ; thence it passed to
the Frevilles, and about 1400 to the Ferrers ; thence
to the Comptons, and in 1751 to the Townshend
family. The present building, surrounded by mas-
sive walls and standing high on its mound, is chiefly
Jacobean ; by whom erected seems doubtful.
Leland says, " The bare court and the great wall
is clean decayed, and the wall fallen downe. . . „
The dungeon yet standeth and a great round tower
of stone, wherein Mr. Ferrers dwelleth, and now
repayreth it." We are told that Earl Leicester
thought of residing here, and had Wyatt survey the
fabric, but it was then considered too far decayed.
In the early part of the nineteenth century it was
used as a factory ; it is now in private occupation.
Two fine sitting-rooms are wainscoted and decorated
with arms of the Ferrers family impaling the various
marriages contracted. The hall has an open timber
roof springing from very low walls ; on one wall
used to be visible an uncouth painting of Sir Launce-
lot of the Hall fighting Sir Tarquin, which incident
occurred, so says a legend, in the meads without
the town. There is a curious ivy-covered tower;
from this or the leads of the roof a very fine view
may be obtained.
To return to Robert of Marmion, who built the
Norman castle, we are told that he confiscated all
the property of Tamworth church and college ;
whereupon the spirit of St. Editha paid him a
nocturnal visit, the result of which was that he not
only returned the spoil, but endowed the church
with several manors.
The church in question is dedicated to St. Editha,
406 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
who lies buried here ; the shrine and image of the
saint were destroyed at the Reformation. The
Marmion foundation gave it a dean and six preben-
daries, each having a vicar or substitute. As late
as 1553 the incumbents drew pensions ; but Eliza-
beth granted college and prebends to Edward
Downing and Peter Ashton. In the eighteenth
century the living was only a curacy, but was
finally declared a vicarage by the House of Lords.
It is a building chiefly of the Decorated and
Perpendicular periods, as the Norman church was
burned in 1345 ; of this two fine arches, with zig-
zag mouldings, remain. There is a crypt full of
human bones. The tower is a fine massive structure ;
of the spire only the base remains. The stairway
leading both to the exterior and the interior of the
upper portion of the tower is of a rare and curious
type ; it consists of two spiral staircases super-
imposed— in other words, of a double spiral, like
a two-threaded worm or screw — so that the treads
of one staircase form the ceil of the other. The
chancel contains ancient monuments of Marmions,
Frevilles, and others, and the tower a fine seven-
teenth century tomb with life-size kneeling figures
of the two last Ferrers. It is said that the church
was founded, in connection with a convent, by St.
Editha herself ; this is doubtful, but we know it
was rebuilt and made collegiate by Edgar.
Tamworth town belonged to the Crown until the
reign of Henry III. It was then declared a free
corporation ; but the charter was forfeited, and
restored by Edward II. Edward III. granted a
fair and other privileges. At some period the town
TAMWORTH 407
decayed and lost the name of borough ; but Eliza-
beth granted a charter by which it was incorporated
with a high steward, two bailiffs, a recorder, a town
clerk, and twenty-four burgesses. The Elizabethan
charter was superseded by one granted by Charles
II., which was in force until 1885, and until the latter
date the town returned two members, all voting
who paid " lot and scot/'
The weekly market was by prescription from the
days of the Kings of Mercia held on Saturdays ;
Tamworth also had five fairs : on the Monday
before 25th January ; on 4th May (St. George's
day, old style) ; on St. Swithin's Day ; on the
26th July ; on the first Monday in September ;
and on the feast of Edward the Confessor — the 24th
of October — and the four following days.
We have heard Leland ; Michael Drayton, who
was born on the banks of the Anker, apostrophises
the stream and his mistress in a well-known
passage :
" Clear Anker, on whose silver-sanded shore
My soul-shrined saint, my fair Idea lies :
A blessed brook, whose milk-white swans adore
The crystal stream refined by her eyes. . . .
Where nightingales in Arden sit an<l sing
Among the dainty dew-impearled flowers,
Fair Arden, thou my Tempe art alone
And thou, sweet Anker, art my Helicon."
The parish register contains some significant
entries :
Mem. in 1563 and 1626 the plague in Tamworth.
Mem. in 1597 the blouddie flixe (epidemic dysentery) at
which tyme the darthe of corne somewhat abated by reason
of deathe.
2d
408 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
1598. Mem. that the 30th day of this April Robert Earl
of Essex went from Drayton Basset toward Ireland to make
warre against the Earl of Tyroone, an Irishman.
" Blouddie warre/ ' the scribe might well have
said. Drayton Bassett, or rather Drayton Manor,
once the seat of Hugh Lupus, Earl of Chester, who
married a Bassett, passed to the Staff ords and was
forfeited ; finally it became the residence of Lettice,
Countess Essex, mother of Elizabeth's favourite,
and was visited by Elizabeth. Lady Essex after-
wards married Dudley, Earl of Leicester. After
the death of her grandson it passed to the Thynnes,
and the first Marquis of Bath sold it to the great
Sir Robert Peel. The parliamentary interests of
the borough of Tamworth were formerly divided
between the Thynnes and the Townshend family ;
but now Sir Robert Peel became one of the members.
At Fazely, about ij miles south of Tamworth, he
erected cotton mills, and connected Fazely with the
great inland waterway of the Midlands and the
North. To a certain extent Tamworth lost by the
introduction of the railways ; of course, only rela-
tively and for a time.
To return to the register : we find that during the
Civil War the castle was taken and held by the
Parliamentary troops. In 1677 the free Grammar
School refounded by Edward VI. was rebuilt, as
it was again in 1867.
The Hospital, or Guy's Almshouse, is interesting
as having been founded in 1678 (for six men and
six women) by Thomas Guy, the famous and
wealthy bookseller of London, who founded Guy's
Hospital in Southwark. Guy represented Tarn-
TAMWORTH 4°9
worth in seven successive Parliaments. He also
rebuilt the town-hall, in front of which is a bronze
statue of Sir Robert Peel. The town also boasts
of a swimming-bath, a boys' institute, etc., etc.,
and is in all ways a pleasant and well-governed type
of the lesser industrial and market-town of the
Midlands.
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rfjotf
, .j til .,:>
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'to r:
• r' f "
i 'J-.O:','.*
,- • 71
SHREWSBURY
Shrewsbury, a city that " glads itself and beautifies
the shire," to quote the city's poet, Churchyard, is
built on one of two peninsulas formed by an S-shaped
twist of the Severn, the neck of the peninsula being
only some 300 yards wide. Oliver Mathews informs
us that the site was chosen " before the incarnation
of our Savioure Christe 438 years." liolinshed
states that the " Brytaynes " assembled here to
oppose the Romans in the year a.d. 28, and that
Shrewsbury was then a town of importance.
Llywarch the Old, the great Welsh bard, who is
said to have reached the age of 145 years — attributed
the fortification of the town to Cyndelan — " the
purple-bearer of Powis " — and in his many refer-
ences to Pengwern — the city on the hill of alders —
it figures as a border-town, for long the capital of
the Princes of Powis. Uriconium (Wroxeter), a
few miles distant, was a Roman city, but there was
no Roman station at Shrewsbury. Uriconium was
destroyed by fire about the year 570 ; nothing is
left of it to-day but a few foundations, some trifles
in a museum, and the names of Wroxeter and Wrekin.
At its fall, it seems, the British took refuge on " the
hill of the alders " ; the Severn then ran in many
channels, and the site may have been chosen for
its inaccessibility. However, the Saxon was not
410
SHREWSBURY 41 r
long in coming ; Llywarch speaks of a raider in
Powis by the name of Twrch, " the hog," and in
another passage — either in lament or prophecy — calls
on the maidens of Pengwern " to leave their dwel-
lings and behold the habitation of Cyndelan, the
royal palace of Pengwern, wrapped in flames;"
in prophecy, perhaps, for despite Saxon raids
Pengwern was long the capital of the Kings of Powis.
In the year 780 Offa, the Mercian conqueror,
crossed the Severn, conquered a great part of Powis,
drove its king from Shrewsbury, as the Saxons now
called it (Scrobbesbyrig — the fenced town among
the thickets), and built the great wall running from
Dee to Wye known as Offa's Dyke to this day.
Shrewsbury was still a border-town, but henceforth
in the hands of the invader. The British had long
relapsed from the civilisation of the Romans ; even
their native civilisation, through ages of almost
nomadic war, had notably decayed. It is probable
that the Pengwern that fell into the hands of the
Saxons was merely a collection of wattled huts with
roofs of turf or thatch, the whole enclosed by a
rough stockade. Probably the general appearance
of the hill was much the same as when the Britons
first took refuge there ; the Saxons would hardly
have been content with an exact translation of the
name had it been inappropriate.
Under Saxon rule Shrewsbury soon became a town
of some importance, and comparatively civilised in
character. Alfred's daughter, Ethelfleda, a widow
of the Ealderman of Mercia, succeeded in the govern-
ment, and founded at Shrewsbury the collegiate
church of St. Alcmund, while under Athelstan the
4i2 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
town was of sufficient importance to become the seat
of a mint, whose coins are still extant. This was
after Athelstan's invasion of Scotland and conquest
of Cornwall, as is shown by the fact that the super-
scription is Rex. To. Brit. — King of all Britain.
Edmund reformed St. Alcmund's and founded the
abbey of St. Mary. Ethelred, pursued by the Danes,
" passed over Thames into Scrobbesbyrigscire," and
there spent Christmas with his court. By this time
Shrewsbury was one of the larger English towns,
and of increasing importance as a great centre of
Welsh-English commerce.
About this time a curious incident gave rise to a
still more curious custom. Edric, earl of Mercia,
invited Alfhelm, a royal prince, to visit him at
Shrewsbury, and after feasting him for four days took
him hunting, when one Godwin Porkhund, who is
variously stated to have been a butcher and master
of the earl's boar-hounds, came out from a thicket
and slew him, as instructed by his master. After
this, whenever the King was in residence at Shrews-
bury, the citizens had to keep watch over him, the
duty being shared by twelve of their number ;
when he went hunting thirty-six had to stand around
him ; and when he left the town the sheriff had to
supply him with twenty-four horses.
Domesday Book mentions 252 houses of bur-
gesses in the time of Edward the Confessor ; these
paid an annual rent to the crown. A fine of 100s.
was imposed for assault and 50s. for burglary.
Perhaps these fines were intended to intimidate the
Welsh inhabitants and visitors ; they were of course
enormous for the times. We also find marriage
SHREWSBURY 413
taxed for the benefit of the king. The area of the
town, when assessed for the Danegeld, was 100 hides.
" The bishop " had sixteen canons in the town, all
exempt from Danegeld.
The area of the town at the end of the Saxon
period cannot have been much less than at present ;
but in those days of frequent sieges, and especially
in a border town, situated in a country infested by
raiders, it was customary to shelter and often graze
flocks and herds, and even to grow a considerable
amount of corn, within the walls. As late as 1538
we read of an order that hedges of thorns should be
removed from the streets, and many signs of agri-
cultural life and relics of mediaeval farms have been
discovered.
At the time of the Conquest Briton and Saxon once
more joined in revolt, laid siege to Scrobbesbyrig, and
burned part of the town. William himself came down
to the March, and having settled the country left
Roger de Belesme, or Montgomery, earl of Shrews-
bury ; he was also lord of Chichester and Arundel,
and possessor of many manors. He left his son-in-
law, Warin the Bald, as governor of the town, and
built the castle, which occupied the site of 51 houses,
while 50 houses lay waste and 43 were held by
Normans, yet Roger took £40 rent. The burgesses
were ruled by a propositus or provost, who did little
but extort rent. Evidently Roger chose to treat
Shrewsbury as a conquered town ; like other cities,
it had to win its municipal privileges gradually, and
had as a rule to pay dearly for them.
This Roger, it will be remembered, supported
Robert Curthose in his claim to the crown on the
414 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
death of William, but eventually made his peace
with the King ; he died at Shrewsbury a few days
after taking the cowl, in the monastery of his own
foundation. The walls of the town were commenced
by his son Robert, the third earl. Another son,
it will be remembered — the second earl — was killed
fighting Magnus Barefoot of Norway, Robert was
taken by Henry I. and banished. The castle then
reverted to the crown, William Fitzalan being
steward.
We cannot suppose that either Welsh or English
were sorry to see the last of the Belesmes. " Robert,"
says an old historian, " slew the Welsh like sheep,
conquered them, enslaved them, and flayed them
with nails of iron." All the March was a country of
border baronies ; Roger de Montgomery had sub-
dued part of ancient Powis and given it his name ;
soldiers of fortune sought the royal licence, " to make
conquest on the Welsh," English armies marched
into the heart of Wales, often to retire discomfited.
And at this very moment a new life seemed to be
infused into the Welsh people ; under the two Llew-
elyns a renaissance of literature and national
feeling took place ; strange prophecies were in the
air ; so persistent was a report that Arthur was
living that Henry II. paid a visit to his grave at
Glastonbury, to dispel the legend.
To go back to the reign of Henry I., we find
Fitzalan steward of Shrewsbury, and afterwards
seeking to hold it for Maud, but unsuccessfully. In
the reign of John, who, like Henry, led a disastrous
expedition into Wales, some trouble with the crown
resulted in the hanging of ninety-four persons in
SHREWSBURY 415
the town. In the year 1215, though he had sur-
rendered to John four years earlier, Llewelyn took
Shrewsbury and regained the ancient kingdom of
Powis. His triumph was not for long ; in the follow-
ing year John retook the town. A heavy toll was
imposed upon the Welsh — the Welsh bridge was
long guarded by a strong gate-house — and the Welsh
princes came in for the adjustment of various differ-
ences. A new charter was granted in 1226, which
witnesses to the importance of the guilds of the city ;
despite wars and border raids, Shrewsbury was the
great mart for Welsh produce and Welsh necessities,
and the burgesses seem to have prospered.
Then came the reign of Henry III. and the Barons'
War, and the rise of the second Llewelyn. In 1264
Simon de Montfort took and held the town for a
time. All through this war Llewelyn was supreme
in Wales, but Edward at last, after returning from
the Crusades, marched into Wales, captured Lle-
welyn, and built castles at Conway and Caernarvon.
It was settled that the title of Prince of Wales should
lapse at Llewelyn's death, and he was married at the
English court to Eleanor de Montfort, daughter of
Simon. Four years later his brother David, who
had deserted the Welsh cause in the previous rising,
and accepted an English lordship, persuaded him
to revolt once more. An old prophecy of Merlin,
that when money was round a Prince of Wales should
be crowned in London, seemed near fulfilment, for
copper coins were minted, and the people forbidden
to cut or break the silver penny into halves and
quarters as before. Edward again marched into
Wales, bridged the Menai straits, and hemmed in
s
416 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
the Welsh leader, who eventually fell in a petty raid.
Six months later David was captured, and sent
before a Parliament sitting in Shrewsbury for judg-
ment. This Parliament is noteworthy as being the
first in which knights and burgesses sat by legal
authority. It sat, probably, in the abbey hall,
the three estates in one assembly as yet. David was
dragged by horses, hanged, disembowelled, and
quartered. After this act of mediaeval justice the
Parliament adjourned to Acton Burnell, where it
passed the statute of that name.
In the next reign we find the burgesses groaning
under excessive taxation. The taxation roll of
Edward II. vi.*names 189 persons as subject to taxa-
tion, the tax being the value of one-fifteenth of all
their movables, down to their malt and their spoons
and the food in their larder. The following entries
are of interest as giving us some idea of the standard
of living ; but we must remember that the burgesses
would not precisely make a display of wealth
before the assessor, so their possessions may not have
been quite as modest as appears.
Wm. de Brugg (probably of Bridgenorth) tanner ;
hides, 20s. ; bark, 5d. ; cloth, 3d. ; pledges, 3s. ;
quarter of wheat, 4s. ; quarter of barley, 2s. ; 4 pigs,
3s. ; household utensils, 2d.
Prior of St. John's, 3 draught horses, 9s. ; a cart
and harness, 4s. 3d. ; a quarter and a half of wheat,
6s. ; a quarter of rye, 4od. ; a quarter of oats, 6s.,
3 bushels of pease, 9d. ; utensils, 8d.
Roger le Parmenter ; washed skins, 17s. 4d. ;
lamb, fox and rabbit skins, 13s. 4d. ; furs, 20s. ;
malt, 6s. ; wood, 4d. ; utensils, 3d.
SHREWSBURY 417
Six years later, on the execution of one Harcla
for treachery, Shrewsbury was honoured by a whole
quarter of the traitor. This was regarded as such
a mark of royal favour that it encouraged the
burgesses to petition the King. They begged that
they might have cognisance of pleas, make engines
to grind grain and malt, hold a fair, and use all
liberties already granted, whether they had hitherto
been used or not. Edward II. granted charters
innumerable, and as he had pledged himself to levy
no new taxes he took care to sell them at the highest
prices he could obtain.
The reign of Edward III. was uneventful in the
city ; Wales was quiet. But in 1349, the year after the
appearance of the Black Death, a pestilence visited
Shrewsbury ; the symptoms as recorded by local
chroniclers appear to be those of pneumonic plague.
So terrible was the devastation caused by this plague
that the mill at Shrewsbury, which commonly took
30s. in the year, took only 6s. 8d. A murrain followed
the plague — possibly the same disease — and in 1394
there was a disastrous fire.
In 1397 we find Parliament again sitting at Shrews-
bury. Thither came " old John of Gaunt, time-
honoured Lancaster/' and Henry of Hereford, " his
bad son/' to make good " the boisterous late appeal "
against the Duke of Norfolk. This of course meant
the presence of Richard II . and his court. Two years
later Henry IV. was welcomed by the city, as he
entered it to hold the first Parliament of his reign.
Then once more Shrewsbury knew stirring days
and nights. Glendower, who had been an esquire
of the body to Richard, had commenced his
4i8 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
predatory war, and Henry had promptly retaliated
by a statute forbidding any Welshman to buy land
or houses in any border county, or to enfranchise in
any border city ; those that were enfranchised were
to find sureties. Henry, marching north to subdue
the Northumberland revolt, reached Shrewsbury
on 19th July, 1403. The battle of Shrewsbury is
familiar to all ; how Sir John Falstaff " fought a
long hour by Shrewsbury clock " ; how Hotspur
believed he had killed the King, and was himself
slain ; how in the retreat Douglas fell and was
taken ; how Glendower watched the fortune of
battle from the boughs of an oak tree. An extra-
ordinary scene took place before the battle. First
Hotspur addressed his followers : " This day shall
promote us all if we conquer, or deliver us from an
usurper if we fall, and it is better to die in battle
for the common good than after battle by sentence
of the foe." Then two knights were sent forward
to defy the King and charge him with a heavy list
of crimes, among them the murder of Richard II.
(who probably died of a hunger strike). Then
follows an episode that reminds us of the death of
Julian the Apostate, who, because it had been
foretold that he should die in Phrygia, was so sure
of victory against the Persians that he had burned
his fleet upon the Tigris to prevent retreat ; and
who, when he lay dying of a spear wound, asked
where it was that he had fallen, and was told that
the place was called Phrygia. Hotspur had asked
for his sword, and was told that he had left it
behind at Berwick. Now he knew that he had left
it in the village where he had lain the previous
SHREWSBURY 4*9
night, so that this must be called Berwick, and
remembered that it had been foretold that he should
die at Berwick. " Now," he said, " I perceive that
my plough is drawing to its last furrow, for a wizard
told me that I should perish at Berwick, but I had
thought it was Berwick-upon-Tweed."
Glendower, watching the tide of battle, did not
come to the succour of the Northumbrians. Henry
was thrice unhorsed by Douglas. Hotspur fell
by an unknown hand. Most of the knights and
squires of Cheshire were slain in this battle. The
dead were buried in a great pit at the place now
called Battlefield, and Henry founded a chapel with
two priests to pray for the souls of the dead. Hot-
spur's body, rubbed in salt, was brought into the
city, laid between two millstones, and cut into small
pieces, which were distributed to the cities of
England.
Later in this reign we hear of the burgesses
complaining to the King that they had fought in
all the raids into Wales — during the long Glendower
revolt — and had borne all the heavy expenses of
service, never receiving any fee, We hear of the
town being watched all night ; of a flood ; of
damaged walls, and heavy taxes and hard times —
for a general Welsh rising always struck a blow at
the trade of Shrewsbury — and at last of yet another
new charter.
The first English Prince of Wales was often in
Shrewsbury. We read of a pipe of wine at 23s.,
and bread to the value of 20s., being given as
presents to the Prince — presumably to feed his
followers.
420 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
Not many years later Richard III. was riding
by Shrewsbury when he accidentally met the
widowed Countess of Richmond. This seems to
have opened his eyes to what was afoot. Bucking-
ham was for a short time a prisoner in Shrewsbury.
Later Richmond came to Shrewsbury gates, and
was admitted. Here he was first proclaimed King,
and here recruited his army.
Two years later Shrewsbury was again in the
grip of pestilence — the sweating sickness, which
was said to have first appeared in this city.
In the reign of Henry VIII. the great days of the
castle were over. Leland says : " The castle hath
beene a strong thing. It is now much in ruin."
He mentions four churches : the hospital of St.
Chad, the collegiate church of St. Mary, and three
other monasteries. At the time of the Reformation
the abbey was dissolved, and the Corporation
obtained the grant of Abbey Foregate and the ham-
let of Muryvale. The Reformation commenced in
the year of Henry's death, and we hear of pictures
of " Our Lady and Mary Mawdelen and St. Chadde "
being burned in the corn-market. In 1551 the
sweating sickness again visited the town.
Churchyard gives us a pleasant picture of his
native town, speaking of the
" buildings gay and gallant finely wrought. . .
Some houses bare that seemed to be worth naught
Were fat within that outward looked lean."
He speaks of the great numbers of gentlefolk
and great families settled or having houses in the
town, and is no less struck by the manners of the
people than by their wealth :
SHREWSBURY 421
" These meeke folk that meetes you in the streete
Will curchie (curtsey) make or shewes an humble spreete ;
• • • • •
This argues well they have in Wales been bred
Or well brought up and taught where now they dwell."
We read, too, of the aldermen going in scarlet on
all " solemn daies," and learn that the town had
its bull-ring, cockpit, and wrestling ground.
At the time of the Armada " many gentlemen "
gave £25 for purposes of defence. In 1595 we hear
of the plague once more, followed by a dearth.
In the following year, dearth or no dearth, the town
has to find £40 ship-money. In 1600 we hear of
" a cryar for night-time " ; in 1632 and 1634, of
the plague. In 1642 Charles I. entered Shrewsbury,
and with the Princes Maurice and Rupert stayed
two days at the council house. Presently he
returned, sent to Aberystwith for the mint that
was there (the mines round about being rich in
silver and lead), and commenced to coin the plate
given by the Universities in order to pay his troops.
Sometimes nearly £1000 of silver was coined in one
week. He also built the Cadogan tower, and a
press was set up for the printing of proclamations.
He finally marched away, his army of 12,000 the
richer by 200 foot and 60 dragoons levied by the
Corporation, leaving two cannon behind him, and
Sir Francis Ottley as governor of the castle. He
was superseded by Sir Michael Earnley.
In the winter of 1644 came a Parliament force
under Colonel Mytton to besiege the town. At
four o'clock in the morning carpenters landed
under the palisade in a quiet spot and made a
422 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
breach — it was said by connivance of some within.
By noon the castle surrendered, having made terms
for themselves. The Irish among the garrison were
not included in these terms by the gallant Cavaliers,
and were one and all hanged ; but such was the
custom of the times. Eight knights and baronets,
forty colonels, majors, and captains, and 200
privates were taken, with fourteen guns and much
plunder.
In 165 1 Captain Benbow, of a local family, joined
Charles II. on his march south with the Covenanters.
He was taken at the battle of Worcester. He had
previously served under Charles I., and had then
been concerned in the attack upon the town under
Colonel Mytton. He was sent to Shrewsbury and
shot.
About this time tokens were in common use,
and a large collection has been preserved. They
were prohibited in 1672, but there are Shrewsbury
tokens dated 1794.
In 1684 the charter was surrendered to Charles II.
A new charter had to be purchased. In 1687 the
King visited the town. The next sovereign also
paid Shrewsbury a visit, and while there spoke on
his favourite subject of the liberty of the conscience.
The well-known play, " The Recruiting Officer,"
was written by Farquhar while stationed at Shrews-
bury, and is highly topical, all the characters being
portraits of local worthies. Farquhar was attached
to an artillery regiment under Viscount Newport,
which was sent to defend the town.
The first stage coach was seen in Shrewsbury
in 1659. It did not run for long ; there was then
SHREWSBURY 423
no coach until 1750. Pack-horses were the usual
means of transport ; but in the eighteenth century
a stage-wagon drawn by eight horses plied to
London. After a time, passengers wishing to make
use of it, a great box was suspended within the
wagon by means of chains, which was known as
a " Gee-ho." This vehicle made the journey to
London in nine days. It was superseded by a sort
of caravan, with benches for twelve persons ; this
was drawn by six horses. At last the coach re-
appeared, and in 1781 the Irish mails began to pass
through the town.
For the preceding three centuries Shrewsbury
had held a position of great importance as the
market for Welsh flannels and woollens. Every
Thursday saw a procession of ponies crossing the
Welsh bridge to the woollen fair, led by straw
halters and bearing each two bales of cloth, slung
one on either flank ; the Welshmen leading them
dressed in their own blue cloth. From the fair
drays took the bales to the warehouses. It was
no uncommon sight to see 300 of these ponies cross
the bridge in a morning, representing 600 pieces
of web. The Welsh had long woven their homespun
stuffs for their own use, and peaceful times and a
knowledge of English civilization, together with
an increasing need of money, had resulted in their
producing a surplus for exchange against English
commodities. As a matter of fact ready money was
paid at these fairs, but it was mostly expended,
before the ponies recrossed the bridge, on malt,
groceries, and other necessities or luxuries. The
fair began to decay after the year 1790 ; doubtless
2e
424 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
travellers by the Irish mail had watched the fair
and found food for reflection therein ; for very
soon buyers began to travel through Wales, buying
the cloth at the cottage door or on the loom ; a
course very welcome to the housewife, if less so to her
husband, as not only was a long journey saved, and
an additional profit, but less of the earnings were
spent upon malt in a liquid state, and the temptation
to scatter money inseparable from a fair day was
gone.
A very great deal of old Shrewsbury is still
standing. Perhaps no city in England is richer in
beautiful old houses ; timbered or half-timbered,
with massive oak frames and projecting upper
stories. Some of the old streets in which these
houses stand have most curious names, which seem
to argue a Welsh or Welsh-speaking population ;
Dogpole is a plausible corruption of Duck-pool,
supposing the pool in question to have disappeared ;
but how, on English tongues, could Hill Top become
Wyle Cop, or Soet Place, Shoplatch ? Among the
finest of the old houses may be mentioned the
Market House, with its arcade and mullioned
window (1596) ; Ireland's mansion, a half-timbered
gabled house ; Owen's House (1592) ; Butcher's
Row, consisting of fifteenth century houses, where
the dwellings of the chantry priests of St. Alcmund's
are supposed to have stood ; Jones' mansion, where
the Duke of York and Prince Rupert stayed awhile ;
Lloyd's House (1570) ; Draper's Hall, Vaughan's
Place, Rowley's Mansion, Whitehall, and many
another. In Wyle Cop stands the house where
Henry VII. stayed when Duke of Richmond, on his
SHREWSBURY 425
way to Bosworth Field. The Post Office is re-
markable as covering the site of the Butter Market,
where stood that high cross below which David
ap Griffith was hanged, burned, and quartered.
A pleasanter monument of old Shrewsbury exists
in the ale, cakes, and brawn for which the city has
for centuries been famous. Shenstone refers to
the cakes as " rendering through Britain's Isle
Salopia's praises known," which, if sincere, speaks
well for his digestion.
A notable date in the annals of Shrewsbury was
the Monday after the first Sunday in Trinity, which
was the day of the pageant or annual " show," when
the guilds and Corporation went in gay procession to
the suburb of Kingsland, where each guild had its
arbour erected, and where the day was ended in
sports and festivities.
There is little space to speak of the more notable
buildings ; but mention must be made of the castle,
which stands in a conspicuous position on the
isthmus. Not much of the old Norman fabric is
left ; indeed the building is modernized and habi-
table. Built of a deep red stone, with square keep
and corner turrets, it is still imposing when seen
from a distance. The turret in the garden was built
by Telford, the famous engineer ; below is the
garden which saw the execution of Benbow. A
magnificent view of the Welsh range, the Shropshire
hills, and the Wrekin may be obtained from the
castle walls.
St. Mary's Church is a noble example of Norman
and Early English work, and contains some mag-
nificent stained glass. Some of this is the original
426 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
glass ; some has been brought from Flanders and
Cologne. The ceiling is a beautiful display of
carved oak, and the old tombs — many dating from
the thirteenth century — are numerous and interest-
ing. There is a memorial in the tower which is
unintentionally somewhat amusing : a tablet to
the memory of a youth who in 1759 attempted to
fly across the river. The tragedy of the rash
inventor is simply told :
" Who by an attempt to fly from this high spire
Across the Sabrine stream he did acquire
His fatal end. 'Twas not for want of skill
Or courage to perform the task he fell.
No, no, a faulty cord being drawn too tight
Hurried his soul on high to take her flight/'
where we will hope no further constriction caused
yet another hurried removal.
Near by is St. Alcmund's, founded as a collegiate
church by Ethelfleda, the daughter of Alfred, and
badly rebuilt, or rather destroyed, save for the tower,
in 1794. Close by stood St. Julian's, a Norman
building, also demolished in favour of a polite
monstrosity of the eighteenth century.
St. Chad's, near the walls, was founded by a King
of Mercia, about 780, on the site of the palace of the
Princes of Powis. In 1293 it was damaged by fire,
and in 1788 collapsed. The fire was due to a
plumber, who fled in alarm, fell into the river, and
was drowned. A small portion of the old church
remains, mostly rebuilt in 1571, and contains the
tombs of Captain Benbow and of many notable
Shropshire families. New St. Chad's, close above
the quarry, has a body formed by the intersection
SHREWSBURY 427
of two circles, and is a particularly unpleasing
experiment ; its date is 1792.
The abbey church, which was attached to the
monastery of St. Peter, has survived only in part.
It is a beautiful building of the red local stone.
It was attached to the foundation of Roger de
Belesme, who died here. It was supported by two
manors, the grinding of the whole city, and a toll
of wood. It was restored in 1814. There is a
magnificent west window, filled with the arms of
kings, nobles, and county families — the Dukes of
Gloucester, York and Lancaster, the Earls of
Chester, March, Suffolk, and many others. Relics
of St. Winifred repose in a shrine removed in 1136
from Holywell. The tomb of Roger de Montgomery
or de Belesme is in the south aisle, with many others.
The monastery — the chapter house of which was
the place of assembly of the great Parliament
of 1283 — has vanished ; but the guest hall is
believed to survive in the abbey house, and the
wall of the refectory still stands, with a fine stone
pulpit.
The church of St. Giles' is the oldest in the town,
though greatly restored. It was built early in the
twelfth century for the use of lepers.
In the market square is a statue of Lord Give,
three times member for the town, and whose
descendants are the modern Earls of Powis. It is
related of him that when rebuked in the House for
spoiling the Indian princes, his rejoinder was,
" Damme, Mr. Speaker, I wonder I did not take
more ! "
The town is well equipped with museum, library,
428 OLD ENGLISH TOWNS
assize courts, music and assembly rooms, corn
exchange, market, infirmary, etc., etc. Notable
among the charitable foundations are the Drapers
Almshouses, founded by Diggory Watur in 1461 ;
and Millington's Hospital, for the maintenance of
fifty boys and girls. Last but not least is Shrews-
bury School, founded by Edward VI. in 1551,
described in the seventeenth century as " a fair free
schoole of which there are fowr maisters and thir are
sometimes six hundred schollers," a disproportion
not likely to obtain again. The school is now across
the river from the Quarry gardens. Among the
notable men here educated are Sir Philip Sidney,
Judge Jefferies, Sir William Jenner, and, most
famous of all, Charles Darwin, whose statue in
bronze stands by the museum of Roman anti-
quities. It should not be forgotten that in his
younger days Coleridge preached here in the Uni-
tarian meeting-house, which building was once
wrecked by an enthusiastic mob of muscular and
outraged Christians, but by order of George III.
was rebuilt.
The council house, where Charles I. was quar-
tered with Prince Rupert, is known as Lord's Place,
and has been converted into private dwellings.
A fine gateway, dated 1620, leads into the courtyard.
It was originally the hall of the Court of the Marches
of Wales.
INDEX.
ABBOT, Archbishop, 273-276,
278
Abel,' John, 56, 57, 58.
Abingdon, John, 52.
Acton, Lord, 99.
Adelwalch, King, 139.
JElfied, Princess, 208.
!/Elgifu, Queen, 29.
Agincourt, 245.
Agricola, 160.
Aidan, Bishop, 204, 205.
Ainsworth, Harrison, 165.
Albemarle, Earl of, 193.
Albini, William de, 379.
Alcock, Bishop, 49, 185, 367,
372.
Alcuin, 188.
Aldhuin, Bishop, 213.
Alexander the Welshman, 291.
Alfhelm, 412.
Alfred the Great, 3-11, 14, 29,
36, 73, 81, 124, 240, 271, 294,
335, 378, 403, 411, 426.
Algar, Earl of Chester, 42.
Angel, John, 143.
Anna, King, 360.
Anne, Lawrence de, 10.
Anne, Queen, 82, 344.
Apollo, 2.
Aristotle, 88.
Armada, Spanish, 259, 266,
328, 329, 421.
Arsick, 242.
Arthal, Earl of Warwick,
336.
Arthur, King, 161, 221, 414.
Arthur, Prince, 49, 50, 243.
Ashmole, Elias, 81.
Ashton, Peter, 406.
Aske, Sir Robert, 196, 197.
Athelston, King, 250, 294, 411,
412.
Athelwulf, 378.
429
Atkinson, historian, 87.
Aubrey, 273, 274.
Audley, Bishop, 40.
Audley, Catherine, 55, 56.
Audley, Lord Thomas, 96.
Austen, Rev. George, 6.
Austen, Jane, 6, 27.
Averanche, 242.
Aylward, John, 276.
BACON, Lord, 90, 284, 322,
323.
Bacon, Sir Nicholas, 322.
Bailey, Charles, 10.
Bailey, Philip James, 151.
Baldwin, 297.
Bamford, Samuel, 119.
Baring, Matthew, 303.
Barlow, Agatha, 382.
Barlow, Bishop William, 382.
Bath, Marquis of, 63.
Baron, William Fitz-, 227.
Barrow, Isaac, 90.
Barry, E. M., 98.
Basevi, George, architect, 98.
Baxter, Richard, 50.
Beale, William, 123.
Beauchamps, the, 337.
Beaufort, Bishop, 9, 15, 123.
Beaufort, Lady Margaret, 93.
Beaumont, 96.
Becket, Thomas a, 19, 387, 391.
Beckingham, Robert, 277.
Bede, Venerable, 205, 206,
214, 215, 346, 359, 377.
Belesme, Hugh de, 379, 414.
Belesme, Robert de, 379, 414.
Belesme, Roger de, 379, 413,
427.
Bellingham, Governor, 356.
Benbow, Captain, 422, 425,
426.
Bennett, Justice, 153.
430
INDEX
Bentham, 366.
Beodric, 104.
Bernardis, the, 380, 383, 384.
Berry, Thomas, 74.
Bertha, Queen, 18.
Bess of Hardwick, 157.
Biddulph, Lord and Lady, 56.
Bigod, Roger, 252.
Birch, Colonel John, 62, 65.
Bird, Prior, 24.
Birinis, Bishop, 2, 3.
Black Death, 275, 264, 370,
417.
Black Prince, 19, 130, 277,
325, 326, 338.
Blackett, Sir Edward, 216.
Bladud, Prince, 23.
Blake, Admiral, 331.
Blanket, Thomas, 263.
Blaxton, Rev. W., 355, 356.
Blecca, 116.
Bliss, historian, 77.
Bliss, Henry de, 14, 15.
Blomfield, architect, 89, 90,
98.
Blundevill, Ranulph de, 161.
Boadicea, 249.
Bodley, Sir Thomas, 81, 303.
Boehm, Sir Edgar, 329.
Boleyn, Anne, 344.
Bond, Francis, 232, 233.
Bonner, Bishop, 381.
Booth, Francis, 94.
Bootle, Thomas, 291.
Booties, the, 291.
Borrow, George, 260.
Boston (Mass.), 355, 356.
Boswell, James, 27, 158.
Botovers, the, 132.
Boulogne, Eustace of, 243.
Bouse, historian, 75.
Boynton, Captain, 178.
Boynton, Sir Matthew, 197,
198.
Bradford, Nicholas, 330, 356.
Brand, historian, 11, 12, 59.
Brantyngham, Bishop, 296.
Brassey, Lord, 241.
Breaute, Fulke de, 393.
Brewster of Boston, 356, 357.
Brewster, William, M.D., 45.
Bridgwater, Earl of, 50.
Briscoe, J. Potter, 151.
Brithnoth, 361.
Brodrick, Cuthbert, architect,
171.
Bronte, Anne, 200, 201.
Brooke, Lord, 343, 397.
Brown, Ford Madox, 164.
Brown, John, 75.
Browne Sir Thomas, 259.
Browning, Eliz. Barrett, 60.
Bruere, Bishop, 296.
Brydges, the, 64.
Buckingham, Duke of, 149.
Bucknall, Sheriff, 127.
Budd, Richard, 7.
Bunyan, John, 102.
Burbage, Richard, 142.
Burgh, Hubert de, 243, 244.
Burnell, Dennis, 75.
Burney, Fanny, 27.
Burrough, Betty, 112.
Burscough, Ralph, 283.
Butterfield, 80.
Byrom, poet, 163.
Byron, Lord, 91, 92, 95.
CABOT, John, 265.
Cabot, Sebastian, 265.
Caedmon, poet, 205-208.
Caedwalla, 377, 380.
Caen, Paul de, 316.
Caesar, Emperor Augustus, 40.
Caesar, Julius, 3, 239, 314.
Camden, historian, 227, 235.
Canute, 4, 168, 256, 294, 362.
Canynges, William, 265, 268.
Carileph, William de, 215.
Carlyle, Thomas, 108.
Carr, Thomas, 74.
Carter, S., M.P., 133.
Cassivelaunus, 314.
Catherine of Arragon, 50.
Cawley, John, 385.
Caxton, 385.
Cella, John de, 316, 317.
Chamberlain, Robert, 347, 348.
Chambers, Geffrey, 349, 350.
Champion, the King's, 3.
Chantry, 400.
Charlemagne, 188.
Charles I, 47, 57, 63, 67, 68,
81, 83, 118, 131, 141, 149, 168,
177, 185, 230, 231, 236, 285,
301, 309, 311, 330, 344, 359,
384, 386, 388, 396, 421, 422,
428.
INDEX
431
Charles II., 9, 33, 39, 56, 69,
129, 131, 168, 259, 302, 325,
384, 397, 399, 407, 422.
Charles V., emperor, 391.
Charleston, 355.
Chatterton, Thomas, 95, 268,
269.
Chest, Rev. Thomas, 70.
Cholmeley, Sir Hugh, 197, 198.
Christian, Bishop, 362.
Christopherson, Bishop, 381,
382
Churchyard, 410, 411.
Cicero, 88.
Cissa, 377.
Clare, Gilbert de, 67.
Clarence, Duke of, 340.
Clark, J. W., 80.
Clarke, Robert, 110.
Clarkson, 93.
Claudia, 376.
Qaudius, Emperor, 140, 293,
375.
Clive,' Kitty, 44, 45.
Clive, Lord, 427.
Cobbett, 271.
Cockerell, C. R., architect, 98.
Cockton, Henry, 111.
Coelus, King, 146.
Coke, Arundel, 111.
Coke, Chief -Justice, 254.
Cole, antiquary, 100.
Coleridge, 269, 270, 428.
Collings, John, 199.
Collins, 344, 382, 383.
Colston, Edward, 268.
Comptons, the, 404.
Coningsby, Sir Thomas, 45.
Connaught, Duke and Duchess
of, 245.
Constable, Sir Robert, 179,
197.
Constantine the Great, 188.
Cook, Captain, 211, 332.
Corbeuil, Archbishop, 240.
Corbridge, Archbishop, 184.
Cotman, 260.
Cottingham, 39.
Cottle, Joseph, 270.
Cotton, John, 356.
Cowper, 400.
Cranmer, Thomas, 82.
Crauden, Prior, 366, 367.
Crevequer, 242.
Crisp, Edward, 111.
Crome, Old, 260.
Cromwell, Oliver, 20, 56, 149,
202, 218, 344, 358, 359, 373,
396.
Cromwell, Thomas, 350, 351.
Cumberland, Duke of, 154,
163.
Cunningham, Allan, 219, 220.
Cunningham, Peter, 42.
Curthose, Robert, 33.
Cyndelan, 410, 411.
Cyprus, Emperor of, 106.
DALLAS, 95.
Danby, Earl of, 82.
Darwin, Charles, 428.
Darwin, Dr Erasmus, 155.
Davall, Abbot Henry, 209.
David of Scotland, 306, 307.
Dawson, Captain James, 163.
Defoe, Daniel, 111, 153, 267.
Derby, Earl of, 235, 236.
Derwentwater, Earls of, 309. *
De Spaynes, the, 354.
Dickens, Charles, 27, 104, 113,
156.
Diocletian, Emperor, 314.
DTsraeli, 166.
Domesday Book, 243, 271, 316,
337, 349, 390, 412.
Donaldson, J. W., 106.
Dondonit, John, 52, 53.
Douglas, Earl of, 307, 308,
418.
Downing, Edward, 406.
Drake, Sir Francis, 324, 328,
329.
Drayton, Michael, 407.
Dudley, Ambrose, Earl of
Warwick, 341.
Dudley, John, Duke of North-
umberland, 341.
Dudley, Letitia, Countess of
Leicester, 341, 408.
Dudley, Robert, Earl of Lei-
cester, 341, 408.
Dudley, Sir Robert, 342.
Dugdale, historian, 135.
Dunstan, Archbishop, 271.
EADWIG, King, 29, 30.
Eadmund, 116.
Earnley, Sir Michael, 421.
432
INDEX
Eastlake, Sir Charles, 332.
Ecgfrith of Northumbria, 116.
Edgar, King, 24, 325.
Edmund, 104, 105, 412.
Edric, 412.
Edward I, 31, 121, 124, 161,
173, 174, 190, 194, 245, 297,
298, 307, 347, 381, 394, 395,
415.
Edward II., 31, 55, 175, 190,
193, 195, 245, 307, 318, 337,
352, 383, 406, 416, 417.
Edward III., 130, 138, 148,
175, 178, 179, 190, 307, 338,
352, 367, 387, 395, 398, 406.
Edward IV., 49, 88, 131, 340,
352, 397.
Edward V., 49.
Edward VI., 52, 278, 408, 428.
Edward VII., 16, 33, 248.
Edward the Confessor, 37, 39,
42, 105, 294, 362, 366, 390,
403, 404, 407, 412.
Edward the Elder, 147, 361,
389.
Edwards, Jonathan, 401.
Edwin, King, 189.
Eglesfield, Robert de, 76.
Eldon, Lord, 62.
Eleanor of Aquitaine, 245,
263, 297, 298, 397, 398.
Eleanor of Castile, 82.
Eleanor, Queen, 121.
Elfleda, Princess, 234.
Elizabeth, Queen, 10, 20, 46,
56, 100, 107, 131, 244, 247,
258, 259, 267, 273, 276, 282,
283, 284, 301, 308, 322, 326-
328, 334, 341, 342, 406-408,
478.
Elizabeth Woodville, 397.
Elsom, Eleanor, 119.
Elton, Thos., 13.
Emerson, R. W., 16.
Erpingham, Sir Thomas, 253,
254, 256.
Ethelbert, 17.
Etheldreda, 360, 361, 369, 372.
Ethelfleda, Queen, 36, 335,
361, 403, 404, 411, 426.
Ethel red the Unready, 261,
294, 362, 412.
Ethelred II, 271.
Ethelwald, 271.
Ethelwulf, King, 8.
Eustace, Prince, 105.
Evelyn, John, 267.
Everett, Edward, 356.
FAIRFAX, Lord, 178, 185.
Falstaff, Sir John, 418.
Falstolfs, the, 256.
Farquhar, 422.
Farrington, Dame Elizabeth,
388.
Ferrers, the, 404, 405.
Fiennes, Sir John, 242.
Fisher, 341, 342.
Fisher, Mayor, 142.
Fitzalan, William, 414.
FitzOsbern, 251.
Fitz-Waller, 106.
Fitzwalter, Geoffrey, 392.
Fitzwilliam, knight, 242.
Fitzwilliam, Viscount Richard,
98.
Flamen, Humphrey, 378.
Flaxman, 382.
Fletcher, Giles, 96.
Foley, Thomas, 62.
Follcott, Bishop, 56.
Foot, Daniel, 383.
Ford, William, 139.
Fox, George, 153, 198, 223.
France, Dauphin of, 243, 244,
279, 297, 328.
Franceys, Mayor, 156.
Freeman, historian, 114, 115.
Fretton, W. G., 137.
Frevilles, the, 405, 406.
Frith of Coventry, 44.
Frobisher, Martin, 328.
Fuller, Thomas, 235.
Furlong, Mabel, 55, 56.
GARRICK, David, 25, 44, 45.
Gaunt, John o', 123, 227, 417.
Gaveston, Piers, 193-195, 338.
Gelder, Sir Alfred, 187.
Geoffrey of Anjou, 391.
Geoffrey of Monmouth, 140.
George I., 32.
George III., 352, 368, 428.
George IV., 278, 279.
George V., 16.
Gervase, Captain, 132.
INDEX
433
Gibbons, Grinling, 90.
Gibbs, James, 99.
Gibbs, W., 80.
Gilbert, Adrian, 301.
Gilbert, Bishop, 380.
Gilbert, Sir Humphrey, 301,
328.
Gilbert, Rev. Joseph, 186.
Gladstone, Helen, 89.
Gladstone, John, 289, 291.
Gladstone, W. E., 79, 89, 291.
Glendower, 417-419.
Gloucester, Earl of, 117.
Gobions, the, 400.
Godfrey, Mary J., 135.
Godiva, Lady, 126-130.
Godwin, Earl of, 9, 241, 243,
378.
Goldsmith, 27.
Goodrich, Bishop, 367, 368,
372.
Grandisson, Bishop, 296.
Gray, 97, 98.
Gregory of Hull, 176.
Gregory, William, 62.
Grenville, 328.
Gresley, Baron, 161.
Greville, Sir Fulke, 343.
Grey, Lady Jane, 34l.
Grey, Sir Richard, 49.
Griffith, David ap, 425.
Guader, Ralph de, 251.
Guilford (Conn.), 279, 280.
Guy, Earl of Warwick, 195,
^ 336, 339.
Guy Beauchamp of Warwick,
337, 338.
Guy Fawkes, 81, 190.
Guy, Thomas, 408.
HAKLUYT, Richard, 266.
Hall, Rev. Newman, 186.
Hall, Rev. Robert, 144.
Hallam, Arthur, 89.
Hamilton, Sir William, 344.
Hansa Merchants, 343, 352.
Hanson, Richard, 176.
Harland, John, historian, 179.
Harold, King, 147, 152, 243,
378, 390.
Harold the Saxon, 43.
Harris, Rev. Raymond, 290.
Harrison, John, 168, 169, 171.
Haselton, Mary, 109.
Havergal, Prebendary, 40.
Hawkesbury, Lord, 289.
Hawkins, Sir John, 327, 328.
Hawkins, Sir Richard, 327.
Hawkins, Prebendary, 5.
Haydon, 332.
Hearne, diarist, 77.
Henderson, historian, 200.
Henrietta Anne, Princess, 300,
301.
Henrietta Maria, 301.
Henry L, 30, 87, 105, 107, 132,
222, 240, 271, 390, 391, 414.
Henry II, 3, 15, 19, 31, 105,
148, 193, 242, 263, 272, 306,
379, 393, 408.
Henry III., 9, 12, 31, 44, 75,
106, 161, 227, 245, 307, 393,
394, 406, 415.
Henry IV., 31, 88, 130, 177,
227, 387, 417, 418.
Henry V., 31, 77f 131, 177, 227,
245, 254.
Henry VI., 9, 106, 107, 180,
190, 298, 308, 320, 339, 396,
400.
Henry VIL, 32, 88, 93, 131,
142, 148, 157, 245, 339, 340,
420 424
Henry VIII., 11, 16, 19, 21, 32,
49, 50, 79, 89, 149, 162, 209,
221, 225, 234, 244, 246, 262,
321, 341, 344, 352, 378, 380,
382-384, 420.
Henry Plantagenet, Prince,
117.
Hereward the Wake, 363, 364.
Herodotus, 40.
Hesketh, Lady, 400.
Hitch, Canon, 373.
Hobson, Thomas, 101.
Holbourne, Sir Thomas, 27.
Hook, Dr., 135, 136, 171.
Hooper, Bishop, 34.
Hopkins, witchfinder, 112.
Hotham, Sir John, 177, 178.
Hough, Atherton, 355.
Howard, John, 170.
Howards, the, 151.
Hugh of Avalon, Bishop, 120.
Hulm, John, 134.
Humphrey, Duke of Glou-
cester, 107.
434
INDEX
Hunter, Dr John, 187.
Huntrodds, Francis and Mary,
209.
Hussey, Lord, 354.-
Hutchinson, Colonel, 149.
Hutton, historian, 159.
Hyett, F. A., 29.
Hymers, Dr, 95.
INGELOW, Jean, 354.
Innocent III, 107.
Innocentus, Pope, 352.
Ireland, Dean, 91, 92.
Irving Washington, 153, 237.
Isaac of Norwich, 254.
Isabella of France, 245.
Isidore, 40.
Izaacks, 293.
JACKSON, John, 169.
Jacob, William Henry, 13.
James I., 32, 97, 107, 131, 142,
278, 301, 309.
James II., 381, 424.
James III., 163.
Jay of Bath, 26.
Jebson of Hull, 176.
Jefferies, Judge, 428.
Jenner, Dr Edward, 34.
Jenner, Sir William, 428.
John of Langton, Bishop, 380.
John, King, 31, 102, 106, 118,
138, 148, 244, 254, 279, 281,
392, 393, 414.
John of Monmouth, 227.
John of Wisbech, 369, 370.
Johnson, Dr, 27, 158.
Johnson, Isaac, 355, 356.
Johnson, Lady Arabella, 355,
356.
Johnson, Jane, 100.
Johnson, Richard, 37.
Johnson, Sheriff, 176.
Josephus, 137.
Judith, 390.
Julius II., 350.
Juxon, Bishop, 384.
KEBLE, 80.
Kelly, William, 143.
Kemble, 45.
Kemble, Rev. Charles, 24.
Kemble, Roger, 135.
Kemble, Mrs, 135.
Kempe, John, 255.
Ken, Bishop, 5.
Kett, Robert, 257, 258.
King, Bishop, 24.
Kingsley, Canon, 231.
Kynegils, King, 2.
Kynewald, King, 2.
LAKE, Bishop, 381.
Lamme, 107.
Langton, Archbishop, 106, 303,
383.
Latimer, Hugh, 83.
Laud, Archbishop, 32, 225.
Launcelot of the Lake, 161.
Lear, King, 140.
Leather, Mrs F. H., 58.
Lee, William, 74.
Leland, antiquary, 162, 346,
349, 351, 402, 405, 420.
Lely, Sir Peter, 302.
Leofric, Bishop, 294, 295.
Leofric, Earl, 127-130.
Leverett, Thomas, 355.
Linskill, Mary, 210, 212.
Lister, Sir John, 185.
Littester, John, 255.
Littlebury, Humphrey, 382.
Liulph the Saxon, 214.
Liverpool, Earl of, 289.
Llewelyn, 42, 414, 415.
Llewelyn, David, 415, 416.
Lloyd, Bishop, 236, 237.
Lloyd, Sarah, 110.
Llywarch the Old, 410, 411.
Lofft, Capel, 109.
Lombe, John, 154, 155.
Lombe, Sir Thomas, 155.
Losing, Robert de, 39.
Losinga, Herbert, 252, 253.
Louis, Prince, 118.
Louis XII., 108.
Louis XV., 334.
Lovell, Robert, 269, 270.
Lucius, King, 17.
Luffa, Ralph, 380.
Lupus, Hugh, 408.
Luther, Martin, 75, 344.
Lytton, Lord, 27.
MACAULAY, Lord, 27, 89,
122.
Magnus of Norway, 379, 414.
Malcolm, King, 30, 214.
INDEX
435
Mallory, Anketil, 391.
Manchester, Earl of, 118.
March, Mortimer, Earl of, 148.
Marchantes, Adventurers of
the Citie of Excestre, 301.
Margaret of Anjou, 320, 396,
400.
Marley, Sir John, 309-311.
Marlowe, Christopher, 22, 96.
Marmion, Robert, 398-406.
Marshall, Bishop, 296.
Marten, Sir Henry, 67, 68, 69,
71.
Marvell, Andrew, 175, 186.
Mary, Queen, 22, 34, 109, 131,
197, 382.
Mary, Queen of Scots, 221,
259 310.
Mather, Dr Cotton, 280, 285.
Mather, Richard, 285.
Mathews, Oliver, 410.
Matilda, Queen, 105, 117, 207,
254, 391, 414.
Maud, Empress, 31, 43, 117,
147.
" Mayflower," the, 356, 357.
Meautys, 323.
Meldrum, Sir John, 197.
Melsonby, Bishop, 218.
Mercer, Andrew, 195, 196.
Merchant Adventurers of
Bristol, 263, 266.
Merchants of the Staple, 273,
386, 387.
Merton, Walter de, 79.
Mildert, Bishop van, 216.
Millhouse, 151.
Milton, John, 50, 92, 97, 101,
207.
Molyneux, Lord, 285.
Monmouth, Duke of, 276.
Monmouth, Geoffrey, 227.
Montagu, Mrs, 5, 6.
Montfort, Eleanor de, 415.
Montfort, Simon de, 31, 145,
394, 415.
Moore, Edward, 391.
More, Hannah, 269.
Moretein, William, 405.
Morkere of Northumbria, 363,
390.
Morley, Bishop, 5.
Morley, John, 99.
Mosley, Sir Oswald, 161.
Muskett, J., 106.
Mytton, Colonel, 421, 422.
NAPIER, Captain, 232.
Napier, Sir Charles, 232, 233.
Napoleon, 248, 331, 332.
Nash, Beau, 25, 26, 156.
Nell Gwynne, 42.
Nelson, Lord, 42.
Neville, Richard, Earl of War-
wick, 340.
Newburgh, Henry de, 337.
Newcastle, Duke of, 149, 150.
Newman, Cardinal, 82.
Newton, Alderman, 145.
Newton, Sir Isaac, 89, 90.
Nichodoxus, 40.
Nigel, Bishop, 372.
Noah ("Noah's Flood"), 180-
184.
Norfolk, Duke of, 130, 179.
Northcote, James, '332.
Northwold, Bishop, 369.
ODO, Bishop of Bayeux, 243.
Offa, King, 24, 38, 250, 315,
316, 403, 411.
" Old King Cole," 146.
Oldham, Bishop, 165.
Orme, 50.
Osbjorn, Earl, 363.
Oswald, King, 189.
Ottley, Sir Francis, 421.
Oysel, Richard, 174.
PAGANEL, Maurice, 168.
Pandulph, 393.
Parker, Matthew, 96.
Parkes, John, 133.
Parkyns, Mrs, 92.
Parnell, Rev. Thomas, 234.
Parr, Dr, 193.
Pastons, the, 254, 256.
Patteson, Bishop, 297.
Paulinus, Bishop, 116, 161.
Paxton, Sir Joseph, 202.
Payn, James, 86.
Payne, Robert, 13.
Pearson, 98.
Peckham, Archbishop, 398.
Pedro of Spain, 326.
436
INDEX
Peel, Sir Robert, 408.
" Peeping Tom/' 129.
Pembroke, Earl of, 118, 193,
195.
Pepys, Samuel, 96, 267.
Perceval, Spencer, 396, 400.
Percy, Henry (Hotspur), 307,
308, 418, 419.
Percy, Abbot William de, 209.
Percy, Earl, 68, 69.
Peyto, Sir Edward, 343.
Philip, King, 118, 197.
Philippa, Queen, 367.
Phillips, Susan K., 210.
Philpot, Alderman, 196.
Pilgrim Fathers, 329, 330, 356,
357.
Pitman, Sir Isaac, 28.
Pitt, William, 248.
Pliny, 40.
Pole, Sir Michael De la, 186.
Pole, Sir William De la, 175.
Poles, the De la, 185.
Polictitus, 40.
Potter, Sir John, 165.
Poydras, John, 298, 395.
Poynter, Sir E. F., P.R.A.,
245.
Pretender, the Young, 43, 153,
154, 162, 170, 178, 198, 222,
224.
Price, Dr, 57, 399.
Prout, Samuel, 332.
Pryme, George, 178.
Pudens, 376.
Pudsey, Bishop, 215, 216, 218.
Pulsford, Rev. John, 187.
QUIN, James, 25.
Quincey, Thomas de, 165.
Quintilian, 88.
RADCLIFFE, Dr, 81.
Radcliffes, the, 309.
Raikes, Robert, 34.
Raine, historian, 218.
Raleigh, Sir Walter, 9, 247,
328, 329.
Ralph, Bishop, 380.
Rankin, Sir James, 44.
Rann, Rev. Joseph, 135.
Ranulph, Earl, 42, 43.
Rathbone, William, 289.
Read, Jdhn, 110.
Rede, Bishop, 80.
Remigius, 120.
Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 332.
Rich family, the, 25, 343.
Richard I, 105, 148, 153, 198,
215, 245, 281, 307, 392.
Richard II, 31, 130, 135, 177t
195, 272, 307, 319, 320, 338,
417, 418.
Richard III., 32, 131, 142, 144,
221, 299, 340, 365, 420.
Richard of Holdingham, 40.
Richard of Wallingford, 318.
Richards, Rev. George, 135.
Ridel, Bishop, 365.
Ridley, Nicholas, 83.
Rivers, Lord, 49, 397.
Robert, Bishop, 24.
Robert Curthose, 306, 379, 413.
Robert of Norwich, 255, 256.
Robin Hood, 148.
Robinson, Matthew, 6.
Robsart, Amy, 342.
Roscoe, William, 290.
Rous, 335, 336, 339.
Rowley, 268.
Rudyerd, 333, 334.
Rufus, Alan, 347.
Rupert, Prince, 56, 421, 424,
428.
Ruskin, John, 79.
Rylands, Mrs, 165.
ST. AID AN, 305.
St. Alban, 314, 315.
St. Anthony, 44.
St. Audrey, 361.
St. Augustine, 17, 18.
St. Bartholomew, 10.
St. Botolph, 346.
St. Cuthbert, 213, 215, 217,
305.
St. Dubritius, 335.
St. Editha, 405, 406.
St. Edmund, 105, 106, 107.
St. Ethelbert, 38.
St. Hilda, 204, 208.
St. John, 10.
St. John of Beverley, 205.
St. John the Baptist, 80.
St. Katherine, 55.
INDEX
437
St. Laurence, 10, 52.
St. Mary, Abbots of, 190, 191.
St. Maurice, 10.
St. Michael, 54.
St Paul, 376.
St. Peter, 10.
St. Richard, 381.
St. Swithin, 3, 10.
St. Thomas, 10.
Salisbury, Marquis of, 80.
Sampson, Abbot, 111.
Saunders, Katherine, 101.
Scapula, Propraetor Ostorini.
140.
Scatcherd, historian, 169.
Schuyler, Dr., 59.
Scott, Sir Gilbert, 9, 24, 39, 46,
83, 95, 98, 172, 186, 233, 297.
Scott, Sir Walter, 27, 191.
Seffrid, Bishop, 380.
Selkirk, Alexander, 267.
Shakespeare, 66, 90, 130, 142,
144.
Shenstone, 163.
Sherborne, Bishop, 380, 381,
383, 385.
Shrewsbury, Earl of, 196.
Siddons, Mrs., 45.
Siddons, William, 135.
Sidney, Sir Philip, 79, 343,
„ 428.
Sigeberht, King, 104.
Simeon, Bishop, 365.
Simnel, Lambert, 149, 340.
Simon of Senlis, 390.
Sinker, Dr. Robert, 90, 91.
Skeppington of Leicester, 143.
Smalenburg, Wisselus de, 354.
Smeaton, 333, 334.
Smith, John, 399.
Smith, Dr. William, 399.
Smyth, Prof. William, 94.
Solen, Anthony, 259.
Solinus, 40.
Southey, Robert, 27, 69, 93,
^ 269, 270.
Speed, historian, 196.
Spencer, Bishop, 256.
Spencer, Earl, 396.
Spencer of Althorp, 401.
Spenser, 324, 325.
Stafford, Lord, 197.
Stanley, Dean, 18.
Stanleys, the, 291.
Stapleton, Bishop, 296.
Stephen, King, 16, 43, 67, 117,
118, 147, 193, 254, 297, 306,
307, 291.
Stephenson, Richard, 349.
Sterry, J. Ashby, 96.
Stone, Thomas, 13.
Story, Bishop, 388.
Strafford, 384.
Straw, Jack, 319.
Street, architect, 98, 186.
Strongbow, Richard, 67.
Strutt, Joseph, 158.
Swein, 116.
Sweyn, 24, 168, 250, 294, 362,
363, 390.
Swift, Dean, 234.
Swynford, Katherine, 123.
TALBOT, William, 43.
Tarquin, 161.
Taylor, Ann, 186.
Taylor, Tom, 90.
Tennyson, Lord, 89, 90, 92,
122, 128.
Tennysons, the, 114.
Terry, Ellen, 135.
Thackeray, W. M., 89, 92.
Theodotus, 40.
Thetcher, Thomas, 7.
Thomas, Sir Rhys ap, 49.
Thornton, John, 138.
Thornycroft, Hamo, 14.
Thorp of Hull, 176.
Thorwaldsen, 91.
Tilneys, the, 352.
Tochyve, Richard, 15.
Tomkins, James, 61.
Tomkins of Weobley, 64.
Tostig the Saxon, 43, 390.
Townley, Colonel Francis, 163.
Truesdale, Sir John, 349.
Trumpington, William de, 317.
Tudor, Mary, 108.
Tudor, Owen, 43.
Turchill of Warwick, 337.
Turton, Dr., 91.
Tutbury, John, of Hull, 177.
Tyack, Rev. G. S„ 233.
Tyler, Wat, 319, 395.
ULSINUS, 315.
Uthred, King, 214.
438
INDEX
VANDYKE, 344.
Van Tromp, 331.
Vermuyden, Cornelius, 358.
Verney, Marshal, 149.
Victoria, Queen, 27, 164, 171,
185.
Virgin Mary, 40, 104.
WAKE, Lord, 174.
Wake, Thomas, 395.
Walcher, Bishop, 214, 215.
Walcot, historian, 121.
Walford, historian, 101.
Walkelin, Bishop, 4.
Walker, John, 211.
Waller, Sir William, 380, 386,
388.
Wallingford, Belaset de, 122.
Walpole, Horace, 269.
Walpole, Prior, 366.
Walsingham, Alan de, 366, 369,
370, 372.
Waterhouse, 164.
Waltheof, 390.
Walton, Isaak, 5, 345.
Warbeck, Perkin, 298, 340.
Warelwast, William of, 295.
Warin the Bald, 413.
Washington, George, 401.
Washington, John, 401.
Washington, Laurence, 401.
Washington, Lawrence, 401.
Watkins, Rev. S. C, 65.
Waugh, R., historian, 226, 228.
Welch, 299, 300.
Wellington, Duke of, 247.
Wesley, John, 26, 170.
West, Bishop, 372, 373.
Westmoreland, Earl of, 197.
Whewell, William, 89.
White, Henry Kirke, 93-95,
151.
White, Sir Thomas, 145.
Whitfield, George, 35.
Whitfield, Henry, 279.
Wickstead, Richard, 50.
Wilberforce, William, 93, 175,
186, 267.
Wilfrid, Bishop, 360, 377, 378,
380, 383.
Wilfrid, King, 189.
William I., 7, 12, 30, 37, 147,
190.
William II., 4, 30.
William III., 81.
William the Conqueror, 3, 9,
11, 33, 141, 168, 218, 234, 240,
241, 243, 251, 252, 254, 272,
294, 295, 305, 306, 316, 337,
363, 364, 379, 390, 413, 414.
William of Malmesbury, 128,
377.
William of Normandy, 116.
William of Orange, 279, 302,
303, 382.
William of Wyggeston, 145.
William of Wykeham, 5, 8, 9.
William Rufus, 84, 221, 222,
252, 295, 306, 379, 404.
William, St., of Norwich, 254.
Willis, Browne, 121.
Wilson, Rev. J., 280, 356.
Winchester, Marquis of, 11.
Windham, M.P., 47.
Winstanley, 333, 334.
Winthrop, John, 355.
Witburga, Queen, 372, 373.
Wolsey, Cardinal, 79, 144, 321.
Woolner, sculptor, 90.
Wordsworth, 27, 55, 56, 89.
Wren, Sir Christopher, 89, 90,
150.
Wright, Thomas, 53.
Wulfstan, Bishop, 261.
Wyatt, Sir Thomas, 39, 197,
405.
YELVERTONS, the, 254, 256.