v m 1 is ; Vf>\->.S' *:>.•.' ®p; ft Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2018 with funding from Duke University Libraries https://archive.org/details/ramblesaboutbath01tuns idcombe Church and Widcombk H RAMBLES ABOUT BATH I ' * AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD. BASED ON THE ORIGINAL WORK BY DR. TUNSTALL, CONTAINING Jwo yVlAPS, ^IXTEEN ]VoOD-CUTS, AND pIGHT ^UTOTYPES. REVISED AND RE-EDITED, WITH BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES & HISTORICAL NOTES. Sctaitlj 3Kjitton. LONDON: SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, AND CO. BATH : R. E. PEACH, 8, BRIDGE' STREET. MDCCCLXXVI. [ENTERED AT STATIONERS’ HALL.] ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 23g T WRD DEDICATION. To ROBERT STICKNEY BLAINE, Esquire, SUMMERHILL. Dkar Sir, Accept the dedication of the Seventh Edition of Rambles about Bath and its Neighbourhood as the expression of my sincere personal respect; but more especially as a recognition of your steady efforts to promote the interests of the city and the general good of all classes of the community. Believe mc K Dear Sir, Your faithful Servant, R. E. PEACH. October, 1876. ERRATA. Page 35 first line of note D.L. is an error. Page 55 line 5 from bottom for is read was. Page 72 line 7 from bottom for are read may be. Page 108 line 5 for prevent read prevents. Page 113 line 5 read open. Page 124 line 8 for six hundred read two hundred. Page 127 line 6 from bottom for Middleton read Midleton. Page 159 line 3 from bottom for Swanswick read Swainswick. Page 199 line 16 for C. W. Horton read G. TP. Horton. Page 205 line 9 for C. W. read G. XV. Page 206 line 11 for parellel read parallel. Page 218 line 7 for Horatio read Edmund. Page 235 line 6 from bottom for Gilford read Gifford. Page 288 line 4 for accomodation read accommodation. Page 302 line 10 for Shaw read Shew. Page 329 line 9 for Davey read Davy. Page 373 line 5 from bottom for £2,300 read £3,000. Page 423 lines 3 and 4 for improbability in attributing to this site the account given, &c., read improbability in regarding this as the site mentioned by, &c. Page 432 line 5 from bottom for externally to the west end of the church read externally, to the west end of the church, &c. ILLUSTRATIONS. AUTOTYPES. Widcombe Old Church and Manor House Bathampton ... Midford Viaduct Victoria Park Farleigh Castle—Western Tower Brasses at Bradford and Swainswick . . Ditteridge Church Chimney-piece at Wraxall Manor House Manor House and Church, Clialdfield WOO D-C UTS. Bellot's Hospital as it was Sham Castle ... Royal Literary and Scientific Institution . Magdalen Chapel General Hospital Chapel Queen Square Charlcombe Church Beckford's Tower Wick Bridge Swainswick Church S. Catherine’s Church Fountain in Ladymead Fountain in Fountain Buildings Limpley Stoke Bridge as it was Farleigh Castle—South-east Gateway Dundas Aqueduct PAGE. Frontispiece. ... 94 ... 151 ... 243 ... 401 ... 416 435 ... 441 ... 442 67 78 120 214 222 240 284 320 33° 340 353 369 374 388 401 407 Two Maps in Pocket at the end of the Book. PREFACE TO THE SEVENTH EDITION. HE Sixth Edition of “Rambles about Bath” having been exhausted in the short space of three weeks, the Publisher is induced to issue another edition. He has corrected the errors pointed out by the Press (as well as others not noticed), and desires to express his thanks to those critics to whom he is indebted for encouraging praise, as well as discriminating censure. It is difficult to define the standard or to determine the ideal of what such a book should be. The subjects are so different and require such a diversity of treatment—they involve so many interests and appeal to tastes so widely divergent, that an editor may reasonably claim indulgence with reference to alleged errors of proportion. The Publisher is conscious of many defects in the book ; and perhaps if he had possessed the wisdom before, which proverbially follows the event, he might have attempted, what one of his critics flatteringly suggests, the writing a new book instead of re-editing an old one. October, 1876. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. T HE best recent writers on the early history of Bath are the Rev. Richard Warner, the Rev. Prebendary Earle, and the Rev. Prebendary Scarth. The first mentioned published his book in 1801, and divides that portion of his work which relates to anti¬ quity into the British, the Roman, Saxon and Danish, and the Military epochs. Mr. Warner also described the Roman History and Antiquities of Bath in an illustrated 4to. volume published in 1797. Mr. Earle, writing in 1864, divides the subject somewhat more definitely. The Prehistoric and British, and the Mythical, are doubtful periods, and are treated as such, with judicious dis¬ crimination ; to these are added the Roman, the British Interval, the Saxon, including the Danish, and the Norman ; and these together, in our judgment, are exceedingly interesting, and con¬ stitute the most valuable portion of his book. The Rev. Prebendary Scarth has devoted his learning and research exclusively to the Roman period. In this work —Aqua Solis — he has given an account embodying the discoveries of all previous writers of merit, which he has blended with the results of his own long and laborious investigations, and has thus pro¬ duced the most complete work on an epoch which left in Bath so many exceptional and characteristic traces of Roman occupation, and such abundant evidences of the importance attached by the Romans to one of their favoured stations. [Wood’s Essay on the Early History of Bath is a singularly ex¬ travagant and unsatisfactory performance. The real and the mythical he has jumbled together without regard to historical evidence or probability, in language which Mr. Earle happily describes as “mountebank diction.” Notwithstanding, it is a book which should be read.] X. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. There have been many writers besides those to whose works special reference has been made, such for example as Leland, Camden, Horsley, Lysons, Pownall, and others; but the results of their learning and researches are given in the treatises men¬ tioned in a succinct and popular form. With these sources of information—so full and trustworthy— accessible to all who are especially interested in the ancient records and history of Bath, we have only thought it necessary to give the brief summary which this volume contains of the remote annals of the city. The arrangement of the present edition of Rambles about Bath is based, for the most part, on the lines of the former edition —an arrangement always regarded by the public with general appro¬ bation. Any departure from the original plan has been made with the view rather of rendering the work more consistent and complete than of effecting any radical change. For instance the chapters in the old edition have been arranged in the present as Walks, and although these walks are radial in character some of them embrace a much larger area than is intended to be covered in a single excursion. A few of the Wood-cuts of the former edition have been omitted, while those that have been retained, together with others not before used, are worked in the letter-press. The chief embel¬ lishments, however, and those probably most deserving of notice, from their novelty in local pictorial illustration, are the auto¬ types, effectively and faithfully representing subjects of interest in the city and its neighbourhood, from the original photographs taken by Messrs. Dutton, of this city. A new feature has been introduced to supply a desideratum often felt by the disciples of Isaac Walton, namely, a short sketch of the angling to be found within the compass of a day’s excursion from Bath. While giving the fullest description (compatible with the space at our command) of each object demanding notice, we have passed over others which the tourist can see for himself as well without as with our aid. We have not thought it desirable to encumber our columns with churchyard literature, most of which is a dis¬ grace to “God’s Acre.” We have endeavoured to present in an attractive form the historical and archaeological interest of each place included in our book—and this, as a rule, is the only infor- INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. XI. Elation worth preserving for the intelligent tourist, who, from time to time, may wish to refresh his memories of the past, or who is for the first time visiting the scenes described. The Biographical sketches of eminent men (with one or two exceptions) who were born in Bath, or to whom it became the place of their adoption, appeared in the previous edition of this work for the first time. The fact that Bath has not greatly advanced in population during the past thirty years has been used as an argument to prove that it has fallen in public estimation. There cannot be a greater fallacy than the inference drawn from this statement. In the first place the assertion is not strictly correct. Beyond the legal boundaries of the city, suburbs have sprung up in almost every direction, inhabited by persons who, if not in Bath, are of it, and who do not count in the population returns. Sites which, a few years ago, were fields or cabbage gardens, in the direction of Weston, Lansdown (Charlcombe), Newbridge, Wells Road, &c., are now covered by villas and mansions, “vying with each other in the comfort and luxury of their appointments,” and the cry is not for tenants to occupy them, but for more villas for tenants who are always ready to take them. All this, be it observed, is new since Lord Macaulay conversed with us thirty years ago on the “ exquisite beauties of Bath,” which even then “charmed eyes familiar with the masterpieces of Bramante and Palladio.” It must be remem¬ bered, too, that Bath is the centre of a large and rich agricultural district, abounding with populous villages, small towns, country seats, and manufactories of some importance, and that these help to stimulate and sustain a spirit of enterprise amongst the tradesmen of the city, whose warehouses, shops, and goods are equal to, if they do not outvie, those of any other place out of London. Nor is it in the suburbs alone that progress has been made. A brief summary of what has been done, in the city, may be permitted. Within the period under consideration the Royal United and General Hospitals have been enlarged, and they may now chal¬ lenge comparison with analogous institutions in any other city. XU. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. The older institutions have been remodelled and brought into harmony with modern ideas of economy and general usefulness. Various eleemosynary societies, supported by voluntary aid, and answering ends more or less useful, are carried on with careful regard to the public good. Many improvements have been made in the streets and street arrangements. A sum of £70,000 has been expended upon works for increasing and improving the Water supply, the cost of which to the ratepayers is relatively lower than in almost any other place that can be named. If, as a recent writer has said, the “ character, habits, and mode of life of the Bath people have undergone of late years a very decided change .... and its old glories, its public balls, its card assemblies, belong only to history,” it means that Bath no longer depends, as it formerly did, upon these amusements as its chief sources of prosperity, though they are still important adjuncts. When Lord Macaulay penned his eulogium on Bath, the Great Western was the only Railway connected with the city; since that time two other lines and an important junction have been constructed, viz., the Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth Railway, connecting Bath with Salisbury, Weymouth, Southampton, and the South West, &c. ; the Somerset and Dorset line, which is, practically, an extension of the Midland, via, Evercreech, Southward ; and the Mangotsfield Junction, which brings Bath into direct communication with the North, North-west, and Midland districts, without the awkward “ elbow” of Bristol. Much has been done in Church Building and Church Restora¬ tion during the period in which we are especially interested. The records in this book will bear witness that never in any previous thirty years of its history has Bath accomplished so much as it has between the years 1845 and 1875. The Abbey stands first, and proclaims with silent eloquence what it was, and what it is. The amount, in the aggregate, expended in work of this nature, including Nonconformists’ Chapels, exceeds £150,000—a sum raised entirely by voluntary subscriptions. We do not desire to make more of this fact than it legitimately warrants. Building Churches and Chapels does not necessarily imply religious zeal or worldly prosperity, but we may at least claim that in the present, INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. xiii. instance, this work has been done with a quiet, steady energy, and an absence of ostentation which imply the highest motives, and that it has kept pace only with the recoguized advancement of the city in all other important matters. But the fullest justice will be rendered to our subject if we quote the reference to Bath from Lord Macaulay’s famous dissertation on the state of England, at the close of the seven¬ teenth century, in which the historian draws a comparison between Bath and all other Watering Places of that period, and between Bath in 1685 and what it was thirty years ago when he wrote :— “But at the head of English watering places, without a rival, was Bath. “ The springs of that city had been renowned from the days of the Romans. It had been, during many centuries, the seat of a Bishop. The sick repaired thither from every part of the realm. The King sometimes held his court there. Nevertheless, Bath was then a maze of only four or five hundred houses, crowded within an old wall in the vicinity of the Avon. “ Pictures of what were considered as the finest of those houses are still extant, and greatly resemble the lowest rag shops and pot houses of Ratcliffe Highway. Travellers, indeed, complained louldly of the narrowness and meanness of the streets. That beautiful city which charms even eyes familiar with the master¬ pieces of Bramante and Palladio, and which the genius of Anstey and Smollett, of Frances Burney and of Jane Austin, has made classic ground, had not begun to exist. Milsom Street itself was an open field lying far beyond the walls ; and hedge-rows inter¬ sected the space which is now covered by the Crescent and the Circus. The poor patients to whom the waters had been recom¬ mended lay on straw, in a place which, to use the language of a contemporary physician, was a covert rather than a lodging. “As to the comforts and luxuries which were to be found in the interior of the houses of Bath by the fashionable visitors who resorted thither in search of health or amusement, we possess information more complete and minute than can generally be obtained on such subjects. A writer who published an account of that city about sixty years after the Revolution, has accurately described the changes which had taken place within his own XIV. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. recollection. He assures us that, in his younger days, the gen¬ tlemen who visited the springs slept in rooms hardly as good as the garrets which he lived to see occupied by footmen. The floors of the dining-rooms were uncarpeted, and were coloured brown with a wash made of soot and small beer, in order to hide the dirt. Not a wainscot was painted. Not a hearth or a chimney-piece was of marble. A slab of common freestone, and fire-irons which had cost from three to four s hilli ngs, were thought sufficient for any fireplace. The best apartments were hung with coarse woollen stuff, and were furnished with rush- bottomed chairs. “ Readers who take an interest in the progress of civilization, and of the useful arts, will be grateful to the humble topographer who has recorded these facts, and will perhaps wish that historians of far higher pretensions had sometimes spared a few pages from military evolutions and political intrigues, for the purpose of letting us know how the parlours and bed - chambers of our ancestors looked.”* The inference from the foregoing is obvious. Let any candid reader, who will take the trouble to go through these pages attentively, and compare the Bath of to-day with the Bath of thirty years ago, say whether the result of his observation does not bear out the fact that in all respects the pre-eminence ac¬ corded to Bath by Lord Macaulay is fully maintained. Having regard to the elements which alone can be taken as the criteria of the progress and material prosperity of a large city, namely, its general condition and its institutions—educational, philan¬ thropic, religious, and secular — it may be safely asserted that Bath still continues to hold its own in these particulars with all other places of a similar character. The perpetually recurring phrase used, in nine cases out of ten, by persons who scarcely think of its meaning—“the palmy days of Bath ” — would be as well forgotten, since it refers to a time when Bath, if it were prosperous, was so with a prosperity which, to use Thackeray’s words in describing a drinking bout, left “vanitas vanitatum written on the bottom of the pot.” Such times are happily not only departed from Bath, but from all other English cities. * Macaulay’s History of England, Chap. III. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. XV. Bath is more prosperous, and dispenses infinitely more general happiness in its present position, as a place of heathful resi¬ dence and of educational resort, than when it cared otdy to boast of being the fashionable abode of men and women of pleasure, the haunt of the well-born gambler, and the hunting- ground of the well-bred rou€. R. E. P. October, 1876 . A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. B ATH has been the theme of the antiquarian and the historian. It is rich in conjectural and authenticated annals of its connection with the successive conquerors of the land; and the part played upon its site by Roman, Saxon, and Dane, invests it with unique historic associations. In its later developments it has presented varied aspects of interest scarcely inferior to that of any other city; while these afford ample study to the student of the past, the unsurpassed beauties of Bath and its surroundings possess irresistible charms for the lover of nature. Aqute Solis, Caer Akeman, or Akemannesceaster, as modern Bath has been successively designated by Roman, Romanised Briton, and Saxon, was also called Caer Pallidar, but not till after its Roman occupancy, for the Goddess Pallas was unknown to the Ancient Britons, who named the vale in which the city lies Caer Badon. From time immemorial the valley of the Avon has been a favourite with its masters. Very charming are the surrounding hills ; the breezy downs ; the rich meadows. The busy crowd can never spoil such 2 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. beauties, and though Mount Beacon, Beechen Cliff, and Bathwick Hill are now studded with houses, the scene has, and ever will have, that varied loveliness which makes it well deserving the praise bestowed on it. Let us pause for a moment to contrast its present aspect with the appearance it must have presented to the Roman soldier marching to join the Camp, which with its walled enclosure formed the infant city. From Mons Badonica, now Beacon Hill, he would have looked down on the spot where the Abbey — aptly named from its lightness the lanthorn of England—now stands. He would have seen the Temple of Minerva, of which many interesting me¬ morials are still preserved. Stretching southwards to the river he would have noted the parallel streets of the Camp with its walls and gateways, and beyond, the everlasting hills the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever, now in sunshine, now in shadow, framing the picture in purple and gold. What mist is that which rises near the Temple of Minerva? It comes from those healing springs which gave to Bath its Roman name of Aqu^e Solis, JEljc (Cttg of t^e OEatcrs of tfje Sun. Let us walk round the site of the Roman city, of which many interesting remains have been, from time to time, discovered.* When the foundations of the Royal Mineral Water Hospital were excavated * Many of these antiquities are now deposited in the Royal Literary Institution. A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. 3 in 1738, the Proetorium, as well as mosaic pavements, and an altar, were exposed to view. In close prox¬ imity were found grains of wheat—the debris of the market, usually held near the Prsetorium, and im¬ mediately opposite, in 1796, vestiges of Roman walls, composed of square blocks of stone laid in cement, were unearthed, the cavities being filled with smaller stones strongly cemented together by liquid mortar. The reputed Principia of the Romans, afterwards called S. Mary’s Rampier—now the Upper Borough Walls—passed due east and west, and the principal street, now Union and Stall Streets, stood at right angles, directly south. “ The name of Stall,” says Wood, “ arose from the stables of the Roman cavalry being situated there.” This is a manifest error. The name is derived from a church, long since destroyed, which, being dedicated to S. Mary of Bethlehem, was called S. Mary de Stall, i.e., S. Maria de Stabula, or the Virgin at the manger. The con¬ tinuation of this street from South gate to S. Law¬ rence’s Bridge, was for manyyearscalled Horse Street, in consequence of its leading to the bath for horses ; but restored about fifty years ago to its original name of Southgate Street. At the bottom of Stall Street, we turn round the Lower Borough Walls, through West- gate Buildings to Gascoyne Place, where formerly stood a tower overlooking the King’s Mead, long since covered with houses, and thence pass along the Upper Borough Walls to the back of the Market. Proceeding through the Grove to S. James’s Ghurch, 4 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. we complete the circuit of the ancient city.* Of the City Gates three are destroyed. + Leland, the antiquary, visited the city in 1530. Entering it through a '■'■great stone arch” which stood “on the centre of a bridge of five fair stone arches, between which and south gate” he marked “the meadows on either hand.” South gate, which stood at the bottom of Stall Street, was the handsomest of the four structures. It was rebuilt in 1362, the dimensions being eleven feet wide and fifteen feet high. Its south side was ornamented with an enthroned statue of King Edward III., having on the one side the figure of Bishop Ralf de Salopia, and on the other that of Prior John de Walcot. It was destroyed in 1755. The North gate, termed by Leland the “ toune gate,” in consequence of Queen Elizabeth having there received the formal presentation of the keys, is described by him, and all succeeding writers, as sur¬ mounted by a tower, which, as appears from Dr. Jones’s Map (a.d. 1572)4 was part of S. Mary’s Church. The principal entrance, ten feet wide by fifteen high, was surmounted by a grotesque painted * The circuit of the walls was about 55 chains, or 1225 yards, and the area embraced was about 23 acres. f For a full description of the gates, walls, and ancient roads, see Aqua: Solis, page 7 to 11. J The successive Maps of the City since 1572, denoting its gradual extension, are very numerous, and possess great interest. A valuable and unique collection of these maps has been made by Mr. C. P. Russell, librarian of the Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. 5 figure of Edward VI. This figure was afterwards re-chiselled, placed in the King’s Bath, and erro¬ neously called King Bladud. This gate was pulled down in 1776. West gate was re-built in the year 1572, and was made sufficiently commodious to lodge the Royal Family on their visits to Bath. It was occupied by King James II. in 1687 ; by the Princess Amelia in 1728; and by the Prince of Wales in 1734. It was pulled down in 1776. At the south side of the Market is a deep and narrow lane, which led to the Monks’ Mill. In this ancient roadway is the East gate, the walls of which may be traced in the direction of the Literary Institution, near Weymouth House School, and in other localities. The Romans held the city till their departure from Britain, a.d. about 409-10. They left it adorned with baths and temples, one of the latter, dedicated to Minerva, partially coinciding with the present sites of the Abbey and the Pump Room. The native possessors of the soil occupied the place until the year 577, when it was ravaged by the Saxons. In 676, Osric, king of Northumbria, founded the monastery, which, after numerous vicissi¬ tudes, was restored by Offa, king of Mercia, in 775. In 907, the city was first governed by a sheriff, and afterwards by a provost or bailiff. Its ancient charters* were confirmed by subsequent Monarchs. * See page 377 "Parliamentary and Municipal" for further information relating to the Charters of the city. 6 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. King Edgar was crowned in the ancient church of S. Peter in 973; and from this time Bath began to take an important position. Leland says that “ King Eadgar was crounid with much joy and honor at S. Peter’s, in Bath, whereupon he bare a great zeale to the towne, and gave very great fraunchises and principles onto it; in knowlege whereof, they pray in al their ceremonies for the soule of King Eadgar. And at Whitsunday-tide, at which tyme menne say Eadgar was crounid, ther is a king elected in Bath, every yere, of the townes menne, in the joyfulle remembrance of King Eadgar, and the privileges gyven to the towne by hym. This king is fested and his adherentes by the richest menne of the towne.” With Edgar the glory of England sank. The reign of his elder son, Edward, was short and troubled, and the young prince himself died by violence. . . . He was succeeded by his brother Ethelred. . . . In his time the Danish invasions began again in a new form, and with a more terrible effect than ever. . . . Ethelred was within the city of London in 993, when Sweyn made his fourth un¬ successful attack upon its walls, the only resistance he seems to have met with during his fearful march. He now turned back into Wessex, first to Walling¬ ford, then to Bath, destroying in his usual fashion as he went. At Bath the terrible drama was brought to an end. It is supposed that the conqueror held his camp on the occasion (1013) on the heights of A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. 7 Swainswick,* where he received the submission of the Thanes, or Chiefs, of the West, and where he was recognised as “full king” by the whole people, London having submitted and given hostages. + In the reign of Alfred the Great, the city, within the walls, consisted of three parishes— S. Peter’s, S. James’s, and S. Michael’s. The last no longer exists. The church stood near the Cross Bath, and the name is perpetuated in the passage leading from Westgate Street to S. John’s Hospital, the chapel of which was dedicated to S. Michael. The present parish of S. Michael was then situated without the old north gate, and was called S. Michael Outwich. In Edward the Confessor’s time, the city was*di¬ vided into three portions. That bounded by Cheap and Stall Streets belonged to the monks ; the op¬ posite part, between Westgate and Stall Streets, was under the jurisdiction of the barons; while the por¬ tion, northward to the Upper Borough Walls, was held by the king’s burgesses. At the Norman Conquest, out of 178 burgesses, sixty-four held under the king, ninety under the barons, while twenty - four were tenants to the monastery. The population was then 570 souls. “ The king;” says Domesday Book, “ holds Bahe. In the time of King Edward, it was held by Queen Edith, and gelded for twenty hides, when the county of Somerset was assessed. The king has there * See Swainswick, p. 337. t Freeman’s Norman Conquest, vol. I. 8 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. LXIV. burgesses, rendering four pounds; and there are four score and ten burgesses of other men paying yearly to the borough LX. shillings. The king has there six unoccupied houses. “ This borough, with 3 E stone (now Batheaston), renders sixty pounds by tale, and one mark of gold. Besides this, a mint yields one hundred shillings. Edward accounts eleven pounds for the third penny of this borough. “From the sameborough, one house is taken away. Hugh, the interpreter, holds it, and it is worth 2s. “ The church of Saint Peter in Bade, has in that borough 24 burgesses who pay twenty shillings.” In the time of William Rufus, the city, during Odo’s rebellion, was totally destroyed by fire. In his reign, a native of France named John of Tours, or John de Villula, who then practised physic in Bath, purchased the bishopric of Wells, and determined to unite that see to the Abbey of Bath. The King, being mindful of his soul's health, and in considera¬ tion of the sum of five hundred marks to him in hand paid, granted the diocese to the Abbey of St. Peter’s together with the whole city of Bath, with its mint, baths, tolls, markets, and other privileges, for ever in perpetuity, for a yearly rent of tw r enty pounds, payable to the king. In the reign of Edward I., a.d. 1297, the city sent its two first members to Parliament. The walls, which had been strongly rebuilt in 1090 on their old foundations, were repaired in 1369, in obedience to a precept from King Edward III. A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. 9 In 1412, the name of John Savage occurs as the first mayor on record. In 1447, King Henry VI. granted a charter en¬ abling the mayor to determine the assize of bread and beer. In 1590, Queen Elizabeth, who had previously visited the city, gave it a new charter, which en¬ larged its boundaries with jurisdiction over the priory lands, baths, and suburbs. Under this charter the municipality extended from Walcot Church on the one side, to the end of the present Park on the Weston Road, and thence to the river, which formed its eastern and southern boundaries. In 1640, King Charles I. fortified the city at an expense of ,£7,000; it nevertheless opened its gates to the Parliamentarians on the 29th of July, 1645, when Sir William Waller fixed his head-quarters in the city, then considered the most important strong¬ hold in the county. During the civil wars it was in turn held by both parties, its position in the valley rendering its tenure of little use to either. In 1673, as stated by Captain Henry Chapman, who was then mayor of Bath, the city and suburbs, occupying about fifty acres, paid only £30 to the poor’s rates. Those desirous of reading the monkish fable, which early historians have woven round the origin of this ancient city, are recommended to peruse the certificate which Mr. Wood hoped would have been signed by the citizens in 1741, recording the authen- 10 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. ticity of his history of Bladud and the swine, or his life and marvellous adventures in Wood’s own veritable history — a work as interesting to the antiquary as fairy tale to youthful maiden. THE BUILDING OF THE ABBEY. A MIDST the many records of the ancient monas¬ tery, it is difficult to select such an account of its fate and fortunes as shall interest the general reader, without encumbering the narration with ex¬ traneous details. The Abbey of Bath was originally consecrated as a nunnery by king Osric, who, in 676, gave to Bertona, an abbess, one hundred of his tenants to erect a dwelling for herself and sisterhood, “ for the salvation of his soul, and satisfaction of his sins.” This pious lady doubtless employed her able-bodied men in the erection of the building, selling the others, with their wives, families, and possessions, to enable her to purchase building materials with the proceeds. In those days the “ Manentes ” belonged absolutely to the king and nobility; mere tillers of the earth, they and theirs were to all intents and purposes slaves. The Danish incursions soon afterwards laid waste the city, and the nuns were driven from their peace¬ ful abode. King Offa, in 775, finding their house in 12 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. ruins and the church destroyed, rebuilt it, and con¬ verted it into a college for secular priests. To this foundation the Danish kings were great benefactors. Athelstan in 931, and Edwy in 956, endowed it with various lands in the adjacent county. In 970, King Edgar, urged by St. Dunstan, arch¬ bishop of Canterbury, expelled the secular clergy, who being allowed to marry, brought their wives and families into the convents, and employed themselves in works unconnected with religion. From this period may be dated the strife between the regular and secular priests, which continued until the Re¬ formation, and was aggravated during the reigns of the Norman, Plantagenet, and Tudor kings, by the promotion of foreign monks to English benefices, to the exclusion of the native clergy. This rule proved so irksome to the lower orders that they frequently rebelled against it. The contest led to two great evils—the introduction of a foreign language (the Latin) into public devotion, and the establishment of vows of celibacy from the clergy. Of this latter, the reformed religion still possesses one relic in its colleges, the fellows of which are compelled to resign on their marriage. To return from our digression. Edgar, having expelled the priests, founded a college or monastery for an abbot and twenty monks of the Benedictine order. The Parker Collection of Manuscripts, relating to Bath, preserved in Corpus Christi College, THE BUILDING OF THE ABBEY. 13 Cambridge, contains the following memoranda of redemption from slavery, which from their curi¬ osity we translate:— “ In this page of the book of Christ, Leofnoth , a peasant, attached to the glebe of Corston, the son of Egelnoth , has, 1 with five oxen and twelve sheep , pur¬ chased himself and family from Elfsig , the abbot , and all the monks of Bath. Witness, Keaskill, the bailiff, and all the citizens “ In this book of Christ it is written that Edric, of Ford, has purchased his daughter , Scefrig, from Elfsig, the abbot, and convent of Bath , in perpetual liberty, and all her progeny “ It is written, Grc., that Elfric and Egilric Scot are free, for the perpetual liberty of the soul of Elfsig, the abbot; by the testimony of the whole conventP l These manumissions occur during the reign of William the Conqueror. In his time, as appears from Domesday Book, the lands of the Abbey were valued at eighty pounds yearly. They extended not only over a third part of the city, but included no less than seventeen adjacent villages, with their manorial rights and privileges. In 1106, John of Tours, its most bountiful benefactor, having laboured, and at length effected, “ with all decent authority,” as he himself declares, “ so that the head and mother church of Somerset shall be in the city of Bath,” restored to the monks all that he had appropriated to himself, together with the lands he had purchased of Hugo cum Barba, which consisted of five manors, 14 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. devoting all his revenues derived from the city, to the perfecting of the building of the church and monas¬ tery. He also erected a stately palace for himself and successors. From this time to the Reformation, the Abbey increased in riches, by the gifts, not only of the kings, but also of the nobility and pious individuals. It possessed great privileges as the following curious letter of King Henry I. will shew; the original is in Latin :— “Henry, King of England,to Walter,of Gloucester, and Waren, Viscount of Somerset, and their Officers, greeting. I command that the whole lands, and men of the monks of Bath, shall be in peace and quiet from all decrees and complaints in your shires and hundreds, and' in other things, murder and theft excepted, when they shall be in my hand. Witness, Nigel de Albin, at Gloucester." King John was a great patron of the monks. He annexed a priory at Cork and another at Waterford to the monastery, and gave them his royal farm of Barton with a separate jurisdiction and the privileges of execution and ordeal, exempting both themselves and their tenants from suit and service, assizes and juries, as well as from toll at Bristol. In 1223, the prior rented the cityduringthe pleasure of King Henry III., at a yearly rental of ^30. In 1304, King Edward gave him the toll of the two fairs then established. In 1330, the monks estab¬ lished a woollen manufactory in Bath, and the cloth THE BUILDING OF THE ABBEY. l 5 became celebrated throughout England. About this time the prior had to pay a fine to the king for in¬ fringing the statute of Mortmain, passed in 1279, to restrain the cupidity of the church, which threatened even then to absorb all the lands in the kingdom. The succeeding century found them a small body, rich, luxurious, and extravagant; too indolent even to keep their own houses in repair; so that when Oliver King became bishop in 1495, he was com¬ pelled to pension the monks, and devote their income to the rebuilding of the church and monastery. The priory had a southern aspect, protected from the public gaze by a wall. Its gardens extended as far as the present vestry-room, and a gate led to the Abbey Green, which' formed its first court. Below this was the orchard, and St. James’s Street occupies the site of the ancient Lear lands, so called from their being the place where poor strangers were entertained without the gate of the priory. The grounds extended along the east side of Stall Street, from which it was approached by an elegant arch called the Abbey gate, and the walls ran along the present Galloway Buildings to the city wall, with a narrow entrance to the Grove, through S. Peter’s gate. Immediately adjoining were two baths—one for the monks, and one for the poor; and next to these was a tennis-court. The Orange Grove was divided into two portions, one running eastward from the north side of the church belonging to the monks, and was called the Abbey-littm, while the 1 6 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. other portion was called Mitre-green. These, in Beau Nash’s time, were planted with three rows of trees, and called the Orange Grove, in consequence of the erection of a column in 1734, recording the cure of the Prince of Orange. It then formed the most delightful promenade within the walls. In addition to this, the monks possessed all the land, including the Mill, to the east and south of the city,- the Ham barton, and the Ambrey mead. This property, with Prior Park, the mansion at Combe, and other tenements at Bridgwater, Dunster, and Walcot, King Henry VIII. sold to Colies for ^962 17s. 4d. The Church of S. Peter and S. Paul, commonly called the Abbey, was endowed at the dissolution of the monastery. The church has been frequently rebuilt. Near or on its present site once stood a Roman temple dedicated to Minerva, a portion of which, it is said, may still be seen under the eastern buttresses; but these remains have rather the character of early Norman. Be this as it may, the heathen temple was, we are told, consecrated to Christianity by S. David in 596. Osric founded the monastery in 676. This building was totally destroyed by the Danes in 678 ; restored by Offa in 775 ; and its constitution reformed by Edgar in 970. The church was rebuilt in 1010; burned in 1137; and again restored. To this edifice, the present noble structure succeeded, which, although commenced in 1499, was not practi¬ cally completed until 1608. Elphage, a learned monk THE BUILDING OF THE ABBEY. of Glastonbury, a native of Weston, near Bath, and subsequently Archbishop of Canterbury, was the first abbot appointed by King Edgar. He was scarcely dead, when John of Tours annexed the Abbey to the bishop’s see, and from this period to the Reformation, it was governed by priors. Among them we find John de Tellisford, a monk of Dunster (then a cell belonging to the Bath Abbey), elected in 1411, who had a fierce quarrel with the mayor relative to the ringing of the city bells, which was quelled only by a decree from the bishop, forbidding any bells to ring before the prior’s in the morning, or after his at night. John de Cantlow, elected in 1489, deserves our notice and respect. He not only repaired the Abbey, but restored St. Catherine’s Church, and the Chapel of St. Mary Magdalen’s Hospital, in Holloway. To him, in 1499, succeeded prior Wm. Birde, Oliver King being then bishop. The church notwith¬ standing its recent reparation, was in a ruinous condition. These good men devoted themselves to the task of rebuilding it—a work neither lived to complete. The prior died poor, in consequence of having devoted the greater part of his income to the erection of the beautiful chapel which bears his name. William Holway, otherwise Gibbs, succeeded Prior Birde in 1525. He continued the building, which was scarcely completed, when the monastery was suppressed, its church, lands, and revenues, being granted by letters patent to Humphrey Colles, who sold them to the family of Colthurst. Having en- c 1 8 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. tirely despoiled the church of ever)-thing that could be turned into use, or converted into money, the roofless shell of the building was given to the citizens for a parish church. Sir John Harington, of Kelston, in a poetical epistle to Bishop Montague, first drew public attention to the propriety of re-edifying it. One day, during a shower of rain, he was conversing with the bishop near the church, and asked his lord- ship to step in for shelter, special care being taken to convey the prelate into the north aisle, then nearly roofless, and despoiled of its lead. This situation not sheltering his lordship, he remonstrated with Sir John. “ Doth it rain, my lord ? Then let me see your bounty towards covering our poor church, for if it keep us not safe from the waters above the earth, how shall it ever save others from the fire beneath ?” The bishop generously gave ,£1,000, and applied himself sedulously to the task. Private charity alone prevented this noble building from sharing the fate of other monastic edifices, reduced- to ruin by the cupidity of those to whom the king had granted or sold them. In 1606, Thomas Bellot (founder of the hospital which bears his name), nobly aided in the good cause, together with many other generous benefactors. The rector, J ohn Pelling, entered warmly into the work, so much so, that his life bore testimony to the truth of his motto, Non mihi, sed ccclesicz—“ not for me, but for my church.” The west front is ornamented with the representa¬ tion of the dream of Bishop King, wherein he saw THE BUILDING OF THE ABBEY. 19 angels ascending and descending aladder, and calling on him to rebuild the church. Near these are muti¬ lated statues of the twelve apostles, and some almost obliterated inscriptions. His name being Oliver King, his mark was an olive tree crowned ; with the motto, Desursum est — “ it is from above.” Here, also, are the arms of King Henry VII., with the united red and white rose, surmounted by a crown and a crowned portcullis. The west door is beautifully carved with the arms of the see of Winchester impaling Montague.* On either side are stone statues of the bishop and prior, as their ecclesiastical robes plainly indicate, and not of S. Peter and S. Paul, as former writers have asserted. Over the north door of the west front is a small statue of King Edgar, with a roll representing the charter, and above, the inscription, “ Uomus mea.” A statue of King Osric ornaments the south door, and represents him bearing a purse of money, in allusion to the wealth with which he endowed the original foundation. Above this figure is a scroll, bearing the inscription, “Dornus orationis,” finishing the inscription, “ My house is the house of prayer.” On the eastern buttress of the south transept is the almost obliterated date of 1576, marking the repairs then completed. Peter Chapman, about the same date, repaired the east end of the north aisle. Francis Allen, in 1616, gave a sum of money to make the buttresses of the north side of the east end uniform with the southern, as appears by a date stone, recently recut. * Bishop Montague died Bishop of Winchester. THE ABBEY AS IT WAS. r»=g rOo - EW ancient structures perhaps have suffered X. more from panegyric than the Abbey. Beautiful as it unquestionably is, it seems equally unquestion¬ able that local writers have done their best to dis¬ appoint the expectations of visitors by raising them to an extravagant pitch ; and could the stones of the building cry out, we can fancy they would with one voice exclaim, “ save us from our friends.” As the Abbey Church of Bath is the latest speci¬ men of ecclesiastical Gothic Architecture erected in the kingdom, it might not unreasonably be expected that it should display a happy combination of the graces of the great school to which it belongs. Nor is this expectation likely to be disappointed, as few visitors, probably, will fail to recognise the chaste uniformity, the proportion, and harmony of the several parts. As regards its surroundings, our Abbey has led rather a chequered life. In its early days it was not so closely associated with upstart neighbours as at a later date, while its present state is a decided improvement on what may be called its middle period. Slender and graceful, rather than broad and THE ABBEY AS IT WAS. 21 massive, the Abbey nevertheless, would have made a pretty picture at all times, with its towers, flying buttresses, and many windows. Very different, however, must it have appeared when, fresh from the builders’ hands, its unsullied walls showed their creamy hues amidst blossoming orchards and pleasant gardens. But Bath was soon destined to become the fashion, and royalty, courtiers, fine ladies, and tin¬ selled gentlemen, required food and lodging. Lines of houses grew up in the neighbourhood of the springs, and petty shops pressed closer and closer to the sacred walls, hustling them, as it were, into dismal courts and foul alleys. Time and ignorance gradually did their work. The west front of the building, beautiful with the vision seen in dream¬ land, by the good bishop, Oliver King, and by him, written and graven on stones, had become well-nigh illegible. At no very distant date, we venture to predict that the public,* “that self-constituted patron of ancient ecclesiastical buildings,” will restore the angelic messengers in their pristine grace and beauty, ascending and descending upon the slumbering pre¬ late. While the exterior of the building suffered from greed and vandalism, the interior felt the influence of the churchwarden period. The architectural ability of this august body was largely displayed in white¬ wash, and so liberally was this material employed, that niches were lost, delicate tracery effaced, and * For what has been done by the Masonic fraternity, see p. 34. 22 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. the structure from east to west, from north to south, at length wore the cleanly but depressing aspect of a whited sepulchre. At this time every pier in the church was crowded with monumental tablets. But the building had yet to reach the lowest depth of architectural degradation. This, however, was gained when the Corporation, in a moment of ill- directed generosity, made a grant for the purpose of re-pewing the choir, as well as for erecting galleries and “ improving ” the organ loft. The result of this final effort of bad taste was that the choir was supremely disfigured, and that the coup d'ceil was destroyed. Such was the aspect presented by the Abbey, to the archaeological students who visited it, almost up to the end of the first quarter of the present century. There is a popular aphorism to the effect that when things come to the worst they are likely to mend. Vandalism was dying out, and the churchwarden dynasty was rapidly drawing to a close. Corporations, too, began to bestir themselves in the direction of city improvements, and so far as the Abbey is con¬ cerned, that body commenced operations in the year 1823, by the gradual removal of Wade’s Passage, together with other close and unwholesome dens, that almost literally leaned against the north aisle for support. The Church, “a favourable example of the pointed style,” is thus described by Mr. John Wood, architect, in his work, entitled “ An Essay towards a Descrip- THE ABBEY AS IT WAS. 23 tion of Bath,” vol. 1, p. 309 : — “This structure was formed upon a triple square of 75 feet, so that the length of the edifice, from east to west, became 225 feet. But the nave within, made a figure of six squares upon its area, that part of the church being 31 feet in breadth, and 186 feet in length. Now the outside of the Abbey Church, in Bath, is within a trifle of 225 feet in length, from east to west; and the nave within, to the centres of the pillars on each side of it, makes a figure of six squares upon its area, or very near it; that part of the building being 34 feet 10 inches in breadth, and 211 feet in length.” Mr. Freeman remarks that “ the peculiar shape of the tower, and the extraordinary height of the clerestory, are two things always found together. They belong to a type of church of which there are several others in this part of England, as S. Mary Redcliff at Bristol, the Minster at Sherborne, and the Priory Church at Christ Church, in Hampshire. Both at S. Mary Redcliff and in the Bath Abbey the transept is singularly narrow, which is done in order to give a great effect of height in that part of the church. The result of the narrow transept is a central tower departing from the ordinary shape, not being square but oblong.” THE ABBEY AS IT IS. AIR indeed is the Abbey as we see it to-day. No vestige of whitewash mars the delicate beauty of pillar, wall, or roof. The monumental tablets are arranged in seemly order along the aisles; no screen destroys the symmetry of the building; the galleries have disappeared; the windows, which a few years since presented a cold uniformity of dull green glass, now glow in all the beauty of colour and richness of design. Of these we shall presently speak more at length when we have sketched some of the stages through which, during the last few years, the building has rapidly passed from approaching decay to the strength and beauty of its original perfection. The propriety of several considerable alterations in the interior of the building was seriously discussed in the year 1834, such for example as removing the galleries, and re-pewing the Church. The time, how¬ ever, was scarcely ripe for such changes, and the idea THE ABBEY AS IT IS. 2 5 was abandoned. Five-and-twenty years later, when Bishop Carr was rector, various suggestions were made as to the necessity of arresting further decay, the estimate for the probable outlay being about £900. This scheme, like the preceding, fell to the ground. After the death of Bishop Carr, the Rev. Charles Kemble succeeded to the living, and to this gentleman we are mainly indebted for the restorations which have made the Abbey what it is. Mr. Kemble was eminently fitted to bring this important work to a successful completion. Possessed of considerable wealth, of great administrative powers, of indomit¬ able resolution, and unwearied energy, the esteem in which he was held added largely to the effect of so many natural advantages. Sympathy and interest were gradually enlisted in the good cause, and at length Sir George Gilbert Scott was privately re¬ quested by the Rector to survey the building. This was done, and the cost of restoration was estimated at ^20,000. Sir George Gilbert Scott’s plan being approved, and liberal contributions having been promised, operations were commenced in 1864. For the sake of convenience, the work may be classed in three divisions. The first consisted of external repairs, and embraced the foundations, roof, windows, and battlements. The second part, which consisted of a stone-groined ceiling, was commenced in 1868. The third and last portion, namely, the adaptation of the entire building for public worship, repairing and 26 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. cleaning the walls and pillars of the nave, as well as heating, lighting, and pewing with new carved oak seats, was finished in 1873. In a work like the present, it would be out of place to enter into tedious details as to the sums expended. Suffice it to say, that about ,£30,000 have been spent in bringing the Abbey to its present state. Of this sum the late Rector and his family contributed between 1,000 and ,£12,000. It may be added that no debt of any kind, in connection with restoration, exists. We have spoken of the many attributes which rendered the Rev. Charles Kemble so well fitted for the prominent part he played in the restoration of the Abbey. It remains to mention one more, namely, generosity, and this was taxed to the full. He is gone to his rest, and needs no human praise. But his name, as connected with the church in question, belongs to us and to posterity, nor, were he at hand to hear, could he object to our concluding phrase, “ Honour to whom honour is due.” The stranger, who enters by the west door, may well pause for a moment in order to glance at the general harmony of the noble picture before him, at the admirable lightness of the groined roof, at the shields of arms—a history in themselves,—on the ceiling of the nave and aisles, at the tall pillars, at the narrow transept, and at the many coloured lights that chequer the almost spotless creamy whiteness of the stone. THE ABBEY AS IT IS. 2 7 Passing from the general to the particular, the first object that arrests attention is Prior Birde’s Chapel, or Oratory. We extract the following description of it from the work of its restorer, the late Mr. Edward Davis, formerly architect of this city, entitled “Gothic Ornaments, illustrative of Prior Birde’s Oratory in the Abbey Church of Bath — “This chapel is almost coeval with the Abbey in which it stands. The first stone was laid about 1515, by Prior Wm. Birde, under whom the design was, for some time, diligently prosecuted. When, how¬ ever, nearly completed, its progress was interrupted (probably from the ecclesiastical reforms of that period), and the structure still affords unquestionable evidence of the abruptness with which the work was abandoned. Part of the front next the choir is left unfinished, and portions, intended to be decorated, remain still as they were prepared for the carver. Hence we learn the method of executing carved work at that period. The stone was first shaped as required, a black coat of water-colour was laid on, and the drawing being pricked through, the outline was obtained on the stone by the application of white pounce. For this information, as well as for the very perfect state of much of the carved work, we are indebted to the coatings of lime-wash, be¬ neath which it was, until lately, concealed. “ Its subsequent history is soon told. Remarkable alike for its purity and richness of decoration, it was fated to experience the same neglect to which all 28 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. architecture of a Gothic character was so long ex¬ posed. For three centuries it was left to the mercy of parish officers, the fronts defaced by monuments, the lower compartments of the windows blocked up, while those parts permitted to remain exposed were washed and rewashed with coats of different hues, until all the sharpness of the carved work was lost, and much of the delicate tracery obliterated.” Thus it remained until the year 1833, when a sub¬ scription was commenced for its renovation, which Mr. Davis was enabled to complete in strict con¬ formity with its pristine condition. The cornice is sculptured with running vine branches in bold relief; the south side consists longitudinally of two divisions, rising from a basement ornamented with quatrefoils in panels, separated by octangular buttresses, which Mr. Davis considered were carried higher than the present straight line, and that they supported gro¬ tesque figures bearing bannerets, their object being to break the monotony. These buttresses are divided into four compartments of small panelled arches. The divisions between the buttresses are composed of two flattened arches, with three mullions and tracery, having a plinth of several mouldings, and a dado of enriched quatrefoils in panels, with an open rosette in the centre of each; the spandrils are enriched with finely -wrought foliage, among which the bird is frequently repeated. At the north¬ west angle are two niches, one above the other, having duplex canopies crowned with pinnacles; at THE ABBEY AS IT IS. 29 the exterior angle of the north-west corner is a double panel, crowned with an ogee arch moulding, with crockets, from which springs one of the angular groins. This elaborately beautiful oratory is now completely restored, according to the original design, at the expense of the family of the late rector. The church is remarkable for its many punning devices — a conceit then common with the learned. Thus Prior Birde’s mark is a bird in a W. Bellot, giving the glass in the great east window, must needs perpetuate his name by causing it to be glazed in very small pieces, inserted, as the heralds call it, “billet-wise.” Malet, of Enmore, also glazed a window, decorating it with his coat-of-arms and motto, “ Malet Meliora ” — “ he would wish to do better.” Biss, of Spargrove, ornamented a window with his arms and motto, “ Bis fecit, sis felix bis” — “ Biss did this, do thou twice as much.” The organ was built by Smith, of Bristol, in 1837. The restoration of the church necessitated a change in the position of the instrument. At the time of its removal, it was enlarged by Messrs. Hill and Son, of London. The entire cost of the improvements being defrayed by the late Rev. Charles Kemble. The position in which it is placed, however, is singularly unfortunate, inasmuch as it blocks up the north transept, and thus destroys the harmony of the building. 11 would have been practicable to have con¬ structed a graceful gallery, on which to have placed it. ^Jaintcti Mlinhotos. The first window is the gift of Thomas Gill, Esq., 3 ° A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. “ in memory of his daughter, Louisa Gignac Waring, widow of Captain Waring, of Chevvton Priory, Somerset.” The work is by Clayton and Bell. The second window is heraldic, and contains the shields of arms belonging to the S. Barbes. An ancestor of the family gave the original plain window in the year 1614. The following description is happy in its simplicity—In memory of her late husband and his ancestors and her own, this window was restored by Harriet S. Barbe.” The third window is to the memory of John Smith Soden, F.R.C.S., and like the preceding, is by Messrs. Clayton and Bell. The fourth window was presented by Mrs. Colonel Madox, of Bath, as a memorial to her husband, Colonel Henry Madox. The subject is Our Lord Appearing to His Disciples after His Resurrection. The work is by Ward and Hughes. In these pictures the drawing is good, and the draperies admirably easy. The canopies and scrolls, above and below the central lights, are tasteful and harmonious. The last window, next to the north transept, is the gift of the late rector, the Rev. Prebendary Kemble. It contains various illustrations of youthful piety, such as Samuel before Eli, and Timothy instructed by his Mother. The subjects are executed by Messrs. Clayton and Bell. Passing the organ, the first window, eastward of the obliterated transept, is erected by his widow to the memory of her husband, Edward Barrow Evans, THE ABBEY AS IT IS. 3 1 Esq., of Cheltenham, by whom the adjoining window was given in memory of his brother, the late Rev. Harry Barrow Evans, Hygrove, near Gloucester. Both are by Bell, of Bristol. The third window is in memory of Maria Ann Doveton, widow of Lieut-Colonel Charles Jackson Doveton. It tells the story of Our Lord’s First Miracle—the Conversion of Water into Wine—at Cana of Galilee. The small window above the east door of this aisle, is by O’Connor, of London, and is dedicated by his brother officers to their sometime comrade, Humphrey Newman, Esq., 2nd Battalion, 6th Royal Regiment. The paintings in the east window, which is the largest square-headed window in the kingdom, de¬ serve special notice. Like so many of those already alluded to, they are the work of Messrs. Clayton and Bell, and were erected through the instrumentality of the Bath Literary Club, backed by the indefatigable energy of Jerom Murch, Esq., of Cranwells, by whom a large proportion of the funds was collected. The window contains four graduated tiers of seven lights each, the main subject being the prominent events in the life of Our Lord—from the Annunciation to the Ascension. The cost of the entire work was .£1,270. The harmony of colour is very beautiful. A reredos, admirable in taste and design, has been promised. Only one of the screens is as yet put up. Four more are required, the entire cost of which will be ,£1,432. The simplicity and beauty of the future 32 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. work may be seen from the solitary specimen that has been placed in situ. The window, at the east end of the south aisle, was presented by Mrs. Card and the Misses Jamieson. The four principal compartments are filled with figures representing the Evangelists. The first window, in the south aisle of the choir, will shortly be filled with Munich glass, in memory of the late S. Brooke, Esq. (maternal uncle of the late rector), of Cowbridge. It was the last of the munificent gifts of the late Rev. Charles Kemble to the Abbey. The second window was executed by Messrs. Burlison and Grylls, London. It contains the following inscription:—“To the glory of the Holy Trinity, and in the memory of William Gomm, of St. Petersburgh, and of his descendants buried in this church—this window is placed by his grandson, Sir William Maynard Gomm, K.C.B.” The third window will shortly be filled with a subject at the cost of a relative of the late rector. This window, which stands above the vestry door, was given in 1614 by “ the Company of Tailors of Bath.” At present it contains the arms of the company in the centre light. The end window in the south transept is the munificent gift of Mrs. Rowland Elliott, of this city, as a memorial to her father Robert Scott, Esq., and of the restoration to health of the Prince of Wales. The lower compartments illustrate the sickness and THE ABBEY AS IT IS. 33 recovery of King Hezekiah. The whole of the upper compartments represent what is termed a “Jesse window,” showing the genealogy of Our Lord from the stem of Jesse. It is the work of Messrs. Clayton and Bell; the entire cost was little short of • ,£1,000. The first window, west of the transept, bears the following inscription:—“In memory of James Heywood Markland, D.C.L., F.R.S., F.S.A.” It is the work of Messrs. Clayton and Bell. The main subject, which occupies the entire width of the picture, illustrates the “ Offering of the Magi.” The second window, erected to the memory of Admiral Duff, is by Messrs. Ward and Hughes, London. Among other scrolls and devices is the appropriate one, “ They that go down to the sea in ships, and occupy their business in great waters, these men see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.” The third window is to the memory of the late George Norman, Esq., F.R.C.S., and was erected by public subscription. The subject, which contains twenty-two figures, is very appropriate, namely, “ Our Lord Healing the Sick.” The next window is the gift of Mrs. Slack, in memory of her husband, E. F. Slack, Esq., who died during his Mayoralty, in 1867. The last window, in the south aisle, is the gift of the late Mrs. Robert Brooke, Royal Crescent, and is in memory of her son, Robert Arthur Brooke. It is the work of Ward and Hughes, London. 34 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. The small window above the south-west door was presented by the contractors engaged in the restoration. It is by Bell, of Bristol, and consists of four compartments severally containing Moses, the builder of the Tabernacle, and David, Solomon, and Zerubbabel, the builders and restorers of the Temple. The west window is unfinished, the three centre lights and a portion of the tracery being all that is at present in situ. A complete design has been prepared by Messrs. Clayton and Bell, illustrating the Old Testament History. Two of these lights have been put in by subscription, one of them being a memorial to Mr. John Hulbert. The tracery commemorative of Mr. Edward Jones, late churchwarden. The small window above the north-west door was given by some friends in memory of the late Mr. Charles Empson. It was painted by Chance, of Birmingham. The Freemasons of Bath and the Province of Somerset set on foot a movement to restore the west front of the structure, in imitation of the liberal and spirited enterprise of the Bristol brethren in connec¬ tion with S. Mary Redcliff, the north-east corner of which was built at their expense. The attempt was, we regret to say, only partially successful. Still good service was rendered, and it may be hoped that what was so well begun may ultimately be completely accomplished at no distant day. It would be scarcely just not to notice the merit of the carving of the stalls, and the delicacy of the THE ABBEY AS IT IS. 35 work that enriches the pulpit, a memorial in honour of the former rector, the gentle and much beloved Bishop Carr. The Communion Table is the gift of T. F. W. Walker, Esq.; the reading desk of several ladies of Bath; and the lectern of Mrs. Bligh. The font, which stands at the south-west end of the church, was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, and the cost de¬ frayed by subscription, in honour of the late rector during his lifetime. It may be stated that the sum spent upon the restoration and decoration of the Abbey, including the painted windows and other gifts, amounts to about ^3 7,000. Great credit is due to the Honorary Secretaries— William Long,* Frederick Shum,+ and Richard * William Long, M.A., F.S.A,, D.L., and Justice of the Peace, West Hay, Wrington, near Bristol, was for many years a resident in Bath, and took an active part in all that concerned its higher interests. As a churchman, he was regarded by the laity as a wise and judicious leader, Firm in his own convictions, he felt and expressed a tender regard for the opinions of those whose views differed from his own. When defending the Church, he maintained her cause modestly, but with unswerving resolution. Nothing that he said or did was calculated to embitter the con¬ troversy, or to wound the feelings of his opponents. Mr. Long's literary tastes are well known. Well read in general literature, in archaeology and topography he is facile printeps. His exhaustive essay on Abury, published in the Wiltshire Magazine, and subse¬ quently in an enlarged and separate form in 1862, is full of learning and interest. The Duties and Responsibilities of Magistrates, pub¬ lished in 1855, is an admirable treatise. Mr. Long's latest work consists of two papers on the Catacombs of Rome, read before the Literary Club in 1867-68, but not published till 1875. Embracing as it does the results of historical learning and conscientious local 36 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. Stothert, Esqrs., for the perseverance, energy, and zeal with which they co-operated with the Rector during the progress of the work. We mention a few of the monuments most worthy of notice. Among them are Lady Waller’s monu¬ ment, those of Beau Nash, Admiral Sir William Hargood, Quin the actor, Caleb Hillier Parry, M.D., and the elaborate altar tomb of “ the good Bishop Montague.” It needs little guidance for the visitor to discern others worthy of notice besides these. Prior to 1834, every pillar in the church was sur¬ rounded with monumental tablets, placed in the most incongruous manner. These have all been transferred to the walls. The Rev. Richard England Brooke, M.A., Canon of York, and late Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Hull, succeeded the late Rev. Charles Kemble in the Rectory of Bath, of which the Simeon Trustees are the patrons, in 1875. research, the work will prove interesting to students possessed of kindred tastes. Mr. Long has collected an extensive general library, as well as a valuable series of works on the topography and archaeology of Bath. f Mr. F. Shum, F.S.A., is a gentleman of considerable literary acquirements. In his paper on Barker, the Painter, he has done much to give that artist his true place amongst painters, whilst in his essay on Gainsborough, he has displayed considerable powers of analysis and a true appreciation of the rise and development of English art, and English artists, of which Gainsborough was one of the brightest types. Like his coadjutor, Mr. Long, he is a collector of “ Bath Books,” a taste to which may be attributed the fact that the fine library of local literature, collected by the late Mr. Charles Godwin, is now possessed by Mr. Shum in its entirety. OLD CHURCHES AND OTHER BUILDINGS. —fc. (Catherine's hospital formed part of the original endowment by King Edward VI. of the Bath Grammar School. When the scheme for the conduct of that establishment was modified and reformed in the reign of George II., it comprehended this institution in its provisions, as set forth in the Com¬ missioners’ Report, dated July, 1820. We have already said that S. Catherine was patron¬ ess of the city of Bath, it being part of the ancient oath that every freeman should keep her day holy, as may be seen in the Codex Ruber Bathonice, now preserved in the library at Longleat. The manuscript is interesting, and contains the legend of S. Catherine, written by one of the monks, in the 15th century. We take the liberty of modernising the following: — “ Sovereigns and friends that be now here, And that would like your souls to save, List to a lesson of heart'ly cheer, With heart’ly cheer ye shall it have. So shall a lesson of health be taught, How that ye shall heaven win ; Have it, and learn it, forget it not, Of the maid and martyr, S. Katerynne." 62 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. The Hospital derives its other name, “The Black Alms,” from the colour of the gowns worn by the almspeople. It was included in the grant of lands given to the Corporation for charitable uses by King Edward in 1552. These consisted of eighty-two tenements, including the White Hart Inn,* Fountain Buildings, Bladud Buildings (these two forming the old Waereburgh Mead), the Monks’ Mill, and many others. “The same spirit,” says Warner, “ which had been manifested with respect to S. John’s, appeared in this case also, so that in 1735, a decree was obtained from the Court of Chancery for the restoration of lands and a long Chancery suit was terminated by the Corporation agreeing to surrender certain property to the Charity Trustees, for the use of the Hospital and the Free School founded by King Edward VI. Wood describes the Hospital as a “ mean edifice, two stories high, with a frontage of eighty-one feet in Bynburye Lane.”+ He says, “ it receives thirteen poor people, inhabitants of Bath, ten of whom are clothed in sable garments, and receive an allowance of fourteen pence weekly.” In 1825, this building was pulled down to make room for the United Hospital, the Corporation erecting another near its * The Grand Pump Room Hotel now stands on the site of this once celebrated Inn. t The traditionary association of the origin of the Hospital with the “seven sisters of the name of Binbury,” took its rise from the locality where it stood in “ Binbury Lane,” and it is more than probable that the '' Bynburye landes ” belonged to a family of that name. THE HOSPITALS. 63 site. It is a collegiate building of the Elizabethan style. The Charity Commissioners report in 1820, that ten poor women receive 3s. 6d. weekly, with a black gown once in two years, and that the vacancies are filled up by the Mayor for the time being. This continued until the Corporation Reform Bill of 1835, since which period the charity property has been vested in the hands of trustees, who require that candidates for vacancies shall have been house¬ keepers, except in very urgent cases, and that they shall be recommended by at least twenty ratepayers. The full number of fourteen pensioners is now clothed and maintained.'* In the extensive grants of land given by by King Edward, the (grammar Scljaol largely participated. In the year 1553, he gave them the west gate for their school-room. Some years later, it was removed to the body of the desecrated church of St. Mary, by the north gate, where it continued until the present school-house was built by the Corporation in 1752. The following is a copy of the petition of the citizens for these lands :— “ Memorandum, — That /, the Mayor of Bath, with the citizens of the same town , do desire the lands and tenements hereunto annexed , of the king’s majesty's gift , to us and our successors for ever, to teach a free Grammar School there , and also for the relief of the poor people: in witness, crc., by me, Edward Ludwell.” * The weekly payments to each pensioner at present amounts to sr., and biennially a black cloth cloak or gown, value 301. 64 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. King Edward, reciting this petition in his grant, declares it to be a free Grammar School for ever, for the education and instruction of boys and young men. Prior to the Reformation, the tithes were in the hands of the clergy. One-third of the sum was ex¬ pended on the church itself; another third went to the poor; and the remaining third was the priest’s. The youth were educated by the ecclesiastics, and the monasteries formed schools. Young ladies were received into nunneries, for their education; while religious persons, of both sexes, taught the children of the poor. This system was changed by Henry VIII.; the Church lands being seques¬ trated by gift or sale, so that the tithes passed into the possession of the Laity. In King Edward’s reign, therefore, a petition for the poor was to be expected, and many of the Church lands remaining in the hands of the Crown, were devoted to their service, and to the foundation of free schools. In the reign of Queen Elizabeth, com¬ pulsory assessments for the relief of the poor became necessary, and were enforced by acts of parliament, which continued until the passing of the poor law in 1834. The Churches, also dilapidated by time, became ruinous, and King Charles I., a century afterwards, at the request of Archbishop Laud, issued a king’s letter, calling on parishes to repair the buildings “ dedicated by their pious ancestors to the service of the Most High.” THE HOSPITALS. 65 No sooner, however, had the Corporations throughout the kingdom obtained possession of these lands, than fraud and sequestration became apparent, so that an act of parliament was passed, in 1601, “to redress the misemployment of lands, &c., heretofore given for charitable uses.” Under this act, king George II. issued a commission in 1734 to inquire into the state of the Bath Grammar School, and a decree was made by Queen Caroline (regent during the King’s absence in Hanover) “ that, for thirty-five years, the master should instruct gratis , ten sons of freemen, or inhabitants of Bath, during which time he should receive ^10 per annum ; and that, after the expiration of that term, he should receive ,£50 yearly.” In 1811, the Master received £80 per annum, together with the benefice of Charlcombe, which was annexed to the School by a decree of the Court of Chancery, in 1738, at the instance of the Rev. Walter Robins, then Master, who also successfully resisted some of the abuses of his day. The School is now under the management of a Board of Governors who are partly ex-officio, partly elective, and partly co-optative, and is con¬ ducted in accordance with the scheme prepared in 1872 by the Endowed Schools Commissioners, and ratified by the Queen in Council. This scheme sanctioned the sale of the advowson of Charlcombe, prior to the death of the late Head-Master, in 1874, and the appropriation of the purchase money to 66 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. the augmentation of the Endowment Fund of the School. The stipend of the Head-Master is now fixed at ^150 per annum, but besides this sum he receives one-third of the capitation fees, and a house,* rent free. It may be added, that the capita¬ tion fees are £() per annum in the senior, and in the junior department. Boys who gain exhi¬ bitions are exempted from this charge. The system of education, which was formerly the rigid Grammar School curriculum, has, under the above scheme, been greatly modified, and brought more into har¬ mony with the requirements, or supposed require¬ ments, of the present day. The School is open to all classes. The Head-Master is the Rev. H. E. Sanderson, M.A. Beliefs hospital. In the year 1609, Thomas Bellot, steward of the household to Queen Elizabeth, purchased an estate in Wiltshire for ^300, and with it, endowed a hospital in Bell Tree Lane, at the comer of the “ Bynburye” lands, for the reception of twelve of the poorest strangers who should come to Bath for the benefit of the waters. Queen Elizabeth, in 1590, vested the springs in the Corporation, and in 1597 an act was passed, giving the poor of the kingdom a right to their free use. This act, enforced by subsequent acts passed in 1603, 1628, and 1642, empowered justices to license such persons to travel to Bath. Limiting their expenses, it authorised them * Built in 1752. THE HOSPITALS. 67 to demand assistance from the parishes through which they passed. In 1714, these acts became extinct, so that Bath was infested with vagrants at the very time when the rich were beginning to patronize it. For the following particulars we are indebted to Wood. vol. 2, p. 206 :_ bellot's hospital as it was. “For the benefit of the poor, to whom the legislature had given the free use of the baths, Mr. Bellot purchased a piece of the priory land, joining the south side of the King’s Bath, and made 68 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. a cistern for them to bathe in temperate water. This cistern received the overflowing of the King’s bath; and, taking the name of the New Bath, retained it until the year 1615, when it was joined to the King’s Bath by means of an aperture, and then it was dignified by the name of the Queen’s Bath on this remarkable occasion :—As Anne, the queen of James I., was bathing, one day, in the King’s Bath, there arose from the bottom of the cistern, by Her Majesty’s side, a flame like a candle, which had no sooner ascended to the top of the water, than it spread itself upon the surface into a large circle of light, and then became extinct. This so frightened the queen that she betook herself to the New Bath, and from thence the cistern was called the Queen’s Bath.” “In order that the poor,” continues Wood, “might not be destitute of instructions how to use the water, Elizabeth, Viscountess Scudamore, in 1652, gave annually to a physician, that he might gratuitously advise the poor.” This salary has been slightly augmented, and the annual stipend of £10 is now paid to the medical officer by the Charity Trustees, who nominate the inmates of the Hospital. An erroneous impression prevails that Bellot acted only as trustee to Robert Cecil, Earl of Salisbury, to whom the honour of this foundation has been as¬ signed. The following quotation, however, from Sir THE HOSPITALS. 69 John Harington’s poetical address to Bishop Mon¬ tague, seems to place the point beyond dispute :— “So far has Bellot’s star outshin’d, Whoever has to church been kind, As doth full moon, in starry night, Exceed the lesser torch’s light. The church’s ornaments, the floor, The benches, windows, seats, and door Call Bellot father ; and the bell Rings Bellot, though it ring a knell. Hospitals, baths, streets, and highways Sound out the noble Bellot’s praise, ’Cause he was pious, and hath given Much, whose reward shall be in heaven. Let bounteous Bellot take the palm, And after age his name embalm ; I envy not, but more rejoice, And give him, too, my thankful voice.” We well remember this hospital with its venerable quadrangle and antiquated chambers, eloquent of the olden time; nor do we forget the entrance gate, rich with shields, ornaments, and inscriptions. Worn out with long service, it was pulled down in 1859, re-built, and re-opened in the following year. The dilapidated but picturesque quadrangle is no more, and a modern erection, less ornamental than useful, now represents the Bellot’s Hospital of 1609. A por¬ tion of the old gateway, however, has been preserved. It seems strange that no memento of the founder should have existed on the original building. Above the old doorway were placed the arms of Rustat, surmounting a marble tablet, which relates that the ground, being a portion of the land belonging to S. John’s Hospital, was freely granted, without fine, to the mayor, aldermen, and citizens, by Tobias Rustat, brother and lessee to John Rustat, clerk, master 7° A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. of S. John’s Hospital, to the end that it may be restored and continued to the same use to which it had been applied by Thomas Bellot, gentleman, since his first obtaining the same of the master, co-brethren, and sisters of the said hospital. This tablet bears date March 25, 1672, and, being all the record of the charity visible to the public, caused it to be misnamed “ Rustat’s Charity.” The rents in 1820, amounted to ^76 per annum. At the present time the annual income is about £220. The hospital is open for the reception of patients, from Lady-day to Michaelmas, or longer if the funds permit. Each inmate (of whom there are 11, when the hospital is full) has a furnished apartment, and receives a weekly payment of two shillings and four- pence. A new bath has lately been erected inside the hospital for the patients. The ancient bath for Lepers is also appropriated to their use, as well as to that of all poor persons, who procure orders from the Mayor, or any medical man. The different sexes bathe on alternate days. 2 Uje ifltncral CElatcr JIfospital.'* In 1715, a scheme was put forth for the establishment of a general hospital, but from a variety of circumstances, it was not carried into effect until 1737. Among the foremost of its supporters were Dr. Oliver, Beau Nash, and Ralph Allen, who gave all the * A complete History of the Hospital was written by Dr. R. W. Falconer in 1869, and published by R. E. Peach. It can be obtained only at the Hospital. THE HOSPITALS. 71 stone from his quarries, while John Wood contributed the plans, and superintended the erection of the build¬ ing. By an Act of Parliament, passed in 1739, for its incorporation and government, the institution may possess freehold property to the extent of ,£1,000 a year. The hospital was opened for the reception of patients on the 21st May, 1742 ; since which period, 49,411 patients have been admitted, of whom 39,711 were either cured or greatly relieved. To increase its usefulness, the waters were intro¬ duced into the interior of the building in 1830. Powerful steam machinery was erected, not only for pumping, but also for ventilation, washing, and cooking. These improvements have rendered the treatment of disease more successful. In 1835, the inhabitants of Bath, previously excluded, were al¬ lowed, under certain conditions to become in-patients. The beneficiaries of this charity require no recom¬ mendation but that of poverty, and the case being suitable for the use of the waters. It is open to the United Kingdom, the eligibility of each case being ascertained by a circumstantial report, which must contain— 1. The name, age, and parish of the applicant. 2. A brief history of the disease, comprising its origin, progress, and present symptoms. 3. A correct statement of the general health, par¬ ticularly mentioning the absence of all disorders, which render the Bath waters inapplicable. When practicable, these facts should be stated by 72 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. a medical man, and addressed to the Registrar of the hospital, who submits them to the Medical Board. Accuracy of report is necessary, for when, from defective or erroneous statements, cases are found to be unsuitable, the patients are sent home. Soldiers may be admitted by certificates from their command¬ ing officers, who shall also agree to receive them when discharged, in whatever state of health they may be. The same regulation applies to pensioners of Chelsea and Greenwich. On receipt of a notice of vacancy, the patient brings a certificate, duly executed, and the caution- money (three pounds), for those who come from any part of England or Wales, and five pounds for those from Scotland or Ireland. The object of this regula¬ tion is to ensure the means of returning patients to their homes, when discharged ; or to defray the cost of interment in the event of death. When not required for these purposes, or for clothing, the whole is returned. All persons coming to Bath on pre¬ tence of seeking admission, without having their cases previously approved, and receiving notice of vacancy, are treated as vagrants. In 1874, out of 851 patients discharged, no fewer than 747 were cured, or greatly relieved; while 89 were either incurable by the waters, or unsuited for their use. Within the past few years this institution has been greatly enlarged and improved. The founda- THE HOSPITALS. 73 tion stone of the new building was laid June 4th, 1859, by Lord Portman, the then Lord-Lieutenant of the county, and the work was completed June nth, 1861. The new part has been very happily united with the original structure. The entire cost of the addition amounted to ,£i 8,000. At present the hospital contains 145 beds, of which 88 are appropriated to males and 57 to females. For light, air, space, and convenience, the Bath Mineral Water Hospital may compare favourably with any similar building in the kingdom. It is to be regretted that an erroneous opinion prevails that this hospital is independent of public support; its average expenses, for the last ten years, were ,£4,472 yearly, while its permanent income has averaged only ,£2,581 per annum. The Bogal SJXmteb pjospttal, situated in Beau Street, was erected in 1826, at an expense of ,£7,000. It receives its name from the union of the Casualty Hospital, founded in 1788, by James Norman, Esq., with the Bath City Infirmary and Dispensary, on the Lower Borough Walls. The building has recently been enlarged by the addition of the “ Albert Wing,” the cost of which amounted to about ,£8,000. The entrance-hall contains a fine bust of the late Prince Consort, by Noble, the inscription on which was selected by the Queen. There is also a bust in the central hall of the late Col. Gore-Langton, M.P., which was presented by his sister, Mrs. D’Oyley. Beneath the pediment is the following: “The 74 A RAMBLE ABOUT OLD BATH. Prince’s Ward, erected in memory of Albert the Good, a.d. 1864.” A report is annually published, from which every information can be obtained. IN AND OUT OF BATH. WALK THE FIRST. The Orange Grove ; the Parades ; Across the Bridge; Under the Railway Arch; through Cleveland Walk; up the North Road to Sham Castle ; Hampton Down ; Home by the Canal or the Warminster Road. B ATH, pre-eminently distinguished for the variety and beauty of its suburban walks, presents an almost endless succession of delightful prospects. Every hill gives us new features, every ramble new views. The valleys, with neat cottages clustering around village churches, have each a charm of their own. Nor is this all, for the taste of the citizens has, in many cases, by the formation of public walks, rendered these beauties easily available. Leaving the Orange Grove by the site of St. Peter’s Gate, we reach the Walks, on the left of which stands the Royal Literary Institution. This portion 76 IN AND OUT OF BATH. of the city (erected partly within, and partly beyond, the ancient walls) is full of interest for the student. In an alley, beyond what used to be the Freemasons’ Hall, stands Ralph Allen’s town house—a fine speci¬ men of Wood’s architectural talent. The portico is imposing, and the front richly carved. Wood began the improvement of the city by the erection of the North Parade, the first stone of which was laid on the ioth March, 1740. Ac¬ cording to the original design the Parades were to have been adorned with three hundred columns and pilasters o( the Corinthian order; at each corner there was to have been a tower, and in each front, a centre house and pediment. In the inner square, it was proposed to build a superb ball room, ninety feet long, by fifty-two broad, with an assembly room of the same dimensions. The plan was never completed. Here formerly might be seen the pomps and vanities of Bath ; the ladies, with their hoops and towering head-dresses, followed by pert abigails and pampered lap-dogs, each fair dame attended by her powdered beau, reciting vapid rhymes, or the last naughty scandal. Pierrepont Street, from the centre house of which Lord Chesterfield wrote some of his questionable letters to his son, is classic ground. Previous to the opening of the railroad, it was the dullest street in Christendom. Now it forms a busy highway. Opposite Pierrepont House, an opening (which Wood calls St. James’s portico) led to the theatre, WALK THE FIRST. 77 since converted into a Roman Catholic Chapel, and more recently into a Masonic Hall. From the South Parade may be seen the Roman Catholic Church, a beautiful structure, St. Matthew’s Church, Widcombe, the Great Western Railway Station, Beechen Cliff, the Cemetery, Prior Park, and Bathwick Hill. The fore¬ ground comprises the old Ham Gardens, where formerly stood the Abbey Grange, around whose walls the chapmen congregated to hold the chartered fair of Bath. Here grapes, for the culti¬ vation of which the city was famous, were trained on standards in the foreign manner. Passing through Duke Street, we cross the North Parade Bridge. The Abbey and St. Michael’s Church are seen to advantage from this spot. Bath¬ wick Church, and many neat villas occupy our atten¬ tion, till we reach the railway bridge, under which a footway leads to the Canal. Crossing it by a small iron bridge, a steep path leads to Cleveland Walk. This walk which derives its name from the Cleve¬ land family, extends from Bathwick Hill to the North Road, and forms one of the most agreeable promen¬ ades in the neighbourhood of the city. It commands an extensive view. From Sham Castle, which stands conspicuously on the slope of the hill, there is a more extensive, though scarcely a more beautiful prospect. The building was originally erected by Ralph Allen, in order to break the monotony of the view from 78 IN AND OUT OF BATH. his house on the Parade. Following the North Road for about a quarter of a mile, we pass through a small gate, and soon reach the crest of the hill. On every side, the heights which encircle the city, slope somewhat abruptly into the valley. Squares and cres- SHAM CASTLE. cents, streets and terraces, lie mapped out with marvel¬ lous distinctness. The sluggish Avon flashes for a moment over the weir, and then pursues its tran¬ quil way. The train speeds westward, decked with a plume of snowy vapour, and far away the Mendips WALK THE FIRST. 79 and the Cotswolds, mingle their blue distance with the sky. The view comprises the whole country between Alfred’s Monument at Stourton, and Beckford’s Tower on Lansdown. Englishcombe Barrow, and Kelston Round Hill, are striking objects in the picture. HAMPTON DOWN. The walk over the turf is delightful. From this point the valley, east of the city, is seen to great advantage. Yonder, is the old British fortress of Solsbury; Batheaston nestles in the meadows ; and further to the east is Banagh Down or Holy Hill. A few hundred yards to the south-east may still be traced a portion of the Wansdyke— an intrenchment erected as a boundary between two tribes, whose names are now well nigh forgotten. The view from Hampton Rocks was considered unrivalled by the celebrated painter, Sir Benjamin West. The old British city of dacr 33 ahon stood a little to the north-west of these rocks. The Celtic Britons held possession of the country until it was invaded and conquered by the Belgoe, 350 years before the Christian era. These being subdued by the Romans, the country became an integral portion of the empire. From the remotest period the ancient Britons carried on an extensive trade with the Phoenicians in tin and other mineral productions ; indeed, many of their mining imple¬ ments, are still met with both in Cornwall and 8o IN AND OUT OF BATH. Somerset. Diodorus Siculus informs us their tribes were well governed, skilful in various arts, more particularly in navigation; and that the whole of the southern coast of Britannia was a busy scene of industry, wealth, and comparative civilization. Re¬ ligious principles, embracing a system of morality, honour, and virtue, were assumed to have been inculcated by the Druids. The mines were sedulously guarded; every avail¬ able height was fortified by the Belgic Britons. Many of these fortifications may still be traced in the vicinity of Bath. “ These,” as Sir Richard Colt Hoare tells us, “ must not be confounded with Roman camps, which were built in more convenient localities, and of more regular form, the Britons de¬ pending on the strength of their position, the Romans on the courage of their soldiers.” From this digression we return to Caer Badon, which occupied a projecting point of the down. The entrenchments surrounded a space of thirty acres, and sloped abruptly northward. On the side of the hill are the remains of a vallum or earthwork, which probably afforded additional security to the inhabi¬ tants. The approaches were guarded by outworks of various sizes. Many trackways may still be traced, which communicated with distant settlements; some of these form our present pathways, while others have become modern highways. On the north of the down are two long barrows, or places of sepulture; and on its southern side two circular mounds. The WALK THE FIRST. numerous elevations of earth which intersect each other in every direction, preserve a regular form, and seem to point out the site of various buildings.* Sir Richard Colt Hoare opened and examined many barrows, and deserves the thanks of all British antiquaries for his indefatigable researches. “ From their contents,” he says, “ the early progress of civili¬ sation may be traced. The most ancient, which may reasonably be referred to the Celtic period, contain the stone hammer and flint spear-head of the tenant of the grave, together with clay urns, formed by the hand alone, rudely ornamented with crossed lines, evidently produced by a stick before exposure to heat.” The Belgic Britons, we are told, reduced the bodies of their warriors to ashes. These were carefully collected. A covered receptacle was formed of un¬ cemented stones, over which was raised a pile of earth, varying in size according to the rank of the deceased. In these barrows we find brass weapons, ivory pins, beads, rings, and pottery. This custom of burying the weapons and other valuable articles with the deceased continued for some centuries after this period; many of the coffins of our early kings and ecclesiastics containing both the vestments and insignia of authority. * "We may conceive of the native Britons occupying Hampton Down (where are vestiges of an ancient British settlement), as looking down upon the Roman town of Aquae Solis in the valley, and induced gradually to mix with the new comers, to assume their dress and manners, and to become imitators of their luxury, ”■ — Scarth's A quiz Solis, p. 16. 82 IN AND OUT OF BATH. As neither the tiller of the land nor the quarry- man, have obliterated its features, Caer Badon may, as far as its outlines and general aspect are con¬ cerned, be still traced, and will repay a visit. “In 1835,” says the late Mr. Mendenhall, of the Bath Athenaeum, in his communication to the Society of Antiquaries, “ this spot was partially broken into, to procure material for the new Warminster Road, which runs along the valley below; but as none offered, it was spared further molestation. A short time afterwards I collected a quantity of ancient pottery, which was thickly strewed about, of various qualities, from the coarse black, or brown, to the more delicate Roman, but of this latter few and small fragments; with them, portions of Roman bricks and burned bones, a boar’s tusk, and animals' teeth in abundance ; with a curvilinear notched ornament of dress ; a small blue bead, of trans¬ parent glass, decidedly British. I also found black vegetable mould, totally differing from the neigh¬ bouring soil; the portions of stone about in no case resembling the kind found in the vicinity, clearly indicating that they were brought from a considerable distance. I found, also, some rusty nails, of various forms and sizes.” “ These various works,” says the Rev. Mr. Phelps, of Bicknoller, the latest historian of the county,* “ prove, in connection with the numerous fortifica¬ tions in this county, and the neighbouring one of * The History he began, he did not live to complete. WALK THE FIRST. 83 Wilts, the great skill of the Belgic-British engineers.” They are the works, indeed, if not of a great, at least of a semi-civilized people. If we follow the straight line of the tramway through the wood—the spot is very charming— we shall be enabled to return either by the Canal or the Warminster Road. The entire distance is between four and five miles. IN AND OUT OF BATH. WALK THE SECOND. Through PulteneyStreet; up Bathwick Hill; Claverton as it was, and as it is. Duelling; Homewards by the Banks of the Canal; Bathampton; the Parish of Bathwick; length of Walk. I T is much to be regretted that the high walls on the south side of Bathwick Hill hide from the pedestrian the beautiful prospects he would otherwise enjoy. To those who can, without inconvenience, manage a sharp incline, Bathwick Hill forms an agreeable walk, the pavement being continued to the summit. Its position shelters it from the north¬ east wind; while the sun, even in the winter, renders it both warm and pleasant. These advantages, with the exception of the pavement, are shared by the North Road, which however far exceeds it in beauty, embracing as it does a view of Beechen Cliff, Saint Matthew’s Church, and the quiet valley of Small- WALK THE SECOND. 85 combe, so called to distinguish it from its neighbour, Widecombe, or Widcombe. On reaching the summit of the hill, a road, diverging to the left, conducts us to the village of CLAVERTON. The first portion of the way, fenced in by planta¬ tions and pleasant hedgerows, runs over the Down. Presently, we reach the Italian lodge of Claverton Manor, and find ourselves vis a vis with a lovely bit of genuine English scenery. On the opposite side of the valley, peeping from the foliage of the hill¬ side, is the picturesque village of Conkwell, with its breezy down, on which weather-beaten blocks of stone harmonize with the verdure of the turf, the rich hue of the corn fields, and the many tinted forest trees. Here, in early spring, may be seen a variety of flowers but rarely met with in less favoured spots, luxuriating in the sheltered copse woods:—ane¬ mones, orchids, hyacinths, with the more humble, but not less fragrant, violet and primrose, while one or two species of veronica cling to the low wall that skirts the road. Mr. Charles Terry, M.R.C.S., in a sketch of the Zoology of Bath, embracing a radius of little more than six miles from the city, says, “in the open down, old quarry grounds, hill-sides, dotted with plantations and underwood, and luxuriant well timbered valley, watered by innumerable streams, and intersected for nearly its whole length by the river Avon, is the 86 IN AND OUT OF BATH. favorite habitat of birds and insects. The spot is well worth a visit from the naturalist, who may here enrich his collection by some rare specimens; want of space has compelled the writer to confine his ac¬ count of insects to that of one tribe, the Lepidoptera, which more generally engages the attention of col¬ lectors from the beauty and variety of its members, and for whose use there is appended to each speci¬ men the name of the month in which the perfect insect makes its appearance.”* The name of Claverton (spelled Clafterton in Domesday Book) has given rise to many rather fanciful ideas with respect to its derivation. Wood says, that it is “compounded of the Roman davis —a key, and the Saxon tun —a town; Collinson, that it is “derived, no doubt, from some Saxon owner.” The Saxon word, claefter, or claver, signifying cleft- grass, or clover, together with a further reference to William the Conqueror’s survey, gives us at least a plausible reason for its name : it then contained a large extent of pasture, and was called “ The Village of the Clover Down.” The moralist and man of letters will pause to con¬ template the character and actions of those whose names are connected with the records and tradi¬ tions of Claverton, as Bishop Warburton, Ralph Allen, Pope, Shenstone, and Graves. At the conquest, this manor was worth and William bestowed it on his interpreter, Hugoline. * See Appendix to "Wright’s Historic Guide." Bath: R. E. Peach. WALK THE SECOND. 87 Reverting to the Crown, it was given to Hugo cum Barba, who sold it to John of Tours, and he gave it to the Abbey of Bath; shortly after it was annexed to the bishopric. In 1257, Bishop Button obtained a charter of free warren from King Henry III., and a grant that, together with Hampton, it should form a liberty exempt from the jurisdiction of the hundred of Bathforum. In 1548 it was alienated from the see by Bishop Barlowe, who exchanged it with King Edward VI. for other lands. The King granted it to Matthew Colthurst, whose son sold it, in 1588, to Edward Hungerford, from whose family it passed into the possession of that of Estcourt. In 1609, Sir Thomas Estcourt sold it to the Bassets. In 1701, Robert Holder became the purchaser, whose son disposed of it, in 1714, to William Skrine. In 1758, it was purchased by Ralph Allen, who be¬ queathed it at his death, 1764, to his niece, the wife of Bishop Warburton, who afterwards married the Rev. Martin Stafford Smith. At her death, the estate, together with property in Widcombe, came into the possession of Allen Tucker, Esq., son of Captain Tucker, Ralph Allen’s nephew, who died in 1816. The Claverton property was then pur¬ chased by the late John Vivian, Esq., who was for many years Solicitor to the Excise, and by whom the mansion was built. He bequeathed it to his second son, the late George Vivian, Esq.,* a gentle- * The whole of the estate was purchased by I. Carr, Esq., of this gentleman, in 1869. Since then, a considerable portion of the property has passed into the possession of Henry Duncan Skrine, Esq., of Warleigh Manor. 88 IN AND OUT OF BATH. man of great literary taste, as well as an accom¬ plished artist.* The Widcombe property is now in the possession of Major Ralph S. Allen, M.P. In the centre of the Village, a narrow pathway leads to the Church—an unpretending Gothic structure, of the fifteenth century, consisting of a nave, chancel, and north aisle. It boasts a charming porch, a tower; stained glass; various emblems; coats-of-arms; and some good open carved work around the manor pew. The church has been recently restored. On the north wall of the chancel is an alabaster monument of the early part of the seventeenth century, representing a knight, a lady and a child. Near it is the monument of Graves, who died in 1804, at the advanced age of ninety years. On the south wall is the monument of John Clutterbuck, of Widcombe, who died in 1766. It represents a female figure reclining gracefully in a mourning attitude on an urn. The family of Skrine, and others, have monuments here. The stained glass window in the chancel is in memory of Charles Hickes, the well-known Surgeon, of Bath. It is by O’Connor of London, and is admirably executed. Subject. — The Ascension. S. Luke. Ch. 24. v. 51. Humphrey Chambers, one of the divines appointed by Parliament to sit at Westminster, was rector * Mr. Vivian published a volume illustrative of the Hungerford Mansion (referred to on page 91), together with Kingston House, Bradford-on-Avon, besides a folio vol. on Portugal, and two series of folio illustrations of Spain ; these bear evidence of his fine taste and artistic skill. WALK THE SECOND. 89 during the civil wars, and died here in 1646. The parish register contains the following memorandum, written by him :— “ Mem.—That I, Humphrey Chambers, parson of Claverton, did grant a lice?ice to eat flesh this day to William Basset, Esq., of Claverton, by reason of his notorious sickness ; which sickness of his yet continuing, I do now contimie his said licence, according to the statute; and have, according to the law, here registered the same, the day and year above written. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, Humphrey Chambers.” The churchyard is a great attraction. It has been the theme of poets and historians. Here, perhaps, Pope sought solitude for contemplation. Fielding, too, may have strolled hither, when sick of the feeble twaddle of fine ladies, and trim gentlemen in the city. Here Shenstone* may sometimes have caught a poetic gleam of pastoral inspiration ; while Graves, pursuing the even tenor of his way, lived to bury successive generations of his parishioners, whom he had by his teaching and example shown the way to heaven. For he, God’s messenger, who taught the vale, No schoolman’s subtilties e’er used, nor sought By learning’s phantasies to dazzle those Who hear the preacher and forget the Word. * Shenstone frequently left his pretty retreat, “The Leasowes,” near Hales Owen, to visit his friend Graves at Claverton. Cunningham happily expressed the character of the Poet in the following couplet:— “ He marked in his elegant strains, The graces that glowed in his mind.” 90 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Richard Graves was born in 1715, of an ancient family at Mickleton, Gloucestershire. He originally intended to practice medicine, but subsequently turned his attention to the church. At the Uni¬ versity of Oxford he was the intimate friend of Sir William Blackstone and Shenstone, and in 1748, was presented to the living of Claverton. He possessed a mind cultivated with great care; a natural politeness, and a simplicity of manners which concealed a spirit ardent in search of truth. His prevailing eccentricity was an exaggerated love of order ; his friendships were ennobled by cheerful¬ ness and piety, his classical learning was extensive, his poetry chaste, and his writings breathe the true spirit of Christianity. He held the living for fifty- six years, without one month’s absence from his ministerial duties. As an author, his fame rests on the “ Spiritual Quixote,” a satire on the religious revivalism of the day, a work replete with elegance and wit, and which still commands admiration. Here, too, are the remains of Ralph Allen. His monument is covered by creeping plants, and shaded by trees. It is raised on three steps, and terminates in a pyramidal roof, supported on either side by three arches ; it is surrounded with an iron rail. There are one or two sepulchral slabs of the twelfth century in the churchyard. The present Manor House has had two pre¬ decessors. The first stood in a field south of the church; no vestiges of it, we believe, remain. It WALK THE SECOND. 91 was erected by Bishop Ralf de Salopia, about the year 1340. This prelate was one of the most muni¬ ficent of the early bishops. He built the Vicars’ Close and some of the choristers’ houses at Wells, as well as the church of Winscombe. To this “court house ” succeeded a noble mansion, erected by Sir Edward Hungerford, of Heytesbury, in 1588. No portion of it now remains except the flights of steps upon the terrace walk. “ Here, Sir William Basset,” says, Aubrey, in his Natural History of Wiltshire, “ hath made the best vineyard I have heard of in England.” The Manor House now stands on the crest of the hill, and contains some elaborate and beautiful stone and other work, belonging to the house built by Sir Edward Hungerford. In 1643, while Sir William Basset was entertaining Sir Edward Hungerford, of Farleigh Castle, and other knights and gentlemen of the king’s party, a cannon ball, directed from the opposite down, passed through the wall as they sat at dinner. There was a call to “ boot and saddlea skirmish took place in a field near the ferry, in which neither party was victorious ; three roundhead soldiers and one royalist were left dead upon the field, and were buried under the west wall of the churchyard. In 1771, the poor rates amounted to ^43 5s. 3d.; in 1780, to £11 19s. 6d.; in 1839, to ^40; and at present, average ^175 yearly. The population, at the census of 1871, was 165. The parish con¬ tains an area of 1,243 statute acres, and its rental for union calculations is ^2,817. 92 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Claverton Down was occasionally the scene of duels during the last century, most of which were occasioned by disputes at the gaming tables and other places of public resort. One must be here recorded. In the year 1778, many foreign nobles made Bath their residence, and, among others, were the Viscount du Barre, with his wife* and her sister, two ladies of great beauty and accomplishments, and Count Rice, an Irish gentleman, who had borne arms in the service of France. A house was taken in the Royal Crescent, where for a time they lived together on the most amicable terms. They kept open house, where play was allowed to a ruinous extent. Quarrelling at cards, words ran high between Du Barre and Rice, and an immediate challenge was given and accepted. At one o’clock in the morning, a coach was procured from the Three Tuns, in Stall Street, and Claverton Down was reached in moody silence, at the first dawn of day. A contemporary account describes the combat as follows:—“Each armed with two pistols and a sword. The ground being marked out by the seconds, the Viscount du Barre' fired first, and lodged a ball in Count Rice’s thigh, which penetrated as far as the bone; Count Rice fired his pistol, and wounded the Viscount in the breast. He went back two or three steps, then came forward again, and both, at the same time, presented their pistols to each other; * It has been said that the Viscount’s wife was the notorious Madame du Barry, nde Jeanne Vaubernier, mistress of Louis XV. The fact is open to much doubt, the evidence being very incon¬ clusive. WALK THE SECOND. 93 the pistols flashed together in the pan, though only one was discharged. Then they threw away their pistols, and took to their swords ; when Count Rice had advanced within a few yards of the Vis¬ count, he saw him fall, and heard him cry out, ‘ Je vous demande ma vie,’ to which Count Rice an¬ swered, ‘ J e vous la donne but in a few seconds the Viscount fell back, and expired. Count Rice was brought with difficulty to Bath, being danger¬ ously wounded, though now he is in a fair way of recovery. The Coroner’s inquest sat on the Vis¬ count’s body last Saturday, and after a mature examination of the witnesses and the Viscount’s servants, brought in their verdict ‘ Manslaughter.’ ” The Viscount’s body was left exposed the whole day on the Down, and was subsequently buried in Bathamptonchurchyard. Count Rice recovered; was tried at Taunton for murder, and acquitted. He died in Spain in 1809. At that part of the Down where the yeomanry were formerly reviewed, a bank slopes towards the wall. It was on the other side of this wall, and a few yards from the gate, that the duel took place, where a stone slab marks the spot. The ivory hilt of the sword once belonging to Count Rice, is now attached to the city seal in the Town Clerk's office. We can diversify our return from Claverton by many pleasant paths, and may ramble again and ; again to the Village without the necessity of return¬ ing by the same route ; for example by the War- 94 IN AND OUT OF BATH. minster Road, or the towing path of the Canal, or returning over Hampton Down via the old tramway and so reaching the banks of the Canal, or over the Down, descending by the road which crosses the Warminster Road, we can reach BATHAMPTON. The village retains much of its ancient appearance. We at once enter the churchyard, where many interesting memorials, and some curious epitaphs may be seen. Time will soon efface the following record:— “ Here rest the remains of John Baptiste, Viscount du Barr6, Obt. 18th November, 1778." * The Lych Gate was erected from a design by Mr. C. E. Davis, at the time of the restoration of the church and enlargement of the churchyard, by the late Rev. Edward Duncan Rhodes. The Church, with a well proportioned battle- mented tower, of the perpendicular order, was en¬ tirely rebuilt in 1754-5, with the exception of the chancel, by Ralph Allen, at a total cost of ^619 ns. 5d., reduced by the sale of old lead to ^"518. It consisted, until lately, of merely a nave, chancel, and manor chantry chapel on the south. It was of little architectural character, although an attempt was made at Gothic. A few years since a north aisle was added,t and still more * For particulars respecting the duel, see pages 92 and 93. f The cost of the work was raised by subscription, the architect being Mr. Alfred Goodridge. Bathampton Church, near Bath. WALK THE SECOND. 95 recently, under the care of Mr. C. E. Davis, architect, instructed by the late Incumbent, the chantry chapel has been embellished with traceried windows, the chancel* restored as nearly as possible upon its ancient model, and a chancel arch built. On the west side of the porch a recess has been added for the reception of two very well executed but unfortunately mutilated figures of a knight and his wife, temp. Edward II. or early Edward III. Until the erection of this recess these figures hung on either side the doorway, being turned out from the church when it was rebuilt. Beneath the east window, on the exterior, is a valuable specimen of an early effigy. It is carved in one piece of stone, the block being incised to admit of the figure in low relief of a bishop or abbot of the eleventh century. The head and pastoral staff are much mutilated, but the vestments are perfect, consisting of the chasuble, stole, dalmatic, and albe. The chancel was the property of the Fishers, who were lay rectors since the reign of Elizabeth until recently, when it was sold, with the rectory house, to the present lord of the manor, Major Ralph S. Allen, M.P., who resides at the Manor House. In the tower are five bells, some of which are very ancient, and bear curious Latin inscriptions. * The east window was erected (there was none before), and a portion of the chancel restored, in memory of the late George Edward Allen, Esq., as may be seen by an inscription on a brass at the north side. Amongst the contributors to this work were the late Ladies Cawdor, Carteret and Caroline Thynne, Miss Allen, and P. C. Sheppard, Esq. 96 IN AND OUT OF BATH. The pretty school house at the east corner of the churchyard was built at the cost of Miss Sheppard. The living was united with that of the adjoining parish of Bathford for about 70 years. In 1855,011 the death of the Rev. James Carter, Vicar, the patrons (the Dean and Chapter of Bristol) agreed to the sep¬ aration of the parishes, and appointed the Rev. E. D. Rhodes incumbent of Bathampton. It would be impossible in a work of this description to do justice to the character and memory of this estimable and accomplished man, but the church and village of Bathampton must long bear the impress of his energy and devotedness; the large-heartedness of his liber¬ ality, and the excellence of his taste and judgment. The organization of a long neglected parish, the complete restoration and enlargement of the church, and tasteful improvement of the churchyard, though the most prominent, were by no means the only evidences of Mr. Rhodes’ care for his pastoral charge. Up to the date of the separation of the parishes, there had been no parsonage house, and the Patrons assented to the division on the condition that such provision should be made by the parishioners. To carry this arrangement, therefore, into effect, the late Mr. Vivian, of Claverton, gave two acres of land, which were exchanged with Major Allen for the present site, around which Mr. Rhodes built the boundary wall ; a sum of 7)400 and upwards was raised by subscription, which, together with other sums, and £100 given by the Patrons, were invested WALK THE SECOND. 97 in the names of Trustees, and accumulated during the eleven years of Mr. Rhodes’ incumbency. Subse¬ quently Miss Rhodes gave £100 ; the balance required to meet the cost of building the house being defrayed by the present Vicar, the Rev. Henry Girdlestone. For the purpose of augmenting the endowment, the lay rectorial tithes were purchased by Mr. Rhodes, and a neighbouring land-owner contributed ^300 to meet the ^200 given by the Commissioners of Queen Anne’s Bounty. Mr. Rhodes died suddenly in 1866 to the grief of his parishioners, among whom he had for eleven years most affectionately ministered, and to the especial sorrow of that larger circle of friends who far and near had experienced the privilege of his personal friendship. The simple dignity and sweet courtesy of his manner were such as to win the confidence and love of all whose good fortune it was to know him. He was a ripe scholar and an excellent divine. Few men were so thoroughly imbued with a love of poetry as he, or possessed a more complete knowledge of poets and poetic literature, especially of an early date. And though one of the least ostentatious of men, he was ever ready to allow others to profit by the almost boundless resources of his literary knowledge. “ He was a man, take him for all in all [we] shall not look upon his like again.” . . . “ His church and parish of Bathampton were the home of his thoughts and affections, as of the labour of his later years. That church, a model H 9 8 IN AND OUT OF BATH. of an English country church, restored to its present perfection, mainly by his liberality, stands the centre of what he had made a model English country parish—the fittest monument to his memory. No truer heart than his was ever laid to rest 1 in sure and certain hope ’ within its shadow; no dearer or more honoured memory of teacher, pastor, friend, will ever be cherished by those who yet may worship beneath its roof.” He who wrote these beautiful words—the Bishop of Peterborough—also wrote the no less appropriate inscription which was placed in the church, and was as follows:— "To the dear and honoured memory of Edward Duncan Rhodes, B.D., Prebendary of Wells, and for the last n years of his life Vicar of this Parish of Bathampton. Born 17th October, 1797, Died 18th September, 1866. A zealous pastor, a wise and thoughtful teacher, a preacher of rare eloquence, an affectionate and generous relative and friend, a large-hearted, noble-minded man ; he consecrated, first, to the Saviour whom he loved, and then, for His sake, to the flock for whom he laboured, and to the church of which he was a devotedly attached member, the ripened fruits of a cultivated intellect and a pious and reverent spirit. This church, restored in large measure by his liberality and taste, is his fittest and most lasting monument. These lines record the love and grief of those to whom within these walls, and from house to house, he ministered so faithfully and well.” Close to the church is the conventual barn, built at the same period as the church tower. The roof will repay inspection, on account of the strength and sim¬ plicity with which the rafters are connected together. Some years ago the barn was reduced in size, and the pitch of the roof and doorway greatly altered. WALK THE SECOND. 99 Among the old-fashioned houses in the village, the rectory bears evident marks of antiquity. There is an archway surmounted by a floriated cross of stone, which was formerly the “ hip-knob ” on the conventual barn.* In the garden may still be seen the bowl of the early church font. The house has undergone many restorations, but has never, we be¬ lieve, been used as a residence by any clergyman of the Church of England since the Reformation. The house, now the Post Office, is a most pic¬ turesque remnant of a much larger house, probably the ancient manor house or grange of the Priors of Bath. Many hewn stone steps remain in the main street, their worn condition proving them to be very ancient. They were erected for the use of the yeomen’s wives, when wheel carriages were rare, to enable them to mount the pillion behind their husbands. The manor of Bathampton belonged to the Abbey of Bath from time immemorial. In the year 1548, Bishop Barlow included it with Claverton in a bargain of exchange for other lands, formerly the property of the Prior of Bath. In 1553, King Edward granted it to William Crowch, from whom it came into the possession of the family of Popham. Subsequently it passed to the Hungerfords, and after¬ wards to the Bassets. In 1701, it was purchased by * A copy of this singular cross is placed on the porch of Claverton Church. IOO IN AND OUT OF BATH. Richard Holder, through whom it came into the hands of Ralph Allen, who devised it to his brother, Philip Allen, postmaster of Bath, who was succeeded by his son Ralph, father of the late George Edward and Henry Allen, the latter of whom was the father of the present possessor. In the time of William the Conqueror, this manor, then called Hantone, was worth one hundred and ten shillings. In 1292, it was valued at ten marks and a half; its name was then “ Bathentuna.” In 1790, the population was 150; in 1871, it had in¬ creased to 387. In 1770, the poor rates were ^36 ; in 1780, ^74. The average annual expenditure, previous to the formation of the Union, was ^158 ; while at present it is ^377 per annum, on an area of 932 statute acres. The ratable value for appor¬ tioning Union expenditure is ^5,943. We return to the city by the high road, or by the towing-path of the Canal. From the former we obtain a charming view of the tributary valley which winds between Lansdown and Solsbury into Gloucestershire. BATHWICK. Bathwick, called Wiche in Domesday Book, a word signifying “ a retreat,” to which Bath was added, to distinguish it from other places of the same name, was given by King William the Conqueror to WALK THE SECOND. IOI Geoffrey, Bishop of Coutance, in Normandy, to¬ gether with a number of other lordships, amounting in all to 280, situated in various parts of the country, as a reward for his military services. According to Dugdale, this bishop—more skilful in arms than in divinity—was of noble Norman ex¬ traction, and held a distinguished command at the Battle of Hastings. Dying in 1093, many of his estates reverted to the Crown; among others Bath- wick, which was shortly afterwards bestowed on the nunnery of Wherwell, in Hampshire, from which circumstance we find that, in 1293, it was called Wick-Abbas. At the dissolution of religious houses it again became the property of the Crown, and Queen Mary granted it to Sir Edmond Neville, from whom it came to Capel, Earl of Essex, whose des¬ cendant sold it in 1726 to Sir William Pulteney, created Earl of Bath 1742,* in whose family it * The Earldom of Rath, with the minor dignities of Viscount Pulteney, of Wrington, County of Somerset, and Baron of Hedon, County of York, were conferred 14th July, 1742, on the famous statesman William Pulteney, with remainder to the heirs male of his body. His lordship married Anna Maria, daughter of John Gumley, Esq., of Isleworth, Middlesex, and had issue one son, William, Viscount Pulteney, who died unmarried in the lifetime of his father, 1763, and one daughter, who died 1741. aged 14. The Earl died in 1764, when all his honours became extinct, but his great estates devolved on his brother, General Henry Pulteney, who died in 1765. At the General’s death, the Pulteney property devolved on Frances, daughter of Daniel Pul¬ teney, Esq., son of John Pulteney, Esq., uncle of the Earl of Bath. This lady was wife of Sir William Johnstone, Bart., of Westerhall, Dumfriesshire, who took the name of Pulteney. Their only child, 102 IN AND OUT OF BATH. remained until 1808, when, on the death of the Countess of Bath, the estate devolved to the Earl of Darlington, created afterwards first Duke of Cleve¬ land, upon whose father it was entailed in remainder by the Earl of Bath. The Duke, at his death in 1841, devised it to his second son, Lord William Vane, who for family reasons assumed the name of Powlett, the maiden name of his mother, who was the younger daughter and co-heiress of the last Duke of Bolton. In 1864, Lord William succeeded to the Dukedom on the death of Henry, second Duke, and, dying the same year, the estate reverted to Harry, now fourth Duke of Cleveland, youngest son of the first Duke. His Grace is patron of the living, which has been annexed to that of Woolley since the Conquest. According to Collinson, the population of Bath- wick, in 1781, amounted only to 150 souls. It is difficult to point out a place in the kingdom which has improved so rapidly as this once quiet and re¬ tired village. About ninety years ago, it consisted of an irregular street of forty-five houses, near the ancient village church. A stream of water, arising in Claverton Down, ran through the village in an open Henrietta Laura Pulteney, succeeded to the great Pulteney pro¬ perty, and was created Baroness of Bath 26th July, 1792, and Countess of Bath 26th October, 1803. Her ladyship married General Sir James Murray, Bart., who assumed the surname and arms of Pulteney ; and pre-deceased her ladyship. She died 14th August, 1808, without issue, when her peerage honours became extinct, and Bathwick estate, together with Wrington and Burring- ton, as above stated, devolved to the Cleveland family. WALK THE SECOND. IO3 stone channel. Children sported in the meadows which lay between the village and the city, while crowds of visitors crossed the ferry, at the bottom of Boatstall Lane, to enjoy a ramble in the meadows. At this period, in addition to the mill, a broad cloth factory stood near the river. It requires some stretch of imagination to believe that the foregoing passage contains a tolerably ac¬ curate description of Bathwick in 1780. We look in vain for the old-fashioned irregular village, of which but one house (the Crown Inn) in Bathwick Street remains. The ancient church, having fallen to decay, was pulled down, on the building of the new church, and the materials used in the con¬ struction of the Mortuary Chapel, in which are preserved an early English font and a pulpit of more recent date. Collinson, in his history, gives many of the inscriptions which, in his time, ornamented the walls of the old church. Here was interred Mac- kinnon, of Skye, who accompanied the Pretender to Culloden, and carried him off the field. The exposure and privations to which this gallant High¬ land Chieftain was subjected during his perilous escape, caused him to lose the use of his limbs; and, some years afterwards, coming to Bath for the sake of the waters, he died here. Here, too, rests Edward Barlow, M.U., who died a.d. 1844. Possessed of rare gifts and great professional ability he used each alike for the benefit 104 IN AND OUT OF BATH. of the poor, the sick, and the friendless. The Hospitals of the city were especially a pride and a pleasure to him, and no consideration ever induced him to forget their claim on his time and attention. No public memorial of his services has, we believe, been ever erected. Near this chapel stands the church, dedicated to , 3 oljn’s Cfjutcfj and Priarg (Roman Catholic) —built from the design of Mr. Hansom, of Clifton— stands in a cofispicuous position at the end of the South Parade, and is the first object of architectural interest that arrests the attention of visitors entering Bath by the Great Western Railway. The site was purchased from Earl Manvers. The first stone was laid in October, 1861. The internal dimensions of the building are one hundred and forty feet by sixty, in¬ creased at the transept to seventy-three feet. The spire is two hundred feet high. The arcade, separating the nave from the aisles, has circular pillars of polished red Devonshire marble, surmounted by elaborately- carved capitals of Ancaster stone. The walls are faced on both sides with freestone. The chancel is the same height and width as the nave, and is terminated by a semi-octagonal apse. On each side of the chancel are chapels, which are connected by moulded arches. Around the lower portion of the chancel walls is an arcade of moulded arches, resting on marble shafts. Marble shafts are also employed in the window jambs above. The sacristies are placed at the south-east, and connected with the chancel by a corridor running round the apse, and entering be¬ hind the reredos of the high altar. The ground at 124 IN AND OUT OF BATH. the east end being considerably lower than that at the west end, a second range of rooms is obtained under the sacristies, having a corridor communicating with the adjoining priory, the residence of the priests. The Ncin ©fyttrcfj (Swedenborgian), situated in Henry Street, was opened on the 21st July, 1844, where the centenary of their foundation was cele¬ brated in 1856. Six hundred sitting? are provided for the congregation, and beneath the chapel is a lofty, spacious Schoolroom for 100 children, besides a valuable lending library of works in polemic divinity. Mr. Underwood, of Bath, furnished the design, and the cost of its erection was about ,£2,000. A Baptist (Eljapcl has recently been completed on the eastern side of Manvers Street, from the design of Messrs. Wilson and Willcox of Bath. The ancient street, called Horse Street, now Southgate Street (its old name having been changed about fifty years ago, at the suggestion of Mr. Barnes), was a narrow road, having, on either side, houses of a mean appearance, and covered with thatch so late as 1726. It crossed the Barton of Bath, from St. Lawrence’s Bridge to the South Gate. Leland, in 1542, describes the meadows as touching the street on both sides. The west side still preserves the name of Ambrey, denoting a cupboard or storehouse for provisions, to which purpose the buildings were devoted by the monks. In 1726, a great fire occurred, which destroyed a large part of the WALK THE THIRD. 125 ancient houses. The present street is a decided improvement on its predecessor. In 1727, Wood proposed that the General Hospital should be built in the Ambrey Mead, but the land passed into other hands, and ten years elapsed before a site could be obtained. Southgate Street is terminated by the Old Bridge, which was enlarged in 1754, and again in 1847. It is built on or near the site of St. Lawrence’s* Bridge, which was constructed in 1304, to enable the inhabitants to attend the chartered fair, annually held in Holloway, on the 3rd of May. Upon it Prior John de Walcot placed a small oratory, or chapel, wherein the priest said a short prayer for the sick, the lame, and others who passed into the city in search of health or profit. For this service he received the alms of the faithful. Such chapels may still be seen in Roman Catholic countries, although long since unknown in our own. The bridge had a tower, with portcullis, on its south side. According to a custom, common at the time, a line of houses stood on either side the roadway of the bridge. The centre piers were surmounted by two stone figures, the one representing a lion, the other a bear, which were mischievously destroyed in 1799, and thrown into the river. This approach to the city was further guarded by a drawbridge, which crossed the moat in front of the south gate. * See page 40. 126 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Wl DCOM BE. Little less than a century ago, the first house on the “ beach,” as Claverton Street was formerly called, was the Old Pack Horse—an ancient inn, where, it is said, Allen, Pope, Graves, Warburton, Fielding, and other worthies were wont to smoke their pipes, and enjoy agreeable converse. This house was removed in 1824. The curiously-constructed wooden bridge, by which the Great Western railroad passes over the river, here attracts our attention. Crossing in an oblique direction, it required, at the time it was built, much engineering ability to overcome the difficulty; for, although the river at this point is but eighty feet wide, the bridge has two arches, each of eighty feet span.* For the convenience of persons passing to and from Widcombe there is a foot-bridge over the Avon. The entrance from the Widcombe side is near the bottom of Lyncombe Hill. The bridge offers a short cut to the Great Western Railway Station, and to certain parts of the city on the north bank of the river. The rectory of Bath originally comprehended the Abbey, S. Mary de Stall, long since dese¬ crated, the rectory of S. Michael, the rectory of S. * This bridge is about to be removed, and in its stead a new Iron Girder Bridge of a more durable character is to be erected. This bridge will rest on the foundations and piers which support the present structure, but will be more commodious, forming part of a plan for the enlargement and improvement of the permanent way near the Station. WALK THE THIRD. 127 James, and the vicarge of Lyncombe and Widcombe. S. Michael’s was first separated 1842. To serve all these parishes there was the Abbey, then con¬ fined to the choir within the aisles, S. James’s, with its old western tower, Widcombe Church (of Thomas h Becket), and the Chapel of Prior Cantlow in Holloway. The accommodation was manifestly in¬ sufficient, and the first step towards meeting the want was an attempt made to provide fifty extra sittings in Holloway Chapel ; then followed the building of S. Mark’s Church in 1830, and, strange to say, the closing of the Prior’s chapel, during the incumbency of the Rev. Charles Crook. £>. JSflarh’s Cljurd) was built by the late city archi¬ tect, Mr. Manners, and although at the time it was built the principles of “Christian Architecture” were pretty well understood by a few of our architects they were not yet common property. S. Mark’s, fortunately, is not a pretentious building, consisting of a nave, aisles, and western tower, a small recess at the east end being the apology for a chancel. The style is “ four centered.” The Rev. J. W. Sproule is the vicar. The Hon. and Rev. W. J. Brodrick (the late Vis¬ count Middleton) was instituted Rector of Bath in 1839, and he sometime after took steps to separate the Vicarage of Lyncombe and Widcombe from the Abbey and to constitute two distinct and inde¬ pendent vicarages, namely, those of S. Mark and S. Matthew. 128 IN AND OUT OF BATH. 5 . fHattlfcto’s Cljutclj,* at the bottom of Wid- combe Hill, from the designs of Messrs. Manners and Gill, was built in 1847. The site is sloping, and unfortunately has not afforded a sufficient area for so large a church, the consequence being that the ec¬ clesiastical arrangements of the plan are very much cramped. Externally the church, with its gabled roof and broach spire, in the decorated style, lends much to the landscape. The building within is a plane parallelogram, divided by two rows of pillars and arches, with a nave and side aisles; a sort of transept on one side giving accommodation for the parish children in a gallery. A division of the nave is se¬ parated off as a chancel by a handsome stone screen right and left, with a stone pulpit in its usual place. Funds were wanting when the church was built, which will account for its plain character; but the late vicar, the Rev. G. E. Tate, has enriched the eastern window, filled it with coloured glass, and erected a reredos from the drawings of Mr. C. E. Davis, of tolerably good design (though scarcely im¬ portant enough); and in the cornice of which is the following inscription :—“ Christ is all in all; The same yesterday, to-day, and for ever; Head over all things to the Church.” In 1873, the Rev. G. E. * The bells in the tower, six in number, are fine, some bearing inscriptions. They were formerly in the tower of "Old Widcombe Church,” whence, on the building of S. Mat¬ thew’s, they were removed. We are familiar with the proverb •' robbing Peter to pay Paul; ” mu tat is mutandis —a ringingof the changes — and the proverb receives a new illustration, S. Matthew being enriched at the expense of S. Thomas a Recket. WALK THE THIRD. I 29 Tate resigned the benefice, and was succeeded by the present vicar, the Rev. W. A. Cornwall. At the bottom of Lyncombe hill, nearly opposite the mill, stands what was once a villa, formerly occupied, it is said, by the poet Pope. It is seen to the best advantage from the bank of the river. A little beyond was Ralph Allen’s stone wharf, to which was conveyed the freestone from the quarries on Combe Down. A tramway ran down the Carriage Road to the river side. In an old view, still extant, ladies and gentlemen may be seen walking to Prior Park by the side of the tramroad. At the end of Widcombe Parade we turn the corner leading to Prior Park Buildings. From this point a short walk conducts us to the (Cemctcro connected with the parish of St. Peter and St. Paul, commonly called the Abbey parish. It was laid out by a former Rector of Bath, the Hon. and Rev. W. J. Brodrick, afterwards Dean of Exeter, and who, on the death of his brother, Viscount Midleton, in 1863, suc¬ ceeded to the title. He died in 1870. It now forms an integral portion of the Abbey parish, under an Act of Parliament, enabling city parishes to incor¬ porate certain suburban districts for cemeteries. This city of the dead boasts scenic surroundings of unusual beauty. The chapel is a fair specimen of the Anglo-Norman J style. Mr. Manners’ original design comprehended cloisters for the erection of monuments. These cloisters would have formed three sides of an ex- K 130 IN AND OUT OF BATH. tensive quadrangle, the non-completion of which has thrown the building out of proportion. A little below is a stone, representing a Roman altar, which tells us of three skeletons found during the formation of the Cemetery. In the course of the work some coins of Constantine the Great and Carausius were discovered. From the Cemetery, as already implied, varied and extensive views are obtained. The back of Beechen Cliff towers 360 feet above the city, which, stretches up the slopes of Lansdown. To the west¬ ward is “ Bagatelle ” formerly a public tea garden. Below lies Perrymead, with a road leading through an archway to Pope’s favourite walk. Eastward are the fHanor ^ousse and plantations, and the picturesque ivy-covered tower of the Parts!) Cfjurcl) of ® 5 SfticomfiE, dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket (see frontispiece). It was built between the years 1499 and 1525, by a rate of 6d. in the pound, ordered by the “chapel wardens” in 1502. This church has been lately restored, and the chancel entirely re¬ built; the windows are filled with painted glass, the gifts of many donors. As figures were not permitted, the subjects are selections from the various shrubs and flowers mentioned in the Bible. An elaborate stone screen divides the chancel from the vestry, and a beautiful window, which may be called a “Jesse window,” lights the chancel eastward. A new stone pulpit utilises the staircase turret, that once led to the rood loft. A singularly beautiful view is afforded WALK THE THIRD. 131 from the churchyard on the south. It was a favourite resort of Savage Landor, who purchased there a plot of earth for his last resting-place. His body, however, lies in another land.* To the south is Prior Park; on the east are the grounds and mansion of “Crowe Hall,” the residence of H. W. Tugwell, Esq., while Lyncombe Hill, with its diversified scenery, completes the picture. The (2Tatf)olfc Purging Cirotmh, separated from the so-called Abbey Cemetery by a wall only, is in excellent taste. A conspicuous object in this cemetery is the Mortuary Chapel of Count Eyre, with its elaborate altar, designed by Mr. Charles Hansom, and executed in alabaster by Bolton, of Cheltenham. PRIOR PARK Can be approached either by the Carriage Road, or by Pope’s Walk, through the archway. The associations connected with this celebrated spot, and its many distinguished occupants, will afford pleasure to the intelligent mind, and fancy, in her sportive moments, will repeople it with the spirits of the illustrious dead. “A mile a this syde Bathe,” says old Leland, “by south est, I saw 2 parks enclosyd with a minus stone wall now withe out dere. One longyd to the byshoppe, and other to the prior of Bathe.” This park, from the circumstance of its belonging to the priory, received the name by which it is still known, * Mr. Landor died and is buried at Florence. i 3 2 IN AND OUT OF BATH. and at the dissolution was included in the lands bought of the king by Humphrey Colles. The mansion, with which the park is crowned, was designed and erected as a standing protest against the reflections cast by London architects upon the Bath oolite or freestone. With this view a commission was given by Ralph Allen in 1738, to Wood, the architect, to erect an edifice sufficiently important in itself to command attention, and in its construction to spare no expense, as a means of showing to the world what could be done with such valuable building material as that at his command. For such a purpose it would have been difficult to choose a better spot. The house, looking down a vista of shady woods and undulating lawns through the pretty glen of Widcombe, with its sheet of water crossed by a Palladian bridge, is said to comprise a more beautiful and varied view than any other private residence in the kingdom, embracing as it does an extensive prospect of the city and its environs, with Lansdown, Beckford’s Tower, and Beacon Hill. Its lofty situation, its fine portico, and the grandeur of its elevation, render it a conspicuous and interesting object from almost every part of the city. The mansion, which occupies a natural terrace one hundred feet belowthe summit levelof Combe Down, lies in front of the Wansdyke, here obliterated by fir plantations and gardens. The house stands four hundred feet above the level of the Avon. It con- WALK THE THIRD. 133 sists of a centre and two wings, united by arcades, and forms a beautiful line of building thirteen hundred feet long, describing the segment of a circle. The house, which is one hundred and fifty feet in breadth, is of the Corinthian order, elevated on a rustic base¬ ment, surmounted by a portico, and reached by a noble flight of steps. This portico was considered, at the time of its erection, to be the most beautiful and correct example of a six columned portico, in the kingdom. Prior Park, after many vicissitudes, is for a second time occupied as a Catholic collegiate establishment. The College consists of three branches :—St. Peter’s for younger boys, up to fourteen; St. Paul’s for elder students, up to about eighteen; and the Seminary for those who, intending to embrace the ecclesiastical state, go through a complete course of philosophy and moral and dogmatic theo¬ logy. The institution is primarily designed for lay education, but as many of the students intend to take orders, facilities are afforded for the ecclesi¬ astical course. The (Hdjurri), which is being erected in the Corinthian style — the arrangement of which is similar to the old Basilica Churches — consists of nave, apse, aisles and six side chapels, the proportions of the columns being regulated accordingly. The structure is built with the lodge stile stone found on the estate. The semi-dome of the apse and the panels sur¬ rounding the high altar are intended to be filled with J 34 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Venetian mosaics. A fine specimen of this work by Salviati—the figure of St. J ohn the Evangelist—may be seen over the altar of one of the side chapels, which has been finished as a memorial to the late Dr. Bonomi. The dimensions of the Church are 120 feet long by 47 feet wide and 55 feet high. Two towers over the west entrance rising to'a height of 115 feet, and overlooking the surrounding woods, will form, with the body of the Church, an ornament to the College, and a pleasing break to the sky line as seen from Bath. It was commenced by the late J. J. Scoles, Esq., of London, under whom the walls were partially carried up, and after an interval of some years, is being completed by his son, A. J. C. Scoles, Esq. It is thought that it will be one of the finest, if not the finest, specimens of pure classic style in the west of England; it will be sufficiently advanced for opening in 1876. Prior Park is, however, especially deserving of notice from having been the residence of a man who did more for the permanent prosperity of Bath than any of the worthies of the last century. It is difficult to delineate the character of &alpl) 311 m, without being unconsciously led away by the pane¬ gyrics of contemporary writers. He was a good, rather than a great man. Possessed of the most be¬ nevolent disposition, his celebrity, in a great measure, rests upon the fact of his intimacy with, and un- WALK THE THIRD. 1 35 ostentatious acts of kindness towards men, who, at the outset of their career, needed a friend, and who, by their talents and exertions, subsequently became both good and great. The friend of Pope, Fielding, Smollett, Warburton, and Graves, is entitled to the admiration and respect of their admirers ; and when it is remembered that ample riches in his hands were not allowed to lie idle, but were con¬ stantly fructifying in deeds of undemonstrative benevolence, it is not surprising that Pope, in his Epilogue to the Satires, should thus speak of him (Dialogue i. v. 135-6) :— " Let humble Allen, with an awkward shame, Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame.” Ralph Allen* was born at St. Blazey, in Cornwall, in the year 1693. His father, who was a small inn¬ keeper, had little to give him beyond a fair educa¬ tion. The son, after acting as clerk in the Exeter Post-office, was preferred to a similar appointment at Bath. Here, by vigilant observation, and by opening suspicious letters,t he obtained information * There has been no trustworthy biography of Mr. Allen written. Many of the sketches given of him have been, for the most- part, mere inventions. The best notice of his life we believe to be that written by the late Rev. Francis Kilvert, entitled “Ralph Allen and Prior Park,” and published in his Posthumous Works. f Some writers have attributed to Allen in this act an un¬ warrantable officiousness, but Mr. Kilvert says, and we think he is right, “ it is probable that, at that critical juncture, the letters were suspected, and that Mr. Allen was authorised to open them.” Whatever might have been the fact it is quite clear he acted with discretion. 136 IN AND OUT OF BATH. of arms sent to Bath for the use of those who favoured the Pretender. “ When,” says Dr. Haring- ton, “the rebellion burst out, a numerous junto in Bath took most active measures to aid the in¬ surrection in the west of England; and Mr. Carte, the minister of the Abbey parish when Allen detected the plot, was glad to escape from the constables by leaping in full canonicals from a window.” The intelligence thus acquired by Allen was at once communicated by him to the celebrated Marshal Wade, who at that time commanded the Western district; and the Marshal was so pleased with the act, that he procured for him the appoint¬ ment of postmaster of Bath, and married him to his natural daughter, Miss Earl. In 1742, Allen filled the office of Mayor of Bath, and, retiring from the Corporation in 1763, presented the city with ^500 towards the expense of rebuilding the Guildhall. So unshaken was his loyalty that, on the breaking out of the rebellion in 1745, he clothed and equipped 100 Volunteers at his own expense. Seven years later, in 1752, he received the Princess Amelia as his guest at Prior Park. During Allen’s connexion with the Post-office, he applied himself to the establishment of cross-posts, which he perfected, and having obtained a lease from Government for twenty-one years, at _£ 6 ,ooo per annum, he found the speculation so profitable that he was glad to obtain a renewal of the grant at an WALK THE THIRD. 137 increased annual rental of ,£20,000. The influence which, during this time, he acquired in the city was so great, that he was enabled to secure the election of men of his own choice as representa¬ tives in Parliament. As his wealth increased,* his house was opened to all the wits and literary characters of his age. Among others, he sought out Pope, and loaded him with kindness, but was requited by him with ingratitude and contumely. Not content with Allen’s great attention to himself, Pope wished him to give up the Manor House of Bathampton to Martha Blount, his reputed mistress.f * Much of his wealth was no doubt acquired from the manner in which he developed the stone quarries upon his estate, and the business-like sagacity he displayed in this as in all other matters. He had his detractors, amongst whom was Thicknesse, one of the most ill-natured of mankind. He says : “While he was supposed to be gaining a princely fortune by digging stone from the bowels of the earth, be actually picked it off the surface, by traversing the whole kingdom with post horses.” On this Mr. Kilvert says, that having regard for the magnitude of the contracts and their profitable nature, the insinuation that the business done was only a feint to cover his large, and by implication, illegiti¬ mate gains in connection with the government contract, is wholly groundless. + The scandal here referred to was very generally believed during Pope’s lifetime, and long afterwards ; but the reputation of Pope and Miss Blount has been amply vindicated, and their relations placed on a clear and just footing by the late Mr. Chas. Wentworth Dilke, in a series of articles published in the Athcnceum a quarter of a century ago, and re-published in his “ Papers of a Critic ” by Mr. Murray. It by no means follows that Mr. Allen believed the stories then current with regard to Pope and Martha Blount, but supposing the refusal to allow Miss Blount to occupy his house to have been the true cause of the 138 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Allen was, it is said, annoyed at the proposal, and positively refused to do so; upon which the poet quitted the house, spoke contemptuously of his best friend, and in his will ordered his executors to pay Allen the sum of ^150, as the amount due for his entertainment at Prior Park. Allen paid this sum into the funds of the Bath General Hospital, quietly observing that, at the best of times, Mr. Pope was not a good accountant, and when he mentioned ^150 as measuring the amount of his obligation, he had omitted a cipher in the amount. Allen also be¬ friended Fielding, not with hospitality only, but with money; it is well known that whilst the Squire Allworthy of “Tom Jones” is intended for Allen, some of the finest descriptions of scenery in the novel are applicable to Prior Park. Allen ably seconded Wood in the improvement of the city; and was one of the earliest supporters of the Bath Hospital, to which he not only contri¬ buted sums of money, but delivered, ready worked, at the building, all the stone required for its erection. One of the wards of that noble institution is appro¬ priately named after him, and in the corridor of the principal floor a beautiful bust of white marble, from the chisel of William Hoare, was placed by Bishop rupture, we can conceive many reasons to justify the refusal besides that assigned and generally accepted. Mr. Elwin, in his elaborate edition of Pope's Works, mercilessly exposes the vanity, trickery, and literary impostures of which he was guilty, but fully recognises the completeness of Mr. Dilke’s exculpation of the Poet from the charge of immorality. WALK THE THIRD. 139 Warburton as a public record of the benevolence of one who appears constantly to have kept in mind Archbishop Whitgift’s motto, on his noble foundation at Croydon, in Surrey— " He that giveth to the poor will never want.” In conclusion, it may be observed that riches in the hands of such a man appear to have exerted their legitimate influence, by dispensing happiness to all around. His virtues deck his tomb with undying honour. From the contemplation of such deeds we arise to the consciousness that the philan¬ thropist may be more worthy of respect than the warrior, however glorious his victories. Allen married as his second wife Elizabeth Holder, and dying in 1764, at the age of 71, was buried under a handsome mausoleum in Claverton church¬ yard. Closely connected with the history of Prior Park is the name of the celebrated Bishop Warburton. ®2EtIItam TOarhurton, descended from a knightly family of the county palatine of Chester, was born on Christmas eve, 1698, at Newark-upon-Trent, where his father practised as a solicitor. In the year 1714, he was articled to Mr. Kirke, an attorney at Great Markham. After devoting four years to the study of the law, he applied himself to theology, was ordained deacon in 1723, and priest in 1726. Pre¬ sented in 1728, to the rectory of Brand Broughton, in Lincolnshire, he resided there until 1746; and during that period wrote his “ Alliance between 140 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Church and State,” which was followed by the first and second volumes of his celebrated work, “ The Divine Legation of Moses Demonstrated.” With regard to the merits of the production, the judgment of contemporary critics was much divided. While some considered it a work of such profound learning, that, in the whole range of theological literature, it would be difficult to find its equal, others con¬ demned it as deficient in proof; whilst a few maintained that the huge mass of learning brought to bear on the demonstration of that divine mission, tended to raise a doubt of its credibility from the apparent difficulty of the proof, and the immense labour taken to elucidate it. Warburton, while at Broughton, defended Pope’s fine poem, “ The Essay on Man,” from the attacks of a French critic, Monsieur de Crousaz. This led to his acquaintance with the poet, who procured for him the patronage of Mr. Murray, afterwards the great Lord Mansfield, and introduced him to the hospitable board of his friend, Ralph Allen. It is strange upon what trivial circumstances the destinies of men appear to depend. Warbur- ton’s introduction to Allen was, of itself, perhaps, apparently unimportant, but it exercised a great in¬ fluence on his future fortunes. First we see the man of letters employing his leisure hours in com¬ bating the attack of an unknown critic on a poem written by a stranger; then an invitation given by the author is accepted by his defender, Warburton, WALK THE THIRD. 141 who proposed at once to visit Pope at his Twick¬ enham residence. It happened, however, that the poet was absent and at Prior Park, and Warburton’s letter was handed to him whilst at dinner, where¬ upon he, agitated and perplexed, laid it on the table. “What is the matter?” said Allen. “Oh, replied he, “a Lincolnshire parson, to whom I am much obliged, promises me a visit.” “ If that be all, let him come here;” and this was Warburton’s intro¬ duction to his future home ! In 1746, Warburton married Allen’s favourite niece, Gertrude Tucker, and resided at Prior Park. He was not, however, long allowed to remain in retirement, for, in the following year, he was elected preacher at Lincoln’s Inn. In 1747, he published an edition of Shakspeare’s Plays; in 1749, he vin¬ dicated Pope in the affair of Bolingbroke’s Patriot King; and, in 1750, published “Julian.” In the year 1751, he gave to the world an edition of Pope’s Works; and this was followed, in 1754, by his “ Principles of Natural and Revealed Religion.” Warburton’s rise in the church had not hitherto been rapid ; but, in 1753, he was appointed to a stall in Gloucester Cathedral, which, by Murray’s interest, he exchanged for one in Durham in 1755. Shortly afterwards, Archbishop Herring gave him the degree of D.D. It is not a little remarkable in the history of an Anglican Prelate of modern times, that throughout life he had no connexion with either University. 142 IN AND OUT OF BATH. In 1757, Warburton was made Dean of Bristol; and in 1760, was raised to the see of Gloucester.* His subsequent labours consisted in preparing new editions of his works, with some lesser controversial writings directed against Bishop Lowth, J ohn Wesley, and the Socinians. In right of his wife, he took possession of Prior Park at Allen’s death ; and de¬ voted himself so closely to literary pursuits, that the king, not having seen him at court for some time, asked him if he had just left his diocese ? War- burton was a shrewd man; and, knowing wherein his power lay, replied, “No; but I have, at Prior Park, been combating the enemies of that faith of which your Majesty is the zealous defender.” He died on the 7th June, 1779, and was buried in Glou¬ cester Cathedral. “ He was,” says Dr. Johnson, “ a man of vigorous faculties; a mind fervent and vehement, supplied by incessant and unlimited enquiry, with wonderful extent and a variety of knowledge. To every work he brought a memory full fraught, together with a fancy fertile in original combinations, exerting the powers of the scholar, the reasoner, and the wit. But his knowledge was too multifarious to be always exact; his pursuits too eager to be always cautious. His abilities gave him a haughty confidence, which he disdained to conceal or mollify. His impatience * The works of Warburton, with a life by Bishop Hurd, were published in 7 vols., 4to., in 1788-94, and a selection from his un¬ published papers was edited by the late Rev. F. Kilvert, and published 1841. WALK THE THIRD. 143 of opposition disposed him to treat his adversaries with such contemptuous superiority as made his readers his enemies, and excited against the advo¬ cate the wishes of some who favoured the cause. He used no allurements of gentle language, but wished to compel rather than persuade. His style is copious without selection, and forcible without neatness. He took his words as they presented themselves, and his sentences are unmeasured.” Dr. Hurd,* Bishop of Worcester, thus delineates his character:—“ He possessed those virtues which are so important in society, truth, probity and honour, in the highest degree, with a frankness of temper very uncommon, and a friendship to those he loved which knew no bounds. Not suspicious or captious in the least; quick, indeed, in his resent¬ ment of real injuries, but then again (as is natural to such tempers) of the utmost placability. He had an ardent love of virtue, and the most sincere love of religion; was free from bigotry, intolerance and fanaticism. He venerated the civil constitution of the country, and was warmly attached to the Church of England. He was no party man, but the sincere advocate of toleration. As a writer and divine, it is not easy to find terms that will do justice to his merits : his reading was various and extensive, and his discernment exquisite ; he saw and seized on what was just and useful in every science he culti- * The late Rev. Francis Kilvert, it may here be mentioned, wrote the life of this able Prelate, published by Bentley in i860. 144 IN AND OUT OF BATH. vated, and in every book he read. His style was his own; its characters are freedom and force. He was the terror of the infidel and Socinian.* “ In mixed society he was extremely entertaining, but less guarded than men of the world usually are, disposed to take to himself a larger share of the conversation than good breeding would allow; yet few wished him to be more reserved, or less com¬ municative, so abundant was the entertainment which his ready wit and extensive knowledge afforded. In private he was natural, easy and unpretending, at once the most agreeable and most useful companion. You saw to the bottom of his heart on any subject of discourse; his various literature, penetrating judgment, and quick recollection made him say the liveliest and justest things upon it.” It is, indeed, difficult to decide which of these sketches conveys to posterity the more accurate pic¬ ture. While Dr. Hurd writes with too partial a pen, Dr. Johnson is, perhaps, too acrimonious; and yet we see throughout Dr. Hurd’s remarks that truth com¬ pels him to admit many failings. The fact is, Bishop Warburton’s works display an unnecessary and ostentatious parade of learning, where truth needs only close and convincing argument for its elucidation. His attacks on the Socinians are not the gentle corrections of a friend seeking to con¬ vince, but rather the castigations of an enemy * In spite of Bishop Hurd, we may doubt whether he at all disturbed Gibbon in his complacent scepticism. WALK THE THIRD. *45 anxious to triumph. His works, erudite as they are, please no longer; and the negative merit must be accorded to him of having been a man who steadily maintained the doctrines of his church, without doing much for the advancement of vital and essential religion. His intentions were good, but his manner rendered them inoperative, so that his works are now perused rather for their learning than for edifi¬ cation or religious study. In his own day he enjoyed immense popularity. He sought in polemics for mere temporary honours, which his natural vanity taught him to consider eternal; so that his works, which were greatly praised during his life-time, are now consigned to comparative oblivion. COMBE DOWN. Leaving Prior Park, we soon reach the gates of the Carriage Road, and, turning to the left, follow the highway for a short distance till we come to a gate, which conducts us to the Monument Field, so named from a triangular building, with a round tower, erected by Bishop Warburton, whereon was formerly a tablet, with a Latin inscription, in honour of Ralph Allen. It contains the remains of a circular staircase, now crumbling through neglect. The structure promises, at no distant date, to become a ruin. A portion of the Wansdyke may be seen, near the wall. From the brow of the hill, one of the most picturesque and perfect views of the city is obtained. 146 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Immense blocks of freestone are taken out of the quarries on Combe Down, and are at once worked into convenient forms for the builder. The stone belongs to the great oolite, and as its name implies is to a considerable extent made up of egg-like granules, mixed with which are to be observed the comminuted and broken fragments of shells; but, as a collecting ground for geologists, the beds are not so rich as at Hampton Down, nor are they to be compared with deposits of the same age found in Gloucestershire. The upper raggy beds oc¬ casionally yield some corals, and the freestone, shells of the genera Terebratula, Lima , Trigonia, Avicula, &c. The stone was formerly worked by underground levels, but is now usually reached from the surface, the workable beds being about 25 feet in thickness. It is at first soft, and thus worked at small cost; but it possesses the valuable property of becoming hard from drying after exposure to the air. Great quantities are at present being extracted from the different oolitic quarries of the district. Combe Down, forming part of the parish of Monckton Combe, has long been celebrated for the purity and salubrity of the air. The situation, on the brow of a hill, sloping to the south, together with its proximity to the city, renders it a delightful and convenient residence for invalids. During the last few years many elegant villa residences have been built on the brow of the hill, commanding most beautiful prospects. Its patrons affirm that it enjoys WALK THE THIRD. 147 a protection from the cold north winds, which, in their passage over the warm vale of Bath, are assumed to be deprived of their severity. The Village lies open to the full sweep of the southerly and westerly winds, and a splendid and diversified view over a beautiful, undulating country, embracing Longleat, Clay Hill, the White Horse, Stourton Tower, Midford Castle, and the Wiltshire Downs, renders it desirable as a Summer residence. Opera¬ tions, we believe, have been begun, the object of which is to effect a better system of drainage, and obtain a better supply of pure water. Very different is its aspect from what it was when Mr. Rack* wrote his description, in 1780. “The village of Combe Down,” he says, “ consists of eleven houses, built of the stone raised on the spot, each of which has a small garden in front, originally built for the workmen employed in the quarries. They are now let to invalids from Bath, who retire hither for the sake of a very fine air, from which many have derived essential benefit. The beautiful and extensive prospect, the wild but pleasing irregu¬ larities of the scenery, the extensive plantations of fir, which throw a solemn gloominess of shade, impervious to the sun and winds, over a fine soft turf free from underwood — all serve to render it a delightful summer retreat.” * The founder of the Bath and West of England Society ; author of a volume of Essays and Poems; and an able collaborator of Collinson, in his compilation of the History of the County of Somerset. 148 IN AND OUT OF BATH. The firs are nearly all gone, except within the walls of Prior Park. The (Eljurclj, in the Perpen¬ dicular Gothic style, with a chaste and elegant spire, was consecrated in 1835. Near it stands a neat parsonage house. Formerly this district, as well as Monckton Combe, was part of the ecclesi¬ astical parish of Southstoke, but the two districts were subdivided into Perpetual Curacies by the former rector, the late Rev. H. Calverley. The Rev. G. W. Newnham has held the Perpetual Curacy of this district since 1842. A little below the church, the road winds towards Monckton Combe. Few persons will probably pass the first curve, without pausing to admire a view, that to our thinking is of ex¬ ceeding loveliness. MONCKTON COMBE. This Village lies in the valley below Combe Down, and consists of a single irregular street. The church, of which the Rev. A. G. Grigstock is the incumbent, has recently been re-built, the former edifice, erected in 1814, being found totally in¬ adequate to the wants of the parish. The present structure consists of a west tower, nave, and south aisle. The style is that of the 13 th century. The parsonage stands on a beautiful site at the west end of the village. The late incumbent erected a neat and commodious schoolroom for the use of his people. The following lines, from the pen of Thomas WALK THE THIRD. 149 Campbell, are engraven on the monument of Mrs. Shute and her daughters, who were accidentally drowned at Chepstow, on Sunday, Sept. 20, 1812 :— We quote only the first and last stanzas. “ In deep submission to the will above, Yet with no common cause for human tears, This stone, for the lost partner of his love, And for his children lost, a mourner rears. Oh ! may each passer-by the lesson learn, Which can alone the bleeding heart sustain, (When friendship weeps at virtue's funeral urn) That to the pure in heart—‘ to die is gain.’ ” Against the north wall of the chancel is a tablet tomb, with a pediment terminating in three altars, having three Latin verses, alternately hexameters and pentameters. The following lines may serve to convey the meaning :— Rice Mansell, knight ; his daughter, Katheryne, From home thou art, the wife of Basset's squire. Bevvper thy home ; and where they did enshrine Morgan, the Briton's king, thou didst a babe respire. Thy term of years was eight times ten ; but Time Thine age sustained, and his, who was thy care ; A youthful pair Love joined, and here they join In death, who had of days and years an equal share. His junior seven years ; when they had wedded been That term of life, she was a widow seven ; So that each had of time an equal share, And the same day unlocked to both the gate of heaven. William Bassett, Died a.d. 1586, Aged 80, March 10. Katheryne Bassett, Died a.d. 1593, Aged 80, March 10. Thomas Leyson, posuit. i5° IN AND OUT OF BATH. The last line of this epitaph we transcribe for its exquisite beauty. It evidently alludes to their dying on the same day of the month, and, as will be seen, at the same age “Vitae ambo et mortis par fuit ipsa dies.” This old tablet tomb has been carefully placed at the end of the west aisle of the new church. Collinson calls this village Combe Monkton; but says that its name is simply Combe, the affix being added to mark it as the property of the Abbey of Bath. The mansion of Combe Grove, the property and residenceof Major Vaughan Jenkins, lies on the brow of the hill north of the village. From the terrace a fine view of the valley of Midford is obtained. In Domesday Book, this manor is called Cu?ne , a word signifying a valley; from time immemorial it was possessed by the Abbey of Bath. Its value at the Conquest was ,£8; at the Reformation, ,£20. Its rateable value, for apportioning Union expen¬ diture, is .£5,172, on an area of 540 statute acres. In 1780, it paid £103 poor rates, the population being 280. According to the last census, it contains 1,388 souls. The poor rates now average £324 yearly. Proceeding through the village to the Somerset coal canal, we catch a glimpse of the Viaduct, and from this point are able to estimate all the quiet loveliness of the vale. In character, it is thoroughly English. Wooded uplands; a babbling brook, well WALK THE THIRD. I 5 I stocked with coarse fish, and containing, especially in its higher part, a fair stock of trout; rich meadows, and glimpses of distant hills, constitute its claim to our notice. Nor is this all, for on the right is a chain of ponds,* half hid in a beautiful dell, spanned by a viaduct (see illustration), which forms part of the Somerset and Dorset line. MIDFORD. Of Midford, in 1588, Leland thus speaks:—“I cam to a village, and passid over a stone bridge they caullid Milford water. This broke risith yn the roots of Mendip hilles, about a 7 miles or more by west south-west from this bridge, and goith a mile lower into Avon.” The hamlet is remarkable for its modern castle, which occupies a commanding situation. It is of singular construction, being triangular, and having the angles rounded off, and embattled. Erected on a beautiful slope, the lower terrace is raised to a con¬ siderable height, and is surrounded by a balustrade. On the north and east there is a deep glen, the sides of which are clothed with fine coppice woods, intersected with walks, and ornamented with flower¬ ing shrubs. When the house was erected, the owner built a Gothic priory on the brow of the hill, overlooking Horsecombe brook. At a little distance from it, in a thick mass of shade, stands a so-called hermitage, * We have seen the lower one as clear and blue as a mountain tarn. !5 2 IN AND OUT OF BATH. the effect of which is good and the scene below charming. At Midford, prior to the opening of the railway, the produce of the coal-pits at Radstock was brought by tramway to the canal. Close to the village an ingenious contrivance for weighing a barge and its cargo may be seen. The length of this ramble, if the tourist has not strayed far from the line of march indicated, may be between five and six miles, and as he is now within sight of the Midford Railway Station, we will, for the sake of convenience, assume that he there takes his ticket, and wends his way back to the city. IN AND OUT OF BATH. WALK THE FOURTH. How WE FIND OUR WAY OUT OF THE TOWN TO Southstoke; the Church; the Manor in the Olden Time; on to Combe Hay; the Mansion, Park, Church, and Graveyard; the Poet Carrington : Biographical Sketch; Home by P'ortnight Hill and the Radstock Road. TARTING from the city, we pass down South- O gate Street; cross the Old Bridge; mount the steep ascent of Holloway; and following a road, which runs nearly due south, reach the Cross Keys, once a wayside hostelry of more note than at present. A few yards beyond the inn is the parish lane leading to SOUTHSTOKE. Passing by an ancient grange in the homestead of a farm-house, we reach the church, repaired and 1 54 IN AND OUT OF BATH. enlarged in 1845, under the direction of Mr. Manners. At the west end, the quadrangular em¬ battled tower, having a turret and pinnacles, rises to the height of fifty feet. It is of the fifteenth century, and was, in all probability, erected in the reign of Henry VII., for Wharton relates that during the wars of the roses, Somersetshire was decidedly Lancasterian. In return for the aid afforded by the county, Henry rebuilt many of the churches. The northern doorway is a beautiful specimen of Norman work. There is also a Norman font. The pulpit is of stone, in the style of the church. The alterations reflect great credit on the then vicar, the late Rev. H. Calverley, at whose expense, aided by a grant from the Diocesan Society, they were brought to a conclusion. Mr. Calverley, at his own cost, also erected, in 1840, a neat village school. This gentle¬ man died in 1S74, and was succeeded by the Rev. W. Acworth. At the Conquest, this manor existed in two separate lordships, as it had done in the reign of Edward the Confessor. William gave one to the Bishop of Coutance, the other to Earl Morton; the former was taxed for seven hides, the latter for five and a half, while a small portion was not taxed. In an old lease, preserved in the Harleian MSS., the following memorandum occurs :— “ That the vicar, for the time being, should have going and pasturing freely with the farmer’s beasts there, for three beasts; whereof one shall be a horse, WALK THE FOURTH. 155 mare, or gelding, the second a kowe, and the third a bullock; the first with the farmer's mares, his kowe with the farmer’s kine, and his bullock with the farmer’s bullocks, in certain leases and pastures, that is to say, in Erode close, Grove close, and Shephouse close, from time to time, as it has been used and accustomed time owte of mind." Descending by Hod’s Hill, we reach the canal, where, at the beginning of Combehay, the cele¬ brated Weldon erected a caisson lock, in 1798, for the ascent and descent of barges, the situation of which is close to the residence of Mr. Hill, the Engineer to the Somerset Coal Canal Company, and the lower end of the chamber is marked by a chestnut tree, planted by Mr. Hill’s father. The drop was sixty feet, and the walls are believed to be still perfect, as when filled up. It consisted of a wooden chamber, capable of containing a barge, with a gate at each end. The vessel having entered it, the gates were shut, a sufficient quantity of water to float it being first admitted; it was then either raised or lowered by appropriate machinery, the perpendicular height from the surface of the lower canal to that of the upper being 132 feet. The caisson having proved a failure, the transit is now effected by twenty-two ordinary locks, in the space of rather more than a mile. In 1871, the population was 355, and the poor rates amount, on an average, to ,£150. IN AND OUT OF EATH. 156 COMBEHAY, OR HAWEY. A lovely spot thou art Combehay ! Thy trees With golden fruit, around each humble cot, Are deeply laden, when Autumnal winds Sweep o’er the well-reap’d fields, where corn has been, Thy Winter is enlivened by the yew, From which, in days gone by, strong bows were made ; And sav’ry herbs, in sickness much extolled. Grow ’midst the fragrant flowers of thy vale. This was the only manor in Somerset given by William to his half-brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, and Earl of Kent, reputed to be the wisest among the Conqueror’s generals, but who, in this and the succeeding reign, was constantly involved in plots and conspiracies. The manor, on the deprivation of Odo, was given to the family of Hawey, from whom it received its second appellation. It remained in their possession until the reign of King Edward I., when an heiress brought it to the Stradlings, who held it until 1684. It has since had a variety of owners, and is now the property of Samuel Butler, Esq. The mansion house is one of the most convenient in the vicinity of Bath, and when in the possession of the late Colonel Leigh, w r as honoured by the presence of the Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV., and other members of the Royal Family. It contains some valuable pictures, and is situated on a lawn sloping down to an ornamental piece of water. The park contains a happy mixture of hill, dale, and wood. The village church, which nestles close to the house, is hid almost from view by evergreens, its WALK THE FOURTH. *57 ivy-covered tower surmounting a modern nave and chancel. The whole body of the church has been restored; a new high-pitch open roof the whole length of the church from the tower, three arches, a new south aisle, and vestry, have been erected during the past year, at the sole expense of Mr. Butler; while stained glass windows have been added respectively by Mr. Hill, Mr. Webb, the Rector, Mr. Butler, and Mrs. Barnard, late of the parish, has also placed a very handsome one at the west end, In Memoriam , of her late husband, all of which are by Messrs. Bell and Son, Bristol; some handsomely carved stalls have been placed in the chancel at the cost of the Rector. The tower was built in the fifteenth, while the remainder of the building itself is of the eighteenth century. The Rev. C. C. Layard is the rector. “Forty-one years ago the remains of N. T. Car¬ rington, the gifted author of ‘ Dartmoor ’ and other descriptive poems, were interred at Combehay. Yet a stranger, visiting the spot and looking for his grave, would have sought it in vain, except by a reference to the old parish register, which faithfully records his burial and other less interesting facts for a period of more than 300 years. No slab, not even a headstone and scarcely a mound, marked the spot, where all that was mortal of the amiable poet lies commingled with its kindred dust among the rude forefathers of this picturesque hamlet At a meet¬ ing held on the 22nd June, 1871, the members of the Bath Literary Club, anxious to do honour to 158 IN AND OUT OF BATH. his memory, and supported by the liberality of the Rev. John Buttanshaw, then rector of the parish, erected within the church, a handsome brass mural tablet, beautifully engraved and illuminated, bearing the following inscription :— M. s. N. T. Carrington, Poetas, Cui dulces in carmine musas nomen insigne dederunt, Yixit annos liii., Obiit die 2 Septembris, mdcccxxx. Amici quidam votem amabilem honorandi gratia, hoc monumentum posuerunt.” Since the accomplishment of this generous act of the Literary Club, a beautiful Gothic tomb of Cheesering granite has been placed over the Poet's grave, bearing the following inscription :— "Sacred to the Memory of the Poet, N. T. Carrington, Who Died the 2nd September, 1830, Aged 53 years.” This has been done by a younger son of the Poet, Mr. W. M. Carrington, of H.M.’s Dockyard, Devon- port, and is alike creditable to his taste, and the filial respect and love to his father’s memory, by which it was prompted. The following brief biography is abstracted from the edition of his poems, published, in 1834, by the poet’s eldest son, Mr. Henry Edmund Carrington.* * The late Henry Edmund Carrington was for 28 years proprietor and editor of the Bath Chronicle. In describing the character of his father, he in many respects unconsciously pourtrayed his WALK THE FOURTH. J S9 “ Carrington was born at Plymouth, in 1777, and at fifteen was apprenticed to Mr. Fox, a measurer in Plymouth dockyard. He was (as he himself said) totally unfit for the business. Mild by nature, fond of literary pursuits, and attached to reading, it was strange that a mechanical profession should have been chosen for him. Popular prejudice among the Plymouth lads in favour of the yard, and his father’s being attached to it, were the cause of his taking a step, of which he soon repented. At the expiration of three years, he ran away ; and, in a moment of desperation, entered on board a man-of- war, and was present at the battle off Cape St. Vincent in 1797, in commemoration of which he wrote some verses, which attracted the notice of his captain, who kindly sent him home. He then became a schoolmaster; and, in 1804, removed to Maidstone, where he married. At the pressing own. The father lacked many qualities which the son possessed in an eminent degree, and which fitted him for the post he so ably filled. Great knowledge of human nature ; an intuitive percep¬ tion of the right thing to be said, and the best way of saying it ; a vigorous understanding, combined with great culture and ability, . and when occasion required, a determined spirit, which nothing could daunt — in him were happily united. He cared nothing for popularity, and never sought it, seldom or never taking part in the conflicts of party or of public life. But he none the less promoted the principles which he believed to be right in reference to both, Mr. Carrington died suddenly in 1859, and was followed to his last resting place at Swanswick by a large concourse of citizens of all ranks, parties, and religious persuasions, anxious to show their respect for so worthy a citizen. i6o IN AND OUT OF BATH. solicitations of his friends, he returned to his native place in 1809, and there kept a school until within six months of his death, which occurred in 1830. “Amidst the unceasing toil of a thirty-three years’ scholastic experience, working early and late, he yet found time for literary composition. His boast was, that his business was never neglected. He possessed a winning manner and a kind heart; he was the child of nature, virtuous and independent, whose Christianity was a holy influence, shedding a blessing on all around. Varied knowledge, great affability, and a modest demeanour, caused him, in society, to be listened to with pleasure and satisfaction. His ‘ Dartmoor’ abounds with felicitous imagery, and great fidelity of description. “ He died in Bath, September 2, 1830, of pul¬ monary consumption. We may not inappropriately close this brief sketch in his own words. '-let me rest Like a tired bird in its own quiet nest ; And find (how exquisite to find it !) there Life’s stormy noon crown'd with a sunset fair!' " In Domesday Book the manor is called Cwne, or Cwm. It was then, with Twinney,* worth _£io 13L Its rateable value for Union expenditure is ,£1,959, on an area B 011 statute acres. The population, in 1871, was 172; and the poor rates average ,£120 per annum. * The word Twinney is Celtic, and is identical in pronuncia¬ tion with the word Twynu, still used in Wales, and meaning “the land of little hills.” IN AND OUT OF BATH. WALK THE FIFTH. By Rail to Midford ; Pleasant Loitering to Hinton by Road and Woodland—the Abbey; on to Norton St. Philip—the Place in the Olden Time—the George—the Fleur de Lys—Jeffery Flower, Gentleman—we walk the Ground on which the Battle between the Troops of the Duke of Mon¬ mouth and those of James II. was Fought. CHARTERHOUSE HINTON. HE liberty of Norton and Hinton—exempted X in the reign of Henry III. from the jurisdiction of the hundred of Wellow, in consequence of its having been bestowed by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, on the Carthusian monastery, which she then founded —contains many objects of interest. As the places mentioned in this walk lie at a con¬ siderable distance from Bath, it would be advisable, M 162 IN AND OUT OF BATH. perhaps, to take the train to Midford, and commence the present ramble from that point. Crossing the bridge, our way lies up a long hill, from which we obtain extensive views, embracing the hamlet and castle of Midford, with its Belgic- British stronghold, Combe Down and Southstoke, many a wood and neat farm-house embosomed in foliage, and the distant firs of Duncairn Hill, while winding southward through the valley, the newly con¬ structed line of the Somerset and Dorset Railway, can be traced for many miles. If the air be still, the hooter of the Radstock Coal Works (distant some eight miles, in a south westerly direction) can be distinctly heard, and, in clear weather, the smoke of the engine fires may be seen. At the Conquest, King William gave the liberty to Edward, Earl of Salisbury, from whom it obtained the prefix of “ Com it is." Hinton was afterwards called Charterhouse-Hinton, from its Carthusian Priory. The Carthusian order having first settled in the desert of Chartreuse, near Grenoble, the general name of Charterhouse—a corruption of Chartreuse— was frequently applied to their convents, of which, at one time, the order possessed upwards of two hundred, the Charterhouse in London being one of them. The Geologist, in ascending the hill, will have a good opportunity of observing the effects of denuda¬ tion in the excavation of the valley. WALK THE FIFTH. 163 The brook, in the bottom, has, in places, cut a channel into the harder beds of the lias, while the corresponding strata of the inferior oolite—fullers’ earth, and the upper oolite, can be discovered on either side of the valley, giving us some idea of the giant scale on which Nature performs the excavator’s work : " The hills are shadows, and they flow From form to form, and nothing stands ; They melt like mist, the solid lands, Like clouds they shape themselves and go.” Tennyson. Archaeologists, who are interested in the times, which geologists deem modern, will find many objects of interest in this ramble. Half-way up, on the eastern side of the hill, is a Belgic-British fort; a second, stands near the lodge of Hinton Abbey. Above this is a beacon barrow, while the abbey is said to occupy the site of another sepulchral mound. There was a British settlement at Hinton, and the remains of a Roman entrenchment are still visible. In one portion, called the Bulwarks , coins and pottery have been found; and among the ruins of the abbey, Roman bricks and other relics are discovered. The village, which occupies a com¬ manding position on the top of a hill, five miles from Bath, is about 400 feet above the level of the sea. The church is chiefly in the early English style, presenting nothing worthy of notice, except its square tower, which differs from those of the neighbouring churches. This tower, though pecu- 164 IN AND OUT OF BATH. liar, is not as regards its upper story much more than a hundred years old. The church has been repaired under the superintendence of the late Mr. Elkington Gill. At the chancel end is the neat freestone sarcophagus of Mr. Symonds, of Hinton Abbey, who died in 1830. Within, are some me¬ morials of the Hungerford family. Near the church is the seat of the Hon. Mrs. Jones, from whose grounds to the east, we obtain extensive views of the Wiltshire hills—the White Horse, near Westbury, being distinctly seen in fine weather. From this spot the landscape looks like a con¬ tinuous plain to Winsley, and no trace of the river, or the valley which intervenes, can be discerned. Passing by railway through the valley of the Avon, it is difficult to realise that this immense excavation has been effected by denudation, but seen from this position, we learn how the once level surface has been cut through by the stream which we pass at Limpley Stoke and Freshford. Following the church path, we proceed to the ruins of the old Carthusian Priory, now known as Hinton Abbey. This priory was founded in 1227 by Ela, Countess of Salisbury, in obedience to the will of her husband, William Longespe'e, son of King Henry II. and Fair Rosamond. Ela was the only daughter of William de Eureux, Sheriff of Wilts and Earl of Salisbury, and on her marriage with Longespee, Richard Coeur de Lion WALK THE FIFTH. i6 5 created her husband Earl of Salisbury. King John made Longespee warden of the Marches of Wales, and one of the chief commanders of the fleet. Henry III. made him Sheriff of Hampshire, and Governor of the castles of Winchester and Dorchester. Rich and full of honours, Longespee seems to have been desirous of making the best of both worlds, and in his will not only enjoined on his widow the building' of the priory in question, but left several valuable gifts for its endowment. The Carthusians, brought hither by Ela, were first introduced into England by Henry II., and settled at Witham Friary, near Frome. They were an order in great esteem for the austerity of their rules, and held themselves as equals to kings and princes. In the life of Hugo, Bishop of Lincoln, we find both Hugo and Einard, two poor brethren who came from Chartreuse, near Grenoble, to Witham Friary, addressing Henry as equals, and the latter giving the King a downright rating in good set terms. The order of Carthusians was originally founded by St. Bruno, “a native of Cologne. He was des¬ cended from noble and religious parents, and “ completed his academical course with brilliant suc- “ cess. After having held the highest offices in the “ Church, both at Cologne and Rheims, he suddenly “ resolved to quit the world, and to spend the re- “ mainder of his days in monastic seclusion, and in “the year 1084, at the age of 23, retired with six i66 IN AND OUT OF BATH. “ companions to the desert of the Chartreuse, near “ Grenoble.”— (Lancelot's Tour.) He died in Calabria, Oct. 6th, iioi. There is a grand statue of St. Bruno, by Hondon, in the great church of Sta Maria Degli Angeli at Rome, of which Clement XIV. used to say, “ He would speak if the rules of his order did not forbid it.” “ The cause to which tradition ascribes St. Bruno’s “ converson is singular. Whilst a canon at Paris, “ Bruno formed a peculiar intimacy with another “ canon of the name of Raymond Diocres. The latter “ is said to have been exceedingly social and agree- “ able, but not a decidedly religious character. One “day they both dined together at a large party; “after a very convivial meeting, Raymond was “ suddenly seized with an apoplectic fit, and fell “ on the floor without any signs of life. Bruno “ was deeply distressed. Preparations were made “for the funeral; and as a particular friend of the “ deceased he was, of course, invited. The body “ was brought on a bier, in an open coffin, covered “with a pall, by torch light. It was placed in “ the chapel, which was hung with black, and “ illuminated with a profusion of tapers. A solemn “anthem was sung, and the priest began the “service After a little while, the pall, which “ covered the body, appeared to heave, and the sup- “ posed corpse slowly raised itself out of the coffin. “ Its eyes were glazed and fixed, and the paleness “ of death overspread its stiff and sharpened features, WALK THE FIFTH. 167 “whilst with a look of deep anguish and horror, it “ uttered, in a slow and hollow voice, the following “words—‘ By the just judgment of God I am cited, “judged, and condemned.’ He then sent forth a “ groan of unutterable anguish and despair, and fell “ down dead. “ The assembly were petrified with horror : the “ book fell from the priest’s hands : each one stood “ motionless. In the midst of this awful silence, “ Bruno stepped forward, and prostrating himself on “ the ground, prayed aloud for mercy, and pro- “ nounced a solemn vow, dedicating himself hence- “ forth entirely to the service of God, who had “given him to witness so unspeakably awful a “ judgment.”— (Lancelot’s Tour.) St. Bruno did not institute any new rule ; but only revived the disused rale of St. Bennet in all its primitive austerity. Peter the Venerable was Abbot of Clugny, at the period in which St. Bruno established his order. Both he and Guignes, the first Prior, have left an ample account of the early discipline observed at Chartreuse. Every member of the community had a separate cell with a little garden adjoin¬ ing. In this cell he ate, slept, and worked; except during the hours of out-door exercise, which each monk passed in cultivating his little garden. By this means the recluses, however numerous, had no communication with each other. They never met but at the hours of public service, i68 IN AND OUT OF BATH. save on Sunday, when they received their portions of food for the week. Every one cooked his pro¬ visions in his own cell. The rules of the order enjoined silence, solitude, and prayer. The use of linen was forbidden, and the monks, to judge from Hugo’s Life, wore sheep¬ skins in this country. Hugo’s Biographer describes the pleasure with which the good Bishop of Lincoln used to quit his palace and robes of state, and, retiring to Witham Lriary Convent, leap into his old sheepskin dress. At La Grande Chartreuse the monks, (peres) at the present time, wear a white cloth dress, whilst the servitors (freres) are dressed in brown. The diet of the monks was very meagre, consisting, principally, of coarse brown bread and vegetables. In case of illness they were allowed two spoonfuls of wine to a pint of water. On high festivals a little cheese was allowed. In many instances they wore hair cloth next the skin, and whenever it was necessary to make a communica¬ tion to their brethren, they did it, if possible, by signs. Our fair friends will pardon our giving one of the rules of the order in the exact words of Prior Guignes. “ Nons ne permettons jamais aux femmes “ d’ entrer dans notre enceinte; car nons savons que “ni le sage, ni le prophete, ni le juge, ni 1’ hote de “ Dieu, ni ses enfans, ni meme le premier modele “ sert des ses mains, n’ ont pu echapper aux caresses “ on aux tromperies des femmes. WALK THE FIFTH. 169 “ Qu ’on se rappelle Salomon, David Samson, “Loth, et ceux qui ont pris les femmes qu ’ils avoient “ choisies, et Adam lui meme ; et qu’on sache bien “ que I’ homme ne peut cacher du feu dans son sein “ sans que ses vetemens soient embrases, ni marcher “ sur des charbons ardents sans se bruler la plante “des pieds.” The original building, erected by Ela, at Hinton, consisted of a small chapel, about twenty-four feet long by sixteen feet wide, and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, S. John the Baptist, and All Saints. It was subsequently enlarged, by the addition of a chancel, the original window being moved further back. Afterwards a large chapel was erected to the north, the only remains of which are the Sedilia and the spring of the chancel arch; the latter shows, how¬ ever, that the building must have been of consider¬ able size. Ela’s foundation was ratified by King Henry III., who ordained that the monks should be for ever free from taxation, suit, service, and forest laws. Their lands were increased by various benefactors, and King Richard II. gave them annually an hogs¬ head of wine from the port of Bristol. Pope Innocent, by a deed, dated Lyons, 1245, granted to the priory rights of sanctuary as well as other privileges. In 1293, their estates were valued at ^24 15s.; in 1444, at 765 marks, or about ^50 14s. iod. In the next century the value had increased to ^248 19s. 2d. 170 IN AND OUT OF BATH. The spot selected by S. Bruno for his own cell was among the eternal snows of the Alps—amid the wild and picturesque scenery of Dauphine. Yet here the order chose a sunny spot, where nature smiles throughout the year, and seemed to court them to a life of ease and enjoyment. Did the bees whose busy hum proclaimed their right to enjoy life and gladness never taunt them with the dull inaction of monastic life ? But justice compels us to admit that these establishments were, at the time, the centres of hospitality, inns being almost unknown. Nor was this all, for during the earlier ages, religious houses were the nurseries of learning. If those houses had not existed, our literature would not be so copious as it is. The good fathers preserved the literary treasures bequeathed to posterity by the poets, and orators of antiquity. The convents, too, were often the depositories of the archives of the kingdom. At Hinton, a learned monk, Thomas Spencer, devoted many years to the composition of books, tending to promote Christianity. One of these, a Latin Commentary on S. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians, is favourably mentioned in Wood’s Athense Oxoniensis. Prior Hord surrendered the monastery to King Henry VIII. on the 31st March, 1540. At that time it contained nineteen monks, whose revenue was ^250. WALK THE FIFTH. 171 The present ivy-covered manor house was erected by the Hungerfords from the ruins of the abbey. It is a fair specimen of an Elizabethan mansion. Of the Abbey* but a small portion remains. The chapel is well-proportioned, and, although overrun with ivy, its fine lancet-shaped windows can easily be traced. One of the detached portions, probably the refectory, exhibits a beautifully groined freestone roof, springing from central pillars. The lawn is surrounded by the original ditch and low stone wall. At a short distance to the west is a large pond, which is supposed to have belonged to the Priory. The site, on the suppression of the priory, was granted to John Bartlett, who sold it to Matthew Colthurst. Matthew Coltlmrst’s son, in the 21st year of Queen Elizabeth, sold it to Walter Hungerford, who resided at Farleigh Castle, distant two miles, and owned a large part of the lands in the neighbour¬ hood. Sir Edward Hungerford sold the property to the Robinsons, whose descendants, we believe, still possess the manor. The rateable value of the parish of Hinton is now ^4,046, on an area of 3,000 statute acres. The population is 566; the poor rates average about £ 2 si- * The Abbey and grounds are private property, but permission to view them may be obtained on application at the residence. 172 IN AND OUT OF BATH. NORTON ST. PHILIP. Three miles from the railway station at Freshford, and about the same distance from Midford, upon elevated ground, midway between Bath and Frome, at the point where the road is crossed by another, which connects Radstock and Trowbridge, equi¬ distant, also, from both these places, stands this interesting village. It appears in the Domesday Book (1084) as “ Nortuna.” At that time the manor, together with that of Hinton, was held under the Crown by Edward de Sarisberi (Salisbury), Sheriff of the county of Wilts, in which that nobleman had very large estates. He was standard bearer to Henry I., and was, in that office, present at the battle of Brenneville, in Normandy. In the Norman survey the place is thus described :— Edward himself holds Nortune. Iving held it in the time of King Edward, and gelded for ten hides. The arable is ten caru- cates. In demesne are three carucates, and three servants, and three villanes, and thirteen cottagers with three ploughs. There is a mill of five shillings rent, and twenty acres of meadow, and as many of pasture. Wood one mile long and as much broad. It was formerly (worth) six pounds, and now seven pounds. Of these ten hides King Edward (the Confessor) gave to the aforesaid Iving two carucates of land. It has been supposed that Ela, Countess of Salisbury, was the foundress of Norton Church, but as there are no signs of any architectural work of her times to be traced in the building, such as are to be found in the early English work of Hinton Church and WALK THE FIFTH. 1 73 Abbey, the opinion is probably erroneous. In 1284, according to a charter empowering the holding of weekly markets, the place was called Norton Comitis, with reference to the Comites, or Earls of Salisbury. In the reign of Henry III. we find, that a license was issued to hold a fair “on ye Vigil, Feast, and Morrow of St. Philip and St. James,” and, as the place probably, grew in importance, in the year 1284 (13th Edward), a charter was given to the monks of Hinton to hold a market every Friday in their manor of “ Norton Charterhouse.” The fair used to be held at Hinton, but the monks complained, that their devotional services were interrupted by the “ noise, disturbance, and insolence ” of the fair, it being then held near their church of Hinton. In the 19th year of Edward III. (1345) another fair was granted to be held on “ the Vigil and Feast of ye Decollation of John Baptist,” i.e., 28th and 29th Aug.; afterwards called, in consequence of its nearness to the Dog Days, “Norton Dog Fair,” a gathering recently given up. In the 25th of Edward III. license was given to “change ye day of the May Fair from ye Vigil and Morrow to ye Feast and 2 preceding days this was what was after¬ wards called the “ Wholesale Fair,” and was held on the 27th April, as “ May Fair” on the 1st May. Collinson, in his history of Somerset, speaks only of “two fairs”—those of 1st May and 29th August. In 1540, Lcland's Itinerary speaks of “ Phillipps Northtown, a pratie market towne,” as “about a 174 IN AND OUT OF BATH. mile from Farley Castle, and standeth in Somerset¬ shire. This towne taketh the name of the dedication of the church therein, that is, to Philip and Jacob. There is a faire at this town on the feast of Philip and Jacob.” A hundred years ago, a market cross stood at the junction of the four roads, between the two principal inns in the place, but in the last century, before the days of “ restorations,” the stones were sold for fifteen guineas, and the remains were ruthlessly removed. About the same time the turnpike road was altered in order to obviate an awkward bend for the coaches, which passed daily through the village : portions of the cross were, according to the parish book, transferred to the churchyard, in 1774. Both these inns held their present names more than two centuries ago. “ The George ” is a com¬ mon sign in the neighbourhood, but the sign of the “ Fleur de Lys” was, perhaps, adapted by some one when setting up an opposition to the older house, named after the Patron Saint of England. As a flower de luce was the crest of Jeffery Flower, it may have had some connection with him in the reign of James I. “The Flower de Luce ” is thus mentioned in an old MS. survey of Norton, dated 1644.— 1 ‘ Richard Parsons, in right of Alice Parsons his mother, for life of Jeffery Flower, and for 50 years after, by virtue of certain letters patent under ye great seal of England, dat. at Westminster, 20 March, xxvi. Eliz.” WALK THE FIFTH. J 75 Its more striking, and interesting rival, is thus referred to in the same survey, under date 1638,— a survey taken for “William Lord Craven, chief lorde of the same : ”— “ Henry Tovie, Copyholder, claimeth to hold for term of his life, one tenement in Norton, being an ancient and common inn called by the name of the George, at 53s. 4d. The house, with the stables, out-houses, and a faire loft where the Lynnen cloth is sould at the Fair tymes : with the yarde, garden, and orchard, containeth 2 roods, 27 perches, and is worth by ye yearns.” The George Inn became the scene of some historical events not long after this survey was made, and has an interest attached to it, inde¬ pendent of the fact, that certain “ Cloth and Lynnen faires” were held therein. It is a re¬ markable structure of the 15th century, which rarely escapes the notice of the traveller, as it did not escape that of the surveyor, when he called it, even in his times, “ancient.” There is no appearance of its having been designed as a religious house; nor are there any armorial bearings sculptured on its walls to indicate that it belonged to some great county family. From the ecclesiastical character, however, of the lower windows, it must have been built under church influence; and as it was occupied by Henry Tovie, from Lord Craven, who received the Hinton Abbey Lands from the Crown, it was most likely built by the Monks, when they obtained their charter to hold a market and fair, as a hostel, in order to accommodate cloth sellers and frequenters of their market and fair. The building has just been re- 176 IN AND OUT OF BATH. paired, and it is to be regretted that advantage of the opportunity was not taken to “ restore ” it more according to its original design, and to remove some of the too conspicuous additions. The steps outside are a modern excrescence, and, moreover, hide a handsome doorway. A writer in the Illustrated London News of Jan. 27th, 1849, under the heading of “Nooks and Corners of Old England,” calls it erroneously, “the Grange.” He thus writes, “ it has been greatly disfigured by modern hands, but that there is much left of its middle-age art. Its capacious porch, the designs of some of its windows, and its over¬ hanging upper stories (upon rude corbels), and its inner gallery leading to what once were bed chambers, all denote the pile to have been erected in the early portion of the 15th century. We miss ‘ the wind pipes of hospitality,’ as chimneys have been happily styled; but we must recollect, that they were not requisite in the original appropriation of the structure, and, therefore, did not form a feature of the original design. At the point of each gable is a small cam¬ panile, or bell tower, of some architectural beauty, which makes us regret, that the building has not been preserved more intact, or has not attracted the attention of restorers.” It is clear, that in the village of Norton, the monks of Hinton had great interest. They had a charter of free warren in it, and a variety of other privileges. Originally, the living of Hinton was in the gift of WALK THE FIFTH. 177 the Precentor of Wells, and Norton was entirely independent of it; but in 1527 the monks threw the responsibility of the cure of Hinton Church on the Vicar of Norton, while they retained their extensive property in Hinton, and arranged that it should be tithe free.- There is a docu¬ ment in the Registry of the Cathedral at Wells concerning the “ Union, appropriation, consolida¬ tion, and incorporation of the parish churches of Monks’ Hinton and Norton St. Philip,” in which it appears, that the Prior and Convent formally complained to the Bishop of the poverty of their estate, in consequence of the expenses they had incurred for repairs of the monastery, and of the scandal caused by the “ continual quarrels and dis¬ putes about various rights and particulars regarding "the tythes of a certain Grange, situate in the parish of Norton St. Philip, to the said Priory belonging and appertaining,” and they, consequently, requested the union of the two parishes. They represented, that the perpetual vicarage of the parish church “ is notoriously bereaved of its fruits and profits, and is insufficient to the support of the said Vicar,” and they request, that the “contiguous” parishes should be incorporated. They succeeded in persuading the Bishop’s commissary, one John Pennande, to arrange the difficulty; and, under conditions of certain punctual payments of fees at Wells on the part of the monastery, the Vicar of Norton was directed to cease being troublesome about the tythes at the N i 7 8 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Grange and at the mill, and to take charge of Hinton parish, and to rest content with certain gifts speci¬ fically set forth. The two parishes formed one cure until 1826, when they were divided by the Ecclesi¬ astical Commissioners, and the patronage of the living of Hinton passed into the hands of the Vicar of Norton. The M.S. book of the survey of the manors of Norton and Hinton, before referred to,under the date 1638, has references to both these “ Granges,” to¬ gether with the mill at Norton, which, standing near the Norton Grange, would naturally be let with it. On the destruction of the monasteries, the site of the one at Hinton was granted to John Bartlett and Robert his son, on the 28th July, 37th Henry VIII., 1546; and, in 1577, it passed, first to Edmund Coulthurst, and then to Sir Walter Hungerford, of Farleigh Castle. His brother, Sir Edward Hunger- ford, dying 1607, left it (with other property) to his widow, who married the Earl of Rutland. It re¬ verted to the Hungerford family, and was sold, at the breaking up of their estates, about 1684, to the Bayntuns, and was again disposed of to various persons about the year 1700. It consisted of 1,331 acres, together with the Farm, or Grange, “described as a large, ancient, well-built house, with barn, etc.” N orton Grange was Crown property in 1617, at which time it formed part of the maintenance of Prince Charles, son of James I. In 1638, it had been given to William, Lord Craven. Under him it was held, in WALK THE FIFTH. 179 1638, by Jeffery Flower; the following description of it will clearly exclude the George Inn from the title of Grange :— “Jeffery Flower, gent,, claymeth to houid from the xxix. of March last past for term of xxviii. years the cappitall messuage mansion or manor house called or knowne by the name of the ffarme or graunge of Norton, with all the earrable lande pastures, meadows, close feedings and coppices there unto belonging, and payeth rent for the same p. annum /20 2s. od. A well-built house with the site thereof, with gardens, orchards, court-vards, vevy faire barnes, stables, graunaries, malt houses, and divers other convenient buildings, and whereof is converted into Tene¬ ments with a very profitable pigeon house.” In 1652, on account of having befriended Prince Charlie, afterwards Charles II., LordCraven forfeited Norton Grange, and the property was sold to Mr. Water, of Westminster. This farm of 800 acres was then estimated at a yearly value 0^347, with a “present rent” 0^20 2s. At the beginning of this century the farmstead was approached by a passage under the gate-house. The room was removed in order, probably, to admit the freer entry of laden wagons; but traces of the pillars, which supported the room, may still be seen on the two flanking cottages. Within the memory of men now living, also, gables, which must have made it a more picturesque looking building than it is, were removed from the roof of the Grange. The oak panels in one of the rooms, the substantial staircase and wide passages, together with the remarkable pigeon- house, speak to its having once been a residence of I So IN AND OUT OF BATH. some importance. The “ profitable pigeon-house,” reminding us of the Roman Columbaria, is an Eliza¬ bethan building nearly 20 feet square, and contains holes for at least 600 nests, with only one outlet for the birds, besides the door.* The Parish Register records that “ Mr. Jeffery Flower was buried June 1st, 1644.” Evidently, to some member of this family, if not to this identical Jeffery Flower, must be referred the following in¬ scription, which was painted on the wall over the priest’s door leading into the place now used as a vestry. It was necessarily removed at the recent restoration of the church,— TE—FLOS—I AM—IUSTI KAPUERU NT—STAMINA—FUSI VIRTUTIS — REM A NET NOBII.IS—VMBRA— TXJJE. NOW—FLO W E R—T HE—FATES HAVE—THEE—OF—LIFE—BEREFT LARGE—SHADOW—OF—THY—VIR TUES—THOU—HAST—LEFT. This Jeffery Flower was, we may believe, a man of piety and substance, since he is noticed in a History of Bath as the donor of one of the windows in the Abbey :— ■' Benefactors to the Repairinge of the Ruines of Bath Abbey.” Warner s History of Bath. " Jefferay Flower of Philips Norton, in this countie of Somersett, gentleman, at whose only charge was built up the nave wall, with * The Lord of the Manor, as such, formerly possessed certain rights in the dovecote, which have now lapsed. WALK THE FIFTH. l8 I doore therein at the east ende of the north allie of the quire.’’— The door, in the Bath Abbey Church, has been lately restored (1874.) In the spandrils of the doorway are the letters}. F., and a flower de luce. * Not far from this homestead, which has of late years been again called “ Manor Farm,” stands the (Glutei). It is dedicated to St. Philip and St. James, and shows signs of having belonged to the “late decorated ” order of architecture, and of having been subsequently reconstructed and enlarged in the per¬ pendicular style of the Tudors. These alterations would account for the remarkable irregularity of several of the arches on either side the nave, some being flat, and others pointed. The difference in the forms of some of the pillars would, also, indicate that the aisles were added to the nave at different times. Looking at the east windows of the aisles we may observe that they are of two distinct dates. The difference of the masonry outside suggests that the tower and the south aisle were built at different times; the workmanship of the former being much superior to that of the latter. The old pulpit of painted oak bore the date of 1607. In 1847, Ae church being in a dilapidated and unsatisfactory condition, the parishioners accepted * The Abbey Church of Bath, for a long time after the dissolu- tionof monasteries remained roofless and ruined. It had been the Church of the Monks of Bath, and not a Parish Church. One Colthurst, a great jobber in church property, gave it to the city as a Parish Church. It was then repaired by degrees; but chiefly in the time of King James I. 182 IN AND OUT OF BATH. the proposal of their then vicar, the Rev. R. Palairet, to rebuild certain portions, to restore the roof, to reconstruct the sittings, and to make other altera¬ tions and improvements, he generously offering to secure the parish against all cost and responsibility. Under Sir Gilbert Scott’s direction, and at an outlay of ^4,218, which, saving eight subscriptions amount¬ ing to £ 122, was entirely provided by the vicar and some members of his family, the church has become one of the handsomest and most complete in the neighbourhood. Besides the irregular arches and pillars, atten¬ tion may be directed to the “ squint,”* and to the stairs leading to the rood loft ; also, to the position of the east window in the south aisle, which shews, by its height, by the two niches one on either side of it, and by the Piscina, that a chapel originally stood there. The old roof of the south porch is worth notice; as are also the narrow stairs within the wall, which must have led to a gallery over the door. The effigy in the south aisle which bears no name, is not intended, as Collinson states, to represent any woman, still less any woman of a “ religious order; ” but it must rather, from the dress, be considered the figure of some wealthy merchant, formerly, perhaps, a benefactor to the church. There are no other monu¬ ments of note. All the mural tablets were removed * An opening through the wall in an oblique direction for the purpose of enabling persons in the transept or aisle to see the elevation of the Host. WALK THE FIFTH. 183 from the body of the building and placed in the tower, the oldest bears date 1641. But few of the names on the tablets are borne by the present inhabitants of Norton. The appearance of seven or eight sculptured tombs in the churchyard, some now defaced, and all unclaimed, would seem to suggest that Norton had residents of more substance two or three centuries ago than at present—an idea strengthened by large handsome mantelpieces being still seen in several of the old houses in the village. When standing within the church, it is impossible not to feel that a most reverent care has watched over the restoration, and has striven to secure due honour for the House of God. The east chancel window (by Wailes, costing ^150,) repre¬ sents our Lord, with St. Peter, St. Philip, St. James, and St. Andrew: while the small subjects below, give the incidents in the gospel narrative regarding St. Philip. The north and south windows in the chancel, and the west window of the tower, are also by Wailes, and were put up at the same time, namely in 1850. The east window in the north aisle (byHorwood Brothers) is intended to illustrate Praise; and the corresponding window in the opposite aisle (by the same makers), presented by the parishioners in 1858 as a thank-offering, is intended to suggest the idea of Sacrifice. The first window in the south aisle (by O’Connor), representing “St. Thomas convinced,” was an anonymous thank-offering in 184 IN AND OUT OF BATH. 1864. The one next to it represents “ The charge to St. Peter,” (by Bell, of Bristol,) and was placed there by the parishioners “ as a token of love and esteem for their late vicar, the Rev. R. Palairet, on his resignation” of the living, “October, 1866, after having officiated for twenty-nine years.” The west window in the same aisle (by Clayton and Bell, 1862), representing the “Baptism of Christ,” and the “ Blessing little children,” throws the light of the setting sun upon the massive old font, which bears on one of its panels the device of a small, but very rudely cut, crucifix. The tower, rising sixty-six feet to the leads, is in fine preservation: it contains a peal of six bells,* and a clock, which cost ^250 (by Frodsham). From its position in a hollow, the tower commands no view of the country around. In the belfry are some curious * Mr. Freeman, speaking of the tower, says “it is one of the most irregular he had ever seen—one that some man had designed out of his own head without reference to any other tower—quite unlike anything else, and incapable of being classed with any towers in the county. It was not at all of the Somersetshire type, or any other type, that he was used to in different parts of Eng¬ land.” This, Mr. Irvine says, is the result of the church having been “ built mostly out of re-used older materials ; and accounts for the strange look and design so unlike ordinary Somerset towers. These old materials were probably obtained by pulling down the Priory Church of Hinton Charterhouse, near at hand. A close inspection shows that the flat panelled work in the west front has no proper weather-plinth, and indeed that the whole is a tolerable working up of old wrought materials, somewhat as at the Bath Abbey the late organ gallery screen now forms the west lobby.” WALK THE FIFTH. i8 5 arrangements, which have been thought to indi¬ cate that there was at an earlier time a chapel at or near the spot, when bell-ringing, perhaps, was considered a more religious act than it is deemed to be now. It may be as well to mention, that the two stone heads placed in the tower below, and which were removed from the chancel floor at the recent restoration, came from the tomb of the two “ Fair maidens of Foscote,” a neighbouring parish. A story has been preserved by Collinson that these maids were twins, born united to each other,—a fact for which there is no other foundation than village tradition.* The School-house faces the western porch, and is substantial and commodious, though not architec¬ turally worthy of its close proximity to the beautiful * Pepys, in his Diary, says :—“ 1668, Salisbury, Friday 12th.”— "Up, finding our beds good, we set out, the reckoning and servants coming to 9s. 6d., my guide thither 2s., coachman ad¬ vanced 10s. So we rode a good way, lead to my great content by our landlord to Philip’s Norton, with great pleasure being now come into Somersetshire, where my wife and Deb mightily joyed there at; I commending the county as indeed it deserves, and the first town we came to was Beckington, where we stopping for something for the horses, we called two or three little boys to us, and pleased ourselves with their manner of speech. At Philip's Norton I walked to the church, and there saw a very ancient tomb of some Knight-Templar I think, and here saw the tomb¬ stone whereon there were only two heads cut, which the story goes, and creditably, were two sisters, called the Fair Maids of Foscott, that had two bodies upward and one stomach, and there lie buried. Here is also a very fine ring of bells, and they mighty tuneable. Having dined very well, 10s., we came before night to Bath.” i86 IN AND OUT OF BATH. church. In its origin it is interesting as being connected with the history of the senior partner in the well-known firm of silversmiths, “ Rundell and Bridge.” The father of the former lies buried in the churchyard near the south-east comer of the chancel, and to the memory of some members of his family there stands a tablet in the tower. The name of Rundell often appears in the Register Book of a hundred years ago. There is, however, no one now of this name in the parish; but, it is be¬ lieved, that the Rundell referred to was born Jan. 22, 1747, in the house south of the George Inn, and that he was brought up as a silversmith in Bath, in which cityhiselderbrotherwas a member of the Corporation. Before that time it was the custom to send valuable diamonds over to Holland to be properly cut, the art not being well understood in England. Mr. Philip Rundell, having studied the subject and made him¬ self master of it, removed to London; soon found himself in full employment, and in course of time became the principal jeweller in the city. He died in 1827, leaving what was then considered an immense fortune. When the news of his death reached Norton, those who considered themselves connected with him requested the Rev. H.’Calverley, then vicar, to communicate with Joseph Neeld, Esq., Rundell’s great nephew and residuary legatee, in the hope, that they might be remembered in the disposition of the property. The wants of the applicants promised to be so unlimited, that WALK THE FIFTH. I8 7 Mr. Neeld, after visiting Norton, and consulting with the clergyman, decided that a school was the great want of the parish, and the most suitable gift considering the number of persons who believed themselves to be interested in the Rundell estate. He gave the exorbitant sum of ^500 for the site, on which an old bakehouse stood, and erected the present building at a cost of ,£1,500, and endowed it with £50 a year, on condition that it should be called the “ Neeld School.”* The parish owes the Infant School, which stands on the south side of the church, chiefly to the liberality of the late Vicar and his friends. An account of Norton St. Philip would be in¬ complete without especial notice of the event which introduces its name into English history. In an “ Impartial History of the Life and Death of George, Lord Jeffreys,” the fourth edition of which was published in 1693, only eight years after the battle ofSedgemoor, the writer, James Bent, gives the fol¬ lowing description of what took place there, as if he * Greville, in his Journal, vol. 1, p. 90, Feb. 21st, 1827, says :— ‘ ‘ Old Rundell (of the house of Rundell and Bridge, the great silver¬ smiths and jewellers), died last week, and appointed Robarts one of the executors.R. was 80 years old, and died worth between ,£1,400,000 and £ 1,500,000, the greater part of which is invested in the funds. He has left the bulk of his property to his great nephew. During the panic, he came to Robarts, who was his banker, and offered to place at his disposal any sum he might require. When his executors went to prove the will, they were told at Doctors’ Commons that it was the largest sum that had been registered there.” IN AND OUT OF BATH. were an eye-witness of it all. After stating that the Duke of Monmouth and his party left Amsterdam on the 24th May, 1685; landed at Lyme on the nth June; marched, with a body of some 4,000 men, through Taunton, Bridgwater, and Glastonbury, and passed Bristol, he writes “ So we marched on to Bath, we lay before it in the afternoon, and sent our trumpeter to demand the town, and they refused to give us entrance, having a strong garrison, it being a stout people and a strong place. Having no mind to spare time in laying seige, we marched on that day to a little town called Philip's- Norton, and there lay that night, being now Sunday (this is a mistake for Friday) the 26th of June, old style. Saturday morning preparing for Frome, we were drawing out our baggage for our march, and on a sudden were alarmed with the appearance of the army who had entered the town, and had lined all the hedges, and begun to fire at us. Here began the bitterest encounter we yet had, and for an hour or more we had a brisk skirmish, but at last we beat them back, killing about thirty which lay in the place, and we lost about ten in all and a few wounded. They, retreating with their whole army, pitched within a mile of the town, and we out also, and pitched near them, but out of musket shot, playing canon on one another for some hours ; they killed us but one man all the while, and with ours we did great execution, having the advantage of the ground ; so at last they retreated, and I have been told lost some hundreds of men in the battel, both killed and wounded, so we marched on to Frome, a town where we were as beloved as at Taunton, where we wanted for nothing but arms, which were by a strategem taken from them a few days before our entrance.” Monmouth was surprised at Norton by the Royal Army, under Feversham. It was his advanced guard, consisting of about 500 men, under the young Duke of Grafton, second son of Charles and the Duchess of Cleveland, which made the attack of the 26th WALK THE FIFTH. 189 of June, 1685. The charge is thus described by Lord Macaulay;— “Grafton* soon found himself in a deep lane, with fences on both sides of him, from which a galling fire of musketry was kept up. Still he pushed boldly on, till he came to the entrance of Philip’s Norton. There his way was crossed by a barricade, from which a third fire met him, full in front. His men now lost heart, and made the best of their way back. Before they got out of the lane, more than a hundred of them had been killed, or wounded. Grafton’s retreat was intercepted by some of the rebel cavalry ; but he cut his way gallantly through them, and came off safe. The advanced guard thus repulsed, fell back on the main body of the Royal forces. The two armies were now face to face, and a few shots were exchanged, which did little or no execution. Neither side was impatient to come to action. Feversham did not wish to fight till his artillery came up, and fell back to Bradford. Monmouth, as soon as the night closed in, quitted his position, marched southward, and by daybreak arrived at Frome, where he hoped to find reinforcements.” There is reason to believe, that Monmouth’s head-quarters were at the George Inn. In the words of the Chronicler of “ Nooks and Corners,” before referred to, “ the large projecting window” in the George “ lights the apartment wherein Mon¬ mouth slept on the night of the battle,” and the room is to this day known as the “ King’s Chamber.” * Monmouth was the illegitimate son of Charles n, by Lucy Walters ; Grafton was the second son of Charles, by Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland. Her eldest son was created Duke of Cleveland, and her third and youngest Duke of Northumberland, but both these sons dying and leaving no male issue, their titles became extinct. The former married a daughter of Sir William Pulteney, of Misterton, co. Leicester, and had two daughters, one of whom, Lady Grace Fitzroy, married Harry, Lord Barnard, afterwards Earl of Darlington, who was an ancestor of the present ducal family of Cleveland. 190 IN AND OUT OF BATH. There is an absurd tale told of a certain lane called Chevers Lane, having run with blood on that day. The battle appears to have left a deep impression on the minds of the inhabitants. Not only have cannon balls of six and seven pounds weight been picked up, to keep alive the memory of the day,* but there are several fields called the “ King’s Field,” “Spy Close,” the “Monmouths,” and “ The Camp.” The two former are on the high road from Bath, not far from the sixth milestone, and half-a-mile due west are the two latter fields, immediately under Baggeridge Farm; the one evidently the position of the rebels, and the other that of the King’s forces, both within sight of each other, but out of musket shot,—the muskets of those days. The “King’s Field” can be reached by a bridle road from Midford to Baggeridge. Of the 239 persons executed in the west of England for participation in this rebellion, six suffered at Bath, twelve at Frome, and twelve at Norton. On a house behind the Flower de Luce Inn, is a stone shield with the arms of Fortescue—a bend engrailed. This connects Norton St. Philip with a very distinguished man, Sir John Fortescue, Chief J ustice of the King’s Bench, and Chancellor temp. * The armour dug up in the parish must have belonged to some who took part in the “hard fighting” described by Claren¬ don in the Great Rebellion, when the troops, under Waller, were for some days marching out of, or falling back upon Bath, Brad¬ ford, Frome, and Wells, when Norton must have been the centre of operation. WALK THE FIFTH. I 9 I Henry IV. He married Isabella, daughter and heiress of John James, of Philip’s Norton, Esq. He was an eminent lawyer.* Afield nearFarleigh Lodge, on the Warminster Road (within the gates), but in Norton parish, is still called “ James’s Field.” The population, in 1871, amounted to 575, with about 180 houses. The survey of 1838 gives 914 acres of pasture, 504 acres of arable land, 59 acres of woods, 21 orchards, 27 roads,—in all 1,527 acres. The parish is now rated at ,£3,200. In 1638, there were 82 houses, 76 of which were valued at ,£103 10s. The rental, in 1856, was ,£1,148 10s. The living is in the gift of the Bishop of the Diocese. The Rev. H. B. Burney is the Vicar. * The life of this eminent jurist was written, and printed for private circulation, in the year 1869. IN AND OUT OF BATH. WALK THE SIXTH. To Wellow by Rail—Stoney Littleton— Wellow Hayes—a Model Village Church; on to Dunkerton—Camerton; and Home by the High Road. On the Way we Rest at Berewyke Camp. WELLOW. E take our way from Bath by the Somerset V V and Dorset Railway to Wellow. The station is close to the Rose Gardens. At Stoncg ILittletcin, in this parish, in a sloping field, called Round Hill Tilling , about three- quarters of a mile south-west from Wellow Church, Sir Richard Colt Hoare opened a tumulus, or sepulchre in 1816, and in the 19th vol. of the Archseologia gave the following description of it :— WALK THE SIXTH. 193 “This singular burying-place is oblong, measuring 107 feet in length, 54 in breadth, and 13 in height. The entrance faces the south-west. A large stone, sup¬ ported by two others, forms the lintel, having an aperture four feet high, which leads to a chamber six feet long, five feet high, and five wide. From thence a straight passage conducts to another cist, of equal size. This passage is forty-seven feet in length. There are, also, eight other small chambers, or recesses, facing each other, so as to form three transepts across the passage, and another at the extremity. The whole are composed of large stones, which show no mark of tools, or any appear¬ ance of cement. Each chamber might have contained three or four bodies.”* Phelps, in his “ History of Somerset,” gives us an illustration of its entrance. To reach this mound, we take the village road, which passes beneath what was once the tramway, and cross an ancient bridge of two arches; next we pass a Roman earthwork, which, it seems, has escaped antiquarian notice, and follow the road until we come to a gate, through which we pass in order to reach a clump of trees and some under¬ wood in a field on the right. Near this point is the cemetery of Stoney Littleton. In a field, called Wellow Hayes, and about half- a-mile from the village, several Roman tessellated * In the Somersetshire Archaeological Proceedings, vol. viii., p.p. 35 to 62, there is a very interesting paper, with illustrations, on this subject, by the Rev. Prebendary Scarth. O 194 IN AND OUT OF BATH. pavements have been discovered. They were first brought to light in 1685, and Gale has left us an account of them in his edition of the “ Itinerary of Antoninus.” In 1737, they were again laid open, when Virtue published three beautiful plates of them, at the expense of the Society of Antiquaries. They were exposed at this time to mischief, being apparently uncared for. In 1807 they were once more uncovered, when they attracted the notice of the Rev. Richard Warner, who published an elaborate description of them in his History of Bath. Warner describes the villa to have been 100 feet long, by 50 in breadth. The patterns of the tessellse are tasteful, diversified, and rich, having a border somewhat resembling a modern floor-cloth, while the centre contains allegorical figures and other ornaments, formed of square pieces, varying in size, from half an inch to nearly two inches. Five colours are seen; blue, formed of the Weston lias; white, from Newton; red, formed of Roman brick; purple, from St. Vincent’s rocks; and grey, from the pennant, or silicious sandstone, overlay¬ ing the coal. These tessellse were laid together, so as to form the pattern intended, and then each separate portion was carefully removed and embedded in cement on a foundation or substratum of stone. The work, when closely examined, appears coarse to modern eyes; but, seen at a distance, presents a pleasing WALK THE SIXTH. *95 effect. “ The general execution,” says Warner, “its richness, and spirit, forbid us to assign to it a later date than the second century of the Christian era.”* In 1822, that laborious antiquary, the Rev. John Skinner, of Camerton, as the result of a careful examination, traced the foundations of a spacious villa, of a quadrangular form, with hypocausts, baths, and pavements. The Romans, like the moderns, were fond of country residences. The family occupied the rooms facing south and west, while the domestics lived in those on the other sides, the whole opening upon a central quadrangle, protected from the weather by a covering resting on pillars, and removable at pleasure. The houses were warmed by flues made of pottery, built in the walls and under the floors. A passage ran round the interior of the quadrangle, and formed a promenade in unfavour¬ able weather. This pavement was, for the fifth time, laid open in 1843. It has suffered more from mischief than from time. A few coins, principally of the lower empire, have been found in the immediate neighbourhood. * A coin of Augustus Caesar, somewhat rare in Britain, was found in Wellow; and shows that Mr. Warner's opinion is, probably, correct. At the period of its discovery, three small and much-mutilated figures, sculptured on a slab of freestone, were also dug from the foundations of a wall. 196 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Tradition relates that Wellow was a place of im¬ portance in the Saxon and Danish periods of our history, and that it possessed many churches. At Woodborough, during the last century, several stone coffins were found, such as we identify as belonging to those nations. There is also a large barrow, or tumulus, at the extremity of the parish. The tradi¬ tion referred to, appears to be supported by the fact that, in the reign of Edward the Confessor, the parish contained no less than seven manors, the average annual value of each being about ^13. 2Ej)e (Efiurrl) is a fine specimen of the work of the middle ages, and contains many beauti¬ ful examples of early ecclesiastical architecture. The interior shows the state of English churches prior to the Reformation. In the year 1845, during the incumbency of the late Rev. Charles Paul, it underwent considerable restoration and improvement. The west window, formerly obscured by an un¬ sightly screen which obstructed the light and injured the effect intended to be produced, was restored at the sole expense of the late Rev. Charles Paul. It is of the perpendicular style, with three lights, glazed with Powell’s glass, in quarries of a greenish hue, with antique patterns in their centres. It contains the arms of England, em¬ blazoned in the ancient manner, with those of the see, the then vicar, and the patron, together with the armorial bearings of the late Colonels Gore-Langton and Jolliffe, the late Walter Long, M.P., and the late WALK THE SIXTH. 197 Mr. Wait. The roof is beautifully groined. The unique open seats are elaborately carved, and terminated by poppy-head finials. The ancient black oak roof is profuse in ornament of chaste and good character. The carved chancel screen is re¬ stored in accordance with the original design, and the carved reading desk, is panelled with crimson cloth. The chancel, slightly inclined to the north¬ east, is typical of the position of our Saviour’s head on the cross—a symbolism common in our early churches. The octagonal early English font, with its decorated cover, is worthy of notice. It has a round shaft, divided into columns. The patronage of the living was vested in the Abbot and Convent of Ciren¬ cester, by King Henry I., in 1133. The church was almost rebuilt in 1372, by Sir Walter Hungerford. Collinson, however, says that he was the original founder. His tomb is shown in the chapel, now called the Hungerford, or Lady Chapel, from a beautiful Gothic canopy which formerly surmounted a statue of the Virgin placed in its north-eastern corner. The wall is frescoed with a representation of Christ and his Apostles, with their appropriate emblems. The chapel contains various memorials of the Hungerford family, as well as a recessed monument of freestone, supporting a recum¬ bent full-dressed effigy of Mrs. Popham, who died in 1614. Several children are represented below. The epitaph sets forth her many virtues. The monument was originally painted in accordance with the custom 198 IN AND OUT OF BATH. of the period. It has since been cleaned, and, although utterly out of character with the rest of the building, produces a pleasing effect. There is a remarkably fine piscina, of a similar form to the font, at the angle in the eastern wall of the chancel, having a circular trefoiled fenestrella. Near its base, coins of Edward II. were discovered during the restoration of the church. The lay im- proprietors rebuilt the chancel. On the north side, the late vicar caused a recess, strictly in accordance with early models, to be formed for the reception of the fine unmutilated effigy of an ecclesiastic, discovered during the repairs. It is the only figure known which bears the incised Maltese cross on the forehead. The robes are gracefully disposed, and elaborated with great skill. The attitude is de¬ votional and the countenance placid and resigned. On the breast is a chalice, and the feet are supported by the figure of a dog. The east window consists of a circular head, with three trefoils and three lights, and is glazed with cathedral glass. The north and south windows have been repaired. The chancel is the only portion of the church in which the pews have been retained. They are incongruous and misplaced, and interefere with the beauty of the coup d'osil. From the chancel, the west window, and the pointed arch between the tower and nave may be seen to advantage. There are other piscinae in the church, remarkable WALK THE SIXTH. 199 for containing the small shelf, orcredence table, within the fenestrella. The organ is placed in the Hunger- ford chapel, which also serves as a vestry-room. Externally, the church has a pleasing aspect. The height of the tower is about a hundred feet, and one of the turrets contains a staircase. The building is of the Perpendicular style, and was completed in the reign of Henry VII. The southern porch is sur¬ mounted by an elaborate canopy, once, in all proba¬ bility, containing a figure of the Virgin. Near this point is the stair turret of the ancient rood loft. The expenses of the restoration were about £ 800, of which ^500 was raised by private sub¬ scription. Besides this sum, ^100 was granted by the parish for essential repairs. The present vicar is the Rev. C. W. Horton. Near the church stands the old manor house of the Hungerfords, now a farmstead. By the kindness of the tenant, we were shown a beautifully-carved mantel-piece, which has escaped disfigurement both from paint and mischief. The armorial bearings and grotesque figures are as sharp as when they left the carver’s hands. The back gate bears the date 1634, but from the general appearance of the mansion, we are inclined to believe this refers only to repairs. In a cottage garden is the ©EIcIl of St. Julian, from which was wont to be taken the water for baptism. A legend tells us that when evil threatened the house of Hungerford, a white figure used to appear, mourning by the crystal stream. Since the 200 IX AXD OUT OF BATH. extinction of the family, the ghostly visitant has disappeared, and now the “white ladye” and the legend are alike well-nigh forgotten. Wellow, the largest parish in the Bath Union, contains 5,292 statute acres. The net rental is ^9,201. The population, according to the census of 1871, amounts to 1,117. DUNKERTON, Lying two miles westward of Wellow, and four from Bath, is situated on the old Roman fosse-way, and derives its name from the British Dun Cairn — monument-hill. It is interesting as having been one of the twenty manors in Somerset bestowed on a gallant follower by the Conqueror, in requital of services at the battle of Hastings. He, when two Norman barons had declined to bear the standard, boldly accepted the honourable office; in remembrance of which sendee, the “Tunstall” family still bear the Gallic cock, crowing “ Droit” — ; forwards , as their crest, and their arms are en¬ circled by the Conqueror’s own watchword, “ God is my Help.” A portrait of this stout soldier, copied from the Bayeux tapestry, is given in Knight's “ Pictorial History of England.” His brother (after¬ wards the celebrated Archbishop Thurstan) was the first Norman abbot of Glastonbury; and his signature occurs as a witness to the sale of the bishopric of Bath to John of Tours. William of Malmesbury, tells us that, wishing to introduce WALK THE SIXTH. 201 a favourite liturgy into his abbey—no uniformity having been previously observed in public worship —the Archbishop entered the church with an armed band, and a desperate conflict ensued; the result being that Oswald, Bishop of Salisbury, agreed to compose a church service, which subsequently became universal throughout the kingdom. It is not a little singular that in the reign of Henry VIII., Cuthbert Tunstall, Bishop of London, friend of Erasmus, and one of the most learned men of his day, should have seen this liturgy superseded by the reformed ritual, for declining the use of which he was twice deprived of his bishopric. In the reign of Edward III., the manor of Dunker- ton passed by marriage into the possession of the Bampfylde family, and was sold by the late Lord Poltimore in 1845. The (tljurelj, with the exception of the tower and east wall, was re-built in 1859-60, by the late Patron and Rector, the Rev. F. Grosvenor, from the design of Mr. C. E. Davis, F.S.A., of Bath. The church is dedicated to All Saints, and the present Patron and Rector is the Rev. Gerard Ludlow Hallett, B.C.L. Internally there is nothing remarkable. Thesingular epitaph, recording the death, in 1634, of the Rev. John Dickes, rector of the parish, can no longer be seen, having, during the restoration of the church, been “ improved off the face of the earth.” “Hie, haec, hoc, hunc, huic, hujus, bonus, optima, clarum, Fulgor, Fama, Decus, vestit, adhseret, erit, Mente, animi, oh ! requiem vivens AIOEKAETOS ille Carpsit honore sacro ; jam super astra manet." 202 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Dunkerton is in the Bath Union, and in the hundred of Wellow. According to the last census, the popula¬ tion amounted to 1,048, while the ratable value is ^3,001 on an area of 1,233 acres. CAMERTON. Several learned antiquaries, rejecting the claims of Colchester, in Essex, have sought to identify Camerton as the Camalodunum of antiquity. Be this as it may, we find that the Romans, when engaged in the Conquest of Britain, soon occupied this county and entrenched themselves at Camerton, a.d. 43. The camp at Camerton was traversed by the Fosse- road, and was so situated as to form an excellent centre for the defence of the district against the Cangi occupying the Quantock Hills to the south, and the Brigantes and Silures to the north. The Romans were commanded by an able general, Aulus Plautius, who having defeated the Silures, commanded by Caractacus, drove them back into the mountains of Wales, and having received the submission of the Brigantes, who inhabited the Severn valley, sent to request the Roman emperor, Claudius, to complete in person the conquest of Britain. This he is said to have accomplished in the short space of sixteen days, without a battle. The statement, however, is hardly probable, unless it be taken as referring to the south of England, including Somerset. In honour of his victory, however, it is certain that a temple called Templum Claudii, the Temple of Claudius, was WALK THE SIXTH. 203 erected near Clutton, and hence the present desig¬ nation, Temple Cloud. Soon afterwards, in a.d. 51, Ostorius Scapula, another Roman general, made further conquests and settled a colony of veteran soldiers at Camerton, which the Rev. John Skinner in an able essay, seeks to identify with Camalodu- num, a theory which has many advocates, and is rendered the more plausible by the ancient name Camerlatone, not less than by the situation and many confirmatory circumstances. Mr. Skinner, in¬ deed, maintains, “ That this district was actually attached to the royal residence of Cynobelin, king of the Belgae, and father of Caractacus, spoken of by Dion; and Camerton the identical spot occu¬ pied by the Roman colonists established by Ostorius at Camalodunum.”* Be this as it may, the whole of the hill above Camerton is covered with Roman remains. The several hills which formed the old line of the Wansdyke were occupied by Roman forts, and it is said that every ford on the Avon was also a station of defence against the incursion of the Silures from South Wales, who advanced up the river in their coracles for the purpose of ravaging the country.f * Phelps' History of Somerset, vol. I., cap. iii. f Tacitus says of the Roman general, Ostorius, “ Cinctosque Castris Avonam et Sabrinam fluvios cohibere parat,” — i.e., having guarded the rivers Avon and Severn with fortified camps, he prepares to restrain the incursions of the enemy. These fortified camps on the Avon were Portishead, Portbury, Clifton-down and Leigh-down, Maesknoll, Englishcombe, Beacon hill, Hampton- down, and Solsbury. Tac. Ann. lib. XIV. 204 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Some years later the British tribe of the Iceni who lived in Norfolk and Suffolk, under their Queen Boadicea, rose in revolt while the Roman governor, Suetonius, was absent in the Island of Anglesea with his army, and so general was the rising among the Britons that they appear to have advanced to the West and sacked and burnt Camerton; that is sup¬ posing it to be the place meant by Camalodunum.* When this revolt was suppressed, another spot seems to have been chosen for the site of a permanent settlement in this part of Britain, and the presence of health-giving springs, and probably also strategic reasons, connected with the great trunk roads, led to the building and fortification of Bath, then, as now — the Queen of the West. 2 Tf)e (Cfjurrf), of which the Rev. Edward Holland is the rector, is a handsome Gothic edifice, dedicated to St. Peter: it consists of a beautiful tower, nave, and chancel, with a side chapel remarkable for the elaborate tombs of the Carews, ranging from 1640 to 1750. Little has been done since 1848 to the parish church of Camerton. The situation, in close proximity to the picturesque domain of the Jarrett family, is one of singular beauty and interest. The district of S. John Baptist, Peasedown, was formed in August, 1874, by the Ecclesiastical Com¬ missioners, from adjacent portions of the three parishes of Camerton, Dunkerton, and Wellow. * Phelps’ History of Somerset, vol. I., p. 151. WALK THE SIXTH. 205 When the proposed stone church is built and con¬ secrated, these portions will form a separate eccle¬ siastical parish. The temporary Cron (SHjtircf), at present used, has been tastefully fitted up by Mr. Butterfield, and the building has been licensed for Divine Service, and for the celebration of marriages. The church was built by the Misses Jarrett, and the endowment was also provided by them, with the assistance of the vicar of Wellow (the Rev. C. W. Horton), together with an annual grant of^5o from the Church Building Commissioners. The living, value ^150 per annum, is, like that of Camerton, in Miss Jarrett’s gift. The Incumbent is the Rev. Chas. Hardy Little, M.A. Miss Jarrett is now building schools not far from the church, and has also provided a parsonage house for the Incumbent. The parish of Camerton contains 1,728 acres. The rateable value is ,£5,498 ; and the population in 1871 amounted to 1,268 souls. <£{je 3&0tnan jJass^Mlag, of which there are numerous vestiges in the neighbourhood, has been traced at intervals from the Humber in Lincolnshire to the Sea Coast, at Seaton in Devonshire. It passed through the island, transversely from East to West, and its course from Cirencester to Bath may be easily followed, as it is supposed to coincide very nearly with the modern turnpike road, which, according to a survey made in 1840, is said to present the dis¬ tinguishing features of a Roman road, being raised 206 IN AND OUT OF BATH. above the level of the adjoining land and being generally protected by a ditch on each side. In approaching Bath it runs between Marshfield and Colerne, equi-distant from both, passes the arti¬ ficial cromlech, known as Shire-stones on Banner Down, at the junction of Wilts, Somerset, and Glou¬ cestershire, *and descending by the western brow of the hill, enters Batheaston to the south-west of Elmhurst, where it met the Via Julia , another Roman road leading from Silchester to Bath. From Batheaston the two roads, parellel to each other, if not united, ran together by way of the present turnpike road to Walcot,+ where the Via Julia, branching off through Guinea Lane, led by way of Weston, to Usk, on the river of that name. The Fosse-Way entering Bath through the north gate, left it at the south gate, and crossing the river by a bridge, ran up Holloway, to the Burnt House Gate (now removed), where it crossed the AVansdyke, at a spot where, in 1823, * The present "cromlech” was erected by the late Melmoth Walters and his nephew, so recently as the year 1858, and owes nothing to antiquity but its form or shape ; the very stones being new to the site. f True to their practice of extra-mural and way-side sepulture, the Romans have left many traces of the kind contiguous to the road which ran from Batheaston to Bath. A notable example of the kind was furnished a few years ago by the discovery, in Mr. Sweetland’s ground, near Cleveland Bridge, of three cists and a number of Roman coins. One struck by the moneyer of Julius Caesar, being the coin of earliest date yet discovered in the neigh¬ bourhood, is now in the possession of Mr. F. Shum, F.S.A. WALK THE SIXTH. 207 three skeletons were discovered. All trace of it is then lost in the new road, for half a mile, along which a charming view is obtained. Leaving the high road, the Fosse-Way proceeds straight to Dunkerton Bridge, running along a high ridge of land between Wellow and Camerton to Radstock, and a mile from thence is lost in the high road. At the Red Posts, about seven miles from Bath, the remains of Roman buildings were discovered, which were probably vestiges of the first Roman posting station out of Bath. These were opened, and the results recorded, by the Rev. J. Skinner.* The word “ The Fosse ” is preserved in the name of the village “ Stratton-on-the-Fosse.” To those who wish a nearer route from Wellow, there is not a more delightful country walk than that through Combehay Park up Fortnight Hill, where three farms, named respectively, Week, Fortnight, and Three Days farm, are a puzzle to the lovers of local tradition. Passing the once celebrated Fortnight School, we arrive at the top of the hill, and resting beneath the trees, can scan the beautiful and varied view before us. The Bath Union workhouse—a building erected with due regard to the comfort, cleanliness, and health of its inmates, is situated on Odd Down. The chapel is a special object of interest, having been built by the inmates alone. * Proceedings of the Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, vol. n., p.p. 174-186. 2o8 IN AND OUT OF BATH. A little above Cottage Crescent is a deserted quarry, from which, as tradition relates, the stone was dug for building Bath Abbey. IScrctogltc ©amp occupies a projecting point of land opposite Cottage Crescent, between the old and new roads to Wells. Its remains are very imperfect; but its outer agger, with the ditch, may here and there be traced. The position commands both vales, and affords an uninterrupted view of Solsbury, Hampton, Lansdown, Englishcombe Barrow, Kelston, and the beacon on Mendip. It may have been originally a Belgic-British settlement, afterwards converted into a Roman outpost. “Near the Wansdyke,” says Collinson, “on the western part of Lyncombe, is a lofty eminence, called the Barracks, on which are several tumuli.* Beneath, stood the ancient village of Berewyke,+ where, according to tradition, there was formerly a church, ■ the tithes of which belonged to the vicar of St. Mar)' de Stall, in Bath.” Finding no record of this village as a separate manor, we are of opinion that the church here spoken of, was one of the road-side chantrey chapels, erected for the convenience of pil¬ grims, journeying to or from the shrine of St. Joseph of Arimathea, at Glastonbury, which, in Romish * The so-called tumuli are, there is reason to believe, old quarryings. + In Domesday Book the Berewyks were members of some central manor. In many instances detached farms. Beria in Mediaeval Latin means a wide open plain, and Views is the other component of the word. See Duncange, “Voce, Beria.” WALK THE SIXTH. 209 times, drew a great concourse of people, for whom the church provided “ hostels,” or hospitals, where they were kindly entertained. To each of these a chapel was attached. On their departure, the rich gave a sum of money, then called a “dole;” while the poor proceeded without anything being demanded for their entertainment. p IN AND OUT OF BATH. __>— vrr >x* v v- » r'^T V-i WALK THE SEVENTH. Over the Old Bridge to Lyncombe and Wid- combe ; Beechen Cliff ; Holloway ; Magda¬ len Chapel and Hospital ; St. Luke’s Church; the Quay; Avon Street; Kings- mead Square; Wesleyan Chapel; Trinity Church ; Hetling House. LYNCOMBE Oh, the charming parties made Some to walk the North Parade ; Some to Lyncombe’s shady groves, Or to Simpson's proud alcoves." Anstey. AVING passed the last few days in the 1. J. country we now propose to spend a short time in the town and its immediate neighbourhood. At the Conquest, Widcombe belonged to the king, while Lyncombe was the property of the Bath Abbey. In 1292, its revenues were rated at jQ 8 17s. 6d. In 1236, it was given, with Widcombe and Berewyke. to WALK THE SEVENTH. 2 I I the vicarage of St. Mary de Stall, Bath. At the Reformation, the manors of Lyncombe and Widcombe were bestowed on Lord Russell, the ancestor of the present duke of Bedford, who disposed of them to the family of Biss. In 1638, Hugh Saxey, the founder of the hospital and school at Bruton, conveyed these manors to that establishment, and ordained that the parish should have the right to send two free scholars to be educated there. Hugh Saxey is said, by steady perseverance and meritorious conduct, to have raised himself from the condition of a stable boy, to the high and honourable post of auditor to Queen Elizabeth. The wealth that he gained he bestowed on the poor of his native town. The hospital receives ten women, eight men, and twelve boys ; the latter are kept until fourteen years old, and are then apprenticed. “Lyncombe,” says Britton, in his notes to Anstey’s “New Bath Guide,” “is a romantic narrow valley, which, in Anstey’s time was a rural shady walk. Now,” says he “it has changed its features; and if not villified, is villa-fied, by a profusion of cottage ornees, mansions, gardens, etc. : and, although many of the valleys in the vicinity of the city abound with secluded and romantic beauties, that of Lyncombe is pre-eminent.” In Anstey’s time, the vale boasted two places of public resort—the Bagatelle Gardens, and King James’s Palace, so called from a tradition that the fugitive monarch concealed himself there, after his flight. 212 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Wood gives an amusing account of the discovery of a mineral spring in Lyncombe, in the year 1737, as well as the causes of its failure. “ The discovery of the Lyncombe spa,” says he, “was owing to the following accident:—Mr. Charles Milsom, a cooper, in Bath, having, with four others, rented an old fish¬ pond for twenty shillings a year, and there being leaks in the pond, he, in June, 1737, searched the ground at the head of it, in order to stop the chinks, at which time he perceived a void piece of ground, which as he approached, shook, and looked much like the spawn of toads. This, upon examination, he found to be glutinous, of a strong sulphurous smell, and the colour of ochre. On removing this with a shovel, he perceived several little springs boil up, emitting a black sand, which dried and turned grey. The other part of the soil was white. These things, together with the taste of the water, con¬ vinced him that he had made a discovery, and the next thing was to make it known. He forthwith adopts the title of “ Doctor,” and invites several of his neighbours, with their wives, to a party at the fishpond, and, making a bowl of punch from the water, he frightened his guests by turning the brandy a purple colour, which, they refusing to drink, he explained the circumstance to their satisfaction, when the punch was drank,” as Wood says, “with no little mirth and jollity.” The next year, one Dr. Hillary made a more particular inquiry, and induced the proprietor of the land to join him in the WALK THE SEVENTH. 2I 3 erection of a lofty edifice over the fountain, at an expense of ^1,500; “ but, alas !” says Wood, “ the ground was weakened, so that the building destroyed the spring. And if Dr. Hillary had not taken on himself more of the architect than the physician in this work, Lyncombe spa had undoubtedly remained a fructile spring to the proprietors, to the great advantage of mankind in general."'’ SSeecfjnt Cliff, or Bleak Leigh, rises to a considerable elevation above the “meander Avon,” as Henry Chapman calls it. The best way of reaching it is by the lane behind Pope’s villa, at the bottom of Lyncombe Hill. From the summit the view is very striking. No word painting can adequately describe its beauties. Syer’s Views, however, of the town and surrounding country are effective. At our feet lies the city, with its crescents, churches, and streets rising from the river well nigh to the summit of Lansdown. To the east are Grosvenor Place, and the hills of Solsbury and Hampton. Sham Castle, Claverton Road, Bathwick Hill, and the river creeping through the valley, diversify the prospect. A few steps onward,AVidcombe Church, Crowe Hall,Combe Down, and Prior Park, the Cemetery, and Warner’s pretty cottage, wherein he wrote his “ History of Bath,” come well in sight. Englishcombe Barrow rises towards the south, while Berewyke Camp, and Cottage Crescent, Twerton, the Weston Villas, and Kelston Roundhill, complete the picture. 2 T 4 IN AND OUT OF BATH. A walk along the edge of Beechen Cliff leads us to Holloway, or, as it was formerly called, Haul Down, a portion of the Roman Fosse Way. On the north side of the road stands j?t. fHagdalnt’s Cljapcl anh hospital. MAGDALEN CHAPEL, HOLLOWAY. It was by this route that Leland came to Bath. “ I came down,” says he, “ a rocky hill, full of fair springs of water; and on this rocky hill is set a fair street, as a suburb to the city, and in this street is a chapel of St. Mary Magdalen.” This house and chapel were given to the Abbey of Bath in the reign WALK THE SEVENTH. 2I 5 of Henry I., by Walter Hosate, on condition that the chapel should be thoroughly repaired ; and Tanner, in his “Notitia Monastica tells us that, in 1332, an indulgence of twenty days was granted to the benefactors of the hospital. Prior Cantlow rebuilt the chapel in 1495. On the east side of the porch is the following inscription :— 2 Tf)B3.ctapeliaorgsctBB-tot.f(irmoBBte.0pcctafiBU. En.tfje.ljtmoforc.of.fH £HagSaIcn.prtor.(£antIobj fiatij.rtJBfBfic- H)eBB r i!'S-5oto.to ptaB.for.fyim.tot.Bofore.prBera SekctabBll. 2Tl)at.8ctc.toiU.mi)abittim.in.i)cbBn.tl3Ct.cbB r -lo abstic. The meaning of the first line is, that it was ornamented with beautiful designs. The chapel has little to recommend ittoa stranger’s notice except its antiquity. At the west end it has a small embattled tower, with one bell. There is every reason to believe that, prior to the Reformation, it was extra parochial, and that it was served by a monk, appointed for the purpose. In the east window is some good stained glass, the subjects being the Virgin and Child, Prior Cantlow, St. Bartholomew, and Mary Magdalen. On either side of the nave is a perpendicular canopied niche, and another near the chancel. This building has been several times suffered to dilapidate. It was repaired in 1760, when it was fitted up for divine service. In 1823, after long neglect, it was again restored, but was closed again from 1833 until 1 83 7, when the Rev. John Allen having been ap¬ pointed master, service has since been regularly performed. 2 I 6 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Of the hospital Wood speaks thus :—“It is a poor cottage for the reception of idiots; but there are few maintained therein, the nurse’s stipend, for the support of herself and the objects of her care, being but ,£15 per annum. Whoever” he continues, “ enters it, will see enough to cure his pride, and excite his gratitude for the blessings he enjoys.” It was rebuilt in 1761, and one idiot was, until re¬ cently, maintained in it. At present there is no benevolent institution con¬ nected with the chapel. The hospital (without in¬ mates) is now governed by the Public Act 19th and 20th Victoria, chapter 45, and, under the directions of that Act, all surplus income is to be accumulated until the sum of ,£5,000 stock, at the least, has been raised, when a building is to be erected as near as may be to the chapel, and such hospital is to be established for the reception, maintenance, and im¬ provement of poor idiots. It does not follow that this will be carried into effect, because under the powers of the Endowed Schools’ Act of 1869 the Trustees have made application for the conversion of the charity into an educational endowment, and if the application be granted, the funds will be applied, under the 74th section of the scheme regulating King Edward’s School, Bath, to the education of girls. 5 >. ILube’s (£j)urri). This was built in 1867 as a district church for the accomodation of the inhabi¬ tants of South Lyncombe, a rapidly increasing suburb. It occupies a most convenient site between Hatfield WALK THE SEVENTH. 217 Place and Devonshire Buildings, and is designed in the early Decorative style by Messrs. Hickes and Isaac, of Bath. There are 384 sittings, of which 128 are free. The Rev. Robert Tapson is the incumbent, and the patronage is vested in the Simeon Trustees. The parish of Lyncombe and Widcombe has increased considerably in population during the present century. In 1801 it contained 2,790 souls. From the last census we find it contains 11,020 inhabitants. The area is 1,846 acres. The poor rates, which before the Union were £2,018, are now increased to ,£2,248. The parish is included in the City and Borough of Bath by the Reform Act. Let us return by the Quay. Avon street, with its once beautiful ceilings and noble staircases, is now the abode of the poor, where idlers congregate in squalid groups at doors, round which powdered footmen formerly waited. Close at hand is Kings- mead Square, at the western comer of which is the once elegant mansion of the Chapman family, now let in tenements. Herschel lived at 13, New King Street, where he first made those observations which sub¬ sequently led to the discovery of the Georgium Sidus. One evening, as he and Palmer, the architect, were conversing at the door, he pointed out that planet to the latter as a star not depicted on the charts. The TOesleoan fitljapel, in New King Street, of which John Wesley laid the first stone in 1780, was restored during the year 1847, in the Decorated Gothic of the fourteenth century, after a design of IN AND OUT OF BATH. 218 Mr. Wilson. The interior is fitted with open seats. Behind the stone pulpit is a recess forming an organ gallery, and on either side a stained glass window; light is admitted to the body of the building by an arrangement of quartrefoil windows in the clerestory. (Erinito (Efptrcl), erected in 1820, stands in James Street. The Rev. James Murray Dixon is the Rector.* A portion of the parish has been annexed to the Ecclesiastical District of St. Paul, under the scheme sanctioned by the late Bishop, Lord Auckland. Considerable improvements have recently been made in the street accommodation of this neighbour¬ hood. The increasing traffic arising from the branch line which connects the Midland Railway with the city rendered improved means of traffic imperative. The terminus forms a handsome addition to Green Park Buildings. The former, as well as the latter, deserves a visit. A complete specimen of mediteval domestic architecture lies within a short distance of this locality, and is well worthy of a visit. It was erected in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, but by whom is not certain. The Hungerford family were, no doubt, connected with it. The arms on the chimney-piece (a drawing and description of which may be seen in the “ Builder,” No. 150) are not, as has been generally supposed, the arms of the * The Patron of the Living was formerly the late Kev. S. II. Widdrington, Rector of Walcot, who, in 1864. disposed of it to Trustees, in whom it is at present vested. WALK THE SEVENTH. 219 Hungerfords, but of Clarke, a Somersetshire family, and as these arms, Canon Jackson observes, “ cannot well be otherwise than coeval with the house itself,” the inference is it was built by the Clarke family, and afterwards came into the possession of the Hungerfords. The mansion (since called Hetling House) was erected on a portion of land belonging to S. John’s Hospital, near the Hot Bath. To this mansion was attached a postern gate. A subterranean passage, now choked up, led to the gardens and pleasure grounds without the city walls. In ex¬ cavating the city ditch near the postern many years ago, several pipes were dug up. These pipes are very small, and it seems more than probable they were used for smoking hemp, not tobacco. From the coincidence of their bearing, for the most part, the initials E. H., they were supposed to have been manu¬ factured for Sir E. Hungerford ; but Canon Jackson, who has swept away so many flimsy conjectures, has conclusively disposed also of this, by showing that some of the pipes bear the full name of E. Hunt. In 1694 the house was the property of Lord Lexing¬ ton (who married a Hungerford), who gave it to Mrs. Savil, in lieu of a legacy of ^100. The lady married Mr. Skrine, an apothecary, when the house was called Skrine’s Lower House. In 1746, the Princess Caroline, with her sister the Princess of Hesse, occupied it. A portion of the house is now used by the fraternity of Odd Fellows, and is called the Odd Fellows’ Hall. IN AND OUT OF BATH. WALK THE EIGHTH. Bath as it was; the Bear Inn ; Improvements; The Hospital Chapel; Blue-Coat School; Beau Nash ; Unitarian Chapel ; The Theatre; Queen Square; Bath and County Club; Percy Chapel; Moravian Chapel ; Savings’ Bank. HE approach from the fashionable part of Bath _L to what may be called “ the Old Town ” was, until the commencement of the present century, very bad. Union Street was not then built. Within the last sixty years Quiet Street, which has recently been considerably improved, was almost over¬ shadowed with trees, in which was a rookery. Old Bond Street was, to use a questionable phrase, a respectable thoroughfare; but Barton Street was narrow and unpaved. WALK THE EIGHTH. ' 221 At the time of which we write, . Samcs’s CTcmet erg, for the accommodation of the above united parishes,* was built from the designs of Mr. C. E. Davis, * A curious result of this arrangement occurred some years ago : a funeral from two of these parishes took place, and one clergyman discharged the two-fold duty. To economise time, and, presumably, trouble, he stood mid-way between the graves, and turning to each, alternately, shouted a sentence first to one, and then to the other, with an effect infinitely more ludicrous than edifying. We have heard of political economy ; household economy, and other economies ; we should not like to give a name to this kind of economy. WALK THE TENTH. 269 architect, and consecrated in 1862. It was laid out by Mr. Butler, and occupies an area of eight acres, part of which is appropriated to the use of Nonconformists. We may return to Bath over the Utrtorfa Suspension Bridge —a novelty in its time,—the principle of which is now, however, generally followed in all similar structures; or, we may cross the bridge of the Midland Railway Company, near the Station. IN AND OUT OF BATH. WALK TH E ELEVENTH. Out of the City by the Old Bridge; The Wells Road; Englishcombe—The Church—■ Old Manor House — Culverhays — The Wansdyke—Englishcombe Barrow; Home. ENGLISHCOMBE. ROSSING the Old Bridge and following the Wells Road for something less than half a mile, we turn into the Oldfield Road, and passing down a narrow foot-path, enter the fields which lead direct to the village of Englishcombe. The valley in which this village stands is perfect. It is associated with an historic past of great interest. The manor was given to the Bishop of Coutance at the Conquest, the Saxon Thane in occupation receiving a peremptory notice to quit. It was then worth ^io, having six ploughs, two mills, twelve acres of meadow, one hundred acres of coppice wood, ten carucates of arable land, and three carucates in demesne. In the reign of King John, it was in the possession of the powerful family of De Gournay, one of whom made his youngest son heir, on the singular tenure of twelve cross-bow WALK THE ELEVENTH. 271 shots annually. Here stood one of their baronial castles; but Sir Thomas De Gournay* being attainted for the murder of King Edward II., Englishcombe, with his other estates, was confiscated and bestowed on the Duchy of Cornwall, the Prince of Wales, in right of the said Duchy, being lord of the manor. The Cljurd) is pleasantly situated on the brow of a hill, and presents a contrast to those which we have lately described, in having a central embattled tower, with pinnacles. The font is Norman, and square. On the north side of the tower, which contains five bells, are two finely preserved zigzag arches. The west window is of the decorated period, and contains stained glass. There are four shields in the mouldings : one of the Abbey of Bath; another depicting a bugle horn; the third a bow; and the fourth a quiver of arrows. In the porch is a small decorated canopy, and near the altar a piscina. The south chapel has a square-headed decorated window, and on the wall between it and the nave is the figure of an angel supporting a coat-of-arms. Above is a window divided into two compartments, which contains some ancient stained glass. The church was partially repaired in 1840, when * His son, Sir Matthew de Gournay, is frequently made mention of in the Chronicles of Froissart. He was a famous follower of Edward III. and the Black Prince. Falling into disgrace, he was imprisoned in the Tower, 1363, but in 1377 he, with John of Gaunt, led an army into Picardy, when he was taken prisoner, and ransomed with the assistance of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester. 272 IN AND OUT OF BATH. sixty additional sittings were obtained. In the graveyard is a decaying recumbent effigy, which probably once occupied an altar-tomb in the chapel. The Rev. James Smart is the vicar. Of the Castle nothing remains except some grassy mounds and the fosse in a field called Culverhays. Some years since, a large maple tree, which stood on the spot, was cut down, under the idea that treasure was concealed beneath it. Nothing, however, but an ancient wall rewarded the search. The view from the mound is very picturesque. The fHanor J^ouse exists much in the same state as when the unfortunate Duke of Monmouth passed through the village to Philip’s Norton, from his bivouac on Barrow Hill. The doorway, anciently fastened with a strong bar of wood, has a small window on either side, intended, perhaps, to guard against surprise. The Rectorial Barn, built out of the ruins of the castle, is a fine example of the Gothic granaries of the later period. A venerable pear tree is trained against its buttresses; and in a hedge behind the barn is a natural curiosity—two ancient yew trees, which have grown together in the form of a lancet arch. In the orchard, near the church, the OSansilgkE may be seen, and in the pasture lands, westward, it exists in its pristine condition, namely, a long mound, varying in height from nine to twelve feet, with a ditch on one side. Few objects of antiquarian WALK THE ELEVENTH. 27 3 research have caused more surmises than the Wansdyke. In turn attributed to the Britons, Romans, and Saxons, it was probably an old Celtic boundary anterior to the irruption of the Belgse.* Throughout its course, from the Thames to the Severn, vestiges of it remain. Too feeble for an intrenchment in a thinly inhabited country, it was sufficiently durable as a landmark. Here and there, as at Avebury, in Wiltshire, it assumes the appearance of a fortification, but in every other portion of its course it could have answered no such purpose. Extending nearly in a direct line from the Thames, it enters Wiltshire at Great Bedwin, passing through Savernake Forest, and over Marlborough Downs, by Calstone, Heddington, and Spye Park. It reaches the Avon at Benacre, traverses the fields, meets the river again at Bathampton, crosses Claverton Down, Prior Park, and Englishcombe, and passing Stantonbury Camp, through Publow to Maes Knoll, runs over Highbridge Common to the ancient haven of Portishead on the Severn. * Ptolemy gives us Winchester, Bath, and Ilchester as the three principal towns of the Belgic province, but Dr. Guest shows that this was an error; (Archaeological Journal, vol. 8, page 151,) he says :—“Bath is just without the Belgic boundary, and, there¬ fore, could not have been a Belgic town. Ptolemy has, in other instances, assigned towns situated near a frontier to the wrong people ; thus he gives London to the Cantii. There are generally circumstances connected with the towns thus misplaced, which help us to explain the blunder ; we have reason to believe that London had a suburb south of the river, even in the Roman times ; and the Belgic fortress on the Wansdike, which lay im¬ mediately above the hot baths, may very probably have led the geographer into making the misstatement.” 274 IN AND OUT OF BATH. iSnrjlisfjcombe Barrofo, otherwise Barrow Hill, has, until lately, had the reputation of being an immense artificial mound, and one of the largest barrows in England. It is about half a mile from the village, and its conical shape, when viewed from Bath, makes it a conspicuous object in the landscape. From its peculiar contour, the conjecture, as mentioned by Collinson and others, that it was artificial, was not to be surprised at; but on a visit to the spot by the Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society, in 1876, it was pointed out by Mr. Moore that there were undisturbed horizontal beds of oolite, on the top, and that originally.it had been a continuation of the table land of Odd Down, the separation having been effected by subsequent denudation, and that, consequently, the mound was natural, and not artificial. The parish is in the hundred of Wellow, and Union of Bath. The population, in 1871, was 533 ; the area is 1,852 statute acres, and the ratable value for apportioning Union expenses is ^3,432. Returning, we may follow the lane to the Wells Road, or cross the fields to Twerton. In either case the walk is very agreeable. IN AND OUT OF BATH. WALK THE TWELFTH. Sion Hill—The Parry Family—a Group of Artists; Lansdown Crescent —J. H. Mark- land; Charlcombe ; Royal School; Wes¬ leyan College. HE higher part of the city may be reached by X Cavendish Place and Cavendish Crescent, to the north of which is Somerset Place, and to the west SION HILL. iSummerfjlll, the residence of Robert Stickney Blaine, Esq., J.P., and formerly Mayor of the city, is a handsome house, built early in the present century, by Caleb Hillier Parry ,* M.D., author of “The Elements of Pathology and Therapeutics.” He was descended from a Pembrokeshire family, and was born on the 21st of October, 1755. In 1773, he went to Edinburgh, where he studied his profes¬ sion. In 1775, he became a pupil of Dr. Denman, father of the first Lord Denman. In 1777 he returned to Edinburgh, took his degree, and subse- * His father, Joshua Parry, whose memoirs were edited by Sir J. Eardley Wilmot, Bart., and published in 1872, was for many years Unitarian minister at Cirencester. 276 IN AND OUT OF BATH. quently became president of the Royal Medical Society, the charter for which he was chiefly in¬ strumental in obtaining. Dr. Parry settled in this city in 1779, and soon took the commanding position among his co¬ temporaries to which his talents and acquirements entitled him. He was a musician, poet, and painter; a correspondent of Burke and Wyndham on political subjects, and in various publications distinguished himself by his practical knowledge of agriculture. Dr. Parry devoted much attention to his merino flock, and succeeded in improving the texture of wools. He was the friend and correspondent of Herschel and Dr. Jenner. He read much, was a good mathematician, and a ripe scholar, and so greatly was he respected, that, on his death, he was followed to the grave by his friends and fellow- practitioners, who erected a tablet to his memory, in the Bath Abbey. Dr. Parry was the father of the distinguished arctic navigator, Sir Edward Parry,* and also of Dr. Charles Henry Parry, who lived and practised for many years in the Circus. The latter compiled a work of much research on “ The Parliaments and Councils of England.” Dr. C. H. Parry, sometime before his death, pre¬ sented the library collected by his father, to the Royal United Hospital. * Sir Edward had two sons, Capt. Parry, R.N., the biographer of his father ; and the present Dr. Parry, Suffragan Bishop of Dover. WALK THE TWELFTH. 277 At the south-east corner of Sion Hill stands 23ortc pjouse, once the residence of (ZCljamas Barker, the painter. Thomas Barker was born at a village near Pontypool in 1769. His grandfather was a member of the Bar, and settled at Newark-on-Trent. The father of Thomas Barker was early in life ad¬ dicted to the “ turf,” which brought him to ruin. Driven to great extremities, at about middle age, he endeavoured to obtain a livelihood by painting animals, especially horses, although previous to this period he had taken no interest whatever in the fine arts. He so far succeeded in his new occupation as to be able to maintain himself and family, but his de¬ clining years were much clouded by adversity. A fine specimen of his art as a painter of horses is preserved in the Museum of the Royal Literary and Philo¬ sophical Institution. He came to Bath towards the close of the last century. His son Thomas, at a very early age, gave remarkable evidence of artistic talent. The earliest success of Thomas Barker may be said was, to a great extent, an obstacle to his sub¬ sequent progress. In early youth he produced “The Woodman,”* a picture which astonished the congnoscenti of the day. * Macldin, the celebrated Art Publisher, first purchased this picture, which he engraved. Afterwards Boydell bought it, for, it is said, £735. It is now, we believe, in Ireland. This is the version engraved by Bartolozzi, and which was re-produced on china, pottery, and in samplfers. The picture in the South Kensington Museum is "The Woodman in a Storm." Barker painted two versions of “The Woodman.” One of these versions is at Raby Castle, in the room called the "Raby Kennel, ’’ from the number of portraits of famous dogs it contains. 278 IN AND OUT OF BATH. Mr. Charles Spackman, who had realised a good fortune as a coach-builder in Bath, and who was a man of culture and refined taste, perceiving the promise of artistic genius in Thomas Barker, provided him with the advantages of a good education. Mr. Spack¬ man then sent his protege to Italy, where he applied himself diligently to the study of the old masters in Rome, Florence, Venice, and other Italian cities. On returning to England, he settled in Bath, and resided for some time in Chapel House, then in Camden Crescent, and afterwards on Sion Hill. Early in the present century, in conjunction with Joseph Gandy, the architect, he designed the Picture Gallery at the corner of Sion Hill. This building he subsequently enlarged. On the interior wall of the gallery, which now forms a portion of the dining-room of Doric House, Mr. Barker painted the fresco—“ The Massacre of the Sciotes,”a work as remarkable for its originality of conception and brilliancy of execution as for apparent durability. Mr. Barker, in the execution of this fresco, claimed to have re-discovered a partially lost art, and his The subject of the picture consists in the representation of a stal¬ wart but aged woodman, with his dog, walking deliberately in a forest path, in snowy weather, with a bundle of sticks on his shoulder, and holding an axe. The head is full of character, of an aptly sentimental kind, and the whole is painted with con¬ siderable brush power. This version was purchased by Lord William Powlett, who, on succeeding as Third Duke of Cleve¬ land, added it to the Raby Collection. (See Athenaum, August 26th, 1876.) A very fine picture of the “Orphan Roy,” by Mr. Barker, was purchased at the sale of the iate Mr. Charles Empson’s collection, by D. Michael, Esq., and is now in that gentleman’s possession. WALK THE TWELFTH. 279 work, despite the fact that it has been covered by a film of varnish, at present exhibits, so far as colouring is concerned, all its pristine freshness. Ary Scheffer pronounced it to be one of the finest productions in composition of the English School.* Barker produced a large number of paintings, but none so popular as “The Woodman,” and he often displayed symptoms of disappointment and im¬ patience at the neglect he experienced, and because his works apparently failed to meet with the appre¬ ciation he felt conscious they merited. He was a man of quick intelligence, a brilliant talker, and an excellent scholar. Since Mr. Barker’s death in 1847, a more just estimate has been formed of his genius and works, and his best examples are being sought with avidity by collectors. Benjamin Barker was the younger brother of Thos. Barker. He, too, was an artist, less ambitious and less distinguished than his brother, but a successful man. His subjects, chiefly landscapes, were much admired and sought after. Many of his sketches of Wick, and Hampton Down, &c., were reproduced in sepia and are indeed charming. Mr. B. Barker lived on Bathwick Hill, in a villa now called “Oakwood.” Mr. Britton says, “At this delectable retreat I spent many happy hours in company with some of the Bath ‘ Worthies ’, amongst whom was James Hewlett,” a distinguished English flower * Mr. Barker was one of the artists consulted with reference to the frescoes proposed for the Houses of Parliament. 280 IN AND OUT OF BATH. painter, whose sister Barker married. Barker was born in 1776, and settled in Bath about 1807. His later days were clouded by pecuniary losses. The productions of fifctolEtt were much and justly admired. In and before his day they had scarcely been surpassed. In this branch of art, however, great advances have been made, and Bath can claim many eminent professors. Hewlett’s works bear no com¬ parison with those of the late Mr. G. Rosenberg, or his sister, the late Mrs. J. D. Harris, whether in drawing, grouping, artistic grace, or colouring. Both these dis¬ tinguished artists are no more, but their genius lives in the bright creations of their pencils. During visits paid by Mr. Rosenberg to Norway, he made some drawings of the mountain scenery of that country, in which he displays the versatility of his artistic ability. The mountains of Nonvay, in summer, are described as unlike the mountains of any other country, in their glowing tints; and these he most successfully depicted, investing the scenes with unusual in¬ terest and beauty. We have to regret the loss of two such artists, who possessed what Carlyle calls genius, namely, an infinite capacity for taking pains. Mrs. Duffield—a Rosenberg by birth also—is a lady gifted with faculties of no ordinary character. She married the late Mr. Duffield, and, together with her husband, pursued her profession in Bath, and subse¬ quently in London, with pre-eminent success. At the time in which we write, this accomplished artist is un¬ rivalled as a flower painter. Mr. Duffield was the pupil and friend of Lance, and it is no disparagement of the WALK THE TWELFTH. 28l latter to say that in “ still-life ” Mr. Duffield scarcely suffers by comparison with his great master. Mr. Duffield’s landscapes likewise are very fine. He died early—too early for art, but not before he had achieved enduring celebrity. ILnnshoton drcsccnt, erected towards the close of the last century, was then called Spackman’s Build¬ ings, after the friend and patron of Thomas Barker. It boasts a suburban view rarely equalled, and still more rarely surpassed. Sautes PjEotooah fHatWanh, F.S.A., F.R.S., D.C.L., and member of the Roxburgh Club, was a native of Ardwick Green, Manchester, was edu¬ cated for the legal profession, and practised for some years as a solicitor in London. An ardent student of archaeology, topography, and other kindred sciences, in early life he contributed several articles for Britton’s work on the Beauties of England, as well as to the Architectural Antiquities. He also wrote various papers for the Society of Antiquaries. On his retirement from practice, he resided at No. x, Lansdown Crescent, where he collected a very fine library of topographical, antiquarian, and theological works. Mr. Markland was generally regarded as an accurate and industrious compiler, but not a pro¬ found scholar. He wrote and published, during his residence in Bath, “Memorials of English Churches,” a valuable contribution towards the revival of a more earnest interest in the monuments and antiquities of our churches. This was followed by another brochure 282 IN AND OUT OF BATH. on a kindred subject, entitled, “On the Reverence due to Holy Placeshe also edited an edition of Bishop Ken’s admirable little book, “ Prayers for the Use of the Sick.” In addition to this, he was an occasional contributor to the Oxford Archaeological Journal. Mr. Markland was an ardent High Churchman, and took a very keen interest in all the theological discussions and controversies of the day. He was an active member of many of the benevolent societies and institutions in the city, and was one of the founders of the Literary Club. Mr. Markland married a daughter of the late Sir F. Freeling, Bart., by whom he had one daughter. He died in 1865. Immediately below Lansdown Crescent is 3111 Saints’ Cljapel, opened in 1794. It was erected from a plan by Mr. Palmer. CHARLCOMBE, Which lies in a valley east of Lansdown, belonged to the Abbey of Bath from immemorial time. In the Confessor’s reign, the manor was worth fifty shillings. At the Conquest, William Hosate held it, when it was worth J 6 . There is an agreement extant between him and the convent, of which Collinson gives the following translation :— “ In this writing is declared the agreement which William Hosate hath made with the abbot Ulfwold , the abbot Hdlfrig , and the whole convent of Bath concerning the land of Ceorlcumb; that is to say, WALK THE TWELFTH. 283 they have delivered into his hands the said land , with ten oxen and sixty sheep , with an acre for sowing , on condition that he pay the monastery every year f~2 rent , and that he go to the king's bank , and pay tallage to the king. This is done on condition that he be faithful and obedient to each abbot , and all the brethren , in all things; and if he shall violate the trust which he hath pledged ., he shall forfeit the land , and be cursed by Christ , Saint Mary and Saint Peter , to whom this monastery is dedicated The manor remained in the hands of the clergy until the Reformation, and the church patronage continued in the hands of the lord of the manor until the Rev. Walter Robins annexed it to the Bath Grammar School. The benefice is now in private patronage, having been separated from the Grammar School, by the Endowed School Commissioners. Vide p. 65. The (Kjurcl), which is dedicated to St. Mary, con¬ sists of nave, chancel, and south porch. It presents marks of high antiquity, and was thoroughly re¬ paired prior to the Reformation. The extreme length is about 51 feet, and the width 21 feet. It has 90 sittings, which are free. The present struc¬ ture is mostly of the perpendicular work, with some remains of earlier work in the tower-arch and chancel- arch. There is a north doorway of Norman character, which is now blocked up. The porch also, is of early character, and the south door is supposed to be a modern restoration of the old Norman door. The 284 IN AND OUT OF BATH. font is of a cylindrical bowl-shaped form, and Nor¬ man in character, with a carved band of lilies round it. Near the altar is a monument, by Ford, of Bath, to Lady Barbara Montague, who died in the year 1766. There is a small bell tower at the west end, six feet square, corbelled out from the wall. CHARLCOMBE CHURCH. Originally it contained two bells, but only one now remains. The church was restored a few years ago, when the chancel walls, and part of the south wall of the nave, were re-built, a new roof put on the nave, and the area re-seated. The circular WALK THE TWELFTH. 2 85 pulpit is of stone. The windows, with but one exception, are filled with stained glass, illustrating subjects from the life and miracles of our Lord. There is also a carved stone reredos, containing the symbols of the four Evangelists, Agnus Dei, &c. On the west side of the porch is a venerable yew tree. The churchyard is well kept. In it there are several monuments of good design, and many of the graves are planted with choice flowers. The Rev. E. T. Stubbs is the present Rector. Though the road tempts us onward, it will be convenient to turn our steps once more towards the city; but before doing so, the stranger should pause a moment to gaze at one of the sweetest suburban views with which we are acquainted. On the right, is a green and quiet valley ; on the left, a | lofty and abrupt hill ; before, a pleasant lane; j beyond, the valley of the Avon, winding eastward; around, hills of many a shape and hue, while here and there a church tower tells of the neighbouring town, and serves to make nature all the sweeter from the contrast. Retracing the Charlcombe Lane until it meets the Lansdown Road, we turn to the left, and find our¬ selves in front of livoual School. The following is an abstract of the general rules. The daughters of all Officers in Her Majesty’s Army, inclusive of Royal Marines, are eligible. Claims are founded on the services of the father and the pecuniary circumstances of the family. The ages of admission 286 IN AND OUT OF BATH. are from ten to fifteen. No pupil can remain after the age of eighteen, unless under special circum¬ stances. Elections take place in June and December. Pupils elected by the votes of Subscribers pay jQ 12 per annum. Those elected by the Committee pay ^27 per annum and no extras. Patron, Her Majesty the Queen. President, Field-Marshal H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge. On the west side of the road are a large number of villas, and as the south slopes of Lansdown offer admirable sites for houses of this sort, it is probable that at no distant date “ Upper Lansdown” will be¬ come one of the most fashionable suburbs of the city. Charlcombe is in the Bath Union, and contains an area of 571 acres. The population, in 1791, was 50, and in 1871, was 577. In 1770 the poor rates were jQ 22, and now average £350 per annum. Cfje OEcsIcpan College, called New Kingswood —in perpetuation of the name of the place where it was originally founded by the late John Wesley; the apostle of Methodism—stands on the brow of Lans¬ down, and is a handsome edifice, in the style peculiar to the Tudor period. It was erected from the design of Mr. James Wilson, and consists of a centre, containing a dining hall; a west wing, school¬ rooms, and other offices; the chapel, with the governor’s house, occupies the east wing. IN AND OUT OF BATH. WALK THE THIRTEENTH. St. Stephen’s Church ; Christ Church ; St. James’s Square, Anstey; St.Andrew’sChurch; The Royal Crescent; Catherine Place— Haynes Bayly— W. S. Landor ; Brock Street —Skating Rink; Assembly Rooms; Circus— Somersetshire College — The Falconer Family—Gainsborough ; Gay Street—Mrs. Piozzi ; Milsom Street—Octagon Chapel. the east side of Lansdown Road stands St. v_/ Stephen’s (Eljurcfj, at present a chapel-of-ease to Walcot. The style is Decorated, and the design cruciform. The tower is 120 feet high, and at its basement is a massive door-way which practically forms a porch. The east window is of stained glass, and in the western transept there is a font of florid Gothic, the gift of the Pindar family. The architect of the church is Mr. James Wilson, F.S.A. Situated on a lofty and commanding eminence St. Stephen’s forms a striking object whether seen from the city or the adjacent hills. 2S8 IN AND OUT OF BATH. (Christ Cfjurdf}, which stands at the east end of Montpellier, was erected in 1798 through the exertions of the late Archdeacon Daubeny, and was chiefly designed for the accomodation of the poor. Within the last few years a chancel has been added to the building. The joint incumbents are the Rev. James Wood, rural dean, and the Rev. J. H. Way. St. James’s Square occupies what was once the poet Anstey’s garden.* He at one time resided in * Christopher Anstey born in 1724, was educated at Eton and Cambridge. He resided afterwards chiefly in this city. About 1766 he published his famous satire “The New Bath Guide,’’ which obtained immense popularity, and passed through many editions. In 1830 the late Mr. Britton published an annotated edition, illustrated by Cruikshank and Williams. The satire is directed against the peculiar phases of society which pre¬ vailed at the period, and in certain parts, especially those relating to the then new sect of methodists, is not only harsh and unjust, but coarse and indelicate. Anstey was the writer of many other poems — the “ Election Ball ” &c &c. which in 1808 were collected, and, with the “Guide,” published, with a biographical essay by the Poet’s son, in a bulky quarto volume. “Doctor Bongout ’’ and “The Priest Dissected” are not, for obvious reasons, included in the volume. The former was never acknowledged by Mr. Anstey, but there is little or no doubt as to the author¬ ship ; while the latter appeared with Anstey's usual imprimatur. It virulently assails a clergyman for an alleged attack upon Anstey, who, after a few copies were issued, discovered that he had been misinformed, and suppressed the poem, which is, therefore, exceedingly scarce. Some of Anstey’s works, as already remarked, are disfigured by grossness and impurity, and these qualities excite the more surprise and regret, when we turn to his exquisite paraphrase of the 13th chapter of St. Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians — on Charity, from which we quote the concluding verse. The WALK THE THIRTEENTH. 289 the Royal Crescent. In 1790 he received notice to quit, in consequence of its being required for building ground, upon which occasion he wrote the following epigram :— “ Ye men of Bath, who stately mansions rear, To wait for tenants from—the Lord knows where, Would you pursue a plan that cannot fail, Erect a madhouse and enlarge your gaol ?” It happened that, at this period, the doors of the gaol were open, there being no prisoners, and he poem in beauty of diction and felicitous versification is com¬ parable with the best of Pope’s compositions. Whilst in these gloomy vales of life we stray, Hope cheers our souls, and Faith directs our way ; But when to yon bright realms of joy we soar, Faith shall expire, and Hope be known no more : Faith shall be lost in certainty’s abyss, And Hope absorbed in everlasting Bliss ; But Thee, thou fairest Grace, nor death, nor doom. Nor ever-rolling ages shall consume, Thou with congenial spirits mix’d above Shall fill all Heaven with Harmony and Love, In splendor seen, and full perfection known Thy station fix by God’s eternal throne ; There with compassion all our errors scan, And plead the cause of frail and sinful man. Anstey was not the only satirist who found scope for the play of his wit and trenchant humour. Fielding in " Tom Jones ” anti Smollett in “Humphrey Clinker” had ample materials on which to exercise the rich exuberance of their inimitable fancy and satire in the many salient points of intrigue, gambling, folly, and fashionable frivolity which characterized a large class of the com¬ munity. Anstey died in 1805, and was buried in Walcot church¬ yard. A tablet is raised in the church to his memory. He is honoured also with a tablet in Westminster Abbey. Miss Austen, Miss Burney (Madame D’Arblay), and other writers represent another and a purer phase of society. U 290 IN AND OUT OF BATH. was thus answered :— “While crowds arrive, fast as our streets increase, And the gaol only is an empty space ; While health and ease here court the grave and gay, Madmen and fools alone will keep away.” The beech trees, of which the poet was particularly fond, were transplanted to Mr. Wiltshire’s grounds at Shockerwick. St. Slnbrcin’s CTfjurcfj is situated at the west end of Rivers Street, upon a site long since destined for the purpose, as appears from an original map of the locality preserved among the papers of the Rivers’ Estate. The design, however, was never carried out. The reserved piece of land was occupied by Harley House ; and the name of “ Upper Church Street,” remained as the only record of an abandoned intention. Private speculation supplied its place by a Proprietary Chapel, and about a hundred years passed by. This unseemly provision for public worship in the finest quarter of the city could then be no longer tolerated, and an appeal, made by the Rector of Walcot, the Rev. T. D. Bernard, received an immediate and encouraging response. The site was purchased for ^2,670, and the first stone was laid by the Bishop of Bath and Wells (Lord Arthur Hervey) April 26, 1870. The building proceeded gradually as the funds were supplied, and was con¬ secrated by the same Bishop, September 11, 1873. The Church is built in the Early English Style, from the designs of Sir G. Gilbert Scott, and its de- WALK THE THIRTEENTH. 29 1 tails were carefully superintended by his son, Mr. John Scott; Mr. Bladwell was contractor for the work. The design includes a lofty spire, which, whenever it is erected, will be a great ornament to this quarter of the city. A separate fund has been commenced for completing the tower, which as yet, is only raised to the height of the nave roof. The Church, consisting of a nave and two side aisles, a chancel and chancel aisle, organ chamber, and vestry, affords accommodation for above 1,000 worshippers. Its internal proportions are remark¬ ably good, and give an impression of spaciousness and dignity. The reredos, the pulpit, and the font—all of alabaster and marble—are gifts from members of the congregation. The church contains no great amount of ornament, but what there is, is well executed. The internal carving is by Messrs. Brindley and Farmer, of London : the external carv¬ ing is not yet completed. The organ is a fine-toned instrument, built by Messrs. Bryceson, of London, at an expense of about ^600. The erection of the church, including the purchase of site, has, up to the present time, cost nearly ^18,000, which (with the exception of ,£300 from the Diocesan Society) has been entirely supplied by voluntary contributions, chiefly from the members of the congregation them¬ selves, none of the common contrivances for raising money having been resorted to. The present legal status of the church is only that of a chapel-of-ease, but with all the privileges of a 292 IN AN'D OUT OF BATH. parish, in the administration of baptisms, the per¬ formance of marriages, &c. The Ixooal Crrsrrnt is a splendid row of thirty houses, of tire Ionic order, erected in 1769, by the younger Wood. The facades, which terminate it at either end, are very imposing. Madame D'Arblay spoke of it as adding “ all the delights of nature which beautify the Parades to the excellences of architecture which adorn the Circus"—a high sound¬ ing panegyric with very little meaning. The satirist praises it in verse with more point and humour, but praises it, as will presently be seen, at the expense of its neighbour, the Circus :— “Not thus the Crescent towers thro' the air. The proud Ionic reigDs unrivalTd there ; Her pedestals are eas'd of half their trouble. Like gen'rous steeds, unfit to cam - double.” About a hundred yards to the north of Brock Street, lies Catherine Place. Here—something more than fifty years ago—resided Thomas Haynes Bayly, a man whose name was once a household word in half the upper and middle-class homes of England. As a writer of drawing-room songs, and as a literary pioneer in the then untrodden regions of vers de societe , his popularity was considerable. These songs are of unequal merit, some being felicitous specimens of the modern ballad, while others are without literary merit. Xo uncommon sight in the streets of Bath, a few years ago, was the figure of a man, whose WALK THE THIRTEENTH. 293 name has been in many mouths, but more for blame than praise. A scholar, a poet, a gallant of many amours, a politician of the advanced type, a sympathiser with the French Revolution, and above all, a man of a violent temper—such were the characters under which ([Halter Safaage Hardier figured in polite society. There are some curious stories told about his early years. Men rumoured that he had been expelled from school for thrashing the head-master, with whom he had quarrelled about a quantity in Latin verse, and that he had been ex¬ pelled from his University for shooting at a Fellow of a College. These stories found others to match them, when Landor passed from Bath to Wales, and from Wales to Florence. He had been out-lawed from England for knocking down a barrister, who had cross - examined him. He promised the authorities of Como a “ bella bastonata: ” and challenged the Secretary of the Legation at Florence for whistling in the streets when Mrs. Landor passed. Such were the stories told, some of them with a foundation of truth, others with none at all, but yet aptly representing the wild ex¬ travagance and impetuosity of Landor’s career. His character combined all the contradictions and inconsistencies which men of genius so often display, who dim their brilliant ability by deficient human sympathies, and mar the perfection of their literary gifts by the obvious imperfection of their lives. Those who met him in the streets, wondered at the 294 IN AND OUT OF BATH. man, who could gambol down Catherine Place with his dog, Pomero—the “ mi Pomero,” the “ caro figlio,” to which he gave the warm-hearted tribute on his tomb :— “ Hoc intus est fidele ; nam cor est canis.” Those who met him in society, knew him as one whose laugh was perfectly “ leonine,” a kind of crescendo of roars, mixed with the barking of his dog: as one, who though he used to frequent “ balls, routs and parties,” was singularly annoyed at his inferiority in dancing; or, perhaps, as one who was no sooner out of one “ amour ” than he tumbled into another; a man perpetually quarrelling with any person from whom he had received some real or imaginary affront. So much the outside of the man revealed. It was those alone who knew him better or saw deeper into his character, who realised the tenderness with which he could bend over his flowers :— ‘ * I never pluck the rose ; the violet’s head Hath shaken with my breath upon its bank And not reproached me : the ever-sacred cup Of the pure lily hath between my hands Felt safe, unsoiled, nor lost one grain of gold.” Only those who study his character can connect with it the acute sense of pain with which he regarded the sufferings of an animal. “ What that bird must have suffered,” he said, when having shot a partridge one winter afternoon, he found it alive the following morning, “ I often WALK THE THIRTEENTH. 2 95 think of its look.” Or his genuine affection to his mother : “ The misery of not being able to see you, is by far the greatest I have ever suffered. Never shall I forget the thousand acts of kindness and affection I have received from you from my earliest to my latest days.” Or his intense love of his children. “ This is the first time I was ever a whole day without seeing Arnold (his son). He is of all living creatures the most engaging. What a pity it is that such divine creatures should ever be men, and subject to regrets and sorrows.” It was no common attachment to him which could make his scholar- friend, Dr. Parr, leave his guests at a dinner table, to ride over to Warwick to see him; or Southey, when every other name was a blank to his memory, repeat softly, over and over again, “ Landor, my Landor;” or Archdeacon Hare, two days before his death, whisper “ Dear Landor, I hope we shall meet once more.” It is necessary to bear these facts in mind when passing judgment on this singular man, in order to qualify the attributes of “ unsocial, quarrelsome, misanthropic,” so generally applied to him. There were many reasons why such epithets were deserved. To the ordinary observer they gave the whole truth about him. But, like all men of strong unregulated feelings, and clear critical minds, there was a double character within him. Merciless criticism of himself was combined with headlong indulgence, and, at times, Landor could see his own mistakes as clearly as the most severe of his contemporary judges. “ I do not say I shall 296 IN AND OUT OF BATH. never be happy;” he says, “ I shall be often so if I live, but I shall never be at rest. My evil genius dogs me through existence, against the current of my best inclinations. I have practised self-denial, because it gives me a momentary and false idea that I am firm; and I have done other things not amiss in compliance with my heart; but my most virtuous hopes and sentiments have uniformly led to misery, and I have never been happy, but in consequence of some weakness or vice.” No judgment could be harsher than this. Before the miserable domestic tumults that ended in his self-banishment in 1835 he had written the “ Examination of Shakspeare,” of which Charles Lamb said, “ That only two men could have written it—he who did write it, and the man it was written on; no grander counsel than this was ever given to the young, rich and poor :— “ Let not the highest of you who hear me this evening be led into the delusion, for such it is, that the founder of his family was originally a greater or better man than the lowest here. He willed it and became it; he must have stood low ; he must have worked hard, and with tools, moreover, of his own invention and fashioning; he warned and whistled off ten thousand strong and importunate temptations—he dashed the dice-box from the jewelled hand of Chance, the cup from Pleasure’s, and trod under foot the sorceries of each : he ascended steadily the precipices of danger, and looked down with intrepidity from the summit; he overcame arrogance with sedateness ; he seized by the hom and overleaped low violence, and he fairly swung fortune round. This is not the doctrine of the silkenly and lawnly religious ; it wears the coarse texture of the fisherman, and walks uprightly and straightforward under it.” The facts of Landor’s life may be told in few words. He was bom in 1775, of an old Staffordshire race, which became united, when his father married his mother, with the Savages of Warwickshire. Passing WALK THE THIRTEENTH. 297 his school-boy life at Rugby, he entered Trinity College, Oxford, in 1793, which he left without taking his degree. Then, for some three years, he resided at Tenby and Swansea, where he pub¬ lished his first long poem, entitled “ Gebir.” In 1805, began his first residency in Bath, broken by his Spanish enthusiasm which led him to serve as a volunteer in the Peninsular rising in 1808. In 1811 he married a lady, named Thuillier, as he describes her, “ without a sixpence, and with few accomplish¬ ments : but pretty, graceful and good tempered: one who has no pretensions of any kind, and whose want of fortune was the very thing which determined me to marry her.” Not much happiness, however, resulted from this union, and it is hardly to be wondered that his character was almost incompre¬ hensible to his wife. After a brief experience of country life at Llanthony, in Monmouthshire, Landor resided at Como, at Pisa, and Florence. In 1832, we find him again in England, and from 1836 principally in Bath,* which he left in 1858 to spend the remainder of his life abroad. He died September 17, 1864, at Florence, an exile from his country. His relations to contemporary politics are more noticeable for the asperity and bitterness which * Landor loved Bath, praised Bath, with all the energy of his nature. There were but two places, he was accustomed to say, he could live in—Bath and Florence, and he loved Bath because it was so much like Florence, and Florence because it was so much like Bath. 298 IN AND OUT OF BATH. he managed to throw into them, than for any real elements of his character thereby revealed, or any effect they had on the social state around him. His revolutionary sympathies of course incurred suspicion and hostility on all sides, which his own violence towards individual statesmen, greatly aggravated. His estimate of Mr. Fox was as follows:—“To the principles of a Frenchman, he added the habits of a Malay, in idleness, drunken¬ ness and gaming; in middle life he was precisely the opposite of whoever was in power, until he could spring forward to the same station. Whenever Mr. Pitt was wrong, Mr. Fox was right, and then only.” His bitter epitaph on Lord Eldon is as clever as it is scurrilous :— OFF1CIOSUS ERGA OMNES POTF.NTF.S PR/ETER DEUM Quem satis ei erat adjurare. He went even so far as to defend tyrannicide, and offered a pension to the widow of any one who would murder a despot. Napoleon Bonaparte,* he first thought the incarnation of the republican spirit; then his opinion changed to one of intense personal animosity. “ He has the fewest virtues,” he said, * During Louis Napoleon's nine months' residence in Bath he sedulously cultivated the old poet’s friendship and intimacy, and partly succeeded in diminishing his antipathy to the Bonaparte dynasty; after the coup » 1441 Petherton (South) c. 1420 „ .. „ 1442 S. Decumans 1572 Swainswick 1439 (See Autotype p. 416) Tintinhull 44(54 Weare c . 4490 Wraxall Yeovil—on the Lectern WILTSHIRE. PLACE. DATE. Aldbourne 1508 Alton Priors 1528 Beckington c. 1470 Bedwyn (Groat) 1510 Bradford 15.. (See Autotype p. 416.) Ji Broughton Gifford 1601 1620 Bromham 1516 „ 15.. j> 10/4 Charlton 1524 Cliffe Pipard 1380 Draycot Come c. 1370 (Good —the Knight holds his wife’s hand.) PLACE. DATE. Devizes c . 1G50 1 ovant (curious) 1492 Lavington (West) c. 1559 Lacock 1501 Mere 1398 Monkton 1500 Preshute 1518 Salisbury -St. Thomas’s Church 1570 Salisbury Cathedral 1375 q •’ „ 1578 Scend 1498 lisbury I „ 1590 Wandborough 1402 468 RAMBLES ABOUT BATH. Monumental Brasses continued :— GLOUCESTERSHIRE. PLACE. DATE. Alveston 15.. Bisley 1505 Bristol—S. John's 1478 — S. Mary BedclifT 1439 ,, —S. Peter’s „ —Temple (Said to be palimpsest.) ,, ,, c. 1460 ,, —S. Werburgh’s 1546 Chipping Camden 1450 1467 „ 1484 „ (fine) 1401 Cheltenham—S. Mary 1513 Cirencester 1360 „ 1427-34 „ 1438 1442 ,, (fine) c. 1460 „ 1462 „ 1478 „ 14 ■ • „ c. 1520 1471 148. 1522 1461 c. 1395 1529 1529 15S7 1642 PLACE. DATE. Deerhurst 1400 Dowdeswell 1625 c. 1500 Dyrham (good) 1401 Eastington 1518 Fairford 1471 Gloucester — St. Michael 1519 Leckhampton 1598 Lechlade c. 144. fi Minchinhampton c. 150. 1556 fi Newland c, 1450 Northleach c. 1400 fi 1447 ii 1458 a c. 1480 a 14.. a 1493 a 1501 if 1525 Oldplen c. 1530 Rodmarton 1471 Thombury 1571 Tormarton 1493 Winterbourne c. 13S0 W ootten-under-Edge 1392 „ (fine)1417 i ate 1590 MASTERS OF THE CEREMONIES OF BATH. The office, previous to the appointment of Nash, was not one of much importance, and the assemblies were of a far different character from what they afterwards became under his regime. The Balls, which seem more or less to have been previously a cloak for gaming, were held at the Town Hall. It is more than probable, in the absence of recorded facts, that Webster was the APPENDIX. 469 first who held the office permanently, and he was an adventurer — a coarse, unprincipled gambler, who reflected the habits and manners of the society over which he presided. As is shown in the notice of Nash, if these elements were not purified by him they were brought into order, and under his sway grew into that epoch of fashion which forms a notable chapter in the annals of Bath. Nash died in 1761. One trait of the Beau is not generally known. He was exceedingly fond of argument, especially on subjects of which he knew little, and cared less. Religious polemics he introduced in season and out of season, affecting a contemptuous unbelief in revealed religion. On one of these occasions when arguing with Bentley* the following epigram was written by a member of the party : — “ On Reason, Faith, and mystery high, Two wits harangue the table; Bentley believes, he knows not why, Nash swears ’tis all a fable. Peace Coxcombs, peace, and both agree! Nash, kiss thy empty brother; Religion laughs at foes like thee, And dreads a friend like t'other.” Mr. Collet was the immediate successor of Nash, in 1761. He retired in 1769, and was succeeded by Mr. Derrick. He was a very diminutive man, a fact which did not detract from his importance in his own estimation. Affecting a taste for literature, during occasional intervals ho visited different parts of the country, and described his impressions in a scries of letters addressed to various friends and correspondents. The style is affected and the matter commonplace ; the tenuity of thought is in an inverse ratio to the pomposity of the language. Nevertheless Mr. Derrick was held in much esteem for his many good qualities. At the death of Mr. Derrick, in 1769, a schism occurred. Mr. Brereton was elected by a party, with, it was alleged, undue if not indecent haste ; and a rival, Mr. Plomer (Master of the Ceremonies at Bristol) was brought into the field, and a double election ensued. The dispute was arranged, by the * Son of the famous Dr. Bentley. 470 RAMBLES ABOUT BATH. retirement of both, in favour of Captain Wade, nephew of Marshal Wade. Captain Wade resigned in 1777 on accepting a similar post at Brighton. Mr. Brereton hi the same year was re-installed in his old posi¬ tion at the Lower Rooms, and Mr. Dawson was appointed to the Upper Rooms. The former retired almost immediately, and was succeeded by Mr. Tyson, from Tunbridge Wells. Mr. Dawson abdicated in 1785, and Mr. Tyson transferred his sovereignty from the Lower to the Upper Kingdom, where he reigned until 1805, and was followed by Mr. King, who had succeeded to his throne at the Lower Rooms. Mr. King died in 1816, and Captain Wyke held the office until 1818 ; in 1819, Mr. Heaviside was installed in the office, which he held until 1825. At the Lower Rooms Mr. Le Bas succeeded Mr. King, in 1805, and presided there for some years, and was followed in succession by Mr. Gwynette and Captain Marshall, the latter retaining the office until the destruction of the Lower Rooms, in 1820. In 1825, Captain (afterwards Colonel, and then Major-General) Jervois was installed in the office. He held the post until he obtained the rank of a General Officer, in 1849, when he was appointed Goyemor of Hong Kong. General Jervois was a man of great tact and excellent judgment, and during his long tenure of office as Master of the Ceremonies, discharged the duties which devolved on him with singular prudence, and with great advantage to the city. He gave dignity to the office by his high-bred courtesy, and irreproachable character. Witty, vivacious, well versed in literature, and possessing a tenacious memory, he was the “ life and soul” of society. In conversation he was apt in quotation, and always ready with a well-timed illustration from his favourite authors, especially Shakspere. He had a passion for books, and displayed no little skill in the manner in which he illustrated such of them as afforded scope for especial embellishment. At his death he left a collection of books of much interest, and considerable value. He was followed in the office by Mr. Hodges Nugent, wffio resigned in 1863, and was succeeded by Mr. Emerson, who held the office for a very brief period. The office remained in abeyance until 1874, when Lieutenant- Colonel England was unanimously elected. APPENDIX. 471 TERMINATIONS. COMBE. Charlcombe. Combe (Down). Combe (Hay). Englishcombe. Horsecombe. Lyncombe. Smallcombe. Monckton Combe. Widcombe. DOWN. Bannerdown. Cbarmey Down. Claverton Down. Combe Down. Farleigh Down. Hampton Down. Holt Down. Kingsdown. Lansdown. Odd Down. FORD. Bathford. Freshford. Iford. Hungerford. Midford. Bradford. Saltford. Shawford. Slaughterford. Swinford. LEY. Farley (leigh). Tunley. Turley (leigh). We are indebted to Mr. T. tions. LEY (Continued). Warley (leigh). Winsley. Woolley. RIDGE. Langridge. Ditteridge. STOKE. Limpley Stoke. Northstoke. Southstoke. TON. Bathampton. Bitton. Camerton. Claverton. Glutton. Corston. Dunkerton. Hampton. Hinton. Kelston. Newton. Priston. Stanton (Drew). Stanton (Prior). Twerton. Upton. Weston. Wilmington. WICK. Bathwick. Farley Wick. Shockerwick. Swainswick. Tatwick. '. Gibbs, for this list of termina- INDEX PAGE. Abbey The, as it Was ... ... ... ... 20 to 23 ,, as it Is ... ... ... ... 24 to 36 „ Painted Windows in ... ... 29 to 34 In order from West to East, North side returning South : — Waring Mrs., St. Barbe Mrs., Soden John Smith, Madox Col. Henry, Kemble Rev. Charles, Barrow Edward, Barrow Evans H., Doveton Maria Ann, Newman Humphrey, East Window The, by Mrs. Card and the Misses Jamieson, Brook S., Gomm Field-Marshal, Tailors’ Company of, by Mrs. Rowland Elliott, Markland James Heywood, Duff Admiral, Norman George, Slack E. F., Brooke Robert Arthur, Emblematical Window on Moses—by the Con¬ tractors, West Window — by various hands to various persons, Empson Charles. Abbey Litten ... ... ... ... ... ... 15 Actors distinguished in Bath Acworth Rev. W. Allen Francis ... „ Major, M.P. ,, Ralph ... 70, 76, 77, 87, 90, 126, Ambrey Mead Amelia Princess Anderson Rev. W. Anstey Christopher Apollo Head of Appendix :— ,, Angling Round Bath ,, Masters of the Ceremonies ,, Meteorology ,, Monumental Brasses ,, Prynne’s Books, List of ,, Rowing ,, Terminations, List of Aqua: Solis Archbishop Herring „ Laud Assembly Rooms Aubrey the Historian Avon, Valley of 29,132, 221 1 , 2 , ... 238 ... 154 ... 19 88, 95, 96 34 to 141,145 ... 16 ... 136 ... 314 288, 289, 290 ... 37 461 to 463 468 to 470 459, 460 467, 468 464 to 466 ... 463 ... 471 4, 81, 107, 122 ... 141 64, 342, 343 301, 302 91, 420 ... 1 471 RAMBLES ABOUT BATH. Barker Benjamin ... ... ... ... ... 279 ,, Thomas .. ... ... 27? to 279 Barlow Dr. ... . ... .. ... 53, 103 Barracks Tumuli ... ... ... ... ... 208 Barrow Rev. C. B. ... ... ... ... ... 335 Basset Sir William ... . . ... ... ... 91 Bathampton ... .. ... ... ... 94 to 100 Rhodes Rev. E. D., Davis C. E., Goodridge Alfred, East Window, Lady Cawdor, Lady Carteret, Lady Caroline Thynne, Miss Allen, Mr. Sheppard, Separation of Livings, Miss Rhodes, Conventual Barn, Old Rectory, Miss Sheppard—School, Ancient House—Now Post Office, Hewn Stone Steps, Manor House and Various Owners. Batheaston ... ... ... ... ... 356 to 364 Early History, Church, Memorial Chamber, Robertson Struan, Robertson Frederick, Robertson Rev. F. W., Preedy F., Newman W. H., Miller J., ConybeareRev. J. J., Wood John, The Mill, The Villa and Vase, Lady Miller, Poem by Garrick, Dr. Johnson, Walpole, Satire on Vase, Contributors to Vase, Bailbrook. Bathford, Shockerwick and Warleigh ... ... 419 to 430 Antient History, Manor, Aubrey’s Monumenta Britannica, Fosse-Way, Border Manor, Domesday-book. Warleigh, Hugoline, Bones found, Survey, Skrine Family, Bathford Church. Baths of Bath (“Bathes of Bathes Ayde”) ... 47 to 54 Baths Roman re-discovery of ... ... ... 47 to 49 Bath Union Workhouse ... ... ... ... 207 Bathwick ... ... ... ... ... 100 to 115 Population in 1781, Bishop Geoffrey of Coutance, Wherwell Nunnery, Neville Sir Edmund, Queen Mary I., Essex Earl of, Pulteney Earl of Bath — Historic Note upon, Darlington Earl of, First Duke of Cleveland of New Creation, Henry 2nd Duke of Cleveland, William 3rd Duke of Cleveland, Harry 4th Duke of Cleveland, Collinson the Historian, Old Mortuary Chapel, Mackinnon of Skye, Church of S. John Baptist, Giles C. E.—architect, Hamilton Rev. L. R., Blomfield Mr. — architect, Douglas Rev. Alexander, Old Rectory House, S. John’s Endowment Fund, Bathwick Church, Tugwell Rev. George, Gill Elkington—architect, Street G. E.—architect, Roscoe Mrs.—East Window, Schools Parochial, School Infant, Simmons H. A., Park, Queen Charlotte, Hewlett William, Villa Fields, Gloucester Duke of, Cleveland Bridge, Spring Gardens, Sydney Gardens, Hanoverian Band Committee, Napoleon III., College, Pulteney Bridge, Laura Place, Laura Chapel. Battle Field, Lansdown ... ... . . ... 328 Bayly Thomas Haynes ... ... .. ... 292 Beacon Hill ... ... ... ... ... ... 2 Bear Inn The Old ... . . . . ... ... 221 INDEX. 475 Beckford W. 316 to 325 Tower, Works, Redding Cyrus, Lady Margaret, Goodridge H. E., Hamilton Duchess, Memoir, Writer in Cornhill. Beechen Cliff ... ... ... ... ... ... 213 Bell —, Bristol Bellot Thomas Bell-Tree Lane Berewyke Camp and Ancient Village Bernard Rev. Canon Bishop of Bayeux „ Button ,, Carr ... ,, Fitzjocelyne ,, Geoffrey of Coutance ,, Hervey Lord A. (Bath and Wells) ,, Hugo „ Hurd ,, Ken ,, Magee (Peterborough) „ Montague „ Oliver King „ Parry ... „ Ralph de Salopia ,, Robert do Lewes „ Warburton Biss of Spargrove Bitton .31 18, 29, 49, 66, 69, 70 ... 66 . 208 . 290 .156 37, 87 25,35 39, 56 101,270 .290 165, 168 . 143 . 282 ... 311 to 314 ... 18, 19, 36 15, 17, 13, 19, 21 .276 4, 91 55 86, 87, 126, 135, 139, to 145 29 249 to 251 Hamlets—Hanham, Kingswood, Oldland and Warmley 251 Blackstone Sir William ... ... ... ... ... 90 Bladud Buildings ... ... ... ... ... 373 Blaine Robert Stickney ... ... ... ... 275 Blomefield Rev. Leonard (formerly Jenyns), his Herbarium 121 Blount Martha ... ... ... ... ... 137 Blue Coat School . 223, 224 Bond Rev. Prebendary... ... ... ... ... 246 Borlase the Historian of Cornwall on Bath ... ... 228 Borough Walls Lower ... ... ... ... ... 3 Box ..431 to 435 Church, Haselbury House, Speke Family, Chapel Plaster, Leland, Middle Hill Spa, Cheyney Court, Coles’s Farm. Boyd Sir William ... ... ... ... ... 51 Bradford-on-Avon ... ... ... • 411 to 417 Selwood, Braden, St. Aldhelm, Dunstan, Ethelred, Pro¬ prietors and Lords of Manor, Kingston House, Hall Family, Dukes of Kingston, Domestic Architecture, Moulton S., Church and Vicarage. Brereton Mrs. Epigram by ... ... ... ... 226 Bridges: — Batheaston ... ... ... ... 360 Bradford ... ... ... ... ... ... 415 476 EAMBLES ABOUT BATH. Bridges, continued :— Cleveland . Ill Grosvenor (Suspension) .364 Midland Bailway .269 North Parade .77 Old (St. Lawrence’s) . . . 40, 125 Pulteney .113 Skew (G.W.R.) . .126 Stoke . 388, 389 Victoria (Suspension) .269 Wick .330 Widcombe (Foot) .126 Britons Belgic . 80, 81 ,, Celtic .79 Broadhurst Rev. Thomas .233 Bromley T. M. .305 Brooke Rev. Canon .36 Brymer James ... 222 Burlison and Grylls . 32 Burnett Rev. J. C. . 376 Burney Rev. H. B. .191 Butterfield —, architect .205 Bynburye Lands .66 Camalodunum .202 Camerton . 202 to 205 Church, Camp, The Misses Jarrett, Fosse-Way—descrip- tion of. Carrington H. E. . 158,159 „ N. T. . 157 to 160 Carr Isaac .87 Caer Akeman or Akemannesceaster . 1 ,, Pallidar ... . 1 Catherine Place .292 Cecil Earl of Salisbury ... .* ... 68 Cemeteries:— Bathwick .115 Locksbrook, for Parishes of Walcot, S. Saviour and Weston 252 Lyncombe, Widcombe and S. James . 268, 269 Roman Catholic .131 S. Michael ... .252 SS. Peter and Paul ... .129 Unitarian .234 Chalfield Great .442 Chambers Humphrey ... .89 Chance — .34 Chapel Farm ... .325 Chapels—Episcopal:— Brymer . 221 to 223 Kensington ... .365 Laura . 114 INDEX. 477 Chapels—Episcopal, continued :— Octagon .310 S. Mary, Queen Square (former) .240 S. Mary Magdalen, Holloway 17, 127, 214 to 216 Church of S. John the Evangelist (Roman Catholic) ... 123 ,, at Prior Park ... .133 Chapel (Roman Catholic, Montpelier) Chapels — Nonconformist: — Argyle .113 Baptist, Manvers street . 124 Bethesda .119 Catholic Apostolic Church .372 Friends’ Meeting House .119 Hay Hill . . 373 Lady Huntingdon’s ... 371, 372 Moravian .242 Of the New Church, Henry Street .124 Percy .242 Unitarian .233 Wesleyan, New King Street ... . 217 ,, Walcot .366 Chapman Family of .217 ,, Capt. Henry ... 9,43,50 ,, John... .38 ,, Rev. John .58 ,, Peter .19 „ Robert ... 56 Charlcombe 65, 282, to 286 Charmy Down .339 Charters of the City 5, 377 Chesterfield Earl of 76, 226 Chilcombe Valley 45, 338 Churches of—Ancient:— S. Helena . 40 S. James .40 S. James, intra muros . 7 S. Lawrence (or Chapel) on the Old Bridge .40 S. Mary de Stall 3, 4, 37 ,, intra muros .39 ,, extra muros... .40 S. Michael, intra muros 7, 39 S. Wareburgh or Sanctuary Chapel S. Winifred’s Chapel... .40 . 41 Churches of : — Christ Church .288 S. Andrew ... ... 290 S. Catherine... ... 17, 351, 353 S. James ... 3, 116, 117 S. John Baptist . 104 S. John the Evangelist, Weston . 252 S. Luke 216, 217 478 RAMBLES ABOUT BATH. Churches of, continued : — S. Mark S. Mary the Virgin, Bathwick S. Matthew ... S. Michael ... S. Paul, Queen Square SS. Peter and Paul ... S. Saviour ... S. Stephen ... S. Swithin, Walcot ... S. Thomas a Becket (Old Widcombe) Trinity Circus The City Gates Claverton ,, Down ,, ,, Duel on ,, Manor House Clayton and Bell Messrs. Clement — , Master of Grammar School Club Bath and County ,, Literary ... Coins of Augustus Caesar ,, Constantine and Carausius ,, Julius Caesar ... ,, Magnentius, Constantius, and Constans ... „ The Lower Empire Cold Ashton ... Coleridge Samuel Taylor Coleme Church, Goodwin E. W., The Bocks. College Bath Proprietary .127 ... 105 to 108 .128 ... 7, 375, 376 240, 241 6, 7, 8, 11 to 36 . 365 . 287 . 367 . 130 . 218 . 303 . 4, 5 85 to 91 . 92 . 92, 93 . 90, 91 30, 31, 33, 34, 107, 184 . 57, 58 . 241 .282 .195 . 130 ... 206 ... 397 111, 195 ... 46 437 to 439 112, 113 303 to 305 . 16, 17 150, 173, 182, 185, 197, 336 .178 . 17, 87, 171 . 145 to 148 .150 ... 148 to 151 . 156 to 160 Bishop of Bayeux, Hawey Family of, Butler Samuel, Stradling Family, Leigh Col., Church, Carrington the Poet, Twinney. Conduits—Broad Street, Cam Well, High Cross, Market Place, S. Mary’s, Northgate Street, S. Michael’s, Stalls 42, 43,44 Coney Rev. Canon ... ... ... ... ... 332 Conkwell ... ... ... ... ... ... 410 Conquest the Norman ... ... ... ... ... 7 Com Market ... ... ... ... ... ... 369 Somersetshire Colies Humphrey Collinson Colthurst Edmund ,, Matthew Combe Down ... „ Grove ... „ Monckton Hay 479 Cornwell Buildings Corporation, gift of Bath Rectory Corridor The ... Corston Cossham Handel County Sessions Court ... Coward Leonard Cranwells Crescent Lansdown ,, Royal Crowder Rev. J. H. Crowe Hall Crypt Ancient discovery of Cunningham Allan ... 369 ... 38 ... 221 261, 262 ... 121 ... 252 ... 51 ... 245 ... 281 ... 292 ... 314 ... 131 ... 38 ... 89 Daniel Samuel the Poet Danish Incursions Daubeny Archdeacon ... Davis Edward ... ,, Charles Edward — architect 94, 95, Davy Rev. C. R. Decheir Rev. Dr. Da we George, architect Denmark George Prince of Devonshire, Duchess of (Note on Gainsborough’s Portrait) Dilke Charles Wentworth Diodorus Siculus Dispensary Eastern Dispensary Western Ditteridge Dodd Dr. Domesday Book Doric House ... Doveton Rev. W. B. Duffield Mrs. ... „ W. Duke Street ... Duncan Mrs. and Miss ... ,, Museum Dunkerton Tunstall Cuthbert, Church, Grosvenor Rev. G. L., Diekes Rev. John. . 324 .11 . 288 . 27 128, 201, 334, 369, 417 . 329 . 310 . 237 50, 227 367 137 .80 . 366 .252 ... 435 to 437 . 301 7, 416 . 277 .261 . 280 . 280 ... 77 . 122 122 200 to 202 Rev. F., Hallett Dunster 16, 17 Earle Rev. Prebendary 58, 341 Edgar Buildings .310 Ella combe Rev. H. T. ... 249, 251 „ „ N. A. ... Elphage of Glastonbury .251 16, 246 El win Rev. F. A . . .311 ,, Rev. Whitwell ... .138 480 RAMBLES ABOUT BATH. Endowed School Commissioners... ... ... ... 65 Englishcombe ... ... ... ... ... 270 to 274 Goumey Sir Thomas and Sir Matthew de, Manor House, Bam, Castle, Barrow, Wansdyke (Note on, by Guest). Escott Rev. H. S. ... ... ... ... ... 304 Estcourt Sir Thomas ... ... ... ... ... 87 Falconer Randle Wilbraham, M.D. 54, 306 ,, Family Farleigh Hungerford ... 305, 306 .. 397 to 405 Church, Manor, Owners, Castle, Hungerfords. Field Club . .123 Fielding Henry .. 89, 135, 267 Forss Rev. F. S. ... ... . . .391 Fosse-Way .. 205 to 207, 214, 421 Fountain Buildings .41 ,, in Fountain Buildings ... .374 „ ,, Ladymead .369 Frazer Sir Alexander ... .50 Freeman E. A. .. 7, 23, 251 Freemasons’ Hall (former) .76 „ „ (present) .77 Freshford .. 394 to 397 Church, Napier Sir W., Curl John. Friends’ Meeting House Old .41 Gainsborough the Painter ... ... ' ... 306 to 309 Gardiner Rev. Dr. ... ... ... ... ... 310 „ „ G.310 „ „ G. E.435 Gascoyne Place ... ... ... ... ... 3 Gates— East ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 North ... ... ... ... ... ... -4 South ... ... ... ... ... ... 4 W est 5 Gay Street ... ... ... ... ... 303, 309 Gibbes Sir George ... ... ... ... ... 53 Gill Elkington — architect ... ... 106, 128, 164, 415 Godfrey Ornithological Collection ... ... ... 122 Godwin “ De presulibus Angliae ” ... ... ... 39 ,, E. W.—architect ... ... ... 436, 437 Goldsmith Oliver . 226, 227,'229, 232 Goodridge Alfred — architect ... ... ... ... 94 „ H. E. Ill, 221, 321, 322 Gore-Langton Colonel (see also Newton St. Loe) ... ... 73 Grammar School ... ... ... ... 63 to 66 Granville Dr. ... ... ... ... ... ... 53 Graves Rev. Richard ... ... ... 86, 89, 90, 126 Gray Rev. J. H. ... ... ... ... ... 454 Grenville Sir Bevil ... ... ... ... . . 326 INDEX. 481 Grenville Sir Richard ... .326 Guidott Dr. .50 Guildhall . 384 ,, Portraits in ... 384, 385 Hallam Henry . 343 Hallett Rev. G. L. . 201 Ham Barton ... .16 Ham Gardens The .77 Hampden John . 347 Hampton Down and Rocks . 79 Hansom Charles — architect .131 Hare Archdeacon .295 Harford Rev. E. J. .430 Hargood Admiral Sir William ... . 36 Harington Dr. 136, 239 j, John 246, 254 ,, Sir Edward... .277 ,, Sir John ... 18, 69, 254 Harris Mrs. J. D. .280 Heathcote Rev. W. N _ . 435 Hensley Mrs. H. .361 Herschel Sir W. 217,315 ,, Caroline .315 Hetling House ... 219 Hewlett James 279, 280 Heylin Peter ... 343 Hickes and Isaac ...217, 360, 385 Hinton Charterhouse ... 161 to 171 Ela Countess of Salisbury, Earl of Salisbury, Belgic Fort, Abbey, British Settlement, Bulwarks, Church, Longespde, Eureux Earl of Salisbury, Witham Friary, St. Bruno, Lancelot’s Tour, Peter of Clugny, Prior Guignes, Bishop Hugo, Thomas Spencer, Present Mansion. Hoare Sir Richard Colt 80, 81 Hod’s Hiil, Caisson at ... . 155 Holder Robert . 87 Holland Rev. Edward ... .204 Holway — otherwise Gibbs . 17 Holy Well of St. Julian . .199 Hopton Sir Ralph . 328 Horse Street ... 3, 124 Horton Rev. G. W. 199, 205 Hospitals: — ... .55 ,, Bellot’s ... 66 ,, Grammar School 63 to 66 ,, Lepers’ .55 ,, Royal Mineral Water ... 2, 70, 138, 221 ,, ,, United... ,, S. Catherine’s, or the Black Alms .73 .61 ,, S. John Baptist 56, 69 Hotel Grand Pump Room . 52 482 RAMBLES ABOUT BATH. Houghton Lord .299 Howse H. E. ... .234 Hugo Cum Barbfi, .87 Hungerfords The (see also Farleigh) .91 Hungerford the “Spendthrift” ... .219 Hunter Rev. Joseph ...120, 233, 348 „ Dr. ... ' ... .379 Introductory Chapter ... ix. to xv. Isaac Player (Hinton Abbey) .171 Jardine David .233 J enyns Library .121 John de Cantlow 17, 351, 352, 354 ,, de Tellisford .17 ,, of Tours 6, 13, 17, 87, 246 Johnson Dr. ... 142, 370 Jones Dr. 47,49 ,, his Map . 4 ,, Rev. Prebendary .416 Jordan Dr. .50 Kelston 253 to 260 Jones Col. and Mrs., Ethelreda Malte, Harington John, Harington Sir J., Essex Earl of, Harington Lord, Sydney Sir R., Barozzi — architect, Modern House, Hawkins Sir C., Church, Church Bells. Kemble Rev. Charles ... 25. 26, 29, 117 Kennet and Avon Canal .' 406, 407 Keynsham . 449 to 454 Roman Remains, Nichols Rev. W. L. , Augustinian Abbey, Church, Brydges Family, Duke Chandos, Abbey Church. of Buckingham and Kilvert Rev. Francis ... 135, 137,142, 143 Kingsmead Square . 217 King Alfred . 7 ,, Athelstan . 12 ,, Bladud ... . 5, 10 ,, Canute ... . 246 ,, Charles I. . 9, 64, 346 „ „ II. . 50, 57 ,, Cynobelin .203 „ Edgar ... .6, 12, 16, 19 ,, Edward I. . 8, 156 „ „ HI. . 4, 8, 95 „ „ VI. 41, 57,62,64 ,, ,, the Confessor . 7 „ Edwy . 12 ,, Henry I. ... ... 14,172,197 „ „ II. . . 164, 165 „ „ HI . 14,87,165, 169 y >> >i v • . 6 INDEX. King Henry VI. „ „ VII. „ „ VIII. George II. „ IV. James II. John Offa Osric Richard II. Stephen ... William the Conqueror „ Rufus IV. Landon Mrs. ... Landor Walter Savage ... ,, Arnold Langridge Manor House, Church. Lansdown Battle of Fair „ Lord „ Monument ... Lawrence S. „ Sir T. Laxton Rev. William ... Layard Rev. C. C. Leland the Antiquary ... 4, Lexington Lord Library Free ... Lightholder —, architect Limpley Stoke... Literary Club ... Little Rev. C. H. „ „ R. P. Lockey Museum Long W. Lower Borough Walls ... Lucas Dr. ... • Lyncombe 43, 50, 124, 131 483 ... 6, 9 19, 199 16, 64, 254 65, 226 ... 156 5, 49 14, 165 5, 11, 16 6, 11, 16, 19 6, 169 55 162, 246 ... 8 ... 109 ... 369 31, 293 to 300 ... 295 333 to 335 ... 327 ... 325 ... 326 ... 326 ... 3 ... 307 ... 442 ... 157 151, 173, 434 91Q 117 to 119 ... 310 386 to 394 31, 157, 158 ... 205 ... 444 ... 122 35, 457 ... 3 ... 53 210 to 217 Manor of, Russell Lord, Saxey Hugh, Bagatelle Gardens Spa, Beechen Cliff, Warner’s Cottage, Holloway, Magdalen Chapel, Leland, Cantlow Prior, Allen Rev. J. Lyncombe, Widcombe, and Berewyke Tithes ... ... 38 Macaulay Lord Macintosh Sir J. Mackillop Charles Malet of Enmore Manentes The ... Mangin Rev. Edward 189, 230 377, 378 ... 118 ... 29 ... 11 ... 311 484 RAMBLES ABOUT BATH. Manners G. P. . 129, 266 ,, and Gill .223 Maps of the City, collection of, by Mr. Russell ... ... 4 Market The .385 Markland James Heywood . 281, 282 Maude Empress and King Stephen .55 Melfort Earl of, his Bath .50 Mendenhall W. .82 Meredith Sir Richard ... .38 Midford . 151, 152 ,, Castle... .151 Militia Barracks .268 Milsom Street... .310 Minerva Temple of .2, 5 Mitre Green .16 Monckton Combe . 148 to 151 ,, Farleigh 445 to 448 Priory, House, Manor, Hobhouse Sir C. Bart., Church. Monks’ Miff The . . 5 Monks’ Wood ... ... 45 Mons Badonica (Beacon Hill) . 2 Moore Charles . 121, 274 Morris J. .324 „ J. W. .118 Mortmain Statute of .15 Murch Jerom ... . 31, 233 Murhill Hamlet .408 Napoleon III. ... .112 ,, and W. S. Landor .298 Nash Beau 16, 36, 51, 70, 224 to 233 Neeld Joseph ... . 186, 187 Nelson Lord ... .218 ,, Robert .223 Newnham Rev. G. W. ... .148 Newton St. Loe . 262 to 265 Gore Rev. George, The Gore-Langton Family, Jones of Stowey, Duke of Buckingham. Norman George .33 ,, James .73 Northstoke .248 Norton St. Philip . 172 to 191 Ancient History of, Old Survey, Monks of Hinton, George Inn. Parsons — Richard and Alice, Nooks and Corners of Old England, Jeffery Flower, Fleur de Lys, Tovie Henry, Living of Norton, Bartlett John Robert, Norton Grange, Prince Charlie, Parish Register, Jeffery Flower’s Benefac¬ tions to Bath Abbey, Cburcli, Restoration, PalairetRev. R., Squint, Windows, Freeman E. A., Maids of Foscote, Pepys’ Diary, Neeld’s Schools, Rundell Philip, Jeffreys Judge, Greville C. C., Monmouth Duke of, Macaulay Lord, Des¬ cription of Skirmish, Cleveland Family, Burney Rev. H. B. Nowhere Lane ... ... ... ... ... 56 INDEX. 485 Oakford .45 Obelisk—Queen Square 241, 242 ,, Orange Grove . 16 O’Connor . 31 Odd Fellows’ Hall .219 Odo’s Rebellion . 8 Oliver C. W. ... .302 „ Dr. 70, 228 Orange Grove ... ... 15, 16, 75 „ Prince of 16, 228 Pallas the Ancient Goddess . 1 Paragon The ... .373 Palmer—architect 217, 236 ,, Sir Roundell (Lord Selborne) .60 Parade North ... ... 76 ,, South ... . 77 Park Royal Victoria 243, 244 Parliamentary and Municipal 377 to 385 Parr Dr. .295 Parry Bishop of Dover ... . 276 ,, Dr. Caleb Hillier ... 36, 275, 276 . ,, Captain, R.N. .276 ,, Dr. Charles Henry .276 „ Sir Edward .276 ,, Joshua ... . 275 Partis College ... .253 Payne E. Turner .59 Peasedown District Church .205 Pelling John ... .18 Peniteniary .369 Perfect Rev. H. T. .457 Phelps Rev. ... 82,193, 203 Phipps C. J. .237 Phoenicians The . 79 Pierrepont Street .76 Piozzi Mrs. ... 309 Pitman Isaac ... .118 Pope Alexander . 86, 89, 126, 129, 135, 137, 138 Pope’s Walk ... . 131 Poynton Rev. F. J. . 259 Pnetorium The . 3 Presbyterian Meeting House .41 Prior Birde’s Chapel . 27 ,, Birde 17, 29 ,, John de Walcot ... 4, 125 Prior Park ... 131 to 145 Catholic Church, Bonomi, Scoles J. J., Scoles A. J. C., Allen Ralph, Bishops Warburton and Hurd, Pope, Fielding, Smollett, Martha Blount, Thicknesse, Johnson Dr. Priory of Bath ... ... ... ... ... 15 Princess Amelia ... ... ... ... 5,229 Prince Consort ... ... ... ... ... 73 486 RAMBLES ABOUT BATH. Pryrme William—Biography of ... ,, ,, Books in Abbey 341 to 349 464 to 466 Quay The Queen Anne ... ,, Anne—Consort of James I. ,, Caroline — Consort of George II. „ Catherine of Braganza ... ,, Charlotte ,, Elizabeth ... ... 4, ,, Henrietta Maria... „ Mary I. ,, Victoria Queen Square ... Quin Thomas ... ... 217 49, 50, 224, 227 ... 68 ... 65 ... 50 ... 109 9, 49, 57, 64, 66, 240, 255 ... 50 ... 101 ... 243 ... 240 ... 36 Rack — Founder of Bath and West of England Society ... 147 Radcliffe Dr. ... ... ... ... ... ... 227 Rampier S. Mary’s ... ... ... ... ... 47 Rhodes Rev. E. D. ... ... ... 94, 96, 97, 98 Rink Skating ... ... ... ... ... ... 301 ■ Robinson Rev. R. Hayes ... ... ... ... 314 Robins Rev. Walter ... ... ... ... 65, 283 Rochester Lord ... ... ... ... ... 328 Roebuck J. A., Q.C., M.P. ... ... ... ... 306 Roman Antiquities ... ... ... ...121, 206,250 „ Baths ... ... ... ... ... ... 3 ,, Buildings near the Red Posts ... ... ... 207 Rosenberg G. ... ... ... ... ... ... 280 Roundaway Down, Victory of ... ... ... ... 328 Royal Literary and Scientific Institution ... 37, 119 to 123, 452 ,, School ... ... ... ... ... ... 285 Russell Mr. C. P . 4 Rustat John ... ... ... ... ... 57,69 „ Tobias ... ... ... ... ... 57, 69 Saltford Sanderson Rev. H. E. ... Saxons The Saye Lord Searth Rev. Prebendary S. Catherine ... Harington, Strutt Family, Blanchard, Walters, Cantlow, Church, Holt Down. S. Catherine, Legend of ... ... ... 61, 62 School of Art ... ... ... ... ... ... 373 Scott Sir G. Gilbert . ... ...25, 182, 290 „ John .291 Scudamore Viscountess ... ... ... ... 68 260, 261 ... 66 ... 5 ... 325 81, 106, 115, 122, 193 351 to 355 Earl, S. Dunstan S. Elphage’s Well Shenstone the Poet ... 12 ... 325 86, 89 INDEX. 487 Sherston Wiliiam .240 Shockerwick ... .422 Shum F. ... 35, 36, 206 Sion Hill .275 S. James’s Square .288 Skinner Rev. John ... 195, 203, 207 Skirmish at Warleigh Ferry .91 Skrine Henry Duncan ... 87, 427 ,, William . 87 Slanning Sir Nicholas ... .328 Smith Rev. Martin Stafford .87 S. Michael Parish of ... 370 to 377 Old Burial Ground, Church, Muniments. Southstoke ... 153 to 155 Spackman C. (Friend of Thomas Barker) ... .277 Speke Sir Thomas 43, 57 Spry Dr. ... 48, 49, 53 Stage the Bath ... 234 to 239 Sheridan R. B.,Sheridan Tom, Sheridan Mrs., Cassali’s Paint¬ ings, Destruction of Theatre by Fire, Distinguished Actors. Stall S. Mary de ... ... ... ... 4,37 Stanton Drew... ... ... ... ... 454 to 458 Hautville Sir J. , DruidicalRemains, Church, Manor Farm House. Stephenson Dr. Bennett ... ... ... ... 233 Stoke Limpley ... ... ... ... 386 to 394 Church, Reformatory, Monastery, Hydropathic Establish¬ ment, Old Traditions, &c. Stonor Sir Francis ... ... ... ... ... 49 Stratton-on-the-Fosse ... ... ... ... ... 207 Street G. E. —architect... ... ... ... ... 106 Strode Miss ... ... ... ... ... ... 56 Stubbs Rev. E. T. ... ... ... ... ... 285 Summer Hill ... ... ... ... ... ... 275 Sussex Duke of ... ... ... ... ... 119 Sutcliffe Industrial School ... ... ... ... 365 Sutherland Dr. ... ... ... ... ... 51 Swainswick ... ... ... ... ... 336 to 350 Solsbury, Archaeology, Camp, Camden, Earle, Church, Prynne, Brass of Fforde. Sweyn, Conquest by ... ... ... ... ...6,7 Tatwick Manor of Terry Charles ... Theatre (see Stage) Thrale — Tooke Rev. T. H. Tottenham Rev. E. Toune Gate Town Hall the Old Tracey Park ... Trovanion Sir John Tucker Allen ... ... 350 ... 85 234 to 239 ... 309 ... 448 ... 114 ... 4 ... 384 ... 329 ... 328 ... 87 488 RAMBLES ABOUT BATH. Tucker Captain ... 87 Turner Hudson ... 442 Turner’s Herbal and Tract on BathWaters ... 47 Twerton-on-Avon 265 to 269 Carr, Fielding, City Prison, Major Preston, Churches. Upper Borough Walls ... ... 3 Vernier Dr. ... 49 Vineyards The ... ... . ... 370 Vivian George... 87, 96 Wade’s Passage ... 22 Wade Marshal ... 136 Wiereburgh’s Mead ... 41 Walcot Parish of 366 to 370 Walker T. F. W. ... 35 Waller Sir William 9, 328 Wansdyke 272, 273 Ward and Hughes Messrs. 30, 33 Warleigh Manor of (see Bathford) ... 424 Warner Rev. Richard ... 194, 195 Water Supply ... 44 to 46 Way Rev. J. H. ... 288 Wellow 192 to 200 Stoney Littleton Tumulus, Wellow Hayes, Roman Pave¬ ment, Church, Paul Rev. Charles, Holy Well. Wentworth Marquis of Strafford ... 346 Wesleyan Chapel—Walcot ... 366 ,, College ... 286 Weston 244 to 247 Westwood ... 418 Weymouth House School ... 5 Whitelock Bulstrode ... 342 Wick—Rocks, Geological Strata, Church... 329 to 332 Widcombe Parish of 126 to 131 Old Pack Horse, Foot Bridge, Church of S. Mark, Church of S. Matthew, Bells in S. Matthew’s, Manners G. P., Tate Key. G. E., Cornwall Rev. W. A., Beechen Cliff, Perry- mead, Manor House, Old Church, Crowe Hall. Widdrington Rev. S. H. ... ... ... 218,322 Wilson James—architect ' ... ... ... ... 287 Wilson and Willcox ... ... ... 124, 241, 373, 438 Wiltshire (Friend of Gainsborough) ... ... ... 308 Winsley and Turleigh ... ... ... ... 408 to 411 Romaine Rev. W., Burke—Notice of, Glass Sir R. A., Murhill—Conkwell, Church. WolfeGeneral... ... ... ... ... ... 234 Wood John the elder ... 9, 22, 44, 58, 71, 125, 230, 240, 359 ,, John the younger ... ... ...138, 230, 292 ,, Rev. Prebendary James ... ... ... ... 288 Woolley ... ... ... ... ... 335, 336 Wormwood Farm ... ... ... ... ... 440' Wraxall South ... ... ... ... 440 to 442 »i> h > : ntnnrn& of thr Riunti HiU ENCLISJ# .COMBt J'; ■ „ hi »PFt« I0AINM CLAVCRTON - .•:« . / T-r^r"£Si ACCO*»A« h fHHBLtS ABOUT BATH B /TJ NllOHDOUHHOOO" ‘PVBLlSHCO »' r PEACH n. bhiocc sraes r. bath SCALE - 7m Inflow f c ^-., _ _ Hiin?iii Un .' Vers ' ,y Llb,ar 'es D01286613R H*