A D JL iVI E E T I X €1- - 
 
A 
 
 TOPOGRAPRICAL AND HISTORICAL 
 
 description 
 
 OP THE 
 
 COONTY OF SOUTHAMPTON; 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 AN ACCOUNT OF ITS 
 
 TOWNS, I ANTIQUITIES, |i PUBLIC EDIFICES, 
 
 SEATS, I CHURCHES, 11 SCENERY, 
 
 AND RESIDENCES OF THE 
 
 NOBILITY, GENTBY, &c. 
 
 Accompanied with Biographical Notices of Eminent and Learned 
 Men to whom this County has given Birth. 
 
 BY JOHN BRITTON and EDWARD BRAYLEY. 
 
 ^OX.. 2, . 
 
 Illustrated with Engravings. 
 
 Hondon : 
 
 PRINTED FOR SHERWOOD, NEELY, and JONES, 
 
 PATERNOSTER ROW ; 
 
 AND GEORGE COWIE & CO. 
 
 SUCCKS80BS TO TBBNOB, HOOD, AND 8HABPB, 31 , POULTBY. 
 
 Sold by all Booksellers in the County. 
 1805. 
 
i 10 C.iV 3?^' ‘O i'* b1 
 
 |,vmu3.gto.-rj.^}IaTLti; , 
 
 Pamted l),y 'nllierL. 
 
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HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 205 
 
 it^ood. In the grounds are several large fish-ponds, from which 
 Ihe inmates of the Priory were supplied witli fish * 
 
 CHRIST-CHURCH, 
 
 Or Christ-Ghurch Twyneham, but more correctly 
 Tivynam-bourne, or Tweon-ea, as it was called in the Saxon times, f 
 is situated, as these latter names imply, between two rivers, the 
 Avon and the Stour, which unite their streams at a short distance 
 t)elow the town, and then spreading to the south-east, flow into 
 the sea at Christ-Church Bay. The appellation Christ-Church, 
 was derived from the ancient Church and Priory erected here, and 
 consecrated to the Saviour Christ. 
 
 The origin of this town is unquestionably extremely remote, and 
 if not of British, it was probably of Roman building, as may be 
 inferred from a discovery made by the late Gustavus Brander, Esq. 
 who, in ascertaining the ichnography of tlie demolished Priorv, 
 discovered within the foundations, a cavity about two feet square, 
 that had been covered with a stone, carefully cemented with lead 
 into the ad joining pavement, and contained to the amount of half 
 a bushel of bird’s bones, and these of herons, bitterns, cocks, and 
 hens, mostly well preserved.! 
 
 Extraordinary as such a phenomenon may seem, observes Mr. 
 Warner, “ there is no difficulty in accounting for it, if we advert 
 to the superstition of the ancient Romans, and to the practices of 
 the early Christians. Among the former, many different species of 
 birds were held in high veneialion, and carefully preserved for the 
 purposes of sacrifice and augurial divination. Adopting the nu- 
 merous absurdities of Egyptian and Grecian worship, tliese tole- 
 rating 
 
 ** Grose’s Antiquities, Vol. II. 
 
 f The appellation Tweon-ea, occurs in the Saxon Chronicle'; that 
 oI Twyneham is mentioned in a charter granted by King Athelstan, and 
 printed in the Monasticon. 
 
 .\rcha2ologia, Vol. IV. p. 118 . 
 
206 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 rating conquerors had affixed a sacredness to the cock, the hawk, 
 the heron, the chicken, and other birds ; the bones of which, after 
 their decease, were not unfrequently deposited within the walls of 
 the temple of the deity to whom they were considered as peculiarly 
 appropriated. It seems then probable that the spot on which the 
 Priory of Christ-Church was erected, had originally been occupied 
 by some Heathen Temple. 
 
 “ That a Christian place of worship should be erected on the 
 site of a Pagan Temple at Christ-Church, is not an incredible cir- 
 cumstance, since similar instances occur, not only in our own king- 
 dom, but throughout the whole Continent of Europe; and we 
 learn from Keysler, that it was a common practice with tliose who 
 undertook the conversion of the Heathens, to fix on such spots 
 for their new places of worship, as had been hallowed in the opi- 
 nion of the converts, by ancient consecration.”* 
 
 The earUest historical document relating to this town, occurs in 
 the Saxon Chronicle, from which it appears, that Ethelwold, cou- 
 siu-german to Edward tlie Elder, took possession of it during his 
 short-lived revolt in the reign of the latter Prince. In the Domes- 
 day Book, it is mentioned as a Royal Manor, and a Burgh, by 
 the name of Thuinam; and recorded to have thirty-one messuages, 
 paying a yearly tax of sixteen pence. 
 
 Christ-Church continued parcel of the Royal demesne till the 
 reign of Henry the First, who gave it to Richard de Repariis, or 
 Redvers, with many other possessions of immense value. This 
 powerful Baron is supposed to have strengthened the town by walls, 
 and to have erected a Castle here,f though Norden has recorded 
 the latter to have been raised by Edward the Elder. In a charter 
 granted to the Priory by Baldwin de Redvers, son of the above 
 Richard, early in the twelfth century, ihe^fossatum castelli is ex- 
 pressly mentioned ; the fortress itself, therefore, must have been 
 previously erected. Christ-Church remained in the possession of 
 the De Redvers family, with a short alienation by the marriage 
 
 of 
 
 Topographical Remarks, Vol. II. p. 41 — 44. 
 t Warner’s Remarks, Vol. II. p. 56. 
 
Chrift’s Cliurcii Caftlc, Hants. 
 .Puhlig?texi 26. by S^Hoaper, 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 207 
 
 of a daughter, till the time of Edward the Second, when it was 
 re-leased to that Sovereign by Isabella de Fortibus * 
 
 Edward the Third, in the ninth of his reign, granted the bo- 
 rough, manor, and hundred of Christ-Church, to Sir William de 
 Montacute, afterwards Earl of Salisbury, and his wife Catherine, 
 in whose descendants they continued till about the year 1400, 
 when Sir John de Montacute was beheaded for conspiring against 
 Henry the Fourth, and his possessions escheated to the Crown. In 
 the thirty-second of Henry the Sixth, this manor, borough, and 
 hundred, were leased to Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury in 
 right of the Lady Alice, his wife, for the term of twelve years, by 
 the annual rent of a red rose. Whether or not this lease was re- 
 newed, is uncertain, though most probably it was, as these posses- 
 sions were numbered with the other estates of the celebrated Mar- 
 garet, Countess of Salisbury, Richard’s grand-daughter, whom the 
 tyrant, Henry the Eighth, caused to be attainted of treason, and 
 decapitated in her seventieth year. 
 
 James the First, by indenture, dated in the eighteenth of his 
 reign, vested the manor of Christ-Church, with many others, in 
 certain trustees, for the use of his son Prince Charles; after whose 
 accession to the throne, it was granted, with all its appurtenances, 
 to four persons, named Ditchfield, Highlord, Clarke, and Mosse, 
 to hold in fee-farm, at the annual rent of 321. 4s. Id. In the 
 twenty-second of Charles the Second, it appears, from the adjust- 
 ments of the claims on the New Forest, to have belonged to 
 Edward, Earl of Clarendon, whose family continued owners till the 
 close of that century, when it became the property of Sir Peter 
 Mew. By the descendants of that gentleman, it w as transmitted 
 to the late J. Clark, Esq. who bequeathed it to Sir George Tapps, 
 Bart. The Right Honorable George Rose, the present proprietor, 
 became possessed by purchase in the year 1790. 
 
 The principal parts of the Castle that now remain, are the mins 
 of the Keep, or Citadel, and of an ancient stone building, that 
 was probably the State apartment. The former occupied the sum- 
 mit 
 
 * See under Lymington, p. 185, 
 
208 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 mit of a small artificial mount, and, from the remains of the east 
 and west walls now standing, appears to have inclosed an area of 
 about twenty-eight feet by twenty-four : these walls are ten feet 
 thick; their original height is unknown, as the upper parts have 
 been taken down. The building supposed to have been the state 
 apartment, or Governor’s residence, is upwards of seventy feet 
 long, and nearly thirty broad ; its walls, like those of the Keep, 
 being exceedingly thick. On the ground floor are a number of 
 loop-holes, formed by a large semicircular arch within, lessening by 
 degrees, and terminating in a chink. From the ground floor was an 
 ascent to the upper apartments by a stone stair-case, part of w hich 
 yet remains. “ The place for receiving the floor of the first story 
 is very visible ; it seems to have had one room only, lighted by 
 three large windows on the east, and as many on the west side : 
 they w ere all included in semicircular arches, formed of stones very 
 neatly cut, and divided by a small pillar in the centre. In the 
 east side, and somewhat north of the centre, was a very large fire- 
 place, worked circularly into the main wall, having also a high 
 cylindrical stone chimney, seemingly the only (original) one in the 
 building. At the north end there appears to have been a large 
 arched window ; the columns, and part of the internal arch, are still 
 remaining, and answer to a handsome semicircular arch on the 
 outside, decorated with zig-zag ornaments. This has been stopped 
 up, and two brick fire-places, with a chimney of the same mate- 
 rials, built up in it, seemingly of no antiquity, whence it is evident 
 that this building has been converted into a dwelling. Over the 
 south end, near the top, is a circular window, wdiich seems to have 
 been made for lighting some upper apartment. From what re- 
 mains of the ornamental part of this building, it appears to have 
 been elegantly finished, and cased with squared stones ; most of 
 which, how^ever, have been taken aw ay : by the ruins of several 
 walls, there w ere some ancient buildings at right angles to this hall^ 
 stretching away tow'ards the Keep.”* 
 
 The Priory of Christ-Church was a very ancient foundation; 
 so ancient, iudeed, that we have no records of the time of its ori- 
 ginal 
 
 ^ Grose’s Antiquities, Vol. II. 
 
Christ CHURCH PRIORY, Hampshire. 
 
 T^uhli^^hed ue<*oPihhff to jd.c( Of' Ptfrlfarn^-'nt by Ah jc^. TLot^tf Putorno^t^r Row . 
 
HAMPSHIKE* 
 
 ’■09 
 
 ginal establishment. Camden only observes, that it was founded 
 early in the Saxon times ; and other writers are equally deficient as 
 to the exact period of its Origin. Its inmates were secular Canons 
 of the order of St. Augustine ; and the establishment, as early as 
 tlie reign of Edward the Confessor, consisted of a Dean and 
 twenty-four Canons.* William Rnfus bestowed the Church and 
 Convent on Ralph Flamhard, Bishop of Durham, the minion of 
 Iiis tyranny, who had been Dean here in the early part of his life. 
 This prelate determined to rebuild the Church, and the other con- 
 ventual edifices, which he found extremely out of repair, on a more 
 extensive and superb scale than they had been originally con- 
 structed ; and for this purpose seized the revenues of the Canons, 
 allowing each of them merely a sufficiency for his sustenance. 
 Godric, the then Dean, who strenuously opposed this infringe- 
 ment of the rights of his brethren, was degraded from his office, 
 and obliged to seek refuge on the Continent ; whence, however, he 
 was afterwards jiermitted to return, and was reinstated in his for- 
 mer dignity. Flambard having thus overcome all opposition to 
 his designs, levelled the ancient buildings witJi the ground ;f and 
 having sufficiently completed his new works, the Church was so- 
 lemnly dedicated to Christ. About this period, the Bishop pur- 
 posed to remove the secular Canons, and to replace them by re- 
 gular Canons of the same order; but his extortions, and oppressive 
 conduct, having offended the new Monarch, Henry the First, he 
 was deprived of all his wealth and honors, and imprisoned in the 
 Tower. From this fortress he escaped by stratagem, and fled to 
 Normandy, to the court of Robert, the eldest brother of Henry, 
 whom he excited to invade England, and by whose influence he 
 was restored to his bishopric ; yet the Priory of Christ-Church was 
 retained by Henry, and afterwards granted with the manor to 
 Richard de Redvers. This nobleman increased the endowments 
 by the gift of various rich estates, and vested the community with 
 many valuable privileges. His son, Baldwin, confirmed all the 
 VoL. VI. Feb. 1805. O grants 
 
 ^ Tanner’s Notitia. 
 t Warner’s Remarks, Vol, II. p. 95. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 i2lO 
 
 grants made by his father, and bestowed several additional immu< 
 nities. Soon afterwards, Baldwin introduced a certam number of 
 regular Canons into the society, and placed them under the go- 
 vernment of a Prior; thus completing the alteration projected by 
 Flambard; he permitted, however, the secular Canons to continue 
 members till their respective deaths, though in a state of subordi- 
 nation to the new-comers * Richard de Redvers, son of Baldwin, 
 by grant, dated anno ll6l, invested the Priory with many new pri- 
 vileges. Numerous grants, with additional liberties, were made by 
 the subsequent possessors of the family estates ; yet this increase in 
 property and consequence, does not appear to have been accom- 
 panied with any proportionate increase in the knowledge of either 
 science or literature ; the only book in the Priory Library, at the 
 period of the Dissolution, being the Leges aliquot regum Saxonice;\ 
 a Saxon version of a few laws. 
 
 When the possessions of this Priory w^ere surrendered to Henry 
 the Eighth, their annual nett value was estimated by tlie Commis- 
 sioners at 3121. 7s. 9d. the gross income, according to Speed, 
 was 5441. 6s. Od. John Draper, the last Abbot, had a pension 
 allowed of 1331. 6s. 8d. and was also permitted to occupy, during 
 life, the Prior’s Lodgings, and Grange at Somersford. These 
 considerable investments were most probably in return for his 
 pliant conduct, the Commissioners having reported him to be a 
 very honest conformable person; and one too, it should seem, who 
 had not secreted any of the riches of his establishment ; as the 
 same letter has the sentence, “ we found the house welle furnysh- 
 ede with juellys and plate, whereof some be meete for the King’s 
 Majestie’s use."|: On the fourteenth of September, in the thirty- 
 first of his reign, Henry the Eighth granted the site of tlie Priory 
 to Stephen Kirton, and Margaret, his wife, to hold by the service 
 of the fortieth part of a Knight’s fee, and the rent of 31s. 6d|. 
 
 lu 
 
 4* Warner’s Remarks, Vol. II. p. 115. 
 f Lelandi Col. Vol. III. p. 149. 
 
 + Brit. Mus. Cottonian Library. Cleopatra, 4. 
 
Chrift Church Hants. 
 r.y<^4. S. 
 

'iovy- o£ ChriA Chirr cli. Twyn3iam Hants. tj'/bcw'rowji^ 
 
 Vuh. hy S.Wooper . 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 211 
 
 In the ensuing year, the Priory Church, with the Church-yard, and 
 all appurtenances, were granted to the Churchwardens and inhabi- 
 tants of the town, for ever; this grant was confirmed by James the 
 First, in the ninth of his reign, and has undoubtedly been the 
 means of preserving the Church from the destruction that has 
 overwhelmed the other buildings which appear to have been situ- 
 ated to the south of the Church, near the spot now occupied by the 
 house and gardens that belonged to the late Gustavus Brander, 
 Esq. who purchased tlie site of the Priory about forty years ago. 
 Some remains of the wall, that inclosed the conventual buildings, 
 are yet standing; and without it, to the south-east, is a meadow, 
 still called the Convent Garden ; in a field adjoining to wliich, are 
 the vestiges of several fish-ponds, and stews. Another trace of this 
 religious foundation may be found in a walk, or ambulatory, called 
 Paradise, now used as a place of recreation for the scholars of 
 Christ-Church school. What seems to have been the Lodge of 
 the Priory, is now occupied by a miller; and, from the initials 
 J. D. which appear on various parts of the building, it is thought 
 to have been erected during the time of John Draper, the last 
 Prior. The site, and part of the walls of the Refectory, which 
 measured thirty-six feet by twenty, and of some other buildings, 
 were laid open by the late Mr. Brander, when he attempted to 
 ascertain the ground-plan of the whole pile. 
 
 The Church is a very large and interesting building; and 
 though it has been greatly altered since the time of Bishop Flam- 
 bard, still displays some considerable portions of his work, parti- 
 cularly in the nave, the south-western aisle, and the northern tran- 
 sept. “ The Nave is formed by a double row of massive square 
 pillars, ornamented with demi-columns : between these pillars are 
 semicircular arches, springing from grouped pilasters, which are 
 lateral projections from the main pillars. Each of these arches 
 has a zig-zag moulding, or cornice, and the space between them, 
 and the second story of arches, is filled up with little triangular 
 indentations. The arches of this second story are also semicircu- 
 lar; the capitals of their pillars displaying various examples of 
 feuillage; and the shafts of some of' them ornamented with dia- 
 
 O 2 moud 
 
212 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 mond net-work, chevrons, and otlier figures.”* This tier ofi 
 arches is surmounted by a third, apparently of more modem date, 
 as the arches are pointed, and have windows in them ; round these 
 is a triforium. Tiie roof is of timber, and very ancient; but whe- 
 ther it formed part of the original building, is doubtful, as the 
 groins of a stone roof spring from the terminations of the main 
 pillars, and tradition records that the whole vaulting was once of 
 stone. The south-western aisle, called also the lower walk, ex- 
 liibits some semicircular arches, with the zig-zag moulding, and 
 other ornaments. At the end of this aisle is a neat Chapel, sup- 
 posed to have been built as a burial-place by John Draper, the 
 first Prior of that name, who was installed in 1477- 
 
 The North Transept has been much altered, but still displays 
 evident marks of the Norman style ; particularly on the outside, in 
 the escallop and net-work ornaments. Here are two small Chan- 
 tries, or Oratories,- adjoining each other, supposed to have been 
 erected at the same time, by some Earl of Salisbury and his Lady, 
 as the pavement, both wdthin and contiguous to these, has been 
 formed of square tiles, ornamented with the family arms. The 
 intersection of the nave and transept is thought to have been ori- 
 ginally crowned by a square tower, as the abutments are peculiarly 
 strong, and have every appearance of having been formed to sup- 
 port some great incumbent weight: this opinion is corroborated* by 
 the traditions of the inhabitants. The appearance of the nave is 
 greatly disfigured by tlie pews, which crowd and obscure many 
 parts of it. 
 
 The Chancel, and all the eastern part of the edifice from the 
 tVansept, is of more modern date than the portions above de- 
 scribed. Most of the windows are large, and ornamented with 
 mullions and tracery : from the low aisles at the sides, the upper 
 part is strengthened by flying buttresses. The ramifications 
 of the vaulting are handsome ; and the bosses, or orbs, and the in- 
 tersections are all ornamented with small busts, in various habits. 
 The sides are wainscotted with oak, curiously carved; and particu- 
 larly 
 
 ^ Warner’s Remarks, Vol. II. p. 147. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 213 
 
 larly a fascia, or fillet, of grapes and vine-leaves, which runs along 
 the top of the wainscolting. The ancient stalls for the Canons 
 still remain ; three of them have carved canopies : the whole num- 
 ber is thirty-six. The under sides of the benches of the stalls, 
 and of many other seats, exhibit a curious series of grotesque and 
 satirical representations, supposed to refer to the arts of the men- 
 dicant Friars, who began to establish themselves in England in the 
 thirteenth century. In one of these pieces of carved-work, “ a friar 
 is represented, under the emblem of a fox, (with a cock for his 
 clerk,) preaching to a set of geese, who, unconscious of the fallacy, 
 are greedily listening to his deceitful words. In another, a zany, 
 (which is intended to characterize the people at large,) whilst he 
 turns his back upon a dish of porridge, has it licked up from him 
 by a rat, (under which form we again recognize the friar,) who 
 takes this opportunity of committing the theft. Under another of 
 the seats, is a baboon, with a cowl on his head, reposing on a pii- 
 loiv, and exhibiting ^n enonnpus swollen paunch. ’* 
 
 The ascent to the altar is by a flight of four steps; on the up- 
 permost of which, is an inscribed stone in memory of Baldwin de 
 Redvers, the second of that name, who died in 12lfl. The Altar- 
 Piece is a very curious specimen of ancient can ing in wood, siq>- 
 posed, by Mr. Warner, to be coeval with Bishop Flambard. It 
 represents the Genealogy of Christ, by a tree springing from the 
 loins of Jesse, who is displayed in a recumbent position, support- 
 ing his head with his left hand, On each side of Jesse is a niche; 
 in one of which is David, playing on his harp; and in the other, 
 Solomon, in a musing attitude. Above these the Virgin is dis- 
 played, seated, with the child Jesus in her lap, and near her Jo- 
 se))!!, with the magi, and the projecting heads of an ox and an ass; 
 ill allusion to the circumstances ot our Lord’s birth. “ These are 
 again surmounted by shepherds and sheej) in high relief ; the for- 
 mer looking upward to a group of angels, immediately over whom, 
 God the Father, decorated with wings, extends his arms. Exclu- 
 sive of these figures, most of which are mutilated, there are two- 
 and-thirty smaller ones of different saints, placed in regular corre- 
 
 O 3 sponding 
 
 •-r Warner’s Remarks, Vol. II. p. 179. 
 
214. 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 spending niches, which any one, well skilled in the Romish calender, 
 might identify, from the attributes or emblems they all individu- 
 ally bear; nine large niches are now destitute of the images that 
 formerly ornamented them.”* On the terminations of the groins 
 of the roof, above the Concanieratio, or open space behind the 
 altar, are small half-length figures, bearing music scrolls, and wind 
 and other musical instruments. Under the altar is a subterraneous 
 Chapel, or crypt, in which the vestiges of a small altar may yet be 
 discerned. 
 
 In this part of the fabric, north from the altar, is the beautiful 
 but mutilated Chapel, erected by the venerable Margaret, Countess 
 of Salisbury, for her burial-place, in the reign of Henry the Se- 
 venth. The ornaments are extremely well sculptured, and the 
 whole interior is in the most florid style of that age. The roof, or 
 vaulting, is intersected in a very elegant manner, having a repre- 
 sentation of the Holy Trinity, within a circle in the centre, and a 
 figure of the Countess kneeling at the feet of God the Father, 
 At the eastern extremity are the Montacute arms, with supporters, 
 and the motto, Spes mea in Deo est; and beneath these a shield, 
 with the five wounds of Christ embossed upon it. The hexago- 
 nal pilasters which support the Chapel, are highly enriched with 
 sculptured ornaments: it has two fronts, one on the north-east 
 side, and the other towards the altar. The original beauty of this 
 structure must have been very great; its mutilations are owing to 
 the more than Gothic barbarism that influenced the Commissioners 
 who visited this Church at the Dissolution, and whose wilful dila- 
 pidations are thus recorded by themselves, in the document before 
 referred to, as preserved in the British Museum. In the Church 
 we found a chaple and monument made of Cane (Caen) stone, per- 
 peryd by the late mother of Renold Pole for herre buriall, which 
 we have causyd to be defacyd, and all the armys and badgis clerely 
 to be delete.”^ 
 
 The eastern extremity of this Church is formed by a spacious 
 Chapel, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and supposed to have been 
 
 built 
 
 •Yc Warner’s Remarks, Vol. II. p. 188. 
 
 f Cottonian Library, Cleopatra, 4. Delete signifies to erase, or 
 blot out, 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 215 
 
 built by the West family, ancestors to the Lords Delawar, about 
 the conclusion of the fourteenth century; as Sir Thomas West, by 
 will, dated in April, 1405, ordered his body to be interred in the 
 New Chapel, and bequeathed lOOl. towards the completion of the 
 works of the Church. Several other confessional recesses or nament 
 this building: the altar still remains, having somewhat the appear- 
 ance of a table monument; the slab that forms the top, measuring 
 eleven feet in length : above- this is a piece of elegant carved work, 
 ten feet high, ornamented with a profusion of small pointed niches. 
 On each side of the altar is a tomb, made in the respective walls, 
 and presumed to contain the remains of Alice, wife of Sir Thomas 
 West, who died in 1 395 ; and Thomas, her son. The arch of each 
 recess displays some elegant light shafts of Purbeck marble. Imme- 
 diately over this Chapel is a large room, called St. Michael’s Loft, 
 which has been set apart and used as a Free Grammar School- 
 Room, ever since the year l6b2; as appears by an entry in the old 
 register of this parish : whether this was its original appropriation, 
 is uncertain; but a school is known to have existed in this town so 
 early as the time of the first Baldwin de Redvers, as appears from 
 his confirmation of the rights granted by his father to the Priory, 
 The prmcipal entrance into the Church, at the north-west ex- 
 tremity, is beneath a large Porch, apparently of the architecture of 
 the fourteenth century. “ The arches under which the doors are 
 placed were originally very beautiful, being formed by a variety of 
 mouldings, supported by slender pillars, elegantly shaped, receding 
 inwards, and gradually narrowing tlie arch these shafts are of 
 Purbeck stone. At the west end of the Church rises a square and 
 well-proportioned embattled Tower, which seems to have been 
 erected in the fifteenth century, by the Montacutes, Earls of Salis- 
 buiy, after their alliance with the Monthermers, as appears by 
 the escutcheons of arms on each side the portal. The great win- 
 dow is nearly thirty feet high, and embellished with tracery: above 
 it is a figure of the Saviour standing in a canopied niche, with 
 his right hand raised, a cross in his left, and a crown of thorns on 
 Ijis head, The prospect from the summit of the tow^er includes a 
 
 O 4 \ery 
 
216 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 very extensive tract, teeming with rich meadows, enlivened by the 
 windings of the Avon and the Stour. 
 
 Among the sepulchial memorials in tiiis pile, are various slabs, 
 covering the remains of Priors and Canons, most of which have 
 had brasses, displaying the full-length effigies of the deceased ; and 
 also inscriptions round the verge of each stone, in Saxon or Gothic 
 characters; the most ancient of these marks the burial-place of 
 Richard Mauri, who died Prior in the year 1297. In a small 
 Chantry near the north transept, in front of which it formerly 
 stood, is a curious altar-monument, with the full-length effigies in 
 alabaster, of a Knight and his lady, traditionally recorded to have 
 been erected to the memory of a Sir John Chidiock, of Dorset- 
 shire, and his wife; the former of whom perished in one of the 
 battles fought during the struggle between the rival houses of 
 York and Lancaster. The Knight is arrayed in armour, with his 
 feet resting on a lion couchant ; round his neck is a collar of S.S ; 
 the lady is attired in the mitred head-dress, and close garb of the 
 fifteenth century. This tomb has been greatly injured, and the 
 figures mutilated. A monument has been raised here in me- 
 mory of the late Gustavus Biander, Esq. who bequeathed a sum 
 of money for the purchase of the organ erected iu this structure. 
 
 The dimensions of the principal parts of this Church are as 
 follow : whole length, including St, Mary’s Chapel and the tower, 
 311 feet; extreme breadth at the western extremity, sixty feet; 
 extent of the transept, 104 feet; breadth of transept, twenty-four 
 feet; length of chancel, seventy feet; breadth, twenty feet; breadth 
 of the nave, twenty-seven feet ; circumference of the great pillars, 
 thirty-six feet, six inches; height of the same, thirty-six feet; 
 height of the tower 120 feet. 
 
 According to a monkish legend connected with the history of 
 this Church, the building of it was expedited by the assistance of 
 fleaven, a supernumerary workman being ahvays observed during 
 the hours of labor ; though at the times of refreshment, and re-r 
 ceiving wages, only the stated number appeared. By his aid, every 
 thing prospered till the fabric w'as nearly finished, when, on raising 
 a large beam to a particular situation, where it was intended to be 
 3 fixed, 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 217 
 
 fixed, it was found to be too short ; no remedy appearing, the em- 
 barrassed workmen retired to their dwellings. On returning to 
 the Church the ensuing morning, they discovered that the beam 
 Iiad been placed in its right position, and was now extended a foot 
 longer than was requisite. Speechless with suiprise, the additional 
 workman occurred to their thoughts; and on recovering their 
 tongues, they agreed, that no other than Our Saviour could have 
 thus assisted them ; and on this account, concludes the story, was 
 the edifice dedicated to Christ. The rniraculous beam is still pointed 
 out by the finger of Credulity. 
 
 In the reign of Edward the First, Christ-Church received a pre- 
 cept, ordering the return of two members to the National Council : 
 and this was repeated in the first and second of Edward the Se- 
 cond, but no returns were made, through the ‘ poverty of the 
 Burgesses.’ In the thirteenth of Elizabeth, it was again summoned 
 as a prescriptive borough ; and the circumstances of the times in- 
 ducing compliance, it has ever since been represented by two 
 members. The right of election is exercised by the Corporation, 
 which consists of a Mayor, a Recorder, Aldermen, Bailiffs, and a 
 Common Council ; in all twenty-four persons : but Browne Willis, 
 and others, have stated the real right to reside in the inhabitant 
 householders paying scot and lot. 
 
 According to the returns under the Population Act, in 1801, 
 the inhabitants of Christ-Church amounted to 1410; and the 
 number of houses to 295. Many of the former derive employ- 
 ment from two large breweries that have been established here ; 
 others are employed in the salmon fishery, on the rivers Avon and 
 Stour, or in fishing round the neighbouring shores, which abound 
 with various kinds of fine fish. The poorer class of females, both 
 ill tlie town and neighbourhood, are mostly engaged in knitting 
 stockings ; and many children are employed in a manufactory of 
 vvatch-spring chains, established a few years ago, by a Mr. Robert 
 Cox, of this town. The Poor-House is conducted on a very ex- 
 cellent plan, by which considerable sums are saved to the })arish 
 in the course of a year. The former expenditure has also been 
 greatly lessened by thp establishment of several friendly societies ; 
 
 the 
 
218 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 the benefits arising from which have been greatly increased under 
 the fostering care of Mr. Rose.* From the Hotel at Christ- 
 church, which is entirely new built, and fitted up with every con- 
 venience that can be found in a private house, is a beautiful view 
 of the Sea, and of the Needle Rocks at the west end of the Isle 
 of Wight. 
 
 The Bay or Harbour of Christ-Church is spacious; but, from 
 various local causes, it is too shallow and dangerous to be fre- 
 quented by vessels that draw more than five feet and a half of 
 water. This is chiefly occasioned by a bar or ledge of sand, that ex- 
 tends from the point called Hengistbury Head, on the Hampshire 
 side, to St. Christopher's Cliff, m the Isle of Wight. The situation 
 of this bar is occasionally shifted, and that from hvo ciicumstances ; 
 either a succession of heavy rains, which increase the force of the 
 waters discharged into the Bay by the rivers Avon and Stour, or 
 by sea storms attended by southerly winds. Anotlier circumstance 
 peculiar to this Harbour, and the neighbourmg Port of Poole, in 
 Dorsetshire, is that of every tide producing two high waters. This 
 phenomenon, so inexplicable from the general laws of tides, is oc- 
 casioned by the situation of this coast Avith respect to the Isle of 
 Wight, and from the contraction of the channel by the jutting out 
 of the point of land on which Hurst Castle stands. The tide flows 
 into this channel from the west ; and though at Hurst Castle it sets 
 in with uncommon violence, it does not meet the tide that passes 
 round the Island, till it has reached Spithead : now the passage 
 being too narrow for all the water to pass through, the time of 
 high water at Hengistbury Head, is of course much earlier tlian 
 either at Portsmouth or Chichester ; at the full and change of the 
 moon, the difference is three hours and a half. When the water be-! 
 gins to ebb, by flowing off from the west, the contraction in the chan- 
 nel at Hurst Castle operates in a contrary direction ; and by confining 
 
 the 
 
 The Bill for regulating Benefit Societies, and placing the property 
 they might possess on a secure footing, was chiefly drawn up by this 
 gentleman, assisted by communications from a Committee of Delegates 
 chosen by the Societies themselves ; and was afterwards passed into an 
 act, through his attention and infiuence, 
 

 
 

 . .TT S (S liT isnjl (S 3E . ) fT:4\ Ff ' .' >:' S' o 
 
 "Pa.1 tLheA lojd'.yL Cjnib - 1 
 
 "»c, fj /nit_n,.^9‘i. o n . ? 
 
 -- hUh * i^i'pi^eeft 
 
' ^ 'S ■; '^^'‘ 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 219 
 
 the water that has spread itself over the whole surface of the South- 
 ampton Water, and of the channel within the Island, gives the 
 water in Christ-Church Bay, an opportunity of flowing oflf much 
 quicker, by which means it becomes so low, that the water that 
 now pours through with great velocity at Hurst Castle, is sufficient 
 to produce a second rise in Christ-Church and Poole Harbours, of 
 nearly three feet.* 
 
 HENGISTBURY HEAD, generally called Christ-Church Head 
 by seamen, from its apparent connection with that Church, as 
 viewed from the sea, is a bold head-land, or promontory, forming 
 the western termination of Christ-Church Bay. About a mile 
 from the extremity of the point, the cliff dips for a considerable 
 distance, and the estuary of the Stour and Avon is there only se- 
 parated from the sea by a narrow neck of land. Across this, at 
 the narrowest point of communication, is an ancient Entrenciment, 
 consisting of a fosse, and double rampart ; its whole length being 
 about 630 yards. The outer rampart has been formed by the 
 earth thrown up from the ditch ; the innermost is the most consi- 
 derable, and, from the bottom of the fosse, measures about eight 
 yards in perpendicular height. It has three entrances ; the most 
 northern of which is flanked by two irregular mounds : betiveen 
 this and the middle entrance, the works are the most perfect ; the 
 southern extremity is partly obliterated by the drifted sand-hills, 
 which are heaped on this coast. Near the northern termination is 
 a large barrow, m which human bones, and an urn, have been 
 found. From the name of this promontory being so evidently 
 formed from Saxon appellations, it seems extremely probable, that 
 the Entrenchment was of Saxon origin ; though some have attri- 
 buted it to the Danes, as the Harbour was so peculiarly well 
 adapted to shelter their small vessels. 
 
 On ST. CATHERINE’S HILL, (a ridge of hills so called,) 
 about one mile and a half north of Christ-Church, and a mile west 
 from the Avon, “ is an exploratory Camp, fifty-five yards square, 
 double trenched on every side, except the south, with tliree en- 
 trances. 
 
 ^ For additional particulars concerning the Harbour and Tides of Christ- 
 Church, see Flampshire Repository, Vol. II. p. 169, 171. 
 
220 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 trances. About twenty yards from the east end of the north side, 
 a small rampart runs south, and at length unites with the south 
 front: the east side seems to have been continued sixty yards « 
 north, till it is crossed by another line. Six small mounts are 
 scattered round this Camp : and not far from the foot of the hill, 
 are two large barrows, one of which was found to contain some 
 human bones. About 300 yards north of the last mentioned line, 
 is an elliptical earth-work, measuring thirty-five yard's by twenty- 
 five.”* Other remains of Entrenchments may be traced in this 
 vicinity. 
 
 RINGWOOD 
 
 Is a small town, of considerable antiquity, situated on the east 
 side of the Avon, which here spreads frequently over tlie meadows, 
 into a broad sheet, studded with small islands. This, as appears 
 from the Domesday Book, was, in the Saxon times, a place of 
 considerable importance, and apparently, of greater value than 
 even Thuinam, or Christ-Church. Here Camden has erroneously 
 placed the Regnum of the Itmerary, which other antiquaries, wdth 
 greater probability, have fixed at Chichester, The inhabitants are 
 principally employed in the manufacture of woollen cloths, and 
 stockings ; and in the making of strong beer and ale : the Riugw^ood 
 beer has obtained much celebrity. According to the returns um 
 der the act of 1801, the population of this town amounted to 
 3222 ; the number of houses to 693. The unfortunate Duke of 
 Monmouth is said, by several writers, to have been taken in a field 
 near Ringwood, after his defeat atSedgemoor; but this is a mis^ 
 take, the place of his seizure being the Woodlands, in Dorsctshire.f 
 At ELLINGHAM, to the north of Ringwood, was a Cell, 
 founded by William de Salariis, in (he reign of Henry the. 
 Second, and made subordinate to the Abbey of St, Saviour 
 Le Vicompte, in Normandy : its possessions, together with the pa-r 
 rochial tythes, were granted to Eton College by Henry the Sixth. 
 
 Some 
 
 Gough's Additions to Camden,' from Archseologia, Vol. V, 
 f See Beauties, Vol. IV, p. 43 d, 
 
July f6iS.fl U./f. 
 
 MOYL E S r X3) T , E L L UN GHAM , ELAM F SH IM E . 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 221 
 
 Some remains of the ancient building is supposed to exist in the 
 nave of the Church : the altar-piece displays a fine painting of the 
 Day of Judgment, which was given to the parish by the late Lord 
 Windsor, whose ancestor. Brigadier Windsor, brought it from 
 Port St. Mai 7 , in the Bay of Cadiz, where the troops employed 
 in an expedition in the year 1702, made good their landing, and, 
 among other excesses, ransacked several churches, from one of 
 which this picture was brought. A plain stone in the Church-yard, 
 is inscribed to the memory of Dame Alicia Lisle, whom the 
 blood-thirsty Jeffreys condemned to be executed in her old age, 
 on a charge of harboring known rebels, in her mansion at Moyles 
 Court in this parish.* The sentence was reversed on the Restoration. 
 
 MOYLES COURT, an ancient seat of the Lisle family, is a 
 a good building, standing in a pleasant, but small park. This 
 family derived their name from the Isle of Wight, where, and in 
 Hampshire, they had large estates. John, called de Insula Vecta, 
 was summoned by that name to the House of Lords in the reign 
 of Edward the Second. Colonel John Lisle, husband of the above 
 Alicia, was one of the Lords Commissioners of the Great Seal in 
 the time of Cromwell; and also a Judge on the trial of Charles 
 the First : this was doubtless the occasion of the unprincipled con- 
 demnation and murder of his widow, though she herself was a 
 known loyalist, and had a son in the King’s army, that fought 
 against the Duke at Sedgemoor. The Colonel, who had retired 
 to the Continent on the eve of the Restoration, was proscribed by 
 the Parliament of Charles the Second, and shot dead at Lausanne, 
 in Switzerland, by three ruffians engaged for the purpose by some 
 of the royal family. The grand-daughter of this ill-fated couple 
 married Lord James Russel, fifth son of the first Duke of Bedford, 
 and brother to the amiable but unhappy Lord RusseLf 
 
 FORDINGBRIDGE, 
 
 * See under Winchester, p. 48. 
 
 f Noble’s Memoirs, Vol. I, p. 374. 
 
222 
 
 HAMPSHIRE, 
 
 FORDINGBRIDGE, 
 
 A SMALL tbwn on the north-west side of the Avon, is mentioned 
 in the Domesday Book, under the name of Forde, and is there re- 
 corded to have a Church, and two mills. Here is a manufactory 
 of checks and bed-ticks, and a calico-printing ground. The inha- 
 bitants, of this parish, as returned under the late act, amounted to 
 2335 ; the number of houses to 461. 
 
 At god’s hill, formerly Godmanescap, about two miles from 
 Fordingbridge, is an ancient Encampment, defended on one side 
 by a double trench and ramparts, and secured on the other by the 
 steepness of the hill, which is overgrown with oaks. 
 
 TATCHBURY MOUNT is supposed to have been an ancient 
 military station ; and tradition records it as the site of a Royal 
 hunting seat. The vallations may yet be traced from the terrace 
 that surrounds tlie area. Here is a neat mansion and plantations, 
 late in the occupation of Charles Connelly, Esq. The prospects 
 beheld from this eminence are very line, particularly those which 
 include the Southampton Water. 
 
 PAULTONS, a seat of Lord Viscount Mendip, embraces a 
 circumference of about five miles of beautiful wooded country. 
 The grounds were laid out by Brown, and present a pleasing spe- 
 cimen of his skill, the area being judiciously opened into ample 
 lawns, where too thickly crowded with timber : the house is in a 
 low and secluded situation. 
 
 About one mile south of Romsey is BROADLANDS, the seat 
 of Lord Viscount Palmerston, whose father, the late Lord Pal- 
 merston, purchased it of the St. Barbe family, who had possessed 
 it nearly two centuries; the last of tliat name who resided here, 
 was Sir John St. Barbe, Bart, who died in the year 1/23. The 
 house is a neat edifice of white brick, standing on the eastern side 
 of the river Test, which flows through the park : it was nearly re- 
 built by the late Lord Palmerston, who was ranked among the 
 most eminent of the connoisseurs of his time. The collection of 
 paintings made by this nobleman, and preserved in this mansion, 
 
 is 
 
B E OAp ]L AJN JD) S , 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 223 
 
 is extremely fine : the following may be enumerated with the most 
 beautiful. 
 
 An Old Man’s Head, with a ruff and a large hat, half length; 
 Vandyck. 
 
 An Old Man’s Head, with a long flowing white beard; Gerard 
 Douw: extremely high-finished, and bright. 
 
 An Old Man's Head; Rembrandt. 
 
 The Descent from the Cross; Dominichino; copied from Daniel 
 de Volterro. 
 
 Last Communion of St. Francis; Rubens. 
 
 A Forge, with Smiths hammering red-hot Iron, which darts rays 
 of fire tlirough the picture; Wright, of Derby. 
 
 The Last Supper; P. Veronese; a sketch for the great picture 
 given by the Republic of Venice to Lewis the Fourteenth. 
 
 Young Man’s Head; Carracci. 
 
 Two Landscapes, with Figures; N. Poussin. 
 
 The Children in the Wood; Sir Joshua Reynolds. 
 
 A large Landscape, with Figures; Sal. Rosa. 
 
 Landscape; Ruysdael; very fine. 
 
 The Infant Academy; Sir Joshua Reynolds: this beautiful pic- 
 ture was bequeathed by the artist to the late Lord Palmerston. 
 
 A Sea Piece, with Ruins; Claude Lorraine. 
 
 Sea View; Loutherbourg. 
 
 Landscape, with Figures of the Holy Family; Claude Lorraine. 
 
 Landscape, with Men and Horses; Wouvermans. 
 
 ROMSEY 
 
 Is a large and ancient town, situated in a flat part of the 
 county, and surrounded by pleasant meadows, which are rendered 
 extremely productive by the overflowing waters of the river Test, 
 or Anton. Here was a considerable Abbey, founded for Bene^ 
 dictine Nuns, by Edward the Elder, whose daughter, Elfleda, was 
 the first Abbess. This foundation was enlarged by King Edgar, 
 whose son, Edmund, was buried in tlie Abbey Church. All the 
 first Abbesses were of Royal birth, and became so distinguished 
 
 ^ for 
 
224 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 for their holy lives, as to be regarded as saints. About the year' 
 992, the Abbey was plundered by the Danes; but the Nuns, le-- 
 lies, and chief valuables, had been previously removed to Whiches- 
 ter for safety, by the Abbess Elwina. 
 
 In the Domesday Book, is a list of some of the possessions of 
 this Abbey, which is there called the Abbey de Romesyg. In the 
 year 1085, Christina, a cousin to Edward the Confessor, took the 
 veil liere ; and to her care was entrusted the education of Matilda, 
 daughter of Malcolm, King of Scotland, and afterwards wife to 
 Henry the First. In the next reign, Mary, daughter to the King, 
 (Stephen,) became Abbess here; but was afterwards prevailed on 
 to quit her charge, by Matthew, younger son of Theodoric, Earl 
 of Flanders, to whom she was married. This triumph of the rights 
 of Nature over the shackles of superstitious piety, gave so much 
 offence to the Papal See, that all the thunders of the Church were 
 levelled at the devoted pair; and the unfortunate Mary was at 
 length constrained to return to her Convent, even after she had 
 borne her husband two children. The benefactors to this Abbey 
 were numerous; and its possessions, at the Dissolution, were, ac- 
 cording to Dugdale, estimated at thfe annual value of 339h 10s. 
 10*-d. Speed records its yearly income at 5281. 8s. I0|d. In 
 the^ thirty-fifth of Henry the Eighth, the site of the Abbey was 
 granted to the inhabitants of the town; and three years afterwards 
 to John Bellow, and R. Bigot.* 
 
 But little of the nunnery buildings are now standing, except the 
 venerable and interesting Abbey Church; the other parts are 
 chiefly confined to a tew fragments of walls. The Church is a spa- 
 cious fabric, in the form of a cross, with a low tower rising from 
 the intersection of the nave and transept. It bears “ various evi- 
 dences,’' observes Mr. Carter, who has engraved some of the mo- 
 numents, and capitals, for his Specimens of ancient Sculpture and 
 Painting, “ both within and without, of the period in which it was 
 erected^ which was the middle of the tenth century.” Since that 
 pepod, however, parts of it have been rebuilt, or altered into the 
 
 pointed 
 
 Tanner’s Notitia. 
 
RUIMSET CHUiRCH, 
 
 Haiiipniire. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 5225 
 
 pointed style ; and the whole exhibits a very instructive series of 
 examples in the different kinds of architecture, that have succes- 
 sively prevailed in this country. Several ancient memorials of the 
 Abbesses tliat have been interred here, still remain. Here is also 
 a very elegant inscription to the memory of Frances, Viscountess 
 Palmerston, who died in child-bed in the year 1769 ; and a flat 
 stone in remembrance of Sir William Petty, ancestor to the Mar- 
 quis of Lansdown, inscribed thus i 
 
 Here lies Sir William Petty.^ 
 
 VoL. VI. Feb. 1805. P On 
 
 ^ Another remarkable monument in this Church was erected for 
 John St. Barbe, Esq. (who represented the county of Southampton in 
 Parliament, A. D. 1654,) and his lady; it is ornamented with their 
 busts, and the effigies, at full length, of their four sons. Both husband 
 and wife died in the year 1659. On the monument is the following 
 curious inscription. 
 
 An Epitaph upon John' St. Barbe, Esq. the sonne of Henry St. 
 Barbe, Esq. and Grissell his wife, the daughter of John Pyn- 
 SENT, Esq. He about the 42nd yeare of his age, and she the 22nd 
 yeare of her age, leaving fower sonns, Henry, John, Francis, and 
 Fdward, slept in the Lord. 
 
 ( I) Earth’s Rich in mines of pretious dust (4) whom nature, wedlock, grace, did tie 
 
 (J) and faithful ones 
 
 (a) Since in her bowels rest these just (j) In one fast chain of vanity 
 
 (6) whose silent bones 
 
 (7) dead here doe rest, yet left not earth (9) because such righteouse and their seed 
 
 (lo) In fame and state 
 
 18) but brought fower sonns to perfect birth (n) shall flourish here and shall in deed 
 (iz) tryumph o’er fate. 
 
 An anagram upon their Names St. Barbe. 
 
 Be in shares in blest glorie. 
 
 Tie Memory of the wicked shall rott, but the remembrance of the just shall live for ever. 
 
 The figures are aruiesed to denote the reading. 
 
226 
 
 HAMPSHIRl!:. 
 
 On the outer wall of the south transept, is a singular piece of 
 sculpture, in basso-relievo, representing Our Saviour on the Cross ; 
 and near it is a square hole, or recess, in the wall, the use of which 
 is unknown ; at a little distance is a finely ornamented Saxon arch, 
 which formerly communicated between the Church and cloisters. 
 The outside of the north transept displays marks of cannon-balls, 
 which are traditionally said to have been fired against it during the 
 Civil Wars, for the purpose of destroying the building.* 
 
 The Corporation of Romsey consists of a Mayor, Recorder, six 
 Aldermen, twelve Burgesses, and inferior officers. The Audit- 
 House, is a large square buildmg, near the centre of the town, 
 standing on piers, with an open space beneath for the market- 
 people: it was erected by the late Lord Palmerston in the year 
 1744. The Toivn-Hall is a small old building, near the Hundred 
 Bridge, which divides Romsey-Infra from Romsey-Extra. A 
 large Meeting House, for Presbyterians, was built here during the 
 last year. Three small Schools have been established at Romsey, 
 
 respectively by Sir William Petty; St. Barbe; and Mrs. 
 
 Nowes. 
 
 This town had formerly a considerable clothing trade ; but that 
 business is now princqially reduced to the manufacture of a few 
 slialloons: additional employment is furnished to the inhabitants 
 by some paper works, and a sacking manufactory. The popula- 
 tion of the two parishes of Romsey-Infra, and Romsey-Extra, as 
 ascertained under the late act, was 4277 ; the number of houses 
 was 872. 
 
 Sir William Petty, already mentioned as having been bu- 
 ried in Romsey Church, was a native of this town, where his father 
 pursued the occupation of a Clothier. He was born on the six- 
 teenth of May, i 6'23, and, from his earliest years, manifested un- 
 common ingenuity, acquiring a ready knowledge of the principles 
 of every trade, the operations of which he had opportunity to 
 
 inspect. 
 
 a Very copious materials have been collected for a History of this 
 Church, together with the Abbey and town of Romsey, by Dr. Lathom, 
 who resides here. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 227 
 
 inspect. Nor was his skill in the practical branches less evident, 
 as he quickly attained the facility of an experienced workman, and 
 at the age of twelve^ had made several curious machines with his 
 own hands, in imitation of those employed in the clothing trade. 
 His acquaintance with languages was equally uncommon ; at fifteen, 
 he was master of French, Latin, and Greek; and had also attained 
 a competent knowledge of those branches of mathematical science 
 which relate to navigation. Medicine and surgery, however, ap- 
 pear to have been favorite studies ; and, to increase his acquaint- 
 ance with anatomy, he went to the Schools in France. On his re- 
 turn, he obtained a command in the navy, and for some time bent 
 his attention to ship-building. In 1648, he taught anatomy and 
 chemistry at Oxford, where he was created Doctor of Physic ; in 
 1650, he was made Professor of Anatomy in that University, and a 
 Member of the College of Physicians in London. Two years after- 
 wards, he was appointed Physician to the army in Ireland, in 
 which country he continued nine years, and acquired considerable 
 affluence. Independent of the time employed in the requisite at- 
 tentions to the duties of his profession, he found sufficient leisure 
 to pursue, and to develope, the subtle principles of political eco- 
 nomy, a science but then in its infancy, and even now, but too 
 greatly subjected to the prejudices of education. In 1661, he was 
 knighted by Charles the Second; the following year, he published 
 his celebrated Treatise on Taxes and Contributions. In 1663, he 
 constructed a double-bottomed ship, for the purpose of sailing 
 against wind and tide ; but this invention, though generally admit- 
 ted to be extremely ingenious, was not attended with sufficient 
 success to ensure its adoption. His death was Occasioned by a 
 mortification in his foot, and occurred on the sixteenth of Decem- 
 ber, 1687. At this period, his property is supposed to have pro- 
 duced a yearly income of 15,0001. His books and manuscripts, 
 now in the possession of the Marquis of Lausdown, were extremely 
 select and valuable. One instance of his skill is deserving of re- 
 cord, from its singularity; this is the circumstance of his restoring, 
 with three other practitioners, the suspended animation of a woman, 
 who had been hanged the usual time, at Oxford, 
 
 V2 
 
 Another 
 
228 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 Another native of Rorasey, whose name has acquired some emi- 
 nence in the scale of literature, was Mr. Giles Jacob, authoir 
 of the Law Dictionary, and of the Lives and Characters of English 
 Dramatic Poets. He died in 1744, at the age of fifty-four. 
 
 MOTTISFONT-HOUSE, the seat of Sir Charles Mill, Bart, is 
 a spacious and venerable edifice, occupymg a portion of the site 
 of a Priory of capons regular of the order of St. Augustine, 
 founded by William Briwere, in the begimiiug of the rei^ of King 
 John.* In the reign of Henry the Seventh, the number of religious 
 persons being reduced from eleven, its original establishment, to three, 
 the King procured a bull from Pope Alexander to suppress it ; yet 
 this was not acted on, and it continued till tlie Dissolution, at which 
 period its income according to Dugdale, amounted to 124l. 3s. 5d, 
 annually; but accoidmg to Speed, to l67l. 15s. 8d, 
 
 The Lord Sandys “ that lately died,’' observes Leland hi his 
 Itinerary, “ made an exchange with the Kmg, and gave Chelsey 
 by Westmistre for Motesfont Priory in Hamptonshire, wher he be- 
 gan to translate the old building of the Priory, and to make a fail- > 
 maner-place, but the work is lefte onperfecte.” After the sale, in 
 the year l6o4, of tiie Phie near Basingstoke, tiie ancient seat of 
 the Sandys, this became the principal residence of the family, in 
 whose possession it continued till about the year 1700, when Ed- 
 wyn, tlie last male heir, dying without issue, the estates were divided 
 among his six sisters, and Mottisfont fell to the share of Margaret, 
 who had married Sir John Mill, Bart, of Tatchbury, in this county, 
 from whom tiie present possessor is descended. 
 
 In Mottisfont-House, a curious ancient painting is preserved 
 that appears to have belonge4 to the Priory,^ and is s'upposed to 
 represent in compartments, two events in the life of the celebrated 
 Thomas Aquinas, whom the Romish calender has dignified with the 
 title of Saint. In one compartment he is, represented as receiving 
 a visit from St. Peter and St. Paul, after having passed three 
 days and nights in fasting and prayer, in order to discover the 
 
 meaning 
 
 ^ Tanner’s Notitia ; Speed, and some other writers, have attributed 
 this foundation to Flambard, Bishop of Durham. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 229 
 
 meaning of a particular passage in Isaiah ; the other represents him 
 as busy in writing, while the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, is 
 dictating at his ear; and his friend Bonaventure observing him at 
 the door, which stands partly open. The gardens and pleasure- 
 grounds at Mottisfont are very commodious, and embellished with 
 several fine plane trees. 
 
 KING’S SOMBOKNE, or Somberne Regis, now a small village, 
 was part of the ancient demesne belonging to the Crown previous 
 to the Conquest) and is recorded, in the Domesday Book, to have 
 two Churches; but ohe of these, most probably, belonged to some 
 dependent ihinOt. John bf Gaunt is said to have had a seat, or pa- 
 lace, here; and the tradition is supported, by the appearance of a 
 large mansion in ruins, in a vicinity abounding m yew-trees, which ap- 
 pear to have been assiduously cultivated about his age, for the use 
 of archery. The surrounding grounds are laid out in a peculiar man- 
 ner; one part assumes the form of a parallelogram, with earthen 
 banks thrown up nearly round it, and about four or five feet in 
 height. About 100 yards from the Church, is a bank of 
 earth, supposed to have been a butt for the exercise of archers : 
 between half and three quarters of a mile distant, is also an area 
 of about thirty acres, which tradition obscurely notices as a large 
 fish-pond, now converted into water meadows ; and on the opposite 
 side of a broOk, that washes this ground, is a large tract of about 
 400 acres, called the Park; which is now held under the Duchy 
 of Lancaster, by lease, renewable after a given period. In the 
 Church at Somborne Regis; Within a recess on the north side of 
 the chancel, is dn ancient tOmb, with a mutilated effigies of either 
 an ecclesiastic, or a lady ; thfe inscription, which appears to have 
 been in the Saxon character, is nearly defaced : the arch exhibits 
 the trefoil ornament. This parish includes the chapelries of Stock- 
 bridge and Little Somborne ; formerly also, there was a Chapel of 
 Ease at Compton, but this has been long destroyed. LITTLE 
 SQMBORNE is the property of Walter Smith, Esq. brother to 
 to Mrs, Fitzherbert; but is at present rented by William Powlett 
 Powlett, Esq. 
 
 P3 
 
 The 
 
230 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 The Roman Road, between Winchester and Old Sarum, "passes 
 this village, taking its course from the West Gate oi the former 
 city, by the following places : Cock-Lane, St, Cross Corner, Pitt- 
 Fields, Pitt-Down, Garlick Farm, Sombome, South-Field, Horse- 
 bridge, Bossington Mill, Buckholt Warren, Winterslow, and Pitten- 
 Field and Down. The vestiges of this road may not attract the 
 incurious eye, but are still sufficiently conspicuous, through their 
 whole course, to engage the observation of the antiquary. 
 
 In the twelfth and fifteenth Iters of Antoninus, an intermediate 
 station, named Brige, occurs between Venta Bdgarum, and Sor- 
 biodunum, which Camden supposes to be indicated by the name 
 of BROUGHTON, (Borough-town,) a small village, about one 
 mile to the north of the Roman Road. Salmon places this station 
 on a hill near Broughton, observing, that the eminence must have 
 been the site of the fortress ; and Mr. Gale, in a manuscript note, 
 quoted in Gough’s Camden, says, that in the year 1719, he saw 
 very large banks, the remains of tliis town, in a wood near Brough- 
 ton, in the way to Salisbury. The appellation Brige is distinctly 
 preserved in the name of Horsebridge, which lies immediately on 
 the Roman Road ; but its situation is very low, and closely bor- 
 dering on the marshes. 
 
 In Broughton Church-yard, is a tomb inscribed to the memory 
 of Miss Anne Steele, a native of this village, who published 
 two volumes of Poems, on sacred and moral subjects, under the 
 assumed name of Theodosia. Another Miss Steele, of the same 
 respectable family, and now the wife of the Rev. Mr. Dunscombe, 
 has also published a poem, entitled Danebury Hill, from the name 
 of an eminence north-west of Stockbridge; on vvhich are the evi- 
 dent traces of an ancient Camp. 
 
 STOCKBRIDGE, 
 
 Though a chapelry to King’s Somborne, is a small market-town, 
 situated on the east side of the Test, on the road firom Winchester 
 to Salisbui 7 , and chiefly consisting of a range of houses on each 
 side of the highway. The inhabitants are prmcipally supported by 
 
 2 the 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 231 
 
 the passage of travellers ; this being a considerable thoroughfare, 
 though possessing but little trade ot its own : the inns and public- 
 houses are numerous. A new bridge was built here a few years 
 ago. Stockbridge is a bor-ough by prescriptive right ; but it does 
 not appear to have returned any members to Parliament till the 
 first of Queen Elizabeth : the right ot election is possessed by all 
 who pay church and poor-rates ; the number ot voters is fifty- 
 seven,* The government of the town is vested in a Bailiif, Con- 
 stable, and Sergeant at Mace. On Houghton Down, about two 
 miles westward, is a good Race Course. The population, as re- 
 turned in 1801, was 642 ; the number of houses l6l. 
 
 DANEBURY HILL, erroneously called Deanhury Hill in 
 Milne’s large map of this county, is a long elevated ridge, running 
 nearly east and west, and terminating abruptly in a point, or head. 
 On this is a circular Entrenchment, in good preservation, inclosing an 
 extensive area, with very high ramparts. The entrance is by a wind- 
 ing course, protected by great banks, and very strong. The ditch on 
 the east and north sides, where the ground is most abrupt and 
 steep, is single ; on the west and south-west, where the ground is 
 more level, there is an outer work at a little distance. On the 
 west and north-west of this Camp are several barrows; one of 
 them, about a mile distant, has the name of Canute’s Barrow. 
 
 Five miles north-west from Danebury Hill, is another consider- 
 able Camp, occupying a part of the summit ot Quarley Mount, 
 and supposed to be the opposing camp to that of Danebury. On 
 the south side, the works are quadruple ; the outward trenches are 
 sixty paces asunder, and from the second to the third, the space 
 measures thirty-six paces. The east side is ploughed up; the other 
 sides are of the respective admeasurements of 210, 240, and 2t)0 
 paces. Various tumuli are scattered over the downs in this vicinity. 
 
 RED-RICE, the seat of Henry Errington, Esq. about two miles 
 northward of Danebury Hill, is pleasantly embosomed in woods, 
 and surrounded by o})eii downs. 
 
 P 4 About 
 
 In the History of the Boroughs, Vol. II. p, 73, is a singular anec- 
 dote of the method by which Sir Richard Steeie obtained his election foy 
 this borough, in opposition to the Court, in the reign of Queen Anne, 
 
232 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 About three miles west from Andover, and within the out-hun- 
 dred belonging to that town, is WEY-HILL, the site of an annual 
 fair, which originated in a revel kept on the Sunday before Mi- 
 chaehnas-day, and was afterwards rendered legal by a charter, 
 granted in tlie forty-first of Queen Elizabeth to the Coiporation of 
 Andover, and confirmed by Charles the Second. The fair com- 
 mences on the day before Old Michaelmas-day, for the sale of 
 sheep, of which upwards of 140,000 have been sold here in one 
 day. On Michaelmas-day the fanners hire their servants, and on 
 the next the sale of hops begins ; and the fair continues a more or 
 less number of days after, according to the quantities of this com- 
 modity that may be exposed for sale. A vast number of horses 
 are also sold here, particularly cart-colts; together with great quan- 
 tities of cheese, clothes, and various other kind of wares. Differ- 
 ent places are appropriated for the hops ; one of them is called 
 Farnham Row, from its being assigned exclusively to the use of 
 tlie dealers in Farnham hops. The Bailiff of Andover holds a 
 comt of pie-powder during the fair, and receives two-pence from 
 each booth, or standing, The fair generally lasts six or seven 
 days, and is attended by persons from almost every part of Eng- 
 land. The day before the commencement of Wey-Hill fair, a very 
 considerable one is held at Appleshaw, about three miles northward, 
 
 ANDOVER, 
 
 A LARGE, respectable, and ancient town, situated on the bor- 
 ders of the downs, near the Anton River, is supposed, by Dr, 
 Stukeley, to be the Andaorcon of Ravennas; and probably w'ith 
 truth, as several ancient Encampments may be traced in the vici- 
 nity : the Roman Road from Wmchester to Cirencester, also passes 
 near the town, and is yet visible in Harewood Copse. Here, in 
 the year 994, was made the treaty between Anlaf, the Dane, and 
 King Ethelred, by which the former engaged never to re-commence 
 hostihties against the English, In the Domesday Book, Andovere 
 is recorded as being held by the King, and previously by Edward 
 the Confessor ; as having six mills, and woods w'hich furnish pan- 
 nage for 100 hogs. The 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 §33 
 
 The; Church is a spacious structure, standing at the north end of 
 the town, and consisting of a nave, side aisles, and chancel, with a 
 transept on the north, and a low tower rising from the centre ; at 
 the we:st end is a fine semicircular arched door-way, with zig-zag 
 mouldiings. This Church existed in the time of the Conqueror, 
 by wh(om it was given to the Abbey of St, Florence, at Salmur, in 
 Anjou,, and afterwards made a cell to that foundation. On the 
 final dlissolution of the Alien Priories, in the reign of Henry the 
 Fifth, it was given to St. Mary’s College, near Winchester. Here 
 was also an Hospital for brethren and sisters, founded as early as 
 the tinae of Henry the Third. 
 
 The Corporation boasts an antiquity as remote as the reign of 
 King John ; but, however this may be, the charter under which 
 it is mow governed, was granted by Queen Elizabeth. The cor- 
 porate officers consist of twelve capital Burgesses, from whom a 
 Bailiff, and two other Magistrates, are chosen ammally, and twelve 
 Assistamts; here is also a Steward, Recorder, and Town-Clerk, 
 The earliest return to Parliament, was made in the time of Edward 
 the First ; but after the first of Edward the Second, no members 
 were Siient till the twenty-seventh of Elizabeth, since which the re- 
 turns have been regular. The right of election has been long as- 
 sumed by the Corporation ; the number of voters is twenty-four. 
 The Toivn-Hall is a large modern building of brick, with an open 
 space beneath for the markets. Among the charitable institutions 
 are, am Hospital for six poor men, founded by John Pollen, Esq. 
 who represented Andover in several Parliaments in the reign of 
 William the Third; a Free- School, founded by John Hanson, Esq. 
 in 15^9; and a Charity-School for thirty boys. The population, in 
 the year 1801, was returned at 3304; and the number of houses 
 at 679 : the latter are principally ranged in two long streets. This 
 is a great thoroughfare; a considerable trade is also carried on 
 here in shalloons and malt. Besides two or three Encampments in 
 the immediate neighbourhood of Andover, there is a large one 
 about two miles to the south-w-est, on the summit of Bury Hill. 
 
 At WHORWELL, about three miles south from Andover, was 
 a ver^ cpnsiderable Nunnery, founded bj' Elfrida, second wife 
 
 Pf 
 
234 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 of King Edgar, in atonement for the murder of Edward the Mar- 
 tyr, at Corfe Castle and also for that of Ethelwold, her first 
 husband, whom Edgar is recorded to have slain, in a wood near 
 Whonvell, that he might obtain her in marriage. In this Nunnery, 
 Elfrida took the veil, and was buried. Many privileges were 
 granted to the foundation by Pope Gregory the Ninth ; and its 
 possessions were so numerous, that their annual value, at the Dis- 
 solution, was estimated at 3391. 8s, 7d. according to Dugdale; 
 and at 4031. 12s. lOd. according to Speed. The site of the Nun- 
 nery was granted to Sir Thomas West, Lord Delawar.f 
 
 HURSTBOURNE PARK, the beautiful seat of John-Charles 
 Wallop Fellows, Earl of Portsmouth, is about one mile to the 
 west of Whitchurch, The mansion stands on elevated ground, conv- 
 manding various extensive and fine prospects to the south and north : 
 it consists of a centre and two uniform wings, connected with the bo- 
 dy of the house by colonnades : in the eastern wing is the Library 
 and Chapel ; the other contains the offices and servants’ apartments. 
 In the centre part are several noble rooms, decorated witli nu- 
 merous paintings, some of which are the productions of the best 
 masters. This structure was erected by Mr. Meadows, from the 
 designs of Mr. Wyatt. From the south or principal front, the 
 ground gradually slopes to a large piece of water, which winds 
 through the Park : the latter is delightfully wooded, and abounds 
 with fine deer and timber, particularly to the east of the house, 
 where tlie beech and oak have attained great size, and are very 
 flourishing. 
 
 The noble owner of this estate, is descended from an ancient 
 Saxon family, who possessed, and derived their name from the 
 manor of Upper Wallop, on the river of that name in this county, 
 at least as early as the time of Edw ard the Confessor : ' Quatuor 
 Angli tenenl,’ says the Domesday Book, ' de Rege, Wallope; pa- 
 ter eorim tenuit, in alodium, de Rege Edxvardo/ This family 
 have for many generations been intrusted with important offices, 
 and distinguished for their loyalty. Matthew de Wallop had the 
 
 custody 
 
 * See under Corfe Castle, Vol. IV. p. 292 — ^396. 
 t Tanner’s Notitia. 
 
HAMPSHIRE, 
 
 235 
 
 custody of Winchester Castle in the time of King John. John de 
 Wallop had a grant of lands in Ireland bestowed on him for his 
 faithful services, by Kdward the First. Sir Eobert de Wallop was 
 appointed one of the council to settle the dilferences between the 
 Kbg and the Barons, in the fifty-first of Henry the Third, Sir 
 Robert Wallop, who was several times Sheriff of Southampton in 
 the reign of Henry the Seventh, was, in the fifth of Henry the 
 Eighth, nominated, by Act of Parliament, as a proper and dis- 
 creet person” for assisting in collecting a subsidy of l63,000l. by a 
 poll-tax. Sir John Wallop, his nephew, and heir, afterwards 
 Knight of the Garter, was greatly distinguished for his martial ex- 
 ploits, and particularly for the destruction of several villages and 
 ships on the coast of Normandy, in revenge for the French setting 
 fire to the town of Brighthelmstone. He was also employed in se- 
 veral important embassies, and entrusted with various military com- 
 mands of the first magnitude. His nephew. Sir Henry Wallop, 
 Knt. was eminently distinguished for bis conduct in Ireland in the 
 time of Queen Elizabeth, who, besides conferrmg on him other 
 trusts, constituted him one of the Lords Justices, in that country, 
 where he acquired great property. John Wallop, fifth in descent 
 from Sir Henry, and first Earl of Portsmouth, was created a 
 Peer, by letters patent of George the First; the preamble to which 
 bears a very dignified and honorable testimony to his talents and 
 his virtues : the Earldom of Portsmouth was conferred on him by 
 George the Second, in April 1743. His grandson, the present 
 and third Earl, assumed the name of Fellows, by permission of 
 his present Majesty, on acceding to the property of his uncle by 
 the maternal line. 
 
 WHITCHURCH 
 
 Is a small straggling town, situated in a bottom under the Chalk 
 Hills, and possessing the rights of a borough by prescription. Its 
 government is vested in a Mayor, who is chosen ammally at the 
 court-leet of the Dean and Chapter of Winchester, to whom the 
 pianor belongs. The first return to Parliament was made in tlie 
 
 ^enty- 
 
236 
 
 HAMPStll**:. 
 
 twenty-seventh of Queen Elizabeth, fhe members are elected by 
 the freeholders, who, at the period of election, are nominally 
 about seventy; but as all the freeholds appear to be possessed by 
 two noblemen, the real number of electors muM; be regarded as 
 the same. The population of this parish, as ascertained in 1801, 
 was 1275; the number of houses 224: the laboring classes are 
 chiefly employed in the Woollen trade, and in agriculture. 
 
 At FREEFOLK, a small hamlet east of Whitchurch, are the 
 Paper Mills, and seat, belonging tO John POrtal fitydges, Esq. 
 where the paper for Bank notes has been manufactured ever since 
 the reign of George the First. At LAVERSTOCK, adjoining, is 
 the seat of William Portal, Esq. and in the neighbouring parish of 
 OVERTON, on an eminence, is a handsome neW-built House, 
 with a lofty Portico, the property and residence of - ■ ■ ■ Jarvis, 
 Esq. In this village a Silk Mill has been established. 
 
 LICH-FIELD appears, from its name, to have been the site of 
 a battle, as this compound literally signifies a field of carcases. 
 The Roman road from Old Sarum to Silchester, is very visible oh 
 the downs of this and the adjoining parishes of Sydmontou and 
 King’s-clere : it is chiefly composed of flint, and is terined, by the 
 country people, the Devil’s Bank. 
 
 CRUXEASTON, once famous for its Grotto, constructed by 
 nine sisters, of the name of Lisle, and Celebrated by the lines of 
 Pope, is about tw'o miles from High-clerc, oii the turnpike road 
 between Andover and Newbury. Only the shell of the Grotto re- 
 mains ; the estate having passed into other hands, it was suffered 
 to go to ruin. The front was of flint ; the interior studded with 
 shells, scoriae of iron ore, and other substances : it contained a seat 
 for each sister, with a niche for the presiding magician, Pope’ls 
 lines upon it were as follow : 
 
 Here shunnmg idleness at once and praise. 
 
 This radiant pile nine rural sisters raise ; 
 
 The glittering emblem of each spotless dame, 
 
 Pure as her soul, and shining as her fame > 
 
 beauty 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 237 
 
 Bieauty which nature only can impart. 
 
 And such a polish as disgraces art ; 
 
 But fate dispos’d them in this humble sort. 
 
 And hid in deserts what would charm a court. 
 
 The Hop. Nicholas Herbert, sop of Thomas, Earl of Pembroke, 
 also wrote some verses on the same subject : 
 
 So much the building entertains my sight. 
 
 Nought but the builders can give more delight; 
 
 In them the master-piece of Nature’s shown — 
 
 In this I see Art’s master-piece in stone. 
 
 Oh ! Nature, Nature, thou hast conquer’d Art j 
 She charms the sight alone, but you the heart. 
 
 Edward L^e, Esq. the father of the nine sbters, died at Crux- 
 easton, in 1722. He had twenty children, seventeen of whom 
 survived him ; he was author of a work intituled, “ Observations 
 upon Agrictdture.” One of his sons. Dr. Thomas Lisle, was author 
 of Porsenua, King of Russia, and other ingenious productions, 
 preserved in Dodsley’s Collection : he died Rector of Burgh-clere, 
 in 17S5-6. Margaret, the youngest sister, possessed great talents 
 for painting ; three of her pieces in crayons are preserved by Lord 
 Carnarvon ; two of them at High-clere House, are copies of an- 
 cient portraits of Sir Richard and Lady Kingsmill, admirably exe- 
 cuted. On the trees of the grove surrounding the Grotto, she 
 painted the portraits of several of her acquaintance, in a manner 
 which produced a singular effect, as they appeared to form parts of 
 the trees themselves. This lady is said to have died two or three 
 years ago, between ninety and a hundred years of age. The deri- 
 vation of Cruxeaston is curious, as it appears in the Domesday 
 Book; “ In Andsvre Hundred Terra Crock Venatoris. Isdem 
 Crock tenet Estoned* 
 
 HIGH-CLERE, the manor and residence of Henry Herbert, 
 Earl of Carnarvon and Lord Porchester, was formerly parcel of 
 the Bishopric of Winchester. In the Domesday Book, it is said, 
 ‘ Semper fuit in Ecclesiam tempore Regis Edwardi and in the 
 Taxatio Ecclesiastica of Pope Nicholas, made in the year 1291, 
 2 it 
 
238 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 it is thus stated as making one property, with other manors; ‘ Ctere 
 cui hamelet de Newmton, (now Newtown ;) Widihaie, (East Wood- 
 hay ;) Armereworth, (Ashmanswortli ;) Estmieswell, (Itchingswell ;) 
 and Burclere, (Burghclere ;) and with them computed at 2 1 Ol. 1 s. 2| d.' 
 
 The Bishops of Winchester had a House and Park here, af 
 which they occasionally dwelt. Several of the public acts of the 
 celebrated William of Wykeham, are dated at High-clere ; and in 
 a Codicil to his Will, he bequeaths five pounds to the Minister ; 
 and directs his executors to reward the Park-keeper according to 
 their discretion. The bailiwick of High-clere continued^in posses- 
 sion of the Bishopric till the reign of Edward the Sixth, when it 
 was dismembered by John Poynet, Bishop of Winchester, who 
 granted to the King, on the fourth of June, 1552, in the fifitli 
 year of his reign, the manors and free warrens of High-clere and 
 Burgh-clere, with the advowsons and rights of patronage to the 
 Churches. The September following, the King granted these 
 manors to William Fitz-William, Esq. afterwards Sir William, one 
 of the Gentlemen of his bed-chamber. This grant, with many 
 others of a similar nature, was ammlled by Queen Mary; but 
 again established by Elizabeth, in the first year of her reign.* 
 
 This 
 
 ** Strype, in his Annals, gives the following account of this transac- 
 tion ; “ Febv. 15, 1558, a Bill was brought in the Commons House, 
 for restoring of the patentees of the Bishop of Winchester’s lands, of 
 which lands they had been thrown out in Queen Mary’s reign, and 
 their patents evacuated ; and the said lands procured back to Gardiner, 
 Bishop of Winchester, and his successors. This Bill was (Feb. 18) 
 read a second time ; and again ten days after, (Feb. 28,) the Bill 
 was amended, or rather renewed, and now entituled, a Bill for Assurance 
 of Lands, late Parcel of the Bishoprick of Winchester, granted to King 
 Edward the Sixth, and by his Letters Patent, granted to the Earl of 
 Pembroke, Sir Wiiliam Fitz-William, Sir Philip Hobby, Sir John Ma- 
 son, Sir Henry Seymour, Sir Henry Nevill, and Sir Richard Sackville : 
 the Bill was now read a first time.” Strype proceeds to relate the un- 
 successful opposition of the Bishop of Winchester, (who, in opening his 
 title, said, that these lands had been parcel of his Bishopric for 1500 
 years,) and the final passing of the Bill on the eighteenth of March. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 239 
 
 This estate continued in possession of the assigns of Sir William 
 Fitz-William till it was purchased by Sir Robert Sawyer, Attorney 
 General to Charles the Second, and James the Second. He 
 resided at Higlr-clere, the latter years of his life, and was bu- 
 ried in the Parish Church, which he rebuilt. His only daughter, 
 Margaret, married Thomas, Earl of Pembroke, the last Lord 
 High Admiral of England ; and by Sir R. Sawyer's Will, this pro- 
 perty devolved upon her second son, the Hon. Robert Herbert ; 
 and on lys death, without issue, in 17 ^ 9 ? it came by succession 
 to his nephew, the present Earl of Carnarvon, (son of William, 
 fifth son of Thomas, Earl of Pembroke,) who has purchased of tlie 
 Bishop of Winchester, under the act for the redemption of the land- 
 tax, the manors of East Woodhay, Ashmansworth, Itchmgswell, 
 and Newtown, forming the remainder of the ancient bailiwick of 
 High-clere. 
 
 The Mansion is situated on a rising ground, in a noble Park, 
 upwards of thirteen miles in circumference. Part of it was built 
 upon the old site, by the Hon. Robert Herbert; but it was greatly 
 enlarged, and has received its present form from Lord Carnarvon. 
 It is a brick structure, stuccoed, in a modern style of architecture, 
 and more distinguished for elegance, than splendor of appearance ; 
 the Entrance Hall measures seventy feet, by twenty-four ; the Li- 
 brary, thirty-three feet, by twenty-three : the Dining-Room is of 
 the same extent as the Library ; and the other apartments of pro- 
 portionable size. 
 
 Various portraits are preserved in this House, with other good 
 paintings, and cabinet pictures : the following may be selected as 
 the principal. 
 
 Charles the First, on Horseback, the Due d’Epernon 
 holding his Helmet; large as life, after Vandyck, by Old Stone. 
 
 Lady Carnarvon, and Lord Porchester; Sir Joshua 
 Reynolds. 
 
 Three Poor Children, whole lengths ; Gainsborough. 
 
 Lord Porchester as Bacchus; Sir J. Reynolds. 
 
 Holy Family, with Angels threading the Needle ; Va:ndyck. 
 
 A Shipwreck ; Mortimer. 
 
 Cupid 
 
240 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 Ci^)id sleeping on Clouds ; Sir J. Reynolds. 
 
 Philip, Earl of Pembroke, and liis Family ; three feet seven, 
 by two feet eight ; Vandyck. This was a marriage gift of Philip, 
 Earl of Pembroke, to James Herbert, the third son, represented 
 in the picture, and was given to the Earl of Carnarvon by Mrs. 
 Aim Herbert, of Kingsey, the last descendant of that branch bear- 
 ing the name of Herbert. It carries along with it clear evidence 
 of having been painted by Vandyck, and may possibly have, been 
 tlie first executed, and have given rise to the large picture by this 
 artist, which occupies the end of the Saloon at Wilton. 
 
 Dead Swan, Peacock, and other Birds ; Weeninx. 
 
 Philip, Earl of Pembroke ; Vandyck. 
 
 Dead Game; Weeninx. 
 
 Pirates dividing their ^oil ; Mortimer. 
 
 But the chief glory of High-clere is its Park and Pleasure- 
 grounds, of which, it may be truly observed, that few places of 
 similar extent in the inland parts of the Kingdom, can boast of 
 surface more varied, or scenery more interestmg. It owes its 
 present beauty to its noble owner. Wlien it came into Ins Lord- 
 ship’s possession, part of it had been converted into a farm ; it w'as 
 divided into numerous inclosures ; few trees remained, except in 
 the hedge rows and woods ; and the old Park was formed into a 
 rabbit warren. It is now clothed with a profusion of foliage ; and, 
 from the judicious disposition of the plantations, the prospects are 
 extremely improved. The most striking feature of the Park is 
 Sidon Hill, the ascent of which begins about half a mile to the 
 south from the House : tlie summit of this eminence boldly rises 
 upwards of 400 feet in perpendicular height above the level of a 
 neighbouring valley, and is crowned with a ruined arch, backed 
 by venerable woods ; the plantations on its sides are also disposed 
 with great beauty ; and the drives, which wmd along to the sum- 
 mit, present various extensive views over the Park and surrounding 
 country. Beacon Hill, to the south-east of this, and just witlmut 
 the Park Gate, forms a striking contrast to it, not a single tree 
 appearii^ thereon. The entrance into the Park from Winche^er, 
 is between these hills, by an arched gateway, bearing a trophy of 
 
 arms 
 
ilAMPSHIRE. 
 
 2il 
 
 turns over the principal arch. On the opposite side of Sidon Hill 
 is a castellated Lodge, “ bosom'd high in tufted trees,” of a trian- 
 gular form, with a turret at each angle. The view from Tent Hill, 
 a bold elevation on the northern side of the Park, with a grove on 
 its summit, is very extensive. The House is seen at a mile and a 
 half distance, with Sidon Hill, and its plantations, magnificently 
 rising in the back-ground : in front is a most luxuriant display of 
 wood and water. To the right, Milford Water appears in the dis- 
 tance; this extensive sheet derives peculiar charms from its seclu- 
 ded situation, and*" the venerable antiquity of the surrounding 
 woods, in which it is completely enveloped. On this water is a 
 pile of building, comprehending a Dining-Room, Kitchen, and 
 other appendages. From this spot drives have been formed through 
 the plantations to Clare Brow, where the prospect of the House, 
 and surrounding scenery, is very fine. Extensive rides, admitting 
 beautiful views, have also been made through Pen Wood, a large 
 tract of oak, interspersed with abundance of hollies, many of them 
 of unusual size. Several ornamental buildings have been erected 
 in different parts of this demesne, which possesses many beauties 
 that our limits compel us to pass umioticed, though deserving of 
 minute examination : the observer 
 
 From scene to scene, by random steps convey’d. 
 
 Admires the distant views, the secret shade ; 
 
 Dwells on each spot ; with ea^er eye devours 
 
 The woods, the lawns, the buildings, and the bowers j 
 
 New sweets, new joys, at every glance arise. 
 
 And every turn creates a fresh surprise. 
 
 Lisle’s Porsenna. 
 
 BEACON HILL, mentioned in the preceding description, is 
 remarkable for the ancient Camp which occnpies its flat summit, 
 and wiiich, though so conspicuously situated, and in such excellent 
 preservation, has scarcely been noticed by antiquaries. Camden 
 only mentions it as a military fortification, surrounded by a ditch 
 of great compass, and as the site of a Beacon ; and Mr. Gough 
 merely refers to the extent of the northern prospect. The form of the 
 VoL, VI. Feb, 1805, Q Camp 
 
242 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 Camp is irregular, the entrenchment following the outline of the 
 Hill : the ditch is well preserved, and very deep where the ascent 
 is most easy : the entrance is on the south side, where it is defend- 
 ed by two ravelins: wdthin the area, are several vestiges of ancient 
 huts, probably of British origin, as they are of circular form, ra- 
 ther elevated, with a small depression in the centre ; and on 
 removing the.thick moss, appear pitched with flints : upon a ridge 
 to the north is a turf elevation, apparently intended as an out-post.* 
 
 On a plain, about a mile from this Camp, are seven tumuli, or 
 barrows, of considerable size ; and three of much less elevation : 
 some of each description have been opened by Lord Carnarvon. 
 In the elevated barrow, there first appeared a large quantity of 
 collected mould, occupying about half of its height ; and next a 
 great heap of flints, reaching to the surface of the down, whereon, 
 under an arch of flints, burnt bones and ashes were found. In the 
 low barrow, there was no accumulation either of mould or flints, 
 and the bones and ashes were contained in holes made in the 
 chalky sub-stratum of the downs. The circumference of the large 
 barrows is bounded by a sort of ditch, the earth of which appears 
 to have been thrown up in the centre. The largest barrow is 
 about 100 yards in circumference, and ten or twelve feet high. 
 In some of the barrows, charcoal, apparently of beech wood, was 
 found. The centre of the largest of the low barrows is crossed by 
 the turnpike road. 
 
 About one mile and a half eastward from Beacon Hill, on an 
 eminence called Ladle Hill, is a circular Encampment, including 
 an area of nearly eight acres; and at a little distance north-north- 
 east, on the declivity of the Hill, is another small circular work, 
 probably intended as an out-post; this is entirely pitched with 
 flints. Southward of the larger Camp are three barrows. 
 
 CANHAM, 
 
 The altitudes of Beacon Hill, Sidon Hill, and High-clere House, 
 above the sea at low-water mark, are as follow : Beacon Hill, 900 feet ; 
 Sidon Hill, 9i2 feet, seven inches; High-clere House, 587 feet, nine 
 inches. The height of Beacon Hill was taken by Captain (now Colonel) 
 Mudge, during his Trigonometrical Survey ; the other altitudes were 
 ascertained by Baron Zach, Astronomer to the Duke of .Saxo Gotha, 
 
HAMPSHIRE* 
 
 243 
 
 CANHAM, or CANNONS LODGE, two miles south-west of 
 Kings-clere, in a hollow of the chalk downs, was built by Charles, 
 Duke of Boltou : it was afterwards a residence of the Earl of Mex- 
 borough, and then of the late Duke of Cumberland^ who kept 
 part of his stud at this place. Here liis Royal Highness frequently 
 assembled a select party of friends, among whom were the cele- 
 brated Foote, and Sir Francis Blake Delaval; the former of whom 
 broke his leg here : the memory of their exploits is still, and will 
 long be> preserved in the neighbourhood. It has since been occu- 
 pied many years by Mr. Lade, a well-known character in the an- 
 nals of sporting. Lord Bolton is now demolishing tlie house, the 
 site and vicinity of which are extremely barren and uninteresting. 
 
 SYDMONTON house, the residence of Admiral Sir Robert 
 Kingsmill, w'as granted to his ancestors John Kingsmill, and Con- 
 stantia, his wife, by Henry the Eighth, on the dissolution of the 
 Monasteries : the building is irregular, it having been erected at 
 different periods. Part of Sydmonton, comprehending 7^4 acres, 
 belonged to the Abbey at Romsey, and pays only one acre of 
 wheat, and one of barley, in lieu of rectorial tythes j and forty 
 pounds annually in heu of vicarial tythes. 
 
 KINGS-CLERE 
 
 Is a small place, of mean appearance, and only remarkable for 
 having been a seat of the West Saxon Kings ; though Camden 
 mentions it as being a considerable market-town. The Church is 
 a small stuccoed building, with a low tower, and has a monument 
 erected in memory of the Kingsmill family. The number of inha- 
 bitants of this parish, in 1801, was returned at 1939; that of 
 houses at 394. It is probable that the Palace of the Saxon Sove- 
 reigns was connected with FREEMANTLE PARK, a short distance 
 to the south, as that is known to have been a Royal residence in 
 King John’s time, by the following passage in the Calendariuin Rotu- 
 lorum Patentimn, of the 6th King John: " Rx. Generalis Pardona~ 
 tio Apud Frdtmantell 15°. Apr. lb°. D° — Gives London: reddide- 
 runt inimicis regis civitatem London: die dominica proxante festum 
 
 Q 2 Sancto 
 
244 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 Sancto Dunstani. Apud Frigidum Mantell 1 8°. Maij. In the 
 twenty-fifth of Kenry the Sixth, the keeping of Freemautle Park 
 was granted to the famous William de la Pole, Earl and subse- 
 quently Duke of Suffolk. In Queen Elizabeth’s time, it was still 
 in possession of the Crown, as appears from an entry in the Civil 
 List: “ Freemantle, Hantshire, Keeper of the Park, fee, 4l. 11s. 3d. 
 The herbage and pannage, fee. 111.” The Mansion, which stood 
 in a very exposed and bleak situation, has been lately pulled down 
 
 by Blount, Esq. and the Park has been ploughed up^ and 
 
 converted into a farm. 
 
 SILCHESTER, the Caer Seiont, or Segont, of the Britons, and 
 Vindonum of the Romans, is one of the most perfect of the an- 
 cient stations in the south of England. It is situated near the bor- 
 ders of Hampshire, adjoining Berks, and, from its elevated site, 
 commands very extensive prospects over the surrounding country. 
 Its name, Caer Segont, was obtained through its having been the 
 chief city of the Segontiaci ; and by this name it occurs on a stone 
 dug up here, with the following imperfect inscription :* 
 
 DEO HER 
 SAEGON 
 T. TAMMON 
 SAEN. TAMMON 
 VITALIS 
 OB HONO 
 
 That this was a principal Roman station, is evinced not only by its 
 magnitude, and the mode of construction observed in the building 
 of the walls,! but also by the various Roman roads which branch 
 
 off 
 
 - “ Thus supplied by Mr. Ward; Deo Herculi Scegontiacormn Titus 
 Tammoniiis Saenii Tamnionii Fitalis filius ob honorem,” &c. 
 
 Gough's Camden. 
 
 ! '' The first foundation of the Wall, which is to be discovered on the 
 north and south-east sides of the city, appears to have been made with 
 large flag-stones, from two to four feet in breadth, and four in length; 
 and of unequal thickness, as sometimes, six, seven, eight, and nine 
 
 inches : 
 
ofi/££}C£S"f'5^ , '^ix libs' . ncj It of , nicer Socst 9ojtt, ./^50. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 245 
 
 «ff in different directions, and by numerous vestiges of Roman oc- 
 cupation that have been discovered here. 
 
 Q 3 Camden, 
 
 inches: their depth could not be ascertained, because they yet remain 
 firmly fixed in the wall. Upon these stones was laid a stratum of rub- 
 ble-stone, or large cragged flints, large pebbles, &c. filled up and held 
 together with a strong cement. This was continued to the height of 
 about two feet and a half ; and then succeeded another layer of large flat 
 stones, though not so big as the former ; for the largest of these seldom 
 exceeded three feet in length, and oftener were not so long : they ran 
 in general from four to six inches in thickness, and seldom exceeded 
 eighteen or twenty inches in breadth. This course or layer of flat stones 
 runs round the whole city, and may easily be discovered in any part of 
 the walls, its bottom being almost every where level with the ground. 
 Upon this layer again was another stratum of rubble-stone, which, ac- 
 cording to the measurement on the south side, was in height three feet : 
 then succeeded another layer of small flat stones, made as near as pos- 
 sible to the shape of the Roman brick, but larger and thicker, so that 
 the thickness of the stone interspersed with the cement, amounted to 
 four inches. On this layer was laid another stratum of rubble-stones, 
 composed of smaller flints, placed in more order than the former ; this 
 stratum was about two feet and a half in height : then followed a double 
 row of flat stones, in shape and thickness exactly the same as those be- 
 fore described. On these again was laid another stratum of rubble- 
 stone, of the finer sort, like the former, and exactly of the same height, 
 viz. two feet and a half. On the top of this was a repetition of a dou- 
 ble row of flat stones, something larger and thicker than the former ; 
 for these two rows, with the mortar, made the space'of nine inches. The 
 stratum of rubble which was again raised on these, was three feet high ; 
 and on the top succeeded by a double row of flat stones, still increasing 
 in size, and then the rubble continues on the top, higher, or lower, 
 as the walls have been more or less damaged ; yet in many places, a 
 succeeding layer of flat stones is to be seen, followed also by another 
 stratum of rubble of still finer cast. One thing was observable, as well 
 in the foundation as in the second row of large stones, described as above ; 
 these great stones were not continued regularly, but there appeared 
 frequent breaks, filled up with smaller flat stones, set shelving one over 
 the other ; also in the second, in the third, fourth, and fifth stratum of 
 
 rubble 
 
546 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 Camden, on the authority of Nennius, and Gervasius Durobas 
 nensis, affirms, that the Usurper Constantine was invested with tie 
 purple in this city, in the year 407, The British King, Arthir, 
 is also said to have been crowned here ; but with manifest error,* 
 
 asi 
 
 rubble (from the ground) great pains appeared to have been taken with 
 the flints, to place them in exact order ; so that for a considerable ds- 
 tance they are observed to form a kind of zig-zag, or herring-bone wodc, 
 laid in rows, some one way, and some another. The wall at the south 
 gate being measured, was found to be full twenty-four feet thick. 
 
 “ The whole of this city was surrounded by a large deep ditch, great 
 part of which is now filled up with the ruins of the wall, so as to form 
 a bank, on which one may easily walk round about, having the will 
 itself on one side, and the ditch below on the other : buf this was rot 
 its original state, for formerly the ditch came up close to the wall, aid 
 this bank was not then in being. Beyond the ditch again, is the exler-, 
 nal vallum, very perfect, and easily to be traced out round the whole 
 city ; its highest parts, even in the present state, are at least fifteen 
 feet perpendicular from the bottom of the ditch. A straight line, drawn 
 from the top of this bank to the wall on the north-east side, measured 
 thirty-four yards, its full breadth. The two main streets, which led 
 from gate to gate, are broader than any of the rest, and measured mere 
 than ten yards across. Near the middle of the city, within a spacious 
 square, formed partly by the intersection of the. two main streets, was 
 discovered the foundation of a large structure, consisting of free-stone, 
 three feet thick, which is reported to have been a Temple ; because 
 near it, and in the inside, were found the remains of a little elevated 
 building, an altar, as it was thought, from the quantity of ashes, wood, 
 and burnt coal, that lay round about : it was three feet in height, four 
 in length, and three in breadth, and entirely built of Roman bricks, the 
 dimensions of which were as follow ; seventeen inches and a half long, 
 twelve inches and a half broad, and nearly two in thickness.f Not far 
 from the same place was also ploughed up a large column of free-stone, 
 in diameter one foot eight inches; and a piece of wall of rubble-stone, 
 strongly cemented. The city was supplied with water from a fine 
 plentiful spring, which rises in a south-east direction, and running to the 
 >vi)^lls, discharges itself underneath into the ditch.” Strutt's Chronicle. 
 
 See under Winchester, p. 22. 
 t Phil. Trans. Vol. XLV. fob 603, 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 247 
 
 as in his time the former splendor of Silchester was only attested 
 by its bare walls, and heaps of ruins; it having been destroyed by 
 the fierce Ella, on his march to Bath, about the year 493. This 
 warlike Saxon landed in Sussex with a new levy of his countiy'- 
 men in 477 ; his first enterprise was against the British city of Caer 
 Andred, afterwards called Andredesceastre, which, after a brave 
 resistance, was taken, and levelled with the ground, by the tri- 
 umphant conqueror; every mhabitant was at the same time mas- 
 sacred.* Marching forward, he besieged this city, which being 
 unable to resist his prowess, exhibited similar scenes of massacre 
 and fell desolation. The unportant battle of Bath terminated for 
 awhile both his conquests and his cruelty, the Saxons being de- 
 feated with immense slaughter, by the gallant Ambrosias. 
 
 Whether the Romans found this city already so strongly fortified, 
 that they judged it expedient to build their walls according to the 
 original plan, cannot be told ; but it is certain that in this instance 
 they departed from the form generally observed in the construc- 
 tion of their stations; the walls making an irregular octagon ; so 
 irregular, indeed, that scarcely any two of the sides are of equal 
 length. The inclosed area is nearly a mile and a half in circum- 
 ference, and contains about one hundred acres, which have long 
 been cultivated, and are divided into seven fields. The parochial 
 Church, and Church-yard, are also within the walls, together with 
 a farm-house, and its requisite offices. The ground slopes gently 
 from the centre to the south, in which direction a small spring 
 flows, that rises near the farm-house: other small springs also rise 
 here, so that parts of the fosse which surrounds the walls are ge- 
 nerally filled with water. On the south side, the walls are the 
 most perfect, and in some places measure nearly twenty feet high ; 
 the general height is from fifteen to eighteen or twenty feet. 
 
 Q 4 The 
 
 Chron. Sax. Hen. Hunt. &c. “ Omnes ore gladii devorati sunt 
 cum mulieribus et parvulis, ita quod nec unus solus evasit. Et quia tot 
 ibi damna toleravere extranei, ita urbem destruxerunt ; quae nunquam 
 postea reedificata est. Locus tantum quasi nobilissimae urbis transeunti- 
 bus ostenditur desolatus.” HeUf Hunt> Hist. U H. Milners Win- 
 chester, Vol. I. p. 64. 
 
S48 
 
 HAMPSHIRK. 
 
 The foundations of the streets may yet be traced running in 
 various parallel lines across the area : the four principal streets com-r 
 municate with the entrances, which were on the north, east, south, 
 and west sides : besides thr jt, there are now two other entrances, 
 which have been formed as waggon or cart ways. An open 
 space, near the centre of the area, is supposed to have been the 
 site of the forum, from the foundations of a large building, and 
 other remains, that were dug up here. On the south side are 
 traces of a small postern, or sally-port, running beneath the wall, 
 and called by the country people. Onion’s Hole, from a fabled 
 giant of that name, who is affirmed by tradition to have made this 
 city his residence ; and in correspondence with this idea, the coins 
 that have been dug up here, are frequently called Onion’s pennies : 
 they were even thus denominated in the days of Camden, who 
 also mentions various inscribed stones as having been found in this 
 station ; but again lost, or destroyed, through the ignorance of 
 the peasantry. On one stone, which he mentions as still preserved 
 in the gardens of Lord Burleigh, and which appears from Horsley 
 to have been afterwards in the possession of Sir Robert Cotton,^ 
 was this inscription : 
 
 MEMORI^ 
 
 FL. VICTORI 
 N^. T. TAM : 
 
 VICTOR CONJVX 
 FOSVIT. 
 
 Camden also mentions many coins of Constantine the Younger, 
 as having been found here by himself, having on the reverse, a 
 building with this inscription: PROVIDENTI^ C^ES. Another 
 inscribed stone, but imperfect, was discovered here in the year 
 1732; and referred by Mr. Ward to Julia Domma, wife of Se- 
 verus, or Julia Mammea, the mother of Alexander, both of whom, 
 he observes, have the same titles on coins and inscriptions i^s ap- 
 peared on the stone, 
 
 In Gough’s Additions to Camden, mention is made of a person 
 named Stair, who formerly kept a public-house in the neighbouring 
 village of Aldermaston, and had a “ great collection of coins, both 
 
 brass 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 249 
 
 brass and silver, from Julius Caesar to the latest Emperors, found 
 hereabouts; and some gold and silver, British: two onyx seals; 
 one with a cock picking out of a cornucopia; the other only ZACP. 
 Of the Roman coins found here, one of the rarest is a gold Allec- 
 tus; rev. Apollo, with a whip and globe ; at his feet, two captives, 
 ORIENS AVG. ML. and gold ones of Valentinian and Arcadius. 
 One spot, called Silver-Hill, where are foundations of large build- 
 ings, has yielded a great quantity of silver coins. In or near the 
 Temple (Forum) above mentioned, Stair told me, he found twelve 
 or more pedestals, and fragments of stone statues, too imperfect 
 to bring away: he shewed me the small alabaster head of a man, 
 with curled hair, about three inches high, and said that many cop- 
 per penates had been found : he had a sword with two serpents 
 encircling the hilt, found within the walls.” 
 
 Among the various relics of antiquity that have been more re^ 
 cently discovered, are some gold coins and rings, now in the pos- 
 session of the farmer who rents the estate : one of the rings has a 
 smgular shaped key attached to it, but whether for use, or orna- 
 ment, is doubtful. Roman bricks and pottery are frequently dug 
 up ; indeed, the whole area is strewed with fragments of this de^ 
 scription ; and in the farm-yard, and a ditch adjacent, are parts of 
 a large column. Necklaces of blue beads, or links, saws, bells, 
 swords, and masons’ tools, have likewise been found here; and 
 also a curious Roman eagle in steel, which was shown to the So^ 
 ciety of Antiquaries by a former Bishop of Carlisle.* 
 
 About 150 yards from the north-east angle of the walls, is a 
 Roman Amphitheatre, the form of which is similar to that 
 near Dorchester, with high and steep banks, now covered with a 
 grove of trees, and two entrances. The elevation of the Amphi- 
 theatre consists of a mixture of clay and gravel, and the seats were 
 ranged in five rows, one above the other ; the slope between each 
 measuring about six feet. The bank, or wall, is nearly twenty 
 yards thick at the bottom, but decreases gradually towards the 
 summit, where its thickness is about four yards. The area is com- 
 monly 
 
 ^ Gough’s Camden, Yoh L 
 
250 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 monly covered with water : in one part, close on the south side, 
 which credulity now represents as unfathomable, appears to have 
 been the cavea* or den, where the wild heists were kept before 
 they were let out into the arena. 
 
 “ At about 300 yards from the walls is a bank and ditch, cover- 
 ing nearly two-thirds of the city: and about one mile and a half to 
 the north-west, near a small village, called the Soak, are remains 
 of a Camp ; and half a mile from that village, a bank and ditch, 
 of several miles extent, which may be part of a Roman road to 
 Spin8e.”t The country round Silchester is extremely wild and ro- 
 mantic, presenting a continued succession of hill and dale. 
 
 The road which leads from the south entrance of this ancient 
 city to the north gate of Winchester, appears, from Stukeley, to 
 have been called Longhank, and Grimsdyke; and that which leads 
 by Andover to Old Sarum, to have been named the Port-way. 
 Another road which issues from tliis station, on the north, 
 crosses Mortimer Heath, at right angles with the Bath road, 
 and has several tumuli on each side. About 1200 acres of this 
 Heath, or Common, were inclosed during the year 1803, and if 
 the inclosures then made, have not obliterated them, here are 
 traces of several entrenched Camps, the largest of which is on 
 the east side of the road leading to Reading. This is evidently 
 of considerable antiquity, as the side running north and south, 
 and which is the most perfect, is now the boundary line be- 
 t^veen the counties of Hampshire and Berkshire ; its form appears 
 to have been square. In the centre of the area, is a small barrow; 
 and on the opposite side of the road, at the distance of about lOQ 
 yards, are several others. This was probably the scene of one of 
 the many battles fought between the West Saxons and the Danes 
 in the course of a year,! This opinion may be corroborated by 
 a circumstance that has hitherto, w'e believe, escaped the researches 
 of antiquaries. At a short distance from the Camp are two small 
 farms, (now united,) one of which is called Alfred’s Acres; and 
 
 the 
 
 * See Vol. IV. p. 343. Note. t Ibid. p. 142, 
 
 + Life of the Great Alfred, in V.ol. I. p. HO, et seq. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 251- 
 
 the other, Dane’s Acres : near the same spot are also several little 
 cottages, one of which is constructed in a very peculiar manner, 
 and bears the name of Dane’s House ; the timbers, or ribs, that 
 compose the sides, are of solid oak, rising from the ground, and 
 meeting in the centre, and thus assuming the appearance of the 
 keel of a ship reversed : each rib is about two feet wide, and one 
 thick. Tlie length of this cottage is about thirty feet; its width 
 at bottom, fourteen. 
 
 About five or six years ago, a somewhat similar Phenomenon was 
 observed on this Heath, to that noticed under the description of the 
 Souter-fell, in Cumberland.* Two gentlemen, from the vicinity 
 of Reading, riding across it, (we believe in regimentals,) observed, 
 as they thought, some Soldiers on horseback, galloping along the 
 brow of a low hill, rising from a valley, which was partly involved 
 in a mist, or fog, Surprised at the appearance of cavalry in this 
 secluded situation, they hastened to the spot ; but the objects va- 
 nished as they approached, leaving them strongly impressed with 
 the singularity of the adventure, The operation of the same phy- 
 sical principles that occasioned the appearances on the Souter-fell, 
 it is probable, gave rise to the phenomenon here described. 
 
 STRATFIELD-SAY, a seat of George Pitt, Lord Rivers, was 
 anciently the property of a family named Say, by whose heiress it 
 was conveyed in marriage to Sir Nicholas Dabridgecourt, Kiit, 
 who was Sherift’ of Hampshire in the thirteenth of Richard the 
 Second. In this family it continued till the reign of Charles the 
 First, when it was purchased by Sir William Pitt, Comptroller of 
 the Household, who made it his residence ; and dying in ifiSfi, 
 was buried in the Parish Church. The late Lord Rivers, who 
 was fourth in descent from Sir William, was created a Peer, by his 
 present Majesty, in May, 177^. The House stands in an exten- 
 sive Park, but rather low ; though the scenery is pleasing, from 
 the quantity of wood, which combining with a small stream that 
 flows through the grounds, forms some good views, 
 
 About three miles south-west from Stratfield-Say, is the VINE, 
 formerly a celebrated seat of the Lords Sandys, but now of W illiam 
 
 Chute, 
 
 ^ See Vol. III. p. 58. 
 
252 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 Chute, Esq. one of the representatives for this county. The 
 Vine, by Basingstoke,” says Leland, ‘‘ was also of the auncient 
 landes of the Sannes ; but it was given owt in marriage to one of 
 the Brokasses, and so remained ontil the late Lord Sandes, afore 
 he was made Baron, recoverid it into his possession; at which 
 tyme ther was no very great or sumptuous manor-place, and was 
 only conteinid within the mote; but he after so translatid and aug- 
 mented yt, and beside buildid a fair base court, that at thys time 
 it is one of the prineipale houses in goodly building of all Hamp- 
 tonshire,” 
 
 Dugdale observes, in his Baronetage, that though none of the 
 Sandys’ family arrived at the dignity of the Peerage till the time 
 of Henry the Eighth, yet they had superior rank among the gentry 
 of Hampshire long before. Sir John de Sandys, Knt. was Sheriff 
 of the county in the sixth of Richard the Second; and again in 
 the eighteenth ; as was also Sir William Sandys, Knt. in the twelfth 
 of Henry the Fourth, and first of Henry the Sixth. The advance- 
 ment of the family to wealth and honors, was, however, principally 
 owing to the eminent services of Sir William Sandys, who, in the 
 reign of Henry the Seventh, with many others of the English no- 
 bility, assisted the Emperor Maxunilian against the French ; and 
 subsequently fought against the insurgents, who had advanced 
 from the west to Blackheath, in the twelfth of that reign. In the 
 fourth of Henry the Eighth, he was sent, with other brave En- 
 glishmen, to assist Ferdinand of Arragon, against the French; and 
 in the fourteenth of the same reign, having been previously made 
 a Knight of the Garter, he was constituted treasurer of Calais : 
 in the same year, in concert with Sir Richard Wingfield, he had 
 the command of the rear of the Earl of Surrey’s army. The fol- 
 lowing year he was created a Baron, by the title of Lord Sandys ; 
 and soon afterwards led the vanguard of the army, commanded 
 by the Duke of Suft’olk, into France. After exercising various 
 other important offices, he died in 1542, being then Lord Cham- 
 berlain ot the King’s household. His grandson, William, sat as 
 one of the Peers on the trial of Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, in the 
 fifteenth of Elizabeth; and again, on the trial of the Queen of 
 
 2 Scots, 
 
HAMPSIilRE. 
 
 253 
 
 Scots, at Fotheriughay; but in the forty-third of the same reign, 
 lie was himself imprisoned, for his concern in the hisurrection raised 
 in London by the Earl of Essex. He was twice married ; his se- 
 cond wife was Catherine, daughter of Edmund, second Lord 
 Chandois, who is celebrated by the Poet Gascoigne for her beauty, 
 in the song ‘ On the fair Bridges,’ printed in Percy’s Ballads. Eli- 
 zabeth, his daughter by this marriage, married Sir Edward Sandys, 
 Knt. and their son, Henry, succeeded to this estate. This gen- 
 tleman was a Colonel under Charles the First, in whose cause he 
 was mortally wounded, in the battle at Bramden, near Alresford, 
 in this county. William, his son and successor, was obliged to 
 part with this estate, which, about the year ld54, became the 
 property of Chaloner Chute, Esq. an eminent lawyer, who was 
 twice a representative for Middlesex, and also Speaker in the Par- 
 liament of Richard Cromwell ; but the troubles of the times over- 
 powermg his strength of mind, he became indisposed, and, after 
 lingering some time, died in ld59 : his second wife was Lady 
 Dacre, who survived him, and, after considerable litigation with 
 his son and grandson, respecting jointure, obtained an order for 
 tlie sequestration of the Vine estate, and other lands ; but this was 
 not acted on to its full extent, and the decree was afterwards re- 
 versed by Parliament. John Chute, Esq. who succeeded to this 
 estate in 1754, and became Sheriff of Hampshire in 1757, was 
 the friend of Walpole and of Gray, and was famed for his acquaint- 
 ance with the arts. He died in April, 1776, and was succeeded 
 by Thomas Lobbe Chute, Esq. of Norfolk, who had long before 
 assumed the name of his mother, a collateral branch of this fa- 
 mily : William, his son, and successor, is the present owner of this 
 estate.* 
 
 Camden mentions the Vine as having derived its name from the 
 vines introduced into this country in the time of the Emperor Pro- 
 bus. The situation of this seat is low ; the grounds are not exten- 
 sive, but well wooded; and a small stream of water crosses the 
 
 lawn 
 
 ’<* Additional particulars relating to the Sandys and Chute families, may 
 be found in the Topographer, Vol. I. p. 51 — 61. 
 
254 . 
 
 HAMPSHIRE^ 
 
 lawn that extends froin the back front of the housei Tlie man- 
 sion itself is a long range of brick building, with wings : many al- 
 terations have been made in it since the time of its erection, by 
 the first Lord Sandys, and particularly by the Speaker Chute, un- 
 der the superintendence of Webb and Inigo Jones. Further im- 
 provements were effected by the late Jolm Chute, Esq. who fitted 
 up tire interior in a grand style, and erected a fine Grecian tliea-* 
 trie stair-case, on a design of his own. He also began the small 
 Chapel, or Tomh-Room, adjoining the ancient and curious Chapel 
 in this mansion, which the first Lord Sandys repaired and embel- 
 lished, On each side of this Chapel are stalls, or seats, curiously 
 carved : the three windows at tire east end, are glazed with fine 
 painted glass, brought from Boulogne, together with most of tlie 
 pavement, which consists of tiles of various sizes, each of them 
 having a figure, motto, or device upon it. The three upper com- 
 partments of the windows contain subjects from the New Testa- 
 ment; the lower compartments have the figures of Francis the 
 First, with his two wives, Claude and Margaret, and their tutelar 
 Saints. In the Tomb-House is an altar-tomb, erected to the me- 
 mory of Chaloner Chute, Esq. who is represented in his robes 
 as Speaker of the House of Commons by a recumbent figure, 
 sculptured by Banks, from a painting by Vandyck, still preserved 
 in this mansion ; together with a pelting by the same artist, of 
 his second wife Dorothy, Lady Dacre. Several curious marbles, 
 brought from Italy by the late J. Chute, Esq. with Greek and 
 Latin inscriptions, are preserved here. 
 
 The lower part of one of the wings is occupied as a Green-House, 
 above which is a long Gallery, wainscotted with oak, and cu- 
 riously carved with the arms, cyphers, and other devices, of most 
 of the Nobility that composed the Court of Henry the Eighth in 
 the time of Lord Sandys. Here are also a few full-length portraits : 
 among them are Henry the Eighth; Charles Brandon, 
 Duke of Suft’oUc; Sir Francis Bacon, Lord Verulam; tlie 
 Duke of Buckingham ; and a three-quarter length of a Nun, 
 of the ancient family of the Cufauds. 
 
 At 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 255 
 
 At WEST, or MONK’S SHERBORNE, was a Priory of Bft- 
 nedictines, founded by Henry de Port, one of the Barons of the 
 Exchequer in the reign of Henry the First, and soon afterwards 
 given to the Abbey of St. Vigor, at Cerasie, in Normandy. After 
 the dissolution of the Alien Priories, it was granted, by Edward the 
 Fourtli, to the Hospital called Domus Dei, at Southampton, as an 
 appurtenance to which it now belongs to Queen’s College, Oxford. 
 
 MALSANGER, in the parish of Ohkley, was the family seat 
 and birth-place of William Warham, Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury in the reigns of Henry the Seventh and Eighth. He received 
 the early part of his education at Wyckham’s College, Winchester, 
 and afterwards removed to New College, Oxford ; where his as- 
 siduous attention to study procured him various promotions. His 
 abilities were not more eminent in a civil than ecclesiastical capa- 
 city ; and Henry the Seventh, with whom he was a great favorite, 
 intrusted him with several important offices ; so that he was at once 
 a Divine, a Lawyer, and a Statesman. He was successively 
 Keeper of the Rolls, Ambassador to Philip, Duke of Burgundy, 
 Keeper of the Broad Seal, Bishop of London, Chancellor of Eng- 
 land, and Archbishop of Canterbury : the latter situation he held 
 from the year 1504 till the time of his death, in August, 1532; 
 but many of his privileges were usurped by Wolsey, who supplant- 
 ed him at Court, and sought every occasion to mortify him. His 
 portrait has been engraved by Virtue, from an original and very 
 fine painting, by Holbein, which is yet preserved in the Gallery at 
 Lambetli Palace. 
 
 BASINGSTOKE 
 
 Is a large ancient and populous town, situated in a pleasant and 
 well-wooded part of the county, and commanding a considerable 
 trade from its standing at the junction of five great roads. In the 
 Domesday Book, it is mentioned by the appellation Basingtoches, 
 and is recorded as having always been a Royal manor ; as never 
 having paid tax, nor ever be^n distributed into hides : it is also 
 noticed in that Survey, as having a market worth thirty shillings. 
 
 2 Oh 
 
^56 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 On the establishment of the woollen manufacture, Basingstoke ob- 
 tained an extensive share in that business, and has been particu- 
 larly noticed for its druggets and shalloons ; but the manufacture 
 of these articles has long ceased. The malting business is, how- 
 ever, carried on to a considerable extent, and employs a great 
 number of persons. 
 
 The Church is a spacious and handsome structure, said to have 
 been built under the auspices of Bishop Fox; it consists of a nave, 
 chancel, and side aisles, with a low square tower : the south side 
 of the Church is of stone, but the north side is constructed with alter- 
 nate squares of stone and flint. On the spandrils, and over the door- 
 way leading into the chancel, on the north side, are several shields, 
 of different sizes, inscribed with the- initials I. H. S. and other let- 
 ters, of which an engraving has been given in Gough’s Additions 
 to the Britannia. The advowson of this Church,* with that of 
 Basing, was granted, by Peter de Rupibus, Bishop of Winchester, to 
 the Priory of Selbome, and, with the other possessions of that 
 foundation, was transferred, in the year 1459, to Magdalen Col- 
 lege, Oxford, to which it yet belongs : the living is very valuable. 
 Several of the Vicars have been eminent for their talents and learn- 
 ing. Among them, was Sir George Wheeler, the celebrated 
 
 Eastern 
 
 * The annual ceremony of perambulating the boundaries of Basing- 
 stoke Parish, commences and concludes with the singing of a psalm, at 
 the great elm tree, before the Vicarage House. This custom, which 
 has been long neglected in most other places, is probably a remnant of 
 the ancient ceremony alluded to in the following extract from Grossman’s 
 Introduction to the Knowledge of the Christian Religion. “ At the 
 Reformation, when all processions were abolished, the perambulations of 
 the circuits of parishes were thought necessary to be retained ; and it 
 was ordered that the minister and substantial men of the parish, should 
 walk about the bounds thereof, and at certain convenient places, should 
 give thanks to God in the beholding of his benefits, for the increase and 
 abundance of his fruits upon the earth, with the saying of the 104th 
 Psalm ; at which time also the minister is to inculcate this and the like 
 sentences : ‘ Cursed is he that traijslateth the bounds and doles of his 
 neighbours;’ or, as we now read It, ‘ Cursed is he that removeth his 
 neighbour’s land-mark.” 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 257 
 
 Eastern traveller, who founded a Library in a part of the Church 
 said to have been originally dedicated to St. Stephen ; and Thomas 
 Warton, B. D. some time Professor of Poetry in Oxford Univer- 
 sity, and father of the celebrated Dr. Joseph Warton, and of his 
 brother, the Rev. Thomas Warton ; both of whom were bom in 
 this town. 
 
 Henry the Third founded an Hospital at Basingstoke, for the 
 maintenance of aged and impotent Priests, at the request, and on 
 the estate of, Walter de Merton, who was Lord High Chancellor 
 of England, and afterwards Bishop of Rochester : he was also the 
 founder of Merton College, Oxford ; for the reception of the in- 
 curable fellows or scholars belonging to which, this Hospital was 
 eventually appropriated.* It stood on the north side of the river, 
 a little below the town bridge 5 some remains may yet be traced. 
 The government of Basmgstoke is vested in a Mayor, Recorder, 
 seven Aldermen, seven Capital Burgesses, and other officers. The 
 Toum-Hall is a large and new edifice. Several Schools have been 
 instituted here for the education of youth; particularly a Free- 
 School of some repute; and a Charity School, in which twelve 
 boys are clothed, and maintained at the expense of the Skinner’s 
 Company, of London. According to the returns under the Popu- 
 lation Act of 1801, the inhabitants of Basingstoke amounted to 
 2589; the number of houses to 512. 
 
 Basingstoke possesses a considerable trade in corn, the transit 
 of which is greatly facilitated by a Canal that has been made 
 from the river Wey, in Surrey, to this town, under the authority of 
 an act obtained in the year 1778. The length of the canal to the 
 river Wey, by which it communicates with the Thames, is thirty- 
 seven miles and a quarter : tlie expense of cutting it amounted to 
 about 100,0001. A large portion of this sum was expended in 
 forming a tunnel, nearly three quarters of a mile in length, through 
 Grewill Hill, near Odiham : the tunnel is arched, and lined with 
 brick. Besides corn and flour, coals, timber, manure, and goods 
 of almost every description, are conveyed to dilferent parts of the 
 
 VoL. VI. April 1805. R country 
 
 * Tanner’s Notitia. 
 
258 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 country by this channel: the first barge arrived at the wharf at 
 Basingstoke in January, 1794. Among the numerous projected 
 advantages that led to the formation of the canal, was the pre- 
 sumed cultivation of Bagshot, and other heaths withm the line of 
 its course. The dividends have as yet been small, but are annu- 
 ally increasing. 
 
 On an eminence, at the northern extremity of Basingstoke, are 
 situated the remains of Holy Ghost Chapel, so called from its hav- 
 ing been connected with a brotherhood, or guild of the Holy 
 Ghost, instituted by Sir William Sandys, Knt. afterwards first 
 Lord Sandys, and Fox, Bishop of Winchester, under a license from 
 Henry the Eighth. This fraternity was dissolved in the first of 
 Edward the Sixth, and its possessions vested in the Crown; but in 
 tlie first of Philip and Mary, a brotherhood was again established 
 here, and the former posse^ssions re-granted for “ the maintenance 
 of a Priest for the celebration of divine service, and for the in- 
 struction of the young men and boys of the town of Basingstoke." 
 About the commencement of the reign of James the First, the 
 brotherhood became extinct; and during the confusions of the 
 Civil Wars, the Chapel estate was seized by the Parliament, and 
 the School shut up ; but through the care of Bishop Morley, the 
 estate was again restored, about the year 1670. 
 
 The site of this Chapel is traditionally said to have been occu- 
 pied by a religious structure from the period of the Saxon times; 
 and though the present building is generally ascribed to the above 
 Sir William Sandys, the opinion of a celebrated draughtsman and 
 antiquary,* seems to countenance the report of its having been 
 erected much earlier. “ The style of the architecture," he ob- 
 serves, “ appears of the day of Edward the Fourth. The design, 
 though small, is much enriched ; and among the ornaments, are 
 many of the Roman and Grecian turn, which shows that examples 
 of this sort had been earlier introduced among us than is generally 
 understood: however, it is not impossible, but that many of the 
 
 carvings, 
 
 ^ Mr. Carter, in his Pursuits of Architectural Innovation; see 
 Gent. Mag. Nov. 1802. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 259 
 
 carvings, with some shields of arms, were added in the reign of 
 Henry the Eighth, in consequence of repairs or alterations then 
 taking place." Camden describes it as having been erected by Sir 
 William Sandys, and particularly mentions the roof, as being ex- 
 cellently adorned from scripture history. The only parts now 
 standing are the south and east walls, with an hexangular tower 
 at the south-west angle, in which was formerly a stair-case. On 
 the piers between the windows on the south side, are long narrow 
 pedestals, with niches rising above them. The angles of the tower 
 are similarly decorated : the walls are of brick, cased with free- 
 stone. The effect arising from the elevated situation of these 
 ruins is very beautiful. The building appears to have been first 
 dilapidated in the Civil Wars, and has been almost entirely neg- 
 lected ever since. The large regular apartment to the west- 
 ward of the Chai>el, is supposed, by Mr. Carter, to have been the 
 body of an ancient Church, “ to which the Chapel was attached, 
 constituting the chancel or choir.” Camden affirms, that Sir Wil- 
 liam Sandys was buried in this Chapel, but no traces of his tomb 
 remains. In the adjoining burying-ground, which is here called 
 the Liten, are several defaced inscriptions in memory of the Cu- 
 fauds, a respectable family, who were allied to the Plantagenets, 
 and had been settled at Cufaud, near the Vine, from the early 
 Norman times.* Here also, are several inscriptions to the Blun- 
 dens, of Basingstoke, none of whom are now remaining : one of 
 these deserves preservation from the elegant Latin in which it is 
 written. 
 
 H. S. E. 
 
 Guilielmus Blunden, Gen. 
 
 Guilielmi Blunden de Basingstoke generosi filius unicus 
 Novi Collegii Oxon superioris ordinis Commensalis 
 Florentissimi istius Societatis grande Ornamentum, 
 
 Totius etiam Academise Delicias, 
 
 Honorabilis societatis Hospitii Graiensis studens, 
 
 R 2 Egregio 
 
 ^ The Cufaud estate was purchased by T. L. Chute, Esq. the late 
 proprietor of the Vine, above thirty years ago. 
 
260 
 
 HAMPSHIRE’. 
 
 Egregio asmodum Ingenio, Moribus, Prudent^a ; 
 
 Et, quod raro alias repertum est, inter cffiteras 
 Animi dotes Modestia singulari^ 
 
 Erga Patrem pius, omnium amans, ab omnibus amatus : 
 Sed vitam ejus diuturnam facere non poterant 
 QucC fecerunt desideratum, 
 
 Ut qui occidit immaturam, Variolum spolium, 
 
 Ju 'I'riumphus Mortis nulli bono 
 Nimium Dolendus. 
 
 Obiit 10 Jan. — 1706, 
 yEtat. Suas — 25. 
 
 Among tlie eminent natives of Basingstoke, the first that occurs 
 ill order of time, is John de Basingstoke, or Basingstochius, 
 who became of great repute towards the middle of the thirteenth 
 century; and, as was then customary, assumed his simame from 
 the jilace of liis birth. He was highly eminent for virtue and 
 learnhig; for liaving a strong and vigorous understanding, he so 
 improved it by study, that, besides acquiring a “ perfect knowledge 
 of the Greek and Latin languages, he became an eloquent orator, 
 a complete mathematician, a subtle philosopher, and a sound di- 
 vine.” He commenced his studies at the University of Oxford ; 
 but, for further improvement, went to Paris, where he resided 
 some years, and afterwards travelled to Athens, “ the seat of the 
 Muses, and mother of all polite literature,” Here he greatly in- 
 creased his knowledge, particularly of ancient Greek literature ; 
 and, on his return to England, he brought with him several curious 
 Greek manuscripts, and introduced the use of the Greek (Arabic) 
 numerals. He also translated a Greek Grammar into Latin, in- 
 tituling it the ‘ Donatus of the Greeks,' in order to facilitate the 
 study of the former language. He was highly esteemed for his 
 learning ; and was particularly favored by the celebrated Robert 
 Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln, who preferred him to the arch- 
 deaconry of Leicester. He died in the year 1252; the twTnty- 
 si.xth of Henry the Third.* 
 
 Richard 
 
 Biographia Britannica, Vol. I. p. 669, 670. 
 
HAMPSIIIKE. 
 
 52^1 
 
 fliCHARD White, called also Basingstochius, a Romish exile, 
 and Regius Professor at Douay in the time of Janies the First, 
 was likewise a native of this town. He wrote a ‘ History of Bri- 
 tain,' with valuable notes, ‘ from the first planting of this nation to 
 Brute, and so on to Constantins, and Cadwallader, in nine books 
 this history w'as much commended by the learned Selden. 
 
 Sir James Lancaster, an eminent navigator in the reigns of 
 Queen Elizabeth and James the First, was born at Basingstoke, 
 where also he was buried in the year ifilZ, having bequeathed se- 
 veral legacies to his native place. He was one of the earliest tra- 
 ders to the East Indies, and gave his own name to a sound in 
 Baffin’s Bay. 
 
 Dr. Joseph Warton, F. R, S. was Imrn at Basingstoke, 
 about the year 1722, and very early imbibed a distinguisiicd 
 fondness for letters, from the instructions and pursuits of his re- 
 verend father, who has been already mentioned as a \icar of 
 this parish. He then became a Student at Winchester Col- 
 lege, and afterwards was elected Master ; a situation that he con- 
 tinued to fill for a number of years, with great and deserved 
 celebrity. His knowdedge of classical literature was very extensive, 
 and, combined with his benevolence, and amiable temper, procured 
 him numerous friends among the most cultivated classes of society. 
 His poetical talents were good, but were chiefly confined to the 
 production of short pieces, of which, [)erhaps, his Ode to Fancy 
 is the best, and has been most admired. His Essai/ on the Wri- 
 tings and Genius of Pope is an excellent work, and remarkable 
 from the circumstance of the first volume having been printed 
 nearly thirty years before the second and last was submitted to 
 tlie public. In the year 1797) appeared his edition of the Works 
 of Pope, in nine volumes, octavo, w'lth notes critical and illustra- 
 tive : this, though bearing evident marks of haste, is the best edi- 
 tion of that Poet that has yet been published. He died in Murcii, 
 1800; deservedly regretted by a very large circle ot acquaintance. 
 
 The Rev. Thomas Warton, B. D. the late Poet Laureat, was 
 born here in the year 1728; and received the rudiments of instruc- 
 tioa at the School, of wdiich his father was then Master. At the age 
 
 R 3 of 
 
262 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 of fifteen he was admitted a Commoner, and soon afterwards was 
 elected a scholar at Trinity College, Oxford. His attachment to 
 books, and the early maturity of his mental powers, were very un- 
 usual ; and he was quickly distinguished as well by various poetical 
 productions, as by his critical acumen, and knowledge of classical 
 literature. His literary undertakings were many ; his editions of 
 Theocritus, and of the smaller poems of Milton, are highly curious 
 and valuable. His most eminent production is the History of 
 English Poetry, in three volumes, quarto ; though not completed 
 to the extent proposed, as a fourth volume was in the press at the 
 time of his decease. He also published Observations on the Fairie 
 9,ueen of Spenser, bvo volumes, 1/62 ; and a History of the Pa^ 
 rish of Kiddington ; the latter of which is regarded as one of the 
 best specimens of a parochial history ever published. He died at 
 Oxford, in May, 17.90; having long previously been chosen a 
 Fellow of Trinity College, and made Camden Professor of His- 
 tory in that University. His disposition was amiable, and his ac- 
 plishraents great and varied. He was considered, observes his 
 biographer,* and editor of his poetical works, “ as one of the 
 chief liierai-y characters of his age ; equal to the best scholars in 
 the elegant parts of classical learning ; superior to the generality in 
 literature of the modern kind ; a Poet of fine fancy, and masculine 
 style; and a critic of deep information, sound judgment, and cor- 
 rect taste.” 
 
 At a short distance west from Basingstoke is an ancient Encamp- 
 ment, the proper name of which appears to be Winclesbury; 
 though several other appellations have been given to it. The em- 
 bankment is about 1100 yards in circumference, but no traces of 
 a ditch are visible; it has two entrances, respectively west and 
 east : its form is an irregular oval, approaching to an oblong 
 square. 
 
 BASING, or OLD BASING, a small village, about two miles 
 north-cast from Basingstoke, is memorable for a bloody battle 
 fought here between the Danes, and the Saxons commanded by 
 
 King 
 
 * Richard Mant, M, A. Fellow of Oriel College. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 263 
 
 King Etlielred and his brother Alfred, in the year 871, in which 
 the latter were defeated. It became still more famous, however, 
 from the gallant stand made against the forces of the Parlia- 
 ment, in the reign of Charles the First, by John Paulet, Marquis 
 of Winchester, a lineal descendant from Hugh de Port, who, at 
 the period of the Domesday Survey, held fifty-five lordships in 
 this county. Basing was the head of these extensive possessions, 
 and appears to have been very early the site of a Castle, as men- 
 tion of the ‘ land of the Old Castle of Basing,’ occurs in a grant 
 made by John de Port, to the neighbouring Priory at Monk’s 
 Sherborne, in the reign of Henry the Second.* William, his 
 grandson, assumed the surname of St.John; and Robert, Lord 
 St. John, in the forty-third of Henry the Third, obtained a ‘ license 
 to fix a pole upon the bann of his moat at Basing, and also per- 
 mission to continue it so fortified during the King’s pleasure.’! In 
 the time of Richard the Second, Basing, with other estates of this 
 family, was transferred, by marriage, to the Poynings ; and again 
 in the time of Henry the Sixth to the Paulets, by the marriage of 
 Constance, heiress to the former, with Sir John Paulet, of Nunny 
 Castle, in Somersetshire. 
 
 Sir William Paulet, Knt. third in descent from this couple, 
 created Baron St. John, of Basing, by Henry the Eighth ; and 
 Earl of Wiltshire, and Marquis of Winchester, by Edward the 
 Sixth ; was a very polite nobleman, and greatly in favor at Court 
 through most of the successive changes that occurred in the reigns 
 of Henry the Eighth, Edward the Sixth, Queen Mary, and 
 Queen Elizabeth. He held the office of Treasurer nearly thirty 
 years, sustaining himself by the courtly maxim of “ being a w'il- 
 low, and not an oak.” He rebuilt the Castle at Basing in a mag- 
 nificent and even princely style, so much so indeed, that Camden, 
 in allusion to the vast expense of living entailed on his family by 
 its splendor, observes, that “ it was so overpowered by its own 
 weight, that his posterity have been forced to pull dowm a part of 
 it.” Here, in the year I5fi0, he entertained Queen Elizabeth, 
 
 R 4- with 
 
 * Gentleman’s Mag, Aug. 1787. 
 
 t Ibid,. 
 
26'4 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 with ‘ all good chear/ and so much to her satisfaction, that she 
 playfully lamented his great age ; “ for, by my troth,” said the 
 delighted Sovereign, “ if my Lord Treasurer were but a young 
 man, I could find in ray heart to have him for a husband, before 
 any man in England.”* This nobleman died in 1572, at the age 
 of ninety-seven, having lived to see 113 of his own immediate de- 
 scendants ; he was buried in Basing Church. 
 
 William, his great grandson, and fourtli Marquis of Winchester, 
 had likewise, in the year l 601 , the honor of having Queen Eliza- 
 beth for a guest, and that for a period of “ thirteen dayes, to the 
 greate charge of the sayde Lorde Marquesse.” During her resi- 
 dence here, the Duke of Biron, accompanied by about twenty of 
 the French nobility, and a retinue of nearly 400 persons, were 
 lodged at the Vine, the seat of Lord Sandys, which house had 
 been purposely furnished with hangings and plate from the Tower, 
 and Hampton Court, “ and with sevenscore beds and furniture, 
 which the willing and obedient people of the countrie of South- 
 ampton, upon two dayes warning, had brought in thither to lend 
 the Queeiie.’’t When Elizabeth departed from Basing, she af- 
 firmed, that “ she had done that in Hampshire, that none of her 
 ancestors ever did, neither that any Prince in Christendome could 
 doe : that was, she had in her progresses in her subjects’ houses, 
 entertained a Royal Ambassador, and had royally entertained 
 him.”]: This Marquis died in l628, at Hawkwood, now Hack- 
 
 wood, the present seat of his descendants. 
 
 John, his son, the fifth Marquis of Winchester, was the brave 
 nobleman who rendered his name immortal by his gallant defence 
 of Basing House, in the cause of Charles the First, during a 
 tedious siege and blockade, or rather a succession of them, which, 
 with short intermissions, continued upwards of two years. The 
 Journal of the Siege was printed in Oxford, in l645, and is said, 
 by Granger, to be one of the most eventful pieces of history 
 durins: the Civil War. The investment commenced in August, 
 
 1643 ; 
 
 See Queen Elizabeth’s Progresses, Vol. I. p. 56. 
 t Ibid. V^ol. II. p. 5. 4 ^ 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 265 
 
 1643 ; the first material assaults were made by Sir William Waller, 
 who thrice within nine days attempted to take it by storm, but 
 was repulsed, and obliged to retreat with great loss to Farnham. 
 
 This repulse was only the prelude to a more obstinate invest- 
 ment by the Parliamentary forces of Hampshire and Sussex, who 
 were united under the command of Colonel Norton, of Southwick, 
 in this county. The summons to surrender was contemned by the 
 Marquis, who was heard to observe, that “ if the King had no 
 more ground in England than Basing House, he would maintain it 
 to the uttermost.” Occasional sallies were made by the besieged, 
 and with much success; but provisions failing, the Marquis sent 
 for succour to Oxford, where the King then held his councils. 
 The difficulty of the enterprise, as all the country between Abing- 
 don and Basing was in the possession of the Parliament, who had 
 also strong garrisons at Abingdon and Reading, rendered his first 
 solicitations ineffectual ; yet, on his sending a last express, with a 
 positive assurance that famine would compel him to surrender in 
 ten days, it was determined to attempt his relief; and the brave 
 Colonel Gage was, at his own request, intrusted with the execution 
 of this dangerous service. 
 
 On the night of September the ninth, 1644, the Colonel left 
 Oxford with a strong party of horse and foot, many of whom were 
 volunteers ; and being strengthened at Wallingford by an addi- 
 tional body of about 100 persons, marched with celerity to Alder- 
 maston, where he arrived on Tuesday evening, and rested his 
 troops from eight till eleven. Here they were discovered to be 
 Royalists from the imprudence of the Commander of a troop of 
 horse, who had been sent before to collect refreshments, and who, 
 forgetting the orange tawny scarfs and ribbands by which they had 
 disguised themselves, had betrayed their real colors by attacking, 
 and making prisoners, of some of the Parliament s horse. On the 
 next morning, between four and five, the Colonel had arrived 
 within a mile of Basing, where he halted his men; and, on the al- 
 most immediate receipt of a letter from Sir William Ogle, Gover- 
 nor of Winchester, who had engaged to make a diversion in his 
 favor, but nqw declined it from the extreme danger, held a council 
 
266 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 of his officers, in which it was determined to attack the besiegers 
 in an undivided body ; though this was contrary to the original de- 
 sign. For this purpose the troops were arranged iu battalions, and 
 inarched rapidly towards Basing House; but they had advanced 
 only a short distance, when the Parliament musqueteers com- 
 menced a smart fire from the hedges; and beyond them, on a ri- 
 sing ground, five cornets of horse were seen, drawn up in good 
 order, to receive the assault. The charge made by the Royalists 
 was, however, so furious, that they immediately gave ground, and 
 fled to a considerable and safe distance. The foot disputed the 
 attack with greater spirit; but were at length obliged to retire, 
 from hedge to hedge, and, after a hard contest of two hours, were 
 also driven from their works on that side on which the attack com- 
 menced, and a complete passage was opened with the besieged. 
 
 The Colonel having saluted the Marquis, and supplied him with 
 ammunition, immediately marched into Basmgstoke, where the 
 Parliament committees had previonsly sat, and where he found 
 considerable quantities of provision, of which he sent as much to 
 the garrison as he could obtain means of conveyance for, together 
 with forty or fifty head of cattle, and 100 sheep. At night, the 
 Colonel retired with all his force into Basing House, whence, on 
 the ensuing morning, he again dispatched his horse and foot to 
 Basingstoke, as well to procure them refreshments, as to continue 
 to supply the garrison with necessaries. In the course of the day, 
 he received intelligence that Colonel Norton was drawing his 
 forces together, with intent to fall on his rear on his return to^ Ox- 
 ford; and that the Parliament’s troops from Abingdon, Newbury, 
 aud Reading, were also assembling, to dispute his passage over the 
 river Kennet. On this he determined to commence his retreat the 
 same night; but, to deceive the enemy, drew all his troops to the 
 Basing House as before; and sent orders, which he knew must fall 
 into their hands, for the inhabitants of the neighbouring villages to 
 supply certain proportions of corn by the next day noon, on pain 
 of having their houses destroyed by fire. The scheme succeeded ; 
 and about eleven he began his march, and crossed the Kennet, 
 undiscovered, by a ford near Burghfield Bridge; tlie bridge itself 
 ^ haviuff 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 26r 
 
 having been previously broken down. The ensuing morning, Fri- 
 day, he forded the Thames near Pangbourn, and arriving at Wal- 
 lingford in safety, quartered there for the night: the next day he 
 returned to Oxford. His whole loss, in completing this gallant 
 enterprise, was only eleven killed, and between forty and fifty 
 wounded. 
 
 The blockade and siege of Basing House were immediately 
 re-commenced : in about two months the garrison was again in dis- 
 tress for provision ; and Colonel Gage, who had now received the 
 order of knighthood, was a second time chosen to afford it relief, 
 with a party of 1000 horse. Each trooper was to cany a bag of 
 corn, or other provisions; and, on reaching Basing House, was 
 to cast it down, and the retreat to be then commenced in the best 
 order possible. This enterprise was also completely successful, 
 though by a different means than had been conjectured ; for the 
 Parliament’s troops had raised the siege the day before the Colonel’s 
 arrival, and retired into winter quarters. 
 
 The final investment of Basing House appears to have been 
 undertaken by Cromwell, who took it by storm in October, lf)45, 
 and burnt it to the ground, in despite of the Aimcz Loyaulte, 
 which the Marquis had written with a diamond in every window, 
 and which has ever since been the motto of the family arms. The 
 plunder obtained on this occasion, is said to have amounted to 
 200 , 0001 , in cash, jewels, and rich furniture,* The number of 
 soldiers slain before the walls, from the first commencement of the 
 siege, is recorded to have been upwards of 2000, 
 
 It appears, from a survey made in the year 1798, that the area 
 of the works, including the garden, and entrenchments, occupied 
 about fourteen acres and a half. The form was extremely irreo-u- 
 lar; the ditches very deep, and the ramparts high and strong: 
 
 some 
 
 There is a traditionary report, that the garrison was partly sur- 
 prised, through some of the troops being engaged at cards when the as- 
 sault commenced ; and vve have been informed, that the card-players of 
 the neighbourhood have a common saying of, ‘ Clubs trumps, as when 
 Rasing House was taken' 
 
268 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 some of the remains are yet very bold and striking. The citadel 
 was circular, having an oblong square platform on the north, de- 
 fended by a rampart and covered way. The north gateway is yet 
 standing, together with parts of the outward wall, and is con- 
 structed with brick, jointed with great care and nicety. The site 
 of the ruins is particularly commanding; the canal from Basing- 
 stoke has been cut through a part of the works; and the outward 
 entrenchments have been rendered very obscure and imperfect, 
 from some late improvements in the grounds. The medium depth 
 of the fosse which surrounded the citadel, is about thirty-six feet 
 perpendicular. 
 
 The brave Marquis, whose property was thus reduced to ruin in 
 the cause of his Sovereign, lived till the Restoration, but received 
 no recompense from an ungrateful court for his immense losses. 
 During the latter part of his life, he resided at Englefield, in Berk- 
 shire, and was there buried in the parish Church : the epitaph on 
 his monument was written by the poet Dryden, and is as follows : 
 
 He, who in impious times undaunted stood, 
 
 And midst rebellion durst be just and good ; 
 
 Whose arms asserted, and whose sufferings more 
 Confirm’d the cause for which he fought before ; 
 
 Rests here ; — rewarded by an heav’nly Prince 
 For what his earthly could not recompense. 
 
 Pray, reader, that such times no more appear ; 
 
 Or if they happen, learn true honor here. 
 
 Ark of this age’s faith and loyalty, 
 
 Which to preserve them, Heav’n confin’d in thee. 
 
 Few subjects could a King like thine deserve ; 
 
 And fewer such a King so well could serve. 
 
 Blest King, blest Subject, whose exalted state 
 By sufferings rose, and gave the law to fate. 
 
 Such souls are rare ; but mighty patterns given 
 To earth, and meant for ornaments to Heav’n. 
 
 llie 
 
 The first wife of the Marquis was Jane, the very accomplished 
 daughter of Thomas, Viscount Savage : she was the mother of Charles, 
 first Duke of Bolton, but died in the delivery of her second child. An 
 epitaph to her memory was written by Milton. 
 
 “ Summers 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 269 
 
 The Marquisj who died in l674, was succeeded in his estates 
 and titles by his eldest son, Charles, of whom Granger gives the 
 following character. “ This Noblemanj when he saw that other 
 men of sense were at their wits’ end, in the arbitrary and tyranni- 
 cal reign of James, (the Second,) thought it prudent to assume the 
 character of a madman, as the first Brutus did in the reign of Tar- 
 quiui He danced, hunted, or hawked, a good part of the day; 
 went to bed before noon, and constantly sat at table all night. 
 He went to dinner at six or seven in the evening, and his meal 
 lasted till six or seven the next morning ; during which time he eat, 
 drank, smoked, talked, or listened to music. The company that 
 dined with him, were at liberty to rise, and amuse themselves, or 
 to take a nap, whenever they were so disposed; but the dishes and 
 bottles were all the while standing upon the table. Such a man 
 as this was thought a very unlikely person to concern himself with 
 politics, or with religion. By this conduct, he was neither em- 
 broiled 
 
 ¥ ii* * 
 
 Summers three times eight, save one, 
 
 She had told ; alas ! too soon. 
 
 After so short time of breath. 
 
 To house with darkness, and with death. 
 
 i# 
 
 Once had the early matrons run 
 To greet her with a lovely son ; 
 
 And now with second hope she goes. 
 
 And calls Lucina to her throes ; 
 
 But whether by mischance, or blame, 
 
 Atropos for Lucina came ; 
 
 And with remorseless cruelty, 
 
 Spoil’d at once both fruit and tree. 
 
 The hapless babe, before his birth, 
 
 Had burial, yet not laid in earth. 
 
 And the languish’d mother’s womb 
 Was not long a living tomb. 
 
 ^ if: 
 
 “ Gentle lady, may thy grave 
 Peace and quiet ever have. 
 
270 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 broiled in public affairs, nor gave the least umbrage to the court ; 
 but he exerted himself so much in the Revolution, that he was, 
 for his eminent semces, created Duke of Bolton : he afterwards 
 raised a regiment of foot for the reduction of Ireland.” He died 
 at the age of sixty-nine, February the 27th, 1698. This Noble- 
 man chiefly resided at Bolton Hall, in Yorkshire, an estate which 
 he acquired by marriage with Mary, a natural daughter of Scrope, 
 Earl of Sunderland ; the Hall was built by himself. In his time 
 also, Hacktvood, now the principal seat of Lord Bolton, Avas first 
 fitted up as a family residence. 
 
 Charles, son of the above, and second Duke of Bolton, assisted, 
 like his father, in the great work of the Revolution ; and was one 
 of the Noblemen appointed at Exeter, in November, 1688, to ma- 
 nage the revenues of the Prmce of Orange, as Sovereign of Eng- 
 land, Besides receiving various honorable appointments in the in- 
 termediate years, he was constituted one of the Lords Justices of 
 Ireland in 1697. In 1706, he was appointed a Commissioner to 
 settle the terms of the Union between England and Scotland. In 
 1714, he was chosen a Knight of the Garter ; and three years after- 
 wards was declared Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He died in Ja- 
 nuary, 1721-2, in his sixty-second year. By his first marriage 
 with Frances, daughter of William Ramsden, Esq. of Byrom, in 
 Yorkshire, he had two sons, Charles, and Harry, who were suc- 
 cessively Dukes of Bolton. 
 
 Charles, the eldest, and third Duke, was installed a Knight of 
 the Garter, in November, 1722; and, like his father, was appoint- 
 ed to several high offices in the state. This Nobleman was twice 
 married : on the death of his first wife, from whom he had long 
 been separated, he wedded the celebrated Lavinia Beswick, or 
 Fenton, more known by the name of Polly Peachem, from her ce- 
 lebrity in the performance of that character in the Beggar’s Opera. 
 It is uncertain, observes a modern author,* “ whether the opera 
 itself, or Polly Peachem, had the greater share of popularity. 
 Her lovers, of course, were very numerous; she decid'^d in favor 
 
 of 
 
 * Lysons’s Environs of London, Yol. III. p. 482. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 271 
 
 of the Duke of Bolton, who, to the great loss of the public, took 
 her from the stage, to which she never returned." She survived 
 the Duke six years, and died Duchess Dowager of Bolton, in Ja- 
 nuary, 1760.* 
 
 Harry, the fourth Duke, succeeded his brother in his honors 
 and estates, in August, 1754, having previously represented the 
 county of Southampton in five successive parliaments. He died 
 in October, 1759, and, like his grandfather, left hvo sons, both of 
 whom succeeded to the Dukedom. Charles, the fifth Duke, car- 
 ried the Queehs crown, at the coronation of their present Majes- 
 ties. He died, unmarried, in July, 1765, in his forty-seventh year. 
 Henry, his brother, and last Duke of Bolton, died at the age of 
 seventy-four, in the year 1794. The Basing and Hackwood estates 
 became the property of the present Lord Bolton in right of his 
 wife, the daughter of Charles, fifth Duke of Bolton, agreeably to 
 the entail created by the latter. 
 
 Basing Church is a large, ancient, and curious structure, stand- 
 ing at a short distance from the site of Basing House, and consist- 
 ing of three aisles, with a tower rising from the centre ; in a niche, 
 at the west end, is a figure of the Virgin Mary: the roof is sup^ 
 ported by round arches, springing from massive columns. This 
 edifice, as appears from a Latin inscription in the north aisle, was 
 repaired in the year 1519, by Sir John Paulet, Knt. father of the 
 first Marquis of Winchester, whose arms appear on various parts 
 of the building. The above Sir John Paulet, with his father, 
 John Paulet, Esq. and their respective wives, lie buried beneath 
 two open-arched tombs, one on each side the chancel. Beneath 
 the south aisle is the family vault of the Paulets, m which all the 
 
 six 
 
 The rapid increase in the salaries of actors, can hardly be better 
 illustrated, than by a reference to the wages of this Lady. When her 
 performance of Polly Peachem had obtained the unqualified approba- 
 tion of the town, the Manager, Rich, increased her salary irom fifteen 
 to thirty shillings per week, that he might secure her continuance at 
 his theatre. We now read of a boy of thirteen, being secured in the 
 receipt of 6000 guineas for performing fifty-one nights : what an asto- 
 nishing difference ! 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 272 
 
 six Dukes of Bolton, with many of their noble relations, are depo- 
 sited. Various banners, with impalements of the arms of the dif- 
 ferent families allied to the Paulets, remain hanging in the aisle, 
 fragments of others that are nearly destroyed. A mural mo- 
 nument has also been erected in this Church, to the memory of 
 Francis Russel, Esq. a native of Basingstoke, and Fellow of the 
 Royal and Antiquarian Societies, who assisted Mr. Nichols in his 
 History of Leicestershire: he died at the age of fifty-five, in Sef>- 
 tember, 1795. 
 
 About two miles south-west from Old Basing, is HACKWOOD 
 PARK, the seat and property of Thomas Orde Poulett, Baron 
 Bolton, in right of his lady, as before observed. The Park is very 
 extensive: the surface is boldly irregular, and partakes of the 
 beautiful character of the neighbouring chalk downs. The sce- 
 nery is picturesque ; and the views are diversified by large groves 
 of fine oak, ash, and beech trees, interspersed with thorns of ex- 
 traordinary size and luxuriance. The soil is peculiarly congenial 
 to sthe beech trees, which rise to an immense height, with boles 
 of uncommon girth, and large and spreading branches, these trees, 
 covering large tracts, both in the park, and on a contiguous farm, 
 assume, when seen at a distance, the appearance of an extensive forest. 
 
 The House is situated towards the western boundary of the 
 park, and encompassed by about 100 acres of pleasure grounds, 
 disposed into lawn, terrace, shrubbery, and a noble wood, bearing 
 the name of Spring Wood, in which are many of the finest trees 
 of the whole demesne. Over these the mantling ivy has been su^ 
 fered to grow; and, by its rising to the highest branches, and 
 thence hanging in rich and loose chains of thick foliage, it produces 
 a very singular effect of beauty; and even in winter, it greatly 
 tends to enliven and animate the gloom of the season. Various 
 alterations, on a liberal and extended scale, have been made in the 
 pleasure grounds, l)y Lord Bolton, particularly on the south, which 
 had beeir originally arranged in the old style, by terraces, flights of 
 steps, with pedestals and statues, leading to a great reservoir of 
 water, and terminated by angular ramparts, bastions, &c. the views 
 from the house were also intercepted by high yew-tree hedges, 
 
 skirting 
 
HAMPSIilRI''. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 273 
 
 lilting long and formal avenues. By the late improvements, Na- 
 ture has regained her rights ; the avenues have been broken into 
 walks and glades, and several distant views admitted. At the 
 soutliem extremity of the reservoir, upon a very elevated pedestal, 
 still stands an equestrian statue of George the First, but intended 
 to be removed to a spot opposite the centre of the north front: 
 this statue was a gift of the King to the Duke of Bolton, who had 
 been honored with his Majesty’s notice and correspondence before 
 he succeeded to the Crown. 
 
 In the wood near the house are two ornamental buildings, used 
 in the summer for purposes of recreation. One of these is m a 
 part, called, and formerly used as, a menagerie for aquatic birds; 
 and there is still within its circuit a considerable sheet of fine water. 
 This building has a very handsome front of the Doric order, with 
 an open colonnade in the centre, and a small, neat apartment, on 
 each side ; the whole assuming the appearance of a vestibule. The 
 Other building is situated in a part called the French Garden ; and 
 the grounds immediately surrounding it, were, uideed, formerly 
 twisted into shapes, which fully entitled it to that appellation. It 
 consists of four equal fronts, with a central dome, having some- 
 what of the heavy character that marked the general style of its 
 architect. Sir John Vanbrugh. The apartment within is spacious, 
 and is handsomely stuccoed, and paved with marble. This is said 
 to have been used as a music room, during the time of the third 
 Duke, and was then devoted to the vocal exercise of the cele- 
 brated Polly Peachem. The wild umbrageous vistas opening 
 from three of tlie fronts, and decorated with flowering shrubsi, 
 and double blossoming fruit trees, are striking and beautiful. 
 
 The lower parts of the wood are in a state of wild and luxuriant 
 nature, with coppice plants and shrubs, sheltered beneath great 
 and lofty timber trees. In the midst of this wilderness, is a space 
 containing above four acres, assuming the form of a vast ancient 
 tlieatre, the boundary of which is composed of elms closely planted, 
 and rather inclining inward, so as to project their lofty heads, 
 and extended branches, over the sides and ends of the area: the 
 stage is a flat lawn, at the lower end, from which seats of turf gra- 
 
 VoL. VI. April, 1805. S dually 
 
HAMPSttlRE. 
 
 dually rise in sweeping divisions, leaving one grand broad passage 
 in the middle, from the bottom to the top, which terminates m a 
 large circular recess, having in the midst the ruins of a circular 
 Grecian temple, which, from the remains, appears to have been 
 constructed with great elegance. The most striking view of this 
 theatre is obtained from the entry tlirough the thicket at the bot- 
 tom of the stage. 
 
 The whole of these pleasure-grounds, with the adjoining parts 
 of the park, are thought to have formerly composed one large 
 wood; and it appears to have been connected with Basing House 
 and Castle, by long avenues of chesnuts, some of which still exist ; 
 and long stems, of considerable height, have growri up from 
 the undecayed parts of others. It was then appropriated to the 
 lavorite diversion of hawking ; and the name which it seems origi- 
 nally to have borne, was Haivking Wood; though now, by a cor- 
 rupt abbreviation, rendered Hackwood. The Park is animated 
 by between 500 and 600 head of deer: the only part, indeed, 
 in which it seems deficient, is in the want of a continued ex- 
 panse of w ater, though several reservoirs, and small sheets, exist in 
 different parts. Even this, however, is intended to be remedied, 
 by the introduction of a stream from some very abundant springs, 
 which rise about half a mile distant on the north, and form the 
 chief sources of the river Loddon. 
 
 The Mansion was originally a Lodge, built in Queen Elizabeth’s 
 time, and used as a place of meeting for the company assembled 
 for the purpose of haw king, and as a Banquetting Room after the 
 sport was over: the Lodge now forms the central part of the 
 building. After the demolition of the principal seat at Old Basing, 
 some habitable substitute seems to have been formed out of the 
 ruins of the lower house; and here John, Marquis of Winchester, 
 and his son, afterwards first Duke of Bolton, occasionally resided. 
 Hackw'ood appears to have been completed about the year l688, 
 as the great exterior pipes from the roof, the cisterns, cheeks and 
 backs of grates, &c. bear that date. The general form of the house, 
 as then altered, was a large central building, connected with two 
 considerable wings by open corridors. Various alter?! ons have 
 
 since 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 275 
 
 since been made; and in the time of the last Charles, Duke of 
 Bolton, the great Hall, which, in its original state, was open from 
 the ground-floor to the roof, had a new floor introduced at the 
 height of twenty feet : the space below it was, at the same period, 
 adapted to the reception of some very fine old wainscot, that was 
 brought from Abbotstone,* near Alresford, and had been enriched 
 by a great deal of most excellent carving by Gibbons. Various 
 other improvements were also then made; the corridors were 
 closed in ; and some good offices were erected, together with the 
 stables, and a spacious riding-house. Notwithstanding these alter- 
 ations, the mansion was found in many respects inconvenient, when 
 it came into the possession of Lord Bolton, who has, in conse- 
 quence, commenced the execution of a plan for essentially impro- 
 ving the accommodations; and which, among other objects, em- 
 braces the erection of a new front on the north, about twenty-four 
 feet from the present, and to be coimected with the old wings by 
 a sweep of more grace and utility. By this means, an excellent 
 entrance Hall will be formed, forty feet, by twenty-four; several 
 of the old apartments will be enlarged, and various new ones 
 added, so as to render the whole a handsome and complete family 
 residence. Among the numerous portraits in this mansion are 
 these: a Head of the first Marquis of Winchester, on pan- 
 nel, in the style of Holbein. 
 
 A full-length of the Marchioness of Winchester, second 
 wife to John, the fifth Marquis. This lady was distinguished for 
 courage and prudence, like the celebrated Blanche, Lady Arundel. 
 She valiantly aided in the defence of Basing Castle ; and also wrote 
 a journal of the proceedings relating to the siege: the Castle was 
 taken during her absence. 
 
 A full-length of John Paulet, fifth Marquis of Winchester. 
 A small oval portrait has been engraved of this Nobleman, by 
 Hollar, who also engraved a small view of Basing House, which is 
 
 S 2 extremely 
 
 ^ Abbotstone was a vast pile of building, that had been inhabited by 
 the first Duke of Bolton : it was pulled down by the above Charles, the 
 fifth Duke. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 extremely rare. Mr. Gilpin states, that Hollar made his escape 
 from Basing when it was taken by Cromwell. 
 
 Full-length portraits of King William in his robes of state; 
 and of George the First. These pictures were given by the 
 respective IMonarchs to the first Duke of Bolton. 
 
 A three-quarter portrait of the third Duke of Bolton, who 
 married Miss Fenton. 
 
 About one mile north-west from Odiham, at North Warn- 
 borough, are the remains of ODIHAM CASTLE, the origin of 
 which is anterior to the reign of King John, when it belonged to 
 the See of Winchester, and became celebrated for its resistance 
 against the army of Lewis, the Dauphin of France. Though only 
 garrisoned by three officers and ten private soldiers, it sustained a 
 siege of fifteen days, and was then only surrendered by its brave 
 defenders, on condition of retaining their freedom, their horses, 
 and their arms.* In the hventy-seventh of Edward the First, anno 
 1299 , it was granted, together with the Town, Park, and Hundred 
 of Odiham, to Queen Margaret, as part of her dower; but be- 
 coming again vested in the Crown, was afterwards several times 
 re-granted to different persons ; and at length finally bestowed, in 
 the fifteenth of James the First, on Edward Lord Zouche, and his 
 heirs for ever, together with the “ Hundred, Lordship, and Manor 
 of Odyham,” and all their appurtenances. The extensive property 
 of Lord Zouche in this neighbourhood, was purchased, about sixty 
 years ago, out of the Court of Chancery, into which it had been 
 thrown on the demise of the last representative of the Zouche fu- 
 nnily, by the late Sir Paulet St. Jolm, grandfather to Sir H. P. 
 St. John Mildmay, the present owner. 
 
 The original extent and form of the Castle cannot now be ascer- 
 tained; the fragments that remain, are those of the Keep, which 
 w'as an octagonal building : some of the ditches may yet be traced. 
 Here David Bruce, King of Scotland, who was made prisoner at 
 the battle of Neville's Cross, near Durham, f was confined for ele- 
 ven years; and only obtained his release, by paying 100,000 
 marks, and giving hostages for his future conduct. 
 
 ODIHAM 
 
 Matthew Paris. i.. I* P* 228; and Vol. V. p. 198. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 277 
 
 ODIHAM 
 
 Is a small corporate and market-town, and was formerly a free 
 borough, belonging to the Bishops of Winchester. The parish is 
 very extensive, and includes some of the best arable land in this 
 quarter of the county. In one part of it hops are cultivated with 
 great success : the lands have been inclosed under an act passed in 
 the year 1791- The number of houses in Odiham, was returned 
 under the late act, at ISS; that of inhabitants, at 1058. At the 
 courts-leet, which are held here, the Constables, and other officers, 
 are chosen for many of the adjoining villages. At Odiham was 
 formerly a Royal Palace, and park : the only part that remains has 
 been converted into the residence of a farmer, and still retains the 
 name of Palace, or Place Gate. The Church is a large ancient 
 structure, built with brick ; and near it is an old Alms-house. A 
 little west of the Church is an immense chalk pit. 
 
 Odiham was the birlh-place of the celebrated grammarian 
 William Lilly, who was born about the year 14bb. He be- 
 came a student at Magdalen College, Oxford, which he quitted 
 when he had attained the degree of B. A. and went to Jerusalem ; 
 and, on his return, studied the Greek language at the Isle of 
 Rhodes. He afterwards travelled to Rome, to perfect himself in 
 the knowledge of the Latin and Greek languages, under the learn- 
 ed men, Sulpitius, and Pomponius Sabuius. In 1509, he returned 
 to England ; and having fixed on the Metropolis as his place of 
 residence, taught grammar, poetry, and rhetoric, with so much 
 success, that in 1510, he was appointed first master of St. Paul’s 
 School, by its founder. Dean Colet : in this situation he became the 
 instructor of several of the greatest men that this country has pro- 
 duced. He was intimate with the most erudite men of his time; 
 and obtained the particular eulogiums of Erasmus, for his skill in 
 languages, and grammatical science. He died ot the plague in 
 the year 1522. He published several valuable works in the Latin 
 tongue; but his Latin Grammar was the most successful, and has 
 descended even to our own times. 
 
 S3 
 
 Beftveen 
 
278 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 Between one and two miles south-east from Odiham is DOG- 
 MERSFIELD PARK, tlie seat and property of Sir Henry Paulet 
 St. John Mildmay, Bart. Member of Parliament for Winchester. 
 This gentleman is paternally descended from the Ports, Lords of 
 Basing, and maternally from William de St. John, a Norman 
 Chieftain, who accompanied the Conqueror to England, and 
 ■whose name occurs in the roll of Battle Abbey. John, his second 
 son, who, on the death of his brother, inherited his father’s lands, 
 was one of the twelve Knights that accompanied Robert Fitz- 
 Hamon, in his expedition against the Welsh, and was rewarded 
 for his services with the Castle of Falmont, or Faumont, m Gla- 
 morganshire. His grand-daughter, Mabil, married Adam de Port, 
 Lord of Basing; and their son, William, assumed the name of St. 
 John, writing himself Williehnus de Sancto Johanne Filius 8f Hares 
 Ada de Port. Oliver St. John, fifteenth in descent from this Wil- 
 liam, on his decease, left an only daughter, named Frances, mar- 
 ried to her first cousin, Ellis Mewe, Esq. who assumed the name 
 of St. John, in consequence of succeeding to that part of the fa- 
 mily possessions that were situated at Farley St. John, in Hamp- 
 shire. On the death of Frances, he married secondly, Martha, 
 daughter of John Goodyer, in whose right he became possessed 
 of the estate and residence at Dogmersfield. His great grand-son, 
 married to Jane, daughter and co-heiress of Carew Mildmay, of 
 Shawford House, in this county, is the present owner: he assumed 
 the name of Mildmay in 1790> on succeeding to the estates of the 
 late Carew Henry Mildmay, Esq. of Haslegrove, in Somersetshire. 
 
 The mansion at Dogmersfield is a veiy extensive building, stand- 
 ing oh an eminence, in a Park containing about 700 acres, and, 
 independent of the home prospects, commanding on the south 
 and east, some distant views of the open country. It has two 
 fronts, and contains several spacious and elegant apartments, de- 
 corated with some good paintings of the Italian, Venetian, and 
 Flemish schools. In the Library is a very valuable collection of 
 books, amounting to upwards of 5000 volumes, among which are 
 a choice selection of Topographical works. From the pictures, tlie 
 following may be selected as the most eminent. 
 
 Twehe 
 
©©CTERSFIEILD PARK, 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 279 
 
 Twelve Views of Venice, and its Neighbourhood; Cannaletti. 
 
 Rembrandt’s Mistress, and an Old IMan’s Head; Rembrandt. 
 
 Landscape, small, yet highly finished ; Claude Lorraine. 
 
 Bacchanalians ; Titian. 
 
 Cattle and Figures ; Cuyp. 
 
 Light Landscape and Figures; Bcrghaui, 
 
 Landscape and Figures ; Both. 
 
 Bacdianalians ; N. Poussin. 
 
 Belshazzar’s Feast; Old Franks, 
 
 Landscape and Figures; A. Van de ^’^elde, 
 
 Sea Piece with Figures; W. Van de Velde. 
 
 James the First, full length ; Rubens, 
 
 Prince Rupert; Sir Peter Lely. 
 
 ViLLiERS, Duke of Buckingham ; C. Jansen. 
 
 D. Teniers, and Tenier’s Wife and Child ; Teniers. 
 
 Lady Mildmay and Child, and Mr. P. Mildmay; Hopner; 
 exhibited 1803. 
 
 Head of Rubens; a copy by Van Dyck, 
 
 Erasmus; Holbein. 
 
 Landscape and Figures; Pynaker. 
 
 Inside of a Church ; P. Neefs. 
 
 Two Views on the Thames ; Scott. 
 
 The Park includes a great diversity of ground, and is very beau^ 
 tifully wooded, the present possessor having embellished it with 
 several plantations, in addition to its woods of ancient growth. 
 The Shrubbery and Pleasure Grounds were laid out by Ernes. 
 Near the house is a lake of about forty-four acres. Immediately 
 adjoining the Park, lies an extensive Common, covered with oak 
 trees and hollies, and in many parts bearing a striltiug resemblance 
 to the New Forest. In the new plantations, made by Sir H. Mild- 
 may, very considerable attention has been given to the cultivation 
 of ash timber, and with so much success, that the rapid growth of 
 it in some places is scarcely credible.* The ash plants, when put 
 
 S 4f into 
 
 la one of the plantations, a spot of ground, about an acre in ex- 
 tent, the soil consisting of a moist loamy sand, was planted, six years 
 
 ago. 
 
280 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 into the ground, are of three years growth from the seed : tlie land, 
 so planted, is then allotted in proportions of about half an acre, 
 to different poor families in the neighbourhood, who are suffered 
 for three years to cultivate potatoes among them at certain dis- 
 tances; at the expiration of which time, the ash plants are generally 
 risen to the height of six or nine feet. A certain number of the 
 most promising are then left for timber, and the remainder cut 
 down for stools, which, from tire contiguity of the hop plantations, 
 become extremely profitable. 
 
 The Archbishops of Canterbury had a Palace at Dogmersfield 
 as early as the twelfth century; and here Jocelyn Fitz-Jocelyn, who 
 was translated from the See of Bath and Wells in 11£I0, died in 
 the following year : some extensive foundations, supposed to belong 
 to this building, were lately discovered at no great distance from 
 the present mansion. 
 
 In the parish of HAPtTLEY WINTNEY, was a Cistercian* 
 Nunnery, reputed to have been founded in the time of the Con- 
 queror. It contained a Prioress, and seventeen Nuns, about tlie 
 period of the Dissolution, in the time of Heni-y the Eighth, when 
 its possessions were valued, according to Dugdale, at 431. 3s. Od. 
 per annum; but according to Speed, at 591. Is. Od. 
 
 BRAMSHILL, the principal mansion in the parish of Eversley, 
 is situated on a bold eminence, in a spacious Park, and forms one 
 of the most commanding features of this county. It was the resi- 
 dence of the last Lord Zouche, and is reported to have been built 
 by him as a palace for Prince Hemy, son of James the First; 
 but whether from tire untimely death of that Prince, or some other 
 cause, it was never completed to the extent proposed. The centre 
 part only was finished : had the whole been executed according to 
 the original design, it would have been one of the most splendid 
 
 and 
 
 ap-o, with ash, &c. taken from a nursery; and about two feet high. 
 Many of them are now from eighteen to twenty feet high; and one of 
 the most flourishing already measures twelve inches in circumference at 
 the base. 
 
 Tanner. Dugdale calls it a Benedictine Nunnery. 
 
BIRAMSHILIL M '()) If S JE . 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 281 
 
 and striking edifices in the kingdom : the present proprietor and in- 
 habitant, is the Rev. Sir Richard Cope, B. D, 
 
 ELVETHAM, about one mile to the south of the well-known 
 inn at Hartford Bridge, was formerly a place of considerable ex- 
 tent and magnificence, and celebrated from a splendid entertain- 
 ment given here by the Earl of Hertford to Queen Elizabetli, in 
 the year 1591. The entertaiiunents were continued through the 
 space of four days ; and, in addition to the delights of the table, 
 consisted of a splendid display of pageantiy, intermixed with dis- 
 charges of artillery and fire-works, and enlivened by music, dan- 
 cing, and singing ; with occasional orations spoken by tlie characters 
 in the pageants. The fulsome adulation paid to the doting Queen, 
 may be exemplified by one of the ditties sung on this occasion, by 
 tlie sea nymphs, and which may be regarded as a fair specimen of 
 tlie poetry of that age. 
 
 The Sea Nymphes Dittie. 
 
 How haps that now, when prime is don. 
 
 Another spring-time is begun ? — 
 
 Our hemisphere is overrunne 
 
 With beauty of a second Sunne ! 
 
 Eccho. A second Sunne. 
 
 W'hat second Sunne hath raies so bright. 
 
 To cause this unacquainted light ? — 
 
 'Tis fair Eliza’s matchlesse grace. 
 
 Who with her beames doth blesse the place. 
 
 Eccho. Doth blesse the place. 
 
 The beauty and virtues of the maiden Sovereign, were the grand 
 themes that larded the daily festivities ; and, on the departure of 
 the Queen, the sum of her perfections were thus emblazoned in a 
 two-part song : 
 
 O come againe, fair Nature’s treasure ! 
 
 Whose lookes yeeld joyes exceeding measure. 
 
 O come againe, Heav’n’s chiefs delight ! 
 
 Thine absence makes etcrnall night. 
 
 O come 
 
282 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 O come againe, World’s star-bright eye ? 
 
 Whose presence doth adorne the sky. 
 
 O come againe, sweet Beauties Sunne ! 
 
 When thou are gone, our joyes are done. 
 
 The Queen was so highly satisfied with her entertainment, that 
 she promised the Earl her especial favor; and, indeed, every thing 
 that pomp could devise, and money procure, had been obtained to 
 gratify her. Various buildings, for the accommodation of her re- 
 tinue, had been raised in the Park, as well as artificial mounts for 
 the better display of the “ sports and pastimes." Nymphs and 
 tritons, sylvan gods and goddesses, Neptune and Oceanus, the 
 Hours and the Graces, were alike employed to thread the mazes 
 of the dance, and strew the way of the virgin Queen with flowers.* 
 
 William, Marquis and Earl of Hertford, grand-son of the No- 
 bleman who thus entertained Elizabeth, sold Elvetham to Robert 
 Reynolds, Esq. whose daughter and heiress, Priscilla, manied Rey- 
 nolds Calthorpe, Esq. from whom the present owner, Henry Gough 
 Calthorpe, Baron Calthorpe, is maternally descended. The Man- 
 sion, which had been considerably reduced by the late Sir Henry 
 Gough, and greatly dilapidated from neglect, has been lately re- 
 paired, and rendered an eligible residence : it is now inhabited by 
 Lieut. Gen. Gwynne. The Park and grounds, which include an 
 area of about hvo miles in circumference, were much improved by 
 Mr. Ernes, the landscape gardener, who had a lease of this estate 
 for twenty-one years : several of his alterations have been since ob- 
 literated. 
 
 EWSHOT, in the parish of Crundel, is the seat of Henry Max- 
 well, Esq. but was formerly the principal residence of the Giffords^ 
 one of tlie most ancient and eminent families in Hampshire, some 
 
 of 
 
 * A particular description of these festivities was printed in the same 
 year they took place, under the title of “ The Honorable Enter- 
 tainment, given to the Quene’s Majestie, in Progress, at El- 
 vetham, in Hampshire, by the Right Honorable the Earle of 
 Hertford.” This has been re-printed by Nichols in his Queen 
 Elizabeth’s Progresses. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 283 
 
 of whom were SherilFs of the county in different reigns, from that 
 of Heni-y the Sixth, to that of Elizabeth. It was afterwards a seat 
 of the Bathursts, w ho possessed it for several generations. The 
 Mansion is spacious, and the grounds diversified and beautiful: 
 they w'ere laid out by the celebrated Brown. The country in the 
 vicinity is finely varied, arid w^ell-wooded. 
 
 ALTON 
 
 Is a respectable market-town, pleasantly situated on the banks 
 of the Wey. Here Sir William Waller, in December, ld43, ob- 
 tained some advantage over the forces of Lord Hopton, who had 
 taken post in the town: the regiment commanded by Colonel 
 Bowles retreated to the Church ; but not having time to barricade 
 the doors, threw down their arms, and surrendered ; but the Colo- 
 nel himself refusing quarter, was slain on the spot. The Church is 
 a small, but neat building. The number of houses, as ascertained 
 in 1801, was 388; that of inhabitants, 202d: some of the latter 
 derive employment from the manufacture of corded stuffs, serges, 
 &c. In this vicinity are several excellent hop plantations. 
 
 Alton has given birth to William de Alton, a Dominican 
 Friar, who lived in the time of Edward the Second, and wrote on 
 the Universality of the Pollution of Mankind by Original Sin ; to 
 John Pitts, the famous Biographer; and to the late celebrated Bo- 
 tanist, William Curtis. 
 
 John Pitts was bom in the year 1560, and received his edu- 
 cation at Wyckham’s College, Winchester, Having embraced the 
 Catholic religion, he afterwards left England as an exile, and w^ent 
 to Douay: he then taught rhetoric, and the Greek language at 
 Rheiras, and was made Canon of Verdun by the Cardinal de Lor- 
 raine: he died in tlie year l6l6. He was author of the work, De 
 Illustribus Anglice Scriptoribus, printed in 1619, and containing an 
 account of the most famous writers of this Island from the year of 
 the wwld 2879, to A. D. l6l2. 
 
 William Curtis, the Botanist, was the son of a respectable 
 quaker and apothecary, who instructed him in his own profession, 
 2 and 
 
284. 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 and also in the elements of botany, by the assistance of the writings 
 of Gerard, and Parkinson. In his twentieth year, he left his native 
 place for the Metropolis, where one of his first pursuits, indepen- 
 dent of medicine, was the study of medals; but the great expense 
 of forming a collection, occasioned him to return with more ardor 
 to natural history, and he very quickly distinguished himself in the 
 science of entomology. This study induced him, by a natural 
 transition, to a more attentive investigation of the plants from 
 \yhich insects derive their support, and, like the immortal Linneeus, 
 he obtained an intimate knowledge of their characters and habi- 
 tudes ; though his progress was impeded by the pressure of various 
 difficulties. As his acquaintance with botanical science increased, 
 his original profession became irksome, and he at length quitted it 
 altogether, though not till zifter he had commenced his great work, 
 the Flora Londinensis. He then fonned a botanical garden near 
 the Magdalen Hospital, that he might the more readily trace the 
 progress of vegetation, and minutely investigate its varied products, 
 as well as to enable him to impress his lessons more forcibly on the 
 minds of his pupils. The great expenses which attended the pub- 
 lishing of the Flora Londinensis, led him to project the Botanical 
 Magazine, which, though less scientific than the former, became 
 more profitable, and enabled him both to surmount pecuniary 
 difficulties, and to form a more extensive establishment at Bromp- 
 ton. Here, as before, his plants were systematically arranged; 
 and his gardens were opened for the advantage of the scientific, at 
 a small annual subscription. He died in July, 1799» aged about 
 fifty-three years ; having for upwards of a twelvemonth previously 
 complained of a great difficulty in breathing, and other internal 
 pains, which gradually exhausted the powers of life.* 
 
 Between three and four miles south-west from Basingstoke, is 
 the Manor and Park of KEMPSHOT, the ancient seat of the Pink 
 family, of whom Robert Pink, who attained celebrity for his 
 acquaintance with philosophy and divinity, was born here in the 
 
 reign 
 
 ^ This biographical sketch is condensed from a more extended memoir 
 in the Gentleman’s ^4agazine for July, 1799. 
 
I H S d W.V 
 
Gent, Mag. June ISU.TIM. p. 521 . 
 
 J^E'Vr AILSE5ECT15, niArTTS,^.!^, 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 285 
 
 reign of Queen Elizabetli. He afterwards became Warden of New 
 College, Oxford, of which he had been admitted perpetual Fellow 
 in 159b; and on his death, in l 6 ^ 7 , was buried there in the outer 
 Chapel. The last of his family sold Kempshot about forty years 
 ago, and it has since passed through various hands to J. C. Cooke, 
 Esq. the House is a large and handsome brick building. 
 
 POPHAM was the ancient seat of, and gave name to, the fa- 
 mily of Popham, who afterwards extended themselves into Somer- 
 setshire and Wiltshire, and some of whom were Sheriffs of this 
 county in the reigns of Edward the Third, Richard the Second, 
 and Henry the Sixth ; the principal branch of this family became 
 extinct in the time of the latter. 
 
 STRATTON PARK, an estate formerly belonging to the Dukes of 
 Bedford, was a favorite hunting residence of the late lamented Maiv 
 quis of Tavistock, who is said to have had a large part of the an- 
 cient mansion here pulled down, lest his successors should prefer it 
 to Woburn. It now belongs to Sir Francis Baring, Bart, who is 
 making considerable improvements in the house and grounds. 
 
 GRANGE PARK, near Northington, was the seat of the Hen- 
 leys for nearly a century and a half, and till their extinction on the 
 death of the late Earl of Northington j after which, the estate was 
 sold by his sisters and co-heiresses, to Hemy Drummond, Esq. a 
 celebrated Banker. The House was built by Sir Robert Henley, 
 Master of the King’s Bench Office, from the designs of Inigo Jones; 
 and Horace Walpole pronounces it one of his best works. Its si- 
 tuation is low; the grounds are varied and beautiful. The Henleys 
 had great interest in this county : Anthony Henley, who married a 
 daughter of Janies, second Earl Berkeley, was a wit of considerable 
 fashionable celebrity : Robert, his brother, who succeeded him, was 
 bred to the bar, and appointed Lord Keeper in 1757 : in 1760, he 
 was created a Peer by the title of Baron Grange ; and four years 
 afterwards, he was made Earl of Northington. Robert, his son, 
 the second and last Earl, died unmarried,- in 178b. 
 
 ALRESFORD, 
 
 Or New Alresford, as it is sometimes called, to distinguish 
 it from a village of the same name, a short distance to the north, 
 
 1 
 
 was 
 
286 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 was given, by King Kenewalch, to the Church at Winchester: it 
 appears to have been a market and borongli-town from time im- 
 memorial; and is recorded to have once returned a single repre- 
 sentative to Parliament. Bishop Lucy, about the year 1220, re- 
 established the market, which had decayed. On May-day, 169O, 
 most of the town was destroyed by fire, which broke out in several 
 parts at once. In 17IO, it was again burnt down; and has since 
 been a third time destroyed in a similar way. The houses,, as re- 
 turned under the late act, amounted to I96 ; the number of inha- 
 bitants to 1132 1 the market is principally held for the sale of com 
 and sheep. The management of the police is vested in a Bailiff, 
 and eight Burgesses. 
 
 Alresford Pond, to the south-west of the town, is a noble piece 
 of water, covering about 200 acres, and forming a head to the 
 Itchin river. This source of supply owes its origin to Bishop de 
 Lucy, who completed it under a charter from King John, and, by 
 means of locks and aqueducts, rendered the river navigable from 
 Alresford to Winchester, and thence to Southampton Water. The 
 head of the pond is formed by an immense mole or causeway, near- 
 ly 500 yards in length, and formerly serving as part of the main 
 road to London, but disused since the year 1753, when the new 
 road was made through Bishop’s Sutton. In recompense for this 
 vast and expensive work, De Lucy obtained for himself, and his 
 successors, the entire Royalty of the river from this reservoir to 
 the Sea, besides other privileges. Several boats are kept on this 
 lake by the proprietors of the neighbouring estates; and the breed 
 of swans, and other water fowl, being encouraged on it, its sur- 
 face frequently assunifes a very cheerful and animated appearance. 
 At OLD ALRESFORD the late Lord Rodney built a handsome 
 mansion, which now belongs to his son Colonel Rodney. 
 
 TICHBORNE, about three miles south from Alresford, is the 
 property and seat of Sir Henry Tichbome,* Bart, a descendant 
 from one of the oldest families in the kingdom, and which was 
 
 seated 
 
 ** This name is contracted from De Itchin-Bourne, alluding to the 
 situation of the manor on the chief spring of the Itchin River. 
 
TTCHBORNE CHURCH, l£ ANTS, S. E. 
 
 1 V. Hamper, del . Ore. 5.28 OJ, 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 287 
 
 jseated here previous to the Conquest. Sir Roger de Tichebume, 
 who possessed this Lordship in the reign of Henry the Second, 
 was a bold and daring knight, and several of his descendants have 
 been eminent for similar qualities. Sir Benjamin Tichbome, 
 who lived in the rdgns of Elizabeth and James the First, has been 
 already noticed for his spirited conduct in proclaiming the latter, 
 King of England.* R,ichard, liis eldest son, and successor, was 
 sent by Charles the First, on an embassy to the Queen of Bohemia. 
 On his death, Henry, his youngest and only surviving son, suc- 
 ceeded to the estates and title ; but was sufficiently unfortunate to 
 be implicated in the sham plot of the infamous Titus Oates, and 
 was committed to the Tower, where he continued a prisoner for 
 some years. In lb85, about a year after, he obtained his enlarge- 
 ment; and was made Lieutenant of the Ordnance. Since this pe- 
 riod, the family have not been employed in state affairs, on account 
 of their adherence to the Catholic Reiigion.f The ancient family 
 mansion, called Tichborne House, has been just pulled down; 
 it was a very venerable building, and of great age; the new house 
 is a handsome edifice. 
 
 At the village of COLMERE, was bom, in the year l602, John 
 Graves, tlie renowned Astronomical and Mathematical Professor. 
 His father was Rector of the parish ; and had four sons, all of 
 whom became eminent from their talents and leaming.J John, 
 the eldest, the subject of the present sketch, was equally, with 
 his brethren, indebted to his reverend parent for the early instruc- 
 tions by which he acquired a taste for knowledge, both scientific 
 and classical. At the age of fifteen, he was entered of Baliol Col- 
 
 ^ lege, 
 
 * See under Winchester, p. 45. 
 
 f The present Sir Henry Tichborne has been detained a prisoner in 
 France from the commencement of the present war. 
 
 J Of these, Nicholas, the Elder, was Proctor of Oxford University 
 in 1640, and afterwards Dean of Dromore in Ireland; Thomas, the 
 second, was Canon of Peterborough; and Edward, the youngest, 
 was Physician m Ordinary to Charles the Second, who created him a 
 Baronet. 
 
288 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 lege, Oxford; but afterwards removed to Merton College, for the 
 greater advantage of his mathematical and philosophical pursuits. 
 Here, following the estimable practice recommended by the im- 
 mortal Verulam, he sought the arcana of Nature through the me- 
 dium of experiment, and obtained so much reputation, that in 
 l628 he was admitted perpetual Fellow of his College, and ob- 
 tained the degree of Master of Arts. To increase his knowledge 
 of the mathematics he studied the Oriental Languages, and at 
 length determined to explore the fountains of science in the coun- 
 tries from which they sprung ; and receiving pecuniary assistance 
 from Archbishop Laud, he quitted his native land for Egypt in the 
 year 1637. Visiting Rome in his progress, he became acquainted 
 with the venerable Kircher. He afterwards proceeded to Padua 
 and Venice; and again embarking at Leghorn, sailed for Constan- 
 tinople, where he experienced a most flattering reception from the 
 illustrious Patriarch Cyril Lucar, who greatly assisted him in his 
 search after valuable Greek and Arabic manuscripts ; to purchase 
 which, at whatever price, he had obtained a commission from his 
 patron. Archbishop Laud. Proceeding to Egypt, he contemplated 
 the antiquities of Alexandria, where his minute investigations de- 
 layed him for several months. The Pyramids, or Sepulchres of 
 the Egyptian Kings, were the next objects of his research ; and his 
 interesting observations on these stupendous monuments were pub- 
 lished in 1646 , under the title of Pyramidographia. Having gra- 
 tified his tliirst for knowledge in ancient lore, as far as circumstances 
 would permit, and formed an ample collection of gems, statues, 
 manuscripts, &c, he again embarked for Europe in 1639. Four 
 years afterwards he was appointed Savilian Professor of Astrono- 
 my; and as the estates charged with the support of that Professor- 
 ship had then suffered from the fatal scourge of Civil War, he 
 was permitted to retain his Fellowship; though, according to the 
 Savilian Statute, it should have been vacated withm six months af- 
 ter his acceptance of the vacant chair. On the triumph of the 
 Parliament, he suffered in the general fate of the Royalists, and 
 was expelled from the University, which he quitted with deep re- 
 gret. He then repaired to London; and, to render a trifling 
 
 patrimony 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 289 
 
 patrimony adequate to his maintenance, commenced the publication 
 of his writings. He died in lb52, soon after the completion of 
 his fiftieth year, and was interred in St. Bennet’s Church. Seve- 
 ral of his works were made public after his decease, and others are 
 yet in manuscript : a complete list of his productions has been giv- 
 en in the first volume of the Hampshire Repository, His death 
 is thought to have been hastened by his incessant application to 
 study, and by the anguish of mind that followed his expulsion from 
 College. 
 
 At SELBORNE, a sequestered but pleasant village on the western 
 skirts of Woolmer Forest, was a Priory of Canons regular of the 
 order of St. Augustine, founded by Bishop Peter de Rupibus, in 
 the year 1232. The original endowments were but small ; yet in 
 the century succeeding its establishment, a very large proportion 
 of the contiguous lands were annexed to its possessions. The first 
 considerable benefactor after the founder, was Sir Adam Gurdon, 
 a bold and daring outlaw, who supported the Barons in the trou- 
 blesome reign of Henry the Third ; and even after the defeat and 
 death of their leader Montfort, Earl of Leicester, fed the flames 
 of war from his own resources. His residence appears to have 
 been at TEMPLE, in this parish ; and to this vicinity he retired, 
 and entrenched himself in the woods towards Farnham, on the dis- 
 comfiture of his party. Occasionally quitting his fastnesses, he 
 spread desolation and terror through the adjacent country ; till the 
 fame of his deeds having determined the gallant Prince Edward to 
 effect his downfall, he was attacked in his camp by a body of 
 forces, commanded by the Prince in person. Finding all lost, he 
 endeavored to escape ; but being pursued by Edward, was ovei- 
 taken, wounded, and thrown to the ground. The magnanimity 
 of the Prince was equal to his bravery; and his greatness of mind 
 determined him to convert an enemy to a friend : he raised the 
 fallen veteran, pardoned him, and introduced him to the Queen, 
 who was then at Guildford, that very evening. This unmerited 
 and unexpected lenity melted the heart of the rugged Gurdon at 
 once; he became in an instant a loyal and useful subject, was 
 trusted and employed in matters of moment by Edward, when 
 King, and confided in till the day of liis death. 
 
 VoL. VI. April, 1805. T 
 
 Among 
 
S90 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 Among the gifts made by Gordon to the Priory, was that of a 
 piece of land near the Church, called the Pleystow, or Play-place, 
 now the Plestor; this was no sooner granted, than the Prior pro- 
 cured a charter for a market from Henry the Third, anno 1271, 
 and Selborne became a market-town; but how long it enjoyed that 
 privilege is uncertain. The Priory continued to flourish till the 
 fifteenth century, when dissentions arising among the Canons, it 
 was gradually deserted, and at length dissolved, and its possessions 
 granted, by Bishop Waynflete, to Magdalen College, Oxford, in 
 1482; the suppression was confirmed in the second year following 
 by Pope Innocent the Eighth. The Priory buildings have all been 
 entirely demolished. Among the relics in the possession of tlie Ca- 
 nons, was enumerated ‘ a bone of the little finger of St. John Baptist.’* 
 
 In the Saxon times, Selborne was a Royal manor; and Editha, 
 Queen of Edward the Confessor, is mentioned in the Domesday 
 Book, as a former owner: that record also notices a Church here; 
 and it is probable that the low massive columns that support the 
 roof of the present fabric were parts of the ancient edifice. The 
 tower is embattled : the whole building is low and plain, consisting 
 of three aisles, with a kind of transept, or chantry, on the north 
 side. The altar-piece is decorated with an excellent painting by 
 Albert Drurer, representing, in two compartments, the offerings of 
 the Magi : this was presented to tlie parish by the late Rev. Gil- 
 bert White, the celebrated Historian of Selbome.f The number 
 of inhabitants of this parish as enumerated in 1801, was 762; that 
 of houses 127. Cornua are frequently found near the 
 
 village ; and fossil shells are very common in the suirounding dis- 
 trict. 
 
 At SOUTHINGTON, formerly Sudington, about one mile east 
 of Selborne, was a Preceptory of Knights Templers, who are 
 
 conjectured 
 
 * White’s Antiquities of Selborne; from Mat. Paris; et Triveti Annale. 
 
 t The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, by this gentle- 
 man, is a very entertaining and instructive work, h was originally pub- 
 lished in quarto; but the Natural History has been lately separated from 
 the Antiquities, and published in two volumes 8 vq. 
 
MAMKIEir FILACIE 
 
 TctersfieLd, 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 291 
 
 conjectured to have had the Gurdon manor-house, and manor of 
 Temple, bestowed on them by Johanna, daughter of Sir Adam 
 Gurdon, above-mentioned : this Preceptory is not noticed by Bishop 
 Tanner. 
 
 In the marshy bottoms of Woolmer Forest, many subterra- 
 neous trees have been found, and dug up with the peat; and dur- 
 ing the dry summer of 1741 , the extensive sheet of water called 
 Woolmer Pond, having been dried up by the heat, its bed was 
 carefully searched, and many hundreds of Roman coins, and some 
 medallions, were discovered in it : among them were many of the 
 Emperor Marcus Aurelius, and of the Empress Faustina. 
 
 PETERSFIELD, 
 
 Though only a Chapelry to Buriton, is a market and borough 
 town, of considerable antiquity, and now chiefly supported by the 
 passage of travellers, it being situated on the high road to Ports- 
 mouth. Its first charter of incorporation was granted by Queen 
 Elizabeth, who vested its government in a Mayor and Commonalty, 
 and empowered them to return two members to Parliament; two 
 returns had, however, been previously made; the one in the thir- 
 ty-fifth of Edward the First; the other in the time of Edward the 
 Sixth. The right of election, as determined by a committee of the 
 House of Commons, in the year 1727, “ is in the freeholder of 
 lands, or ancient dwelling-houses or shambles, or dwelling-houses 
 or shambles built upon ancient foundations, within the said borough;” 
 the number of voters is about 150 . Near the Chapel is an eques- 
 trian statue of William the Third, standing on a lofty pedes- 
 tal, and inscribed to his memory by the late William JolliflTe, Esq. 
 of much fame in the political annals of this borough. The num- 
 ber of houses in this parish, was returned under the clauses of the 
 Population Act, at 208 ; that of inhabitants at 1159 . 
 
 MAPLEDURHAM, about two miles south of Petersfield, was 
 the seat, and some time residence, of the historian Edward Gib- 
 bon, Esq. whose father purchased the estate in the reign of George 
 the First from the heirs at law of Ralph Bucknal, Esq. and it was 
 
 T 2 afterwards 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 292 
 
 afterwards confirmed to him by the trustees of the South Sea Com- 
 pany. I'he manor has since been sold to Lord Sta\veli ; and again 
 to Henry Bonham, Esq. At Butser Hill, a short distance to 
 the south, Aubrey places a considerable Camp. 
 
 A few miles to the west from Petersfield, are the villages of 
 EAST and WEST MEON, mentioned in the Domesday Book as 
 the property of the Bishop of Winchester, and then known by the 
 general name of Mene, or Menes. In the Church at East Meon 
 is a very ancient Font, bearing an exact resemblance to that in 
 Winchester Cathedral,* and most probably the work of the same 
 artist, and given by the same Bishop.f The upper part, or bason, 
 is placed on a circular shaft of three large single stones, and its 
 corners are supported on circular pillars without bases, and having 
 capitals of plain upright leaves. 
 
 At WARNFORD, in the grounds belonging to a seat long oc- 
 cupied by the late Marquis of Clanricarde, is a venerable ruin of 
 an ancient mansion, corruptly called King John's House, but 
 more properly St. John’s House, from its having been the proper- 
 ty of the St. Johns, Lords of Basing, who inherited it from the De 
 Ports. This ruin is about eighty feet long, and fifty-four wide ; 
 its walls are four feet thick, and constructed of flint set in grout 
 work. It is divided into two apartments ; the largest was probably the 
 Barons’ Hall, and measures forty-six feet by forty-eight. Four well- 
 proportioned columns, with their bases and capitals entire, and 
 four half colunms let mto the east and west walls, appear to have 
 supported the vaulted roof, now wholly down; most of the arches 
 of the windows and doors are circular. In some maps, of as dis- 
 tant a date as 161O, this is marked as a ruinated place; and in 
 writings which belonged to the Marquis of a still earlier date, it is 
 named the Old House. Grose, and some other antiquaries, have 
 imagined it the shell of the original Church erected here on the 
 spreading of Christianity; but the two Latin inscriptions, on the 
 
 walls 
 
 See its description, p. 75, et seq. 
 t Walkelin, who was himself the founder of East Meon Church. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 5253 
 
 walls of the present Church, which stands within about twenty yards, 
 though quoted in support of this opinion, are demonstrative of the 
 contrary ; both of them refer to Adam de Port ; and both of them 
 evince, that the building on which they appear, was rebuilt, or 
 renovated, on the ancient site. The tower of the present Church 
 is also in a different order of architecture from the other parts, 
 which are in the pointed style. On Old Winchester Hill, a 
 considerable eminence rising south from Warnford, some writers 
 have placed a Roman Camp. 
 
 UPHAM, about three miles north-westward from Bishops Wal- 
 tham, was the birth-place of Dr. Edward Young, the far-famed 
 author of the Thoughts. He was born in June, ibSl; his 
 
 lather was then Fellow of Winchester College, and Rector of this 
 parish; but he afterwards resigned his fellowship, and was appoint- 
 ed Chaplain to King William and Queen Mary, and made Dean 
 of Sarum. The Dean placed his son upon the foundation of Win- 
 chester College, where he had himself been educated : from this 
 seminary, in his nineteenth year, he was removed to New College, 
 Oxford : hence, he removed to Corpus Christ! College ; and again, 
 in 17O8, to All Souls, where he was nominated to a law fellow- 
 ship by Archbishop Tennison. In 1714, he took his degree as 
 Bachelor of Civil Laws; and five years afterwards, his Doctor’s 
 degree. His application and learning may be inferred from a sin- 
 gular speech of the atheist Tindal, who spent much of his time at 
 All Souls, and used to argue with him on topics of religion. 
 
 “ The other boys,” said Tindal, ‘‘ I can always answer, because I 
 always know whence they have their arguments, which I have read 
 a hundred times; but that fellow. Young, is continually pestering 
 me with something of his own.” Young, however, is most known 
 as a poet; and though ambition prompted him to venture upon 
 the troubled sea of politics, he obtained from it but little celebrity, 
 and no promotion. In May, 1731, he married Lady Elizabeth 
 Lee, daughter to the Earl of Lichfield, and widow of Colonel Lee, 
 by whom she had had three children ; one of whom, who has been 
 always considered as the poet’s Narcissa, died in her seventeenth 
 
 T 3 year, 
 
294 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 year, at Nice, and, as Young’s biographer* expresses it, in her bri- 
 dal hour. Her husband, the Philander of the Night Thoughts, 
 was Mr. Temple, son of Lord Palmerston; he died shortly after 
 the decease of his bride, and soon afterwards Lady E. Young fol- 
 lowed her much-lamented relatives: how nearly together their 
 deaths occurred the poet himself informs us. 
 
 Insatiate archer ! could not one suffice ? 
 
 Thy shaft flew thrice, and thrice my peace was slain ! 
 
 And thrice, ere thrice yon moon had fill’d her horn ! 
 
 To the sorrow Young felt at his losses, the world is indebted for 
 the Night Thoughts. By his marriage he had one child, whom 
 calumny has marked as the infidel Lorenzo; yet, with how little 
 justice, will at once be felt from the remark, that he was but a 
 boy of eight years of age when the character of Lorenzo was 
 written! Of the other poems of Young, the Universal Passion is 
 characterized by Dr. Johnson as a very great performance. “ His 
 species of satire (observes the English moralist) is between those 
 of Horace and of Juvenal ; he has the gaiety of Horace, w ithout his 
 laxity of numbers; and the morality of Juvenal, with greater vari- 
 ation of images.” Of his three tragedies, the Revenge is incontes- 
 tibly the best ; his Busiris is too remote from Nature to satisfy 
 the judgment; and his Brothers is strikingly insufficient in most of 
 the qualities of dramatic writing. Of his prose works, the Centaur 
 not Fabulous, has obtained the principal share of the approbation 
 of posterity. He died in the year 17^5, at the age of eighty-four^ 
 
 BISHOP’S WALTHAM, 
 
 Says Leland, “ is a praty tounlct. Here the Bishop of Win- 
 chester hath a right ample and goodly maner-place, motid about, 
 and a praty brooke (the Hamble) running hard by it. The maner- 
 place hath been of many Bishops’ building ; most part of the three 
 
 parts, 
 
 * The Kev. (now) Sir Herbert Croft, by whom it was written for 
 Dr. Johnson to be published in his edition of the Poets, 
 
ooz 
 
 13p. of ^^ViackefteTs Kouie , at WallkaaL,EarLts . 
 
'V 
 
 z ^/? ^ '/^7-//'/z /Tf -z?zy, 
 
 bent. Ma^. Nov. l8tl. FI.Jl. pAZo 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 295 
 
 parts of the base court was buildid of brik and timbre by Bishop 
 Langton ; the residew of the inner part is all of stone.” This ma- 
 nor, which includes Waltham Chace, has belonged, from time im- 
 memorial, to the See of Winchester: Semper fuit de Episcopatu, 
 is the memorandum concerning it in the Domesday Book. The 
 town is still small, as in Leland’s time, but enjoys a good trade, 
 and sends large quantities of leather to Guernsey and London, 
 and to the neighbouring fairs. The population of this parish ip 
 1801, was returned at IZfS; the number of houses at 191. 
 
 The Bishop’s Palace, or Castle, is situated on the south- 
 west side of the town, and still exhibits traces of its ancient mag- 
 nificence. It was originally built by Bishop Henry de Blois, bro- 
 ther to King Stephen; but was altered and repaired by many suc- 
 ceeding Bishops. Much of its grandeur was probably owing to 
 the architectural taste of William of Wykeham, who made it his 
 favorite residence, and here terminated his active career at the age 
 of eighty. The area of the outer or base court, which, according 
 to Leland, was built by Bishop Langton, is now a farm-yard : the 
 remains of several brick chimnies, apparently of the time of that 
 prelate, are still to be seen on the north side, The Great Hall, in 
 the second or inner court, the front wall of which remains almost 
 entire, was sixty-six feet in length, twenty-seven in width, and 
 twenty-five high, and lighted by five large windows of magnificent 
 proportions : the ruins are mantled with ivy. Besides the Hall, 
 here are the remains of a tower, about seventeen feet square. 
 This Castle was demolished in the Civil Wars; the Bishop’s park is 
 now a farm. 
 
 In the early part of the last century, this neighbourhood was in- 
 fested by a notorious gang of deer-stealers, who, from their custom 
 of blacking their faces before they sallied forth to commit their 
 depredations in the adjacent forests, obtained the name of Wal- 
 tham Blacks. So strange was the infatuation, indeed, that, for a 
 time, no young person, unless he was a Hunter, to use their own 
 phrase, was allowed to be possessed of either manhood or gallantry.* 
 
 T 4 At 
 
 White’s History, &c. of Selborne, p. 17, 18, 
 
296 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 At length the atrocities practised by some of the confederates be- 
 came so great as to demand the interference of the Legislature ; 
 and in the ninth of George the Second, anno 1T23, an act was 
 passed to restrain their enormities. Severity was necessary; but 
 this act, called the Black Act, has another character; it is sanguina- 
 ry, and now comprehends more felonies than any law that has ever 
 been previously framed for domestic regulation. For this reason, 
 the late Bishop Hoadley, when urged to re-stock Waltham Chace, 
 refused, observing, that “ it had done mischief enough already.'’* 
 The road over Waltham Chace conducts to the pleasant village 
 of WICKHAM, anciently the manor and seat of the family of 
 Uvedale, one of whom, Nicholas Uvedale, deserves to be remem- 
 bered with gratitude by the Wyckhamists,-\ because that, when Con- 
 stable 
 
 White’s History, &c. of Selborne, p. 17, 18. The IValtham Blacks 
 are said, by some writers, to have received their name from carrying on 
 their depredations in Waltham Forest, in Essex; but this is evidently 
 a mistake. The preamble to the Black Act is as follows : “ Whereas 
 several ill-designing and disorderly persons have of late associated them- 
 selves under the name of Blacks, and entered into confederacies to sup- 
 port one another in stealing and destroying of deer, robbing of warrens 
 and fish-ponds, cutting down plantations of trees, and other illegal prac- 
 tices ; and have, in great numbers, armed with swords, fire-arms, and 
 other offensive weapons, several of them with their faces blacked, or in 
 disguised habits, unlawfully hunted in forests belonging to his Majesty, 
 and in the parks of divers of his Majesty’s subjects; and destroyed, 
 killed, and carried away the deer ; robbed warrens, rivers, and fish- 
 ponds ; cut down plantations of trees; and have likewise solicited seve- 
 ral of his Majesty’s subjects, with promises of money, and other rewards, 
 to join them; and have sent letters, in fictitious names, to several per- 
 sons, demanding venison and money, and threatening some great vio- 
 lence, if such, their unlawful demands, should be refused ; or if they 
 should be interrupted in, or prosecuted for, such their wicked practices; 
 and have actually done great damage to several persons who have ei- 
 ther refused to comply with such demands, or have endeavoured to 
 bring them to justice, to the great terror of his Majesty’s peaceable 
 subjects: Be it therefore enacted,” &c. 
 
 t Wyckhamist is the colloquial name assumed by all that have been edu- 
 cated in the College founded by Wyckham, at Winchester. 
 
 2 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 297 
 
 stable of Winchester Castle, he became the patron of William 
 OF Wyckham, their great founder; and, in conjunction with 
 Bishop Edyngton, first introduced him to Edward the Third. 
 Wyckham was born here in the year 1324; his origin was humble, 
 but his talents and address were superior to those of the majority 
 of his fellow-men. Under the patronage of Edward, his genius 
 could not fail to exert its powers : the Monarch loaded him with 
 preferment, and the Bishop proved himself worthy of his Sove- 
 reign’s favors; for never did a mitre adorn the brow of a more 
 illustrious and munificent prelate. His skill in architecture was 
 very great; and most of the great works executed in the latter 
 days of Edward, were done under his direction. In 13^4, he was 
 made Keeper of the Privy Seal; and two years afterwards, Bishop 
 of Winchester, which he held till his death in 1404.* 
 
 The Church at Wickham is a neat structure, with some remains 
 of Anglo-Norman architecture at the western entrance. Wickham 
 Corner, the Parsonage-house, in which Dr. Warton passed the 
 evening of life, is agreeably situated at the eastern extremity of 
 the village. Several other pleasant seats ornament this vicinity. 
 
 From Wickham a sandy and gravelly road leads along the skirts 
 of the Forest of Bere to SOUTHWICK, where was formerly a 
 Priory of Black Canons, which became of some historical cele- 
 brity, from its having been the scene of the marriage of Henry the 
 Sixth with Margaret of Anjou.f The Priory was originally built 
 at Porchester, by Henry the First, in the year 1133, but was shortly 
 afterwards removed to Southwick, where it continued to flourish 
 till the period of the Dissolution. Its privileges were extensive ; 
 and in 1235, the Canons procured the grant of a market and a fair 
 
 to 
 
 ^ For additional particulars relating to this Prelate, see Vol. I. p. 202, 
 and Vol. VI. p. 53, 81. 
 
 f A curious picture of these nuptials was engraved to illustrate Wal- 
 pole’s Anecdotes of Painting. Kemp, Archbishop of York, is repre- 
 sented holding the pallium over the conjoined hands of Henry and Mar- 
 garet : among the attendants are Cardinal Beaufort, and the Dukes of 
 Glocester and Suffolk. 
 
298 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 to be held here, but the former has been long disused : they also 
 obtained liberty of free-warren in the year 1321. At the Disso- 
 lution, the annual revenues of this establishment were, according 
 to Dugdale, valued at 2571. 4s. 4d. but, according to Speed, at 
 3141. 7s. lOd. The site and demesnes of the Priory were then 
 granted to John White, Esq. and his wife Catherine ; and descended 
 from them, by the female line, to Colonel Norton, who signalized 
 himself in behalf of the Parliament during the Civil Wars, and 
 whose family had long resided at Southwick, in great respectabi- 
 lity. His grandson, Richard, the last male heir, was celebrated 
 for his extraordinary will, by which he bequeathed Southwick, and 
 all his other estates, to the amount of 6000l. per annum, together 
 with personal property of the value of 60,000l. to the Parliament 
 of Great Britain, in trust for the use of “ the poor, hungry, thirsty, 
 naked strangers, sick, wounded, and prisoners, to the end of the 
 world.’' The will was afterwards set aside, from the evident marks 
 of insanity which appeared to have dictated its clauses. The late 
 owner of these estates was Robert Thistlethwayte, Esq. maternally 
 descended from the Nortons. SOUTHWICK PARK, now the 
 
 seat of Ellis, Esq, includes the site of the Priory, only a 
 
 small part of which now remains. The Manor-house is a large 
 building of some antiquity, having two wings terminating in gable 
 ends, and embattled. In this edifice two Monarchs have been en- 
 tertained ; Charles the First, and George the First. The former 
 was here when the Duke of Buckingham, whom he had accom- 
 panied thus far from London, was assassinated by Felton at Ports- 
 mouth. 
 
 PORTSDOWN HILL is a narrow, lofity eminence, running east 
 and west for nearly seven miles : the upper part consists of dialk, 
 broken into vast hollows; the lower part is a brown loam. The 
 prospects from the summit are of great extent, and considerable 
 variety. On the south, it commands a noble view of the British 
 Channel, which is lost only in the mist of distance, with its majes- 
 tic feature the Isle of Wight, which is here seen through nearly its 
 whole length. The dark blue tints of the New Forest mingle with 
 tlie horizon in the west ; on the north, the eye commands the ex- 
 tensive 
 
CL-L^P oj lif 0 idkk/L ch H QAlh^ 
 

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 • j-- 
 
 Mv- 
 
 ■ iK ':/ 
 
 j.; . ;:; : 
 
 - 
 
 . A. - .’’- i 
 
 ' i ' 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 m 
 
 tensive Vale of the Forest of Bere; not as in ancient times, imper- 
 vious and inaccessible, but agreeably interspersed with inclosures, 
 corn-fields, and cottages; and on the east, the graceful spire of 
 Chichester Cathedral appears rising above the level of the wolds 
 of Sussex. To enliven and animate the whole, multitudes of ships 
 and vessels, of every denomination and size, are seen navigating 
 the channel, or remaining stationary in the harbour and Dock-vard 
 of Portsmouth. On the eastern extremity of Portsdown, a Tele- 
 graph was erected during the last war. On Portsdown Hill, an 
 annual Fair is held on the twenty-sixth of July, for the sale of 
 goods, wearing apparel, grocery wares, toys, horses, cheese, &c. 
 The fair is attended by great multitudes of people; and all kind of 
 sports, including horse-racing, are carried on during its continuance. 
 Its contiguity to Portsmouth renders it of much use to the small 
 traders and shop-keepers of that town. 
 
 Near the bottom of Portsdown Hill is PURBROOK, late the 
 seat of Charles Taylor, Esq. by whose laudable attention to agri- 
 culture, the surrounding lands have been greatly improved. The 
 Mansion erected by that gentleman, is a handsome building, with 
 detached wings for offices. 
 
 HAVANT 
 
 Is a neat and respectable town, consisting principally of one 
 long street, crossed by a second at right angles. Here, in the 
 morning of the twenty-fifth of October, 1734, a shock of an earth- 
 quake was felt, which continued for two or three minutes; and, 
 after a short intermission, another shock, which lasted a similar 
 space of time, was also experienced: no damage was done; but 
 the tremulous motion that accompanied the shocks spread great 
 alarm. The number of houses in this town, as returned in 1801, 
 was 345 ; that of inhabitants, ifiZO: the latter are chiefly support- 
 ed by fowling and fishing, The market was granted by King 
 John, probably through the intercession of the Monks of Winches- 
 ter, to whom the manor was granted by Ethelred. The Church is 
 dedicated to St. Faith, and stands in the centre of the town : it is 
 built in the form of a cjross, \vith a tower rising from the intersec- 
 tion; 
 
300 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 tion ; the columns of the nave are of Saxon architecture ; the arches 
 are pointed. In the wall of the south transept are some remains 
 of stone seats. The whole building displays specimens of the style 
 of very different periods. 
 
 WARBLINGTON, about half a mile eastward from Havant, 
 gave name to the ancient family of the De Warblingtons, who 
 settled here about the time of Henry the Third, and continued to 
 flourish till the time of Edward the Third ; several of them having 
 filled the offices of Sheriffs and Knights of the shire. The manor 
 having escheated to the Crown, was given to Ralph de Monthermer, 
 second husband to Joan of Acres, daughter of Edward the First 
 and Queen Eleanor: from him it descended to the Montacutes, of 
 whom John, Earl of Salisbury, was beheaded by the inhabitants 
 of Cirencester, for conspiring to assassinate Henry the Fourth.* 
 From this family it passed to the Cottons, of whom Sir Richard 
 Cotton, Knt. was Comptroller of the Household to Henry the 
 Eighth; and the last of whom, Thomas Cotton, Esq. bequeathed 
 it to Thomas Panton, Esq. in 1736, since which it has become the 
 property of Mrs. Ann Morris. The ruins called Warblington 
 Castle, are supposed to have formed part of the ancient man- 
 sion of the Warblingtons, or of the Montacutes; but most proba- 
 bly of the latter, as the style of building does not agree with an 
 earlier period : part of the materials are also of brick, faced with hewn 
 stones. It appears to have originally been a square pile of about 
 200 feet, surrounding a quadrangular court; but the only part now 
 standing, is the gateway and tower; and even this is fast moulder- 
 in« to decay. The whole was surrounded by a fosse, about ten 
 feet deep, and including about an acre of ground. Before the 
 northern angle appears to have been a sort of entrenched camp, of 
 five acres, now overgrown with wood, surrounded by a bank nearly 
 eight feet high, and a ditch of a similar depth to that round the 
 Castle. The Church, which stands at a little distance from the 
 Castle, is traditionally said to have been founded by two maiden 
 sisters’ the last of the De Warblingtons ; and the singularities of 
 
 ^ 4-1^ 
 
 '■* See Vol, V. p. 603. 
 
WARBLINGTON CHURCM, H. ±NT S , S. E . Gait.Ma^. Fci/iSiu, FI.I.jkIOB. 
 
 J'iasiro 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 301 
 
 the interior architecture give countenance to this report. It con- 
 sists of a nave, chancel, and side aisles, with a small Chapel, or 
 Oratory, at the termination of each aisle. The aisles are separated 
 from the nave by pointed arches, “ erected on columns, with this 
 distinction, that the columns on the north side are plain, finn, and 
 solid, about eight feet in height, including the bases and capitals, 
 and about two feet in diameter. The arches on the south side 
 are supported by groups of columns of singular elegance; in the 
 centre of each group is a small octagon pillar of free-stone, which 
 is surrounded by four pillars of grey marble : the bases, which con- 
 nect these groups, are neatly moulded, as are the capitals; and the 
 latter have also additional ornaments."* Several stone coffins are 
 deposited in the aisles; two of them, which, from their situation, 
 effigies, and other circumstances, appeared to have belonged to 
 the foundresses, were lately opened ; in one was a perfect female 
 skeleton ; and in the other, the remains of a second skeleton, with 
 the teeth perfectly sound, and beautiful, and the hair undecayed,^ 
 All the coffins are similar in form, but of various lengths, from five 
 feet and a half, to seven feet, and gradually diminishing from the 
 head to the foot. “ They are each made of one solid stone, hol- 
 lowed out for containing the corpse, with receptacles for the head, 
 neck, shoulders, arms, legs, and feet, particularly and curiously 
 formed."! The chancel has been formerly paved with small square 
 tiles, of various patterns, inlaid with a yellow composition; several 
 of the designs are grotesque ; some display the spread eagle, and 
 others three fleurs des lis, supported by two birds. 
 
 EMSWORTH, in Warblington parish, and on the verge of Sus- 
 sex, is an improving and busy place, pleasantly situated at the 
 head of an inlet of the sea, and immediately opposite to Thorney 
 Isle. Many small vessels are employed in the trade of this port ; 
 and the inhabitants derive additional sustenance from ship-building, 
 rope-making, and other maritime occupations. In the winter of 
 1739, a Swan was killed here in the harbour, having a collar round 
 its neck, impressed with the Royal arms of Denmark. 
 
 HAYLING 
 
 ^ Hampshire Repository, Vol. II. p. 146. 
 
 f Ibid, p. 148. 
 
302 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 HAYLING ISLE includes about 5000 acres of land, complete* 
 ly surrounded by the sea, and divided into the parishes of North 
 Hayling and South Hayhng. The land is mostly arable, and se- 
 parated into small farms : the general rotation of crops, is first, 
 wheat; second, barley, or oats; and third, barley and clover: 
 every fourth year the ground lies fallow : the harvest is commonly 
 reaped in July or August: the average rent of the land, which 
 in North Hayling is chiefly common field, is about fifteen shillings 
 an acre. In some parts the soil is too retentive of water to be cul- 
 tivated, and nearly 1000 acres consists of sea-beach: about 1000 
 more acres are appropriated to pasture, but these are frequently 
 overflowed by the sea. The principal branch of trade carried on 
 in this Island, is the maliing of Salt, which has been an article of 
 manufacture here time immemorial. One saltern is recorded in 
 the Domesday Survey, which paid six shillings and eightpence ; at 
 present there are five. Two fisheries are also mentioned in the 
 same record, as being then existing here. This manor was very 
 early given to the Monastery at Winchester, but was by some 
 means alienated, and afterwards granted by Henry the First to a 
 Prioey, which had been founded here previous to the Norman 
 Conquest: this became a cell to the Benedictine Abbey of St. 
 Gymeges in Normandy ; but on the suppression of the Alien Prio- 
 ries, its possessions were given by Henry the Fifth to his new foun- 
 dation of Carthusians at Sheen. On the Dissolution of the lesser 
 Monasteries, the lands of Hayling Priory were granted to the Col- 
 lege at Arundel, in exchange for other estates : on the surrender 
 of that College, they were regranted to Henry, Earl of Arundel, 
 and now belong to his descendant, the Duke of Norfolk. A small 
 Church has been built in each parish: that of Hayling South is a 
 neat edifice. The houses are principally constructed of brick, ma- 
 nufactured on the Island; their number, as returned in 1801, was 
 102; that of inhabitants, 578. On this Island is an establishment 
 of about twenty persons belonging to the Excise, who are station- 
 ed here to prevent smuggling. Over the bar, or bed of sand, at 
 the entrance of Langstone Harbour, which lies between this 
 Island and that of Portsea, is sufficient depth of water for vessels 
 1 of 
 
>mmAMPTOj!ir 
 
 
 70WES/ 
 
 NEWPORT 
 
 Rnm-n ic II ngrai 'nH II • Mo0p^4 Sf'eat RussM Str. Hy^'ent Garden/- 
 
po:r rjjEST>vi^ TAv'iq'i:] 
 Hants. 
 

Hampshire. 
 
 30J 
 
 of from thirty to seventy tons; and several of those sizes are em- 
 ployed in importing com and coal. The oyster fishery was for- 
 merly considerable here, but has latterly declmed through the num- 
 bers of persons engaged in it: the oysters are of very fine flavor. 
 The Convict ships are stationed in this Harbour. 
 
 The narrow channel, or branch of the sea, which separates 
 Portsea Isle from the main laud, on the north-west side of Lang- 
 stone Harbour, connects the latter with Portsmouth Harbour, a 
 principal station of the Roman navy, and at the head of which is 
 the strong fortress called PORCHESTER CASTLE. The pre- 
 cise origin of this structure is unknown ; but this spot was certainly 
 occupied by a fortress, that was successively possessed by the 
 Britons, the Romans, the Saxons, and the Normans; and the 
 modes of building practised by the three latter, are yet discoverable 
 in the walls and towers of the present Castle. By the Britons it 
 was denominated Caer Peris: this appellation was altered by the 
 Romans to that of Portus Magnus, from the Roman name of the 
 harbour: its modern name of Port -Chester is evidently Saxon, 
 
 This Castle is situated on a neck of land, jutting out a considera- 
 ble way towards the middle of the harbour. It is a noble pile, 
 of a quadrangular form, surrounding an area of between four and 
 five acres; and still in sufficient preservation to be used as a place 
 of confinement for prisoners of war; from 3000 to 5000 of whom 
 have been secured here at one time. The walls are from eight to 
 twelve feet thick, and about eighteen high, “ having in many places 
 a passage round them, covered with a parapet: it has eighteen 
 towers, of various shapes and magnitudes, including those of 
 the keep ; and is defended on the north, west, and south sides, 
 by a ditch, varying in breadth, and fifteen feet deep:” on the east 
 are two ditches, which extend to the w'ater, and have probably 
 been filled by the infiux of the tide. “ The entrance on the 
 west side is thirty feet deep, and fourteen wide, under a square 
 tower: on the inside, over the gate, are two projecting figures, 
 somewhat resembling Egyptian sphynxes. In the east wall, nearly 
 opposite this gate, is another of like dimensions; there are likewise 
 two sally-ports,” 
 
 The 
 
304 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 I 
 
 “ The keep encompasses a parallelogram of sixty-five by one 
 hundred and fifteen feet. It has four towers j three of them stand- , 
 ing on the outside wall : one of these, which is much larger than 
 the rest, forms the north-west angle of the square ; the fourth 
 tower stands at the south-east corner of this buildmg. Here are 
 many rooms, several very large, and some arched with stone; 
 among them is one which appears to have been a chapel : the en- 
 trance is through a gate on the south side, only eight feet wide. 
 Several of these towers, as well as parts of the walls, are now in 
 ruins.”* 
 
 In a more minute description of this Castle, it will be foimd, 
 that the remains of Roman workmanship are particularly observa- 
 ble in the outward walls, and in the round and semi-circular towers 
 that defend it at unequal distances. The round towers are placed 
 at the north-east, south-east, and south-west angles; the north- 
 west angle is now taken up by the great square tower of the keep : 
 some of these towers are tw enty feet, and others nineteen in dia- 
 meter; and, in general, they project about eighteen feet and a 
 half from the wall. In several of them are still visible regular rows 
 of Roman brick, dividing the rows of stone-w ork ; and particularly 
 hi one, on the south side, in which are three rows very distinct : 
 hi the wall itself on this side they may also be traced, and indeed 
 in many other parts ; though, from the vast alterations made hi 
 successive ages, the regular courses have in many places been 
 broken off, and in others wholly obliterated. A great circular arch 
 of stone, about eight feet in width on the interior side of the east 
 gate, or entrance, “ has very much the appearance of having been 
 originally Roman, and perhaps even a remaining part of the iden- 
 tical Pratorian portal /'f Many Roman coins, and Roman medals, 
 have been dug up here at different times. The extent of the out- 
 ward walls, exclusive of the projecting parts of the round corner 
 towers, is about 620 feet on the north and south sides; and 6lO 
 on the east and west. 1“ 
 
 ^ Grose’s Antiquities, Vol. II. p. 212. 
 
 + King’s Munimenta Antiqua, Vol. II. p. 27. In this work is a very 
 particular description of this Castle, illustrated by elevations and ground- 
 plans. 
 
FOR CHESTER CAS TEE HARTS. 
 

HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 305 
 
 In the keep, which forms the north-west angle of the Castle, 
 traces of the architecture of the Saxon and Norman periods, and 
 even of yet later ages, to the time of Queen Elizabeth, are plainly 
 to be seen. The great tower is lofty, and contains two vaults, or 
 dungeons, at bottom; with the remains of three double apartments 
 above them, in so many several stories : its walls are nearly eight 
 feet thick; and its external dimensions on the north and south, tif- 
 ty-seven feet; and on the east and west, fifty-eight feet. All tlie 
 light it receives is from narrow loop-holes; excepting only in the 
 third story, where, on two sides, in what appears to have been the 
 state apartments, are small windows in the very plainest Saxon 
 Style : all the windows are on the sides, within the area. Adjacent 
 to this tower on the east, and, indeed, immediately connected 
 with it, are the remains of a building which appears to have been 
 subsequently formed as an entrance; the original entrance having 
 apparently been by a flight of steps on the same side. 
 
 As a protection to this tower, which, in its original construction, 
 Mr. King supposes to be Saxon,* the works now connected with 
 it, and which surromid the inner court, were unquestionably erect- 
 ed in the Norman times, and, as supposed, between the period 
 of the Conquest and the reign of Edward the First. Many 
 alterations have, however, been made in this part, and particu- 
 larly about the time of Edward the Third ; and again in the reigns 
 of the Henrys Sixth and Seventh. In these additional build- 
 ings were a great dining hall, and various apartments for do- 
 mestic purposes, with apartments over them for lodging the gar- 
 rison and servants ; and also a grand stair-case, leading into tlie 
 great tower; But the original destination of all the parts in this 
 quarter of the Castle cannot now be ascertained, as they have fre- 
 quently been altered during the last century. The most curious part, 
 however, of this inner, or Norman court, as it may be called, is 
 its fortified entrance, which opens from the outer area on the east. 
 At the extremity on this side was a noble portal, with an obtuse 
 pointed arch; and in this was a great strong gate, about eight feet 
 VoL. VI. April, 1805. U vvide; 
 
 • Munimenta Antiqua, Vol. II. p. 27. 
 
306 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 wide : further on, at about sixteen feet and a half from this, was 
 a portcullis; and beyond that, a second great gate. Eighteen feet 
 more inward still, was a second portcullis; and about eleven feet 
 and a half beyond this, was a third great gate : thus far the whole 
 passage of entrance was only eight feet four niches in width. 
 Nearer the court, the side walls increase in thickness, from four 
 feet nine inches, to nearly six feet; and here the entrance passage, 
 which is still continued to the extent of forty-three feet more, be- 
 comes wider; its whole breadth being eighteen feet and a half; in 
 this part was designed a place for barricadoes; whilst over the 
 whole vaulted passage, the entire length of which is nearly ninety- 
 four feet, were perforations, and machicolations, for pouring melt- 
 ed lead, boiling w'ater, &c. on the heads of assailants: and to 
 these machicolations, and to the battlements above, was a passage 
 from the top of the surrounding walls of the inner court.* In this 
 court w^as a draw'-w’ell, w'hich still remains open. 
 
 The entrance to the outer area, or court, on the east, is by a 
 gi eat Norman tower, built on the Roman works, now much dila- 
 pidated ; and formerly secured by a portcullis, and double folding 
 doors, strongly barricadoed. The west, or opposite entrance, is 
 also by a strong Norman tower, about thirty-five feet wkle, and 
 thirty deep, having a passage tlirough the centre, about eight feet 
 in width : this also is in ruins. 
 
 The Sacelbm of tJw Prcetorium of the Romans is supposed, by 
 Mr. King, to have been on the spot now occupied as the site of 
 the parish Church, which is an edifice of great antiquity, dedicated 
 to St. Mary, standing within the outer court, and nearly opposite 
 to the east entrance. Though part of it has been rebuilt, and 
 other parts repaired at ^'arious periods, it still displays many spe- 
 cimens of Saxon architecture, particularly m the west front. Its 
 original form was that of a cross, with a low tower rising from the 
 intersection ; but the south transept has been taken down. All the 
 doors and windows of the ancient part have semicircular arches ; 
 and those of the west end are decorated with double zig-zag 
 
 ornaments ; 
 
 * Munimenta Antiqua, Vol. II, p. 34-~35. 
 
PORTCHE §TER CHURCH, HaNT S : 2.8 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 307 
 
 •rnaments : the arch of the west dooi^vay has likewise some other 
 ornamental mouldings] and all of them spring from two colunms 
 on each side, with sculptured capitals : the great west window is 
 bricked up. Here it was that Henry the First founded the Priory 
 of Black Canons, afterwards removed to Southwick. Within the 
 Church is a monument to the memory of Sir Thomas Corn- 
 wallis, Knt. Groom Porter to Queen Elizabeth, and James the 
 First, who died in November, l6l8 : his bust represents him with 
 short hair and beard, and a sash over his shoulder. The font is 
 curious. 
 
 “ In the rolls of Parliament, eighteenth of Edward the First, 
 anno 1290, a complaint is exhibited against Henry Huse, Consta- 
 ble of the King's Castle of Porchester> reciting that John, Bishop 
 of Winchester, being absent in foreign parts on the King’s service^ 
 and all his possessions being in the King’s protection, he the said 
 Henry, with his armed men, foresters, and others unknown, hunted 
 at their pleasure in the free chace of tlie said Bishop.” 
 
 In the year 1299> twenty-seventh of Edward the First, the 
 town and Castle of Porcliester, with the forest, then valued at 
 l61. 13s. were settled on Queen Margaret as part of her dower ; 
 and in a register of the Abbey of Glastoubuiy, it appears that, in 
 the twelfth of Edward the Third, John Hacket, Lieutenant to the 
 Earl of Arundel, was Constable of this Castle; for the defence of 
 which, and the guard of Portsmouth, the Abbot was bound to 
 find three men at arms for his lands in Wiltshire, and one for those 
 in Berks.* This Castle descended from the Nortons of Southwick, 
 in the same manner as their other estates, to the late Robert This- 
 tlethwayte, Esq. of whose family it has been rented, by Govern-r 
 ment, since it became a place of confinement for prisoners. The 
 prisoners are lodged in ranges of wooden buildings two stories high] 
 erected on the north side of the great court, which is separated 
 from the south side by a double picketing, so disposed as to 
 leave a passage through the Castle from gate to gate. In another 
 range of building, that extends towards the middle of the area 
 
 U 2 from 
 
 * Grose’s Antiquities, Vol. II. p. 214. 
 
SOS 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 from tlie south side of the east entrance, is the Cookery, &c. Tlie 
 soutli-west quarter of the area is parted oft", as an airing place ; 
 and a certain number of prisoners, in proportion to the whole, are 
 daily admitted to w'alk here : within this division also is the Hospi- 
 tal for the sick. Round the north-west angle of the Castle, be- 
 yond the moat, is a parade and barracks for the soldiers who guard 
 tl)e prisoners. 
 
 It has been asserted by some authors, that the Roman General 
 Vespasian, landed here, on his first arrival in Britaui; but this 
 has been contradicted by others on better testimony. That it must 
 have been in his possession, is, however, extremely probable ; as 
 the conquest of the Isle of Wight could hardly have been otherwise 
 effected. That several of the Saxon invaders landed here is more 
 certain, and particularly Porta, with his sons, Bieda and Megla, by 
 whose aid Cerdic was enabled to establish the kingdom of the 
 West Saxons. At what period it was deserted of inhabitants is un- 
 known; though presumed to be on the rise of Portsmouth, after 
 the sea had in some degree retired from the upper parts of the 
 harbour. 
 
 The village of Porchester, or Porchester-Street, is about 
 a mile long, ranging on the road towards Fareham. Here, between 
 nine and ten years ago, the sea rose so high in a tremendous 
 storm, that boats went up to the very extremity of the village; 
 the banks having in many places been broken down by the strength 
 of the waves. The publicans of Porchester and Southwick, enjoy 
 the peculiar privilege, under charter from Queen Elizabeth, of be- 
 ing exempted from having any soldiers billited on them, or quar- 
 tered in their houses. 
 
 CAM’s HALL, the seat of John Define, Esq. is an elegant 
 modem building, standing in a pleasant park, on the east side of 
 the lake or inlet of Portsmouth Harbour, tliat runs up to Fareham. 
 
 FAREHAM, 
 
 Though only “ a fischar village” in Leland’s time, is now a 
 respectable and populous town, chiefly inhabited by persons em- 
 ployed in maritime occupations; and, indeed, indebted for its 
 
 whole 
 
HAMPSHIRE , 
 
'j'tClHFtEL.D JHQUse ^ 
 
■MiipiMM 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 809 
 
 whole importance to the naval establishment at Portsmouth. Sloops, 
 and smaller vessels, are built here ; and a considerable trade in coal 
 and corn is carried on. The government of the town is vested in 
 a Bailiff, two Constables, and two Ale-tasters. The number of 
 houses, as returned under the late act, was 555: that of inhabi- 
 tants, 3030. The neighbourhood is pleasant, and enlivened by 
 various handsome seats. 
 
 TITCHFIELD, 
 
 About three miles westward from Fareham, is a small town, 
 pleasantly situated near the Titchfield River, and inhabited by many 
 respectable families. The Church is a spacious fabric, of the work- 
 manship of different ages; the north side is reported to have been 
 built by William of Wyckham ; the south side is more ancient. In 
 tlie part called the south chancel, is an interesting monument to 
 the memory of SiR Thomas Wriothesley, afterwards first Earl 
 of Southampton; Jane, his Lady; and Henry, their son, the 
 second Earl; all of whom are represented by effigies on the 
 tomb. Four fairs are held here annually. Under the act of 1801, 
 the houses in this parish were enumerated at 554; and the inhabi- 
 at 2949. 
 
 At a short distance from this town, on the north, are the ruins 
 of TITCHFIELD HOUSE, the ancient seat of the Wriothesleys. 
 It was erected, by the first Earl of Southampton, on the site and 
 with the materials of an Abbey, founded for Premonstratensian 
 Canons, by Bishop Peter de Rupibus, in the year 1231. The an- 
 nual revenues of this establishment, at the period of the Disso- 
 lution, amounted, according to Dugdale, to 2491. l6’s. id. but 
 according to Speed, to 2801. 19s. 4|d. Its possessions were 
 then granted by Henry the Eighth to his favorite Secretary, Wrio- 
 thesley, who built here, says Leland, “ a righte statelie house em- 
 battled, and having a goodlie gate, and a conducte castelid in the 
 middle of the court of it, in the very same place wher the late 
 Monasterie stoode." This building is now in a very dilapidated 
 5tate, the entrance gateway being the principal part left standing; 
 
 U 3 sixteen 
 
SIO 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 sixteen rooms having been pulled down within these few years for 
 the sake of the materials. The old stables yet remain, and are 
 worthy of notice. The Chapel is wholly in ruins. This estate is 
 the property of John Delme, Esq. of Cam’s Hall, whose father 
 purchased it of the third Duke of Beaufort, who had married a 
 co-heiress of the first Earl of Gainsborough, and who had himself 
 obtained it by his marriage with the daughter of Thomas, last Earl 
 of Southampton. In Titchfield House, Charles the First was con- 
 cealed after his escape from Hampton Court, in 1647, and pre- 
 vious to his again resigning himself to the power of Colonel Ham- 
 mond, who conducted him to the Isle of Wight. 
 
 Near Forton Lake, a creek of Portsmouth Harbour, about 
 a mile to the north from Gosport, is the New Military Hos- 
 pital connected with the establishment of Portsmouth. The 
 buildings consist of four pavilions, united by an arcade, with 
 houses for offices, &c. In each pavilion are six large wards, and 
 proper accommodations for attendants. On the north side of the 
 Lake, and near the entrance, is the Magazine, where, and in a 
 smaller building dependent on this, on an Island above, all the 
 Powder for the service of this port is stored. The Magazine is 
 bomb-proof, and strongly arched : a small cut runs up from the 
 harbour to this depository. Near it are the ruins of an ancient 
 Castle, called Borough Castle, traditionally ascribed to King Stephen. 
 
 Near FORTON, a pleasant and populous hamlet, on the road 
 to Gosport, is the French Prison, an extensive range of build- 
 ings, with an Hospital, and proper offices: the whole is secured by 
 a strong inclosure, strictly guarded, 
 
 GOSPORT, 
 
 Like Fareham, was, in Leland’s time, only a village, inhabited 
 by fishermen ; but it is now an extensive market-town, with a ve- 
 ry considerable trade, and particularly flourishing in times of war, 
 from its contiguity to the naval arsenal at Portsmouth, Its impor- 
 tance, indeed, is now so great, that of late years it has been re- 
 gularly fortified on the land side, by a line of bastions, redoubts, 
 
 • . 1 counterscarps,^ 
 
mxed Irj Cooke. G O S R O R T" 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 311 
 
 ^unterscarps, &c. that extends from Weovil to Stoke, or more pro- 
 perly, Alver stoke Lake* Within the works on the Weovil side, 
 is the King’s JBrexvery and Cooperage, with an immense range of 
 store-houses for wine, malt, hops, &c. This place communicates 
 with the sea by means of a large bason and canal, with extensive 
 quays, where vessels of considerable burthen can take in their 
 stores. Many small sloops belonging to Weovil are employed in 
 the conveyance of wine, beer, and water, to the ships in the har- 
 bour. On the Weovil side are also the new Barracks, an exten- 
 sive ra' ge of buildings, with every convenience for a great number 
 of men. 
 
 The appioach to Gosport by water is extremely fine, as the va- 
 rious forts, and large piles of building in its vicinity, are then seen 
 to great advantage : and the town itself, considered as a sea-port, 
 is w^ell built, and handsome. The principal street extends west- 
 ward from the harbour to the works, but is somewhat obstructed 
 by the Market-house ; otliers run parallel with this, and, like it, 
 are crossed by various lesser streets, &c. Exclusive of these, dif- 
 ferent ranges of building extend along the shore, and near the for- 
 tifications, for the most part consisting of respectable houses. 
 
 Gosport is a chapelry to the neighbouring village of Alverstoke. 
 
 ■ The Chapel is a spacious building, standing in a large well-planted 
 cemetery, to the south of the tow'n. The interior is neat, and dis- 
 posed into a middle and two side aisles : the organ was formerly 
 the property of the Duke of Chandos, of Canons. Here is also a 
 large Meeting-house for Dissenters, and a Chapel for Roman Car 
 tholics. Several Charity-Schools have been established here by 
 subscription; together with some Alms-Houses for distressed wi- 
 dows ; and a large, airy and commodious Work-House for the poor. 
 The markets are held three days weekly, and are much frequented ; 
 fish and vegetables are sold here in great plenty ; the latter are not 
 only brought from a considerable distance inland, but also from 
 the Isle of Wight, Here are several Breweries, and a very ex- 
 tensive Iron Foundry, where numerous articles are manufactured 
 for Government by contract. The amusements of the more re- 
 spectable classes are sought in a monthly assembly, with occasional 
 
 U 4, concerts: 
 
312 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 concerts: a neat Theatre has also been erected here. The popu- 
 lation of the parish of Alverstoke, including the inhabitants of this 
 town, was returned under the act of 1801, at 11,295; the number 
 of houses, at 1905. The police is well regulated. The connection 
 between Gosport and Portsmouth is preserved by the numerous 
 ferry-boats that ply across the harbour, which in this part is about 
 three quarters of a mile in width. 
 
 The Royal Hospital at HASLER, for the reception of sick 
 and wounded seamen, was built between the years 1746 and 1762, 
 on the very earnest recommendation of the late Earl, of Sandwich. 
 It is situated within 400 yards of the extremity of the point of 
 land which bounds the west side of the entrance to Portsmouth 
 Harbour, and consists of an extensive front, and two wings, each 
 consisting of two distinct ranges of building. These stand within 
 the airing ground, which is almost a mile in circumference, and sur- 
 rounded by a wall twelve feet high. Opposite the grand entrance 
 is a neat military Pavilion, or Guard-House, where a constant 
 guard of marines is kept to prevent desertion. The extent of the 
 grand front, or centre building, is 1 89 yards: the pediment dis- 
 plays a sculpture, in Portland stone, of the Royal arms, with the 
 figures of Navigation and Commerce, (the former pouring balm 
 upon the wounds of a sailor,) and other appropriate ornaments: 
 the length of each wing is about 184 yards. The wards are all 
 uniform, sixty feet long, and twenty-four broad ; each containing 
 accommodations for twenty patients, with apartments for nurses, 
 &c. Several other buildings are also within the walls for the use 
 of the Governor, Lieutenants, and other officers and servants be- 
 longing to the establishment, which consists of more than 260 
 persons : the Chapel is a neat edifice, seventy-two feet in length, 
 and thirty-six broad. Upwards of 2000 sick or wounded men 
 can be admitted at the same time into this Hospital. The regular 
 expenses of the establishment in salaries, &c. is upwards of 50001. 
 annually. The utility of this institution is unquestionable; and the 
 gieat attention that is here paid to the wants of the brave men 
 whom the chance of war has obliged to seek shelter within this 
 asylum, merits the highest praise. 
 
 About 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 315 
 
 About three quarters of a mile soutli-west from Ha^. Hospital, 
 is FORT MONKTON, a modern and regular fortifi tion, exceed- 
 ingly strong, and defended by thirty-two pieces of heavy ordnance : 
 to the westward, ranges a strong Redoubt; and this, together with 
 the fort, effectually secures this part of the coast. On the shore to 
 the eastward, a high and massive stone Wall has been erected, to 
 preser\^e the land from the ravages of the sea. 
 
 Still further to the east, and near the extremity of the neck of 
 land which bounds the entrance of the harbour on this side, is the 
 Block House, a very strong fort, defended by a tremendous 
 battery. 
 
 THE ISLE OF PORTSEA, 
 
 Which includes the naval arsenal of Portsmouth within its 
 limits, is wholly surrounded by the sea; its eastern boundary being 
 formed by Portsmouth Harbour, and its western side by Langstone 
 Harbour, white a narrow channel communicating between them, 
 separates it from the main land on the north ; the high sea 
 washes its southern shores. Its circumference is about sixteen 
 miles; its length, from north to south, being nearly five; and its 
 breadth, in the widest part, between three and four. The culti- 
 vated land is chiefly arable ; and some of the farms are of consider- 
 able size. Its population is very great; as, exclusive of the towns 
 of Portsmouth, and Portsea, it includes several considerable villages 
 and hamlets; as tlie Halfway Houses, Kingston Cross, Kingston, 
 Hilsea, &c. On the land side it is defended by extensive fortifi- 
 cations, called the Lines; and next the sea, by various forts and 
 batteries. On the east side are several Salterns, and a large tract 
 of extra-parochial land ranging along the borders of Langstone 
 Harbour. Part of the manor belongs to the College at Winches- 
 ter, it having been granted to the Newan Minster by Queen Ethel- 
 fleda, wife of King Edgar. The communication with the main land 
 is by two bridges, secured by a triple entrenchment ; the one for 
 the entrance, the other for the departure of passengers. Hence, 
 SI direct road extends to the important towns of 
 
 PORTSMOUTH 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 3U 
 
 PORTSMOUTH \nd PORTSEA. 
 
 These, though separated in the more minute regulations of 
 local polity, can hardly be considered as forming more than one 
 town ; they are, indeed, both included within the limits of the bo- 
 rough of Portsmouth, both governed by the same magistrates, and 
 both admitted to a participation in the same immunities. Ports- 
 mouth, as the more ancient town, has preserved its dignity and 
 precedence in still being the seat of the civil and military esta- 
 blishments; it is also the residence of the Port Admiral: its streets 
 are likewise more spacious ; and, in general, its houses and build- 
 ings are superior. Portsea, however, is by far the largest and 
 most populous town; and has tlie advantage in havuig both the 
 Dock Yard and Gun-Wharf within its precincts. 
 
 The origin of Portsmouth is affirmed, by Camden, to have been 
 owing to the retiring of the sea from the upper parts of the Har- 
 bour, which rendering Porchester less convenient, the inhabitants 
 removed to Portsea Isle, and built Portsmouth. The earliest his- 
 torical notice concerning it, appears in the Saxon Chronicle, sub 
 anno 500, which styles it Portesrnuthe, as the author imagines, from 
 Porta, tlie Saxon Chieftain, who landed here ; but more probably 
 from its situation at the mouth of the port, or harbour. Here 
 Robert, Duke of -Normandy, landed with a strong army, in 1101, 
 with intent to dispute the possession of the throne with his brother, 
 Henry the First ; but the interference of the great Barons caused 
 him to relinquish his design, and consent to terms of conciliation. 
 About this period, or soon afterwards, Portsmouth seems to have 
 attained to a considerable degree of importance, as the Saxon 
 Chronicle informs us, that Henry the First passed the Wliitsuu 
 week here in 1123; and in 1140, the Empress Maud landed at 
 this port, with her brother Robert, the brave Earl of Glocester, 
 and marched hence to Arundel. 
 
 In the year 1193, Richard the First granted the town its charter, 
 in which, after declaring that he retains Portesmue in his own hands, 
 with all that belongs to it, he grants to its Burgesses the privileges 
 
 of 
 
.'iife'f.'.; 
 
 
 ■V' 
 
 iii 
 
 
 
 V ’* I 
 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 315 
 
 ©f au annual fair for fifteen days, and a weekly market ; together 
 with all the immunities, &cc. enjoyed by the citizens of Winchester 
 and Oxford. As a consequence of this charter, the inliabitants re- 
 quested the presence of the itinerant Justices, and presented Henry 
 the Third with three casks of wine, in order to prevail on him to 
 command their attendance. In the beginning of the reign of 
 Richard tire Second, the town was burnt by the French, its grow- 
 ing trade having excited the jealousy of that nation; and several 
 attempts have been since made by them to destroy it by the same 
 means. Edward the Fourth, fully sensible of the importance of 
 this port to the rising glory of the British navy, began to secure it 
 by fortifications; and Richard the Third, impressed by similar 
 ideas, carried on and extended the works which his predecessor 
 had commenced. From this period it gradually increased in 
 strength as well as consequence; till, in the reign of Henry the 
 Eighth, it had become the principal naval arsenal in England ; if 
 not, indeed, the only port deserving that appellation. Leland, 
 who visited it in this reign, describes ii as follows : 
 
 “ The land heere, on the east side of Portesmuth haven, remiith 
 farther by a great way strait into the se, by south-est from the 
 haven-mouth, than it doeth at the west poynte. There is, at this 
 point of the haven, Portesmuth toun, and a great round tourre, 
 almost doble in quantite and strenkith to that that is on the west 
 side of the haven right agayn it; and heere is a mighty chaine of 
 yren, to draw from towre to towre. About a quarter of a mile 
 above this tourre is a great dok for shippes, and yn this dok lyeth 
 part of tire rybbes of the Henry, Grace of Dieu, one of the biggest 
 ehippes that hath beene made in hominum memorial Ther be 
 above this dok crekes in this part of the haven. 
 
 “ The tovvne of Portesmuth is murid from the est tour a forough 
 length with a nrudde waulle armid with tymbre, whereon be great 
 
 peaces 
 
 ^ This ship is represented in the painting formerly at Windsor (see 
 Vol. I. p. 218 ) of: The Embarkation of Henry the Eighth at Dover, pre- 
 paratory to his interview with Francis the First in Le Champ de Drap 
 d’Or. This picture, with its companion, representing the Interview it- 
 self, has been lately presented by bis Majesty to the Antiquarian Society, 
 
3l6 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 peaces both of yren and brassen ordinauns ; and this peace of the 
 wauUe having a diclie without it, renuith so far flat south south-est, 
 and is the place moste apte to defende the town ther open on the 
 haven. Ther rennith a diche almost flat est for a space, and wyth- 
 in it is a waulle of mudde like to the other, and so thens goith 
 round aboute the toun to the circuite of a myle. Ther is a gate 
 of tymbre at the north-est ende of the toun, and by it is cast up 
 an hille of erths diched, wherein be gunnes to defend entre into 
 the toun by land. Ther is much vacant ground within the toun 
 waulle. Ther is one fair streate in the toune from west to north- 
 est. 
 
 “ I leamid in the toun, that the tourres in the haven-mouth 
 were begon in King Edwarde the 4’’ tyme, and sette forwarde yn 
 building by Richard the 3 : Kyng Henry the vij. endyd them at the 
 procuration of Fox, Bishop of Winchester. King Henry viij. at his 
 first warres into Fraunce, erected in the south part of the towne 3 
 great bruing houses, with the unplements, to serve his shippes at 
 such tyme as they should go to the se in tyme of warre. One 
 Carpenter, a riche man, made of late tyme, in the mydle of the 
 high streate of the toun, a Toun-house. The toun is bare, and 
 little occupied in time of peace.”* 
 
 Henry the Eighth was the first Monarch under whom the Navy 
 obtained a systematic establishment. In the preceding reigns, the 
 naval force “ was either hired from the merchant, foreign or na- 
 tive, or supplied by the Cinque and other ports of the kingdom ; 
 but the navy was under no sort of regulation : the bargain was 
 made with the first, or the demand made from the last, according 
 to their different assessments.”f Henry the Seventh, indeed, appears 
 to have made Portsmouth a Royal Dock ; but no regular system 
 was entered into before the time of his successor, to render the navy 
 a national concern. Henry the Eighth first erected a Navy Office, 
 and ranged his ships into different classes, keeping a regular inven- 
 tory 
 
 ^ Itin. Vol. III. p. 81, 82. 
 
 f Pennant’s Journey to the Isle of Wight, Vol. II. p. 137, 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 317 
 
 tory of their various stores.* In this reign, long after the famed 
 Interview in Le Champ de Drap d’Or, Francis tlie First, having 
 quarrelled with Henry, fitted out a vast fleet, under the command 
 of D’Annebaut, Admiral of France ; who, in July, 1544, came off 
 the Isle of Wight, and stretched along the shore to St. Helen's, 
 with intent to destroy Portsmouth. The English fleet, under Vis- 
 count Lisle, in the Great Harry, anchored off Spithead to receive 
 them ; and a distant cannonade continued for two days between 
 the two fleets; but the French at length hauled their wind, and, 
 after plundering some part of the Isle of Wight, retired to their 
 own coasts. During the engagement, the Mary Rose, one of the 
 largest of the English ships, and commanded by Sir George Carew, 
 was overpowered by the weight of her own ordnance, and heeling 
 greatly, the water rushed in at her port-holes, and sunk her: by 
 this accident nearly 600 men, vrith Sir George, were drowned. 
 
 Even in the time of Edward the Sixth, Portsmouth was almost 
 the only naval station, and tlie onlp Dock^Yard that could be con- 
 sidered as a national one. All the sEfips that Britain could then 
 boast, and which, including galleys, pinnaces, and row-barges, 
 were fifty-three, lay in this port; with the exception of two at Dept- 
 ford strand, and one, the Henry, Grace de Dieu, at Woolwich.f 
 The whole number of men belonging to these vessels, including 
 soldiers, marines, and gunners, was 7780. Edward seems to have 
 been deeply impressed with the necessity of making Portsmouth 
 impervious to attack, as appears from his letter to his friend Bar- 
 naby Fitz-Patrick, written during bis progress in 1552, and first 
 published by Horace Walpole. 
 
 “ From thes,’' writes the youthful Sovereign, “ we went to Por- 
 tismouth toune, and there viewed not only the toune itself, and the 
 haven, but also divers bulwarkes; in viewing of which, we find the 
 bulwarkes chargeable, massie, and ramparted, but il facioned, il 
 flanked, and set in unmete places ; the toune weak hi comparison 
 
 of 
 
 * See Archseologia, Vol. VI. p. 179, &c. 
 
 ■f Merchant’s vessels are of course not included in this statement. 
 
318 
 
 HAMPSHIRE, 
 
 of that it ought to be, to house great (for w,*in the wallis are fair# 
 and large closis, and much vacant rome ;) the haven notable greate, 
 and standing by nature easie to be fortified. And for the more 
 strengtli thereof, we have divised two strong castellis on either side 
 of the haven, at the mouth thereof : for at the mouth of the haven 
 is not past ten score over, but in the middal almost a mile over, 
 and in length for a mile and a hauf, liable to bear the greatest ship 
 in Christendome.’' Since this period, the fortifications have been 
 greatly increased, and are now in a state of sufficient se urity to be 
 ahnost denominated impregnable. ] 
 
 In the reign of Charles the Fiist, Portsmouth was appointed as 
 the rendezvous for the armament destmed to relieve the Protestants 
 in Rochelle, then besieged by Cardinal Richelieu. The Duke of 
 Buckingham, tlie great favorite of the Sovereign, who had come 
 from town purposely to hasten the preparations, was here assassi- 
 nated, while surrounded by his principal officers, by the enthusiast 
 Felton, a Lieutenant in one of the regiments ordered for embarka- 
 tion, and who also had come from London solely to effect his 
 dire purpose * During the Civil Wars, Portsmouth was garrisoned 
 for the Parliament. 
 
 Charles the Second was married in this town to Catlierine, the 
 Infanta of Portugal: this Monarch improved and enlarged the for- 
 tifications, particularly by surrounding South-Sea Castle with a 
 kind of stai-fort; but this was partly blown up by accident in the 
 year 1759; soon after which, 69371. was granted by the Parlia- 
 ment for improving the works. William the Third, also, made 
 considerable additions; and many others have been completed 
 since the year 1770, at a vast expense. 
 
 The most recent fortifications are those on the Portsea side; 
 and here the line is so well secured, that the approaches of an 
 
 enemy 
 
 ^ The house in which the Duke was stabbed, was No. 10, in the 
 High Street, and is yet standing, but uninhabited, nearly opposite to 
 the Meeting-Honse. The assassin, far from attempting to escape, jus- 
 tified the deed, considering the death of Buckingham as essential to the 
 glory of his country: he was executed at Tyburn, and his body was 
 afterwards hanged in chains at Portsmouth. 
 
HAMPSHIRE, 
 
 319 
 
 enemy could only be made in front; and even there, but on few 
 points. The surrounding country is also so low, as to be complete- 
 ly commanded by the elevation of the works, which are faced with 
 stone, as far as the angles of the parapet. The ditches are wide 
 and deep ; and the whole line is further strengthened by strong and 
 capacious outworks. At the head of the creek which separates 
 Portsea from Portsmouth, is an extensive ravelin, which connects 
 these works with those of t^e latter tovm : the communication be- 
 tween the towns is preserved by a long bridge, wliich leads to St. 
 Tliomas’s Gate. 
 
 The fortifications on the Portsmouth side, extending along the 
 beech, from the town to Soutli-Sea Castle, form a noble semicir- 
 cular terrace, which is planted with elms, and being kept in excel- 
 lent order, makes a delightful promenade, upwards of a mile in 
 length. From the Platform, which is more immediately the resort 
 of company, is an extremely fine sea-view, including the anchorage 
 at Spithead, and the Isle of Wight in the distance ; the more con- 
 tiguous scenes are scarcely less beautiful. 
 
 The great and progressive increase in the naval establishments 
 and trade of Portsmouth, and the vast augmentation of buildings 
 tlependant thereon, at length rendered the town by far too small 
 for its population ; and early in the last century, but not till then, 
 an open common, on the north side, was chosen as tlie most con- 
 venient spot for additional houses. As these became inhabited, 
 new ones were erected, and were again rapidly increased by others, 
 till the new buildings assumed the appearance of a spacious suburb, 
 and were denominated for many years, by the general name of the 
 Common, or Portsmouth Common. Still increasing with an abnost 
 unparalleled rapidity, the otispring outgrew its parent town, which 
 lying within the old fortifications, presented no vacant space for 
 additional buildings. Assuming consequence with extent, its ori- 
 ginal name of the Common w as discarded, and in an Act of the 
 Legislature, passed in tlie year 1792, for paving, and otherwise 
 improving the place, it displays its rising honors under the appel- 
 lation of “ The Town of PoRTSEA.” Even in the suburbs of this 
 new town, and beyond the fortifications that environ it, several . 
 ranges of building have been erected of late years. The 
 
320 
 
 MAMPSHIRE. 
 
 Tlie Dock-Yard, which must be considered as the germ of all 
 the modern additions, and the Gun- Wharf, are both on the Portsea 
 side; yet though close to the town, they are rigidly excluded from 
 all connection with it, but what depends on the requisite accom- 
 modations of the workmen employed. The Dock- Yard is very 
 extensive, and contains within its precincts, every article of which 
 the navy can be in want. The number of its buildings are consi- 
 derable; they consist of immense store-houses, handsome residences 
 for the principal officers, a spacious and elegant mansion for the 
 Commissioner, an Academy for naval instruction, a neat Chapel, 
 extensive workshops, mast-houses, &c. 
 
 The entrance from the town is by a lofty Gateway, with a 
 smaller one on the right; these are carefully attended, so that no 
 strangers can be admitted without proper authority : the Porter’s 
 residence is a large building to the left. Passing the Mast-Houses, 
 and a handsome modern-built Guard-house, the Pay-Office attracts 
 attention: this has every convenience for its purpose; and beneath 
 is a spacious piazza, to shelter those who cannot be immediately ad- 
 mitted to the upper offices in. bad weather. Proceeding onwards, 
 the Royal Naval Academy arrests the sight: it consists of a centre 
 and two wings, furnished with every requisite accommodation for 
 the important office of instruction it is designed to effect. In one 
 of the wings is a very fine Model of the Victory, a first rate of 110 
 guns, that was lost near the Race of Alderney in 177 4-, with upwards 
 of 1000 men, while under the command of Admiral Balchen : both 
 the ship itself, and the model, were built in this yard ; the latter 
 is micoramonly curious : on this building is a very excellent 
 Observatory. 
 
 Somewhat further is the Commissioner's House, a spacious build- 
 ing, consisting of a centre, with an elegant portico, and two wings, 
 properly fitted up, both for the purposes of business and habitation. 
 Here his present Majesty resided during his visit to Portsmouth, af- 
 ter Lord Howe’s victory over the Republican fleet of France, on the 
 first of June, 1794. This mansion has been built since the year 
 1773 : behind it is a large and well-disposed garden. A long 
 range of Store-Houses succeeds ; and to the right of these a neat 
 
 modem 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 321 
 
 jnodern Chapel, in the cupola of which is hung the hell that be- 
 longed to the unfortunate Royal George, lost in the bosom of se- 
 curity, while careening at Spithead, Not far distant is the New 
 Guard-House, having a handsome portico, fronting the entrance 
 to Cumberland-Street. 
 
 Passing the Anchor Wharf, where a very extensive range of an- 
 chors of every dimension are kept ready for immediate service, the 
 Rope-House attracts notice. This is a spacious pile, three stories 
 high, and of vast length ; its admeasurement, in this respect, be- 
 ing 1094 feet; its breadth is fifty-four feet. Here the cables are 
 formed, a work of immense labor ; but of late years much facili- 
 tated by the use of machuies. The cables are twisted in the lower 
 story ; in the upper ones the various processes of spinning the hemp, 
 and preparing the threads, are carried on. The operations in this 
 division of the yard are particularly ingenious, and highly interesting. 
 
 Leaving the stables and other buildings on the right, and pass- 
 ing various store-houses, and piles of timber for the service of the 
 yard, the visitor enters a kind of square, the east side of which is 
 formed by a row of handsome houses, inhabited by the principal 
 officers, and the north and south by a variety of offices, store- 
 houses, &c. the west side is open. In the centre of this square, 
 on a marble pedestal, is a gilt statue of William the Third, in 
 a Roman habit; this was the gift of Colonel Richard Norton, of 
 Southwick Park. The area of the square is used as a repository 
 for timber, immense quantities of which are here piled up. 
 
 Proceeding to the vast building called the Anchor Forge, the 
 sight and hearing are both confounded by the terrific din, and Cy- 
 clopean scenes that spread through this abode of horrid imagery. 
 The large and dusky figures of the workmen, sometimes glaring 
 with the reflection of the immense fires, at others obscured, or 
 dimly seen through the dismal volumes of snioke that arise “ on all 
 sides round f the sullen sound of the enormous sledges, the lighter 
 clanking of the hammers, and the sparkling of the metal as it is 
 crushed into form by the descending stroke, all combine most 
 poiverfully to impress the mind with sensations of fearful admira- 
 tion. The labor of the Cyclops in the caverns of Etna, cannot be 
 VoL. VI. April, 1805. X 
 
 more 
 
322 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 more faithfully represented. Many of the anchors that ate hete 
 wrought, weigh from forty to ninety tons each. 
 
 The next impressive objects which demand the atteiitiotl of the 
 visitor, are the ships of war upon the stocks ; the height, the im- 
 mense size, the solidity and compactness of the frame-wOtk, and 
 the bold curvatures formed by the spreading sides of these ‘ bul- 
 warks of the ocean,' cannot fail to. excite the most lively interest 
 in the breast of every one who knows that the safety of England is 
 wholly owing to its Wooden Walls. 
 
 TTie Jetty-Heads, with the Basons and Docks, are next iti or- 
 der, and, with the ships in the harbour, present a Very grand and 
 interesting spectacle ; to which the extraordinary capaciousness of 
 the new range of Docks, &c. greatly contribute. Tliese immense 
 works are rendered perfectly convenient for their respective pur- 
 poses, and while the ships continue under repair, are kept completely 
 dry; though alongside the jetties in their immediate vicinity, the 
 depth of water is so great, that the largest first-rates lie close to 
 the shore. The Rigging- Houses deserve particular attention ; as 
 well as many other parts of this celebrated arsenal.* Great im- 
 provements have been made in all the departments of the yard 
 within the last thirty years ; and in addition to the other machines 
 employed to facilitate labor, two Steam Engines have been set up, 
 one of them on a very large and improved scale. 
 
 “ Where such immense structures,” observes a late writer, speak- 
 ing of this yard, “as first-rate ships of war, are constructed, and 
 refitted in whole fleets, with a degree of expedition truly astonish- 
 ing, machines, workshops, and magazines, must necessarily be of 
 relative size and consequence."f Every thing, indeed, is here up- 
 on a mighty scale; and, abstractedly considered, the efforts of hu- 
 man 
 
 ^ As the general arrangement and business of the Dock- Yards are 
 similar, we shall refer the reader to the description of Plymouth in our 
 Fourth Volume, for more enlarged particulars of their general economy. 
 To a Briton, perhaps, the subject is one of the most interesting that can 
 employ the mental powers. 
 
 t Monthly Magazine, Oct. 1801. Vol. XII. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 523 
 
 tnan industry seem too weak and impotent to achieve the impor- 
 tant works that are here displayed. To what, however, is the la- 
 bor of man, practically exerted, absolutely incompetent? Even 
 the inflexible and knarled oak* bends to the efforts of his power; 
 and the proud fabric that stems the ocean’s rush, and braves the 
 horrors of the midnight storm, is indebted for its creation and se- 
 curity, to his activity and persevering exertions. 
 
 The number of workmen employed in the Portsmouth Yard is 
 very great, but varies considerably, according to the business to 
 be executed, and to the more or less dispatch that may be neces- 
 saiy. Even in peaceable times, upwards of 2000 men are com- 
 monly engaged in its different departments; but in times of war, 
 this number is frequently doubled, and even 5000 persons have 
 been employed here together. The officers, who have regular ap- 
 pointments, consist of a Commissioner, whose salary is 8001. per 
 annum, with three Clerks; a Clerk of the Cheque, a Store-keeper, 
 a Master Shipwright, a Surveyor’s Clerk, two Master’s Attendants* 
 an Extra Master Attendant, tliree Assistant Master’s Shipwright, a 
 Clerk of the Rope Yard, a Master Rope-Maker, a Boatswain, a Pur- 
 veyor, a Master Boat-Builder, Chaplain, Surgeon, Here, as at 
 Plymouth, the workmen have had of late years, an extra allowance 
 of six-pence daily in lieu of chips, which were formerly considered 
 as perquisites. 
 
 Though every precaution that can be devised, is taken to guard 
 against the destructive element of fire, three great conflagrations 
 have occurred here since the year 176 O: the first of these appears 
 to have been accidental; but the second was, most probably, the 
 effect of design, as the last undoubtedly was. The first com- 
 menced in the night of the third of July, and raged for a long time 
 with amazing fury. The night had been extremely tempestuous; 
 the thunder was awfully loud, and the flashes of lightning were 
 unconunonly vivid ; the weather had also been unconimonly sultry. 
 Many hundred tons of tar, oil, and other combustibles, were con- 
 sumed, besides 1050 tons of hemp, 500 tons of cordage, and about 
 
 X 2 700 
 
 ^ Shakespeare. 
 
324 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 700 sails. The fire was attributed to the lightning ; and a watcH- 
 man deposed, that a meteor, or fire-ball, passed near him about 
 ten minutes before the fire broke out; it was remarked also, that 
 the windows of the hemp store-house had that night been left open 
 in order to air it. The second fire occurred on the morning of 
 the twenty-seventh of July, 1770; and, from various circumstances, 
 occasioned great suspicions of its having been purposely ignited. 
 The effects were more tremendous than had accompanied the for- 
 mer : the store-house for pitch and tar was rapidly destroyed ; and 
 immediately afterwards, the flames burst out in four different parts 
 at once, and that with such extreme vehemence, that the destruc- 
 tion of the whole Yard was fully expected. The wind, however, 
 shifted to a fiivorable quarter; and, by the active exertions of the 
 workmen, assisted by a body of seamen and marines, and the vo- 
 luntary aid of numerous individuals, the progress of the fire was 
 arrested, and at length finally overcome. The third and last fire 
 was on the seventh of December, 1776: in this instance the incen- 
 diary was discovered, and suffered the punishment of death. His 
 real name was John Aitkin ; but the appellation by which he is 
 most known, is that of Jack, the Painter. He is supposed to have 
 acted under foreign influence ; and his attempts had previously ex- 
 cited considerable alarm at Plymouth and Bristol. His plans were 
 deeply laid ; and to effect his designs, he had invented a very in- 
 genious machine. With this he contrived to conceal himself in 
 the Dock-Yard, and lodging his machine among the cordage, he 
 set fire to it : in the morning he passed the gates without being 
 seized, and on the same day the fire broke out, though earlier by 
 some hours than he had purposed. Assistance being immediately 
 given, and the wind blowing at the same time towards the water, 
 the flames were prevented spreading in any consideiable de- 
 gree; though the Rope House, and some adjoining store-houses, 
 were consumed. The incendiary soon quitted Portsmouth, but 
 was apprehended about two months afterwards; and the whole 
 progress of his villainy being traced, he was condemned at Win- 
 chester, on incontestible evidence, and was executed near the Dock 
 Gates, on the seventh of March, 1777. Previous to his suffering 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 325 
 
 tlie penalty of the law, he made all the reparation in his power, 
 by pointing out some effectual measures for securing the Dock- 
 Yards from similar attempts. 
 
 The Gun Wharf includes several ranges of building for the 
 reception of the naval and military artillery, stores, &c. Some of 
 the store-houses are very large, particularly two, which, with their 
 dependencies, are adapted to contain all kinds of necessaries for 
 the sudden equipment both of a fleet and army. On the wharf 
 is the grand depot for guns, carronades, and mortars, with shot 
 and shells of almost every dimension and weight : these are ranged 
 in immense piles of a pyramidical form. Here also, in times of 
 peace, the guns from all the ships that are laid up in ordinary ' at 
 this port, are lodged ; each ship’s guns being kept in a separate 
 tier, while the carriages are deposited away in the same regular 
 manner in proper store-houses; so that all may be le -delivered at 
 a moment’s notice. The Small Armoury is a spacious building, of 
 late erection, sufficiently large to contain arms for 25,000 men; 
 the arms are arranged under various figures in exact order, the 
 rooms below are appropriated to the artificers who are employed 
 in keeping the arras in perfect readiness for service. The houses 
 inhabited by the Storekeeper, and other officers, who have the 
 care of the ordnance, are handsome structures. 
 
 The principal buildings dependent on this grand naval empori- 
 um, on tire Portsmouth side, are the Victualling Office, the Go- 
 vernment House, the houses of the Lieutenant Governor, and 
 Port Admiral; and the Marine and Military Barracks. The Vic- 
 luallin'^ Office comprehends several extensive ranges of building, 
 including a noble house for the Agent Victualler, and a large Store- 
 house, running the entire length of St. Thomas s Street, and con- 
 taining the provisions and liquors for the supply ot the navy : in 
 the other buildings the beef atrd pork are prepared arrd salted, the 
 biscuits baked, &c. The grain for the latter purpose is gromrd at 
 the King's Mill, a buildiirg on the Portsea side, erected on piles, 
 ^t ai) expense of rrearly 7 OOOl. The mill is worked by a stream 
 
 X3 of 
 
 For an explanation of this ternr see Vol. IV. p. 178, (note.) 
 
326 
 
 HAMPSHIEB. 
 
 of salt-water, admitted from the harbour by means of a great 
 sluice on the creek which separates the towns. The sluice, or 
 miil-dam, is closed at high water; and, on the ebbing of the tide, 
 the water is again worked back into the harbour. 
 
 The Government House is situated at the upper end of the grand 
 Parade; this is reputed to have origmally formed part of a “ faire 
 Hospitale,” or Domus Dei, founded for twelve poor men, by 
 the Bishop Peter de Rupibus, and the annual revenues of which 
 were, at the Dissolution, valued at 331. 19 s. 6 |d. It displays, 
 however, but little vestige of its monastic origin, the alterations 
 having been great and frequent. Since it became appropriated to 
 the Right Hon. Sir W. A. Pitt, K, B. the present Governor of 
 Portsmouth, many improvements have been made, and it now 
 forms a very eligible residence. Near it is the ancient Chapel be- 
 longing to the Hospital; this has been repaired of late years, and 
 assigned to the use of the officers and soldiers of the garrison. 
 The residences of the Lieutenant Governor, and of the Port Ad- 
 miral, are handsome and convenient buildings; particularly the lat- 
 ter, which is situated in the High Street, and has been fitted up 
 in a very elegant manner at the expense of Government. 
 
 Portsmouth, as already mentioned, received its first charter from 
 Richard Coeur de Lion, since which various charters have been 
 granted by succeeding Kings: that under which the town is now 
 governed, was bestowed by Charles the First. The Corporation 
 consists of a Mayor, Recorder, twelve Aldermen, an unlimited 
 number of Burgesses, and some inferior officers. The first return 
 to Parliament was made in the twenty-third of Edward the First, 
 The right of election, as determmed by the House of Commons 
 in the reign of William the Third, is vested in the Mayor, Alder- 
 men, and Burgesses: the number of voters is about 110 .* Tire 
 public business is mostly transacted at the Town-Hall, a large 
 building, injudiciously placed near the middle of the High Street, 
 with an open space for the markets beneath : this edifice was re- 
 paired 
 
 » Some curious particulars relating to the parliamentary history of this 
 town, may be seen in the Hist, of Boroughs, Vol. II. 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 327 
 
 p?ured and enlarged in the year 179 d. In the High Street is also 
 the White House, or Town Prison, having difierent apartments for 
 separating the prisoners into classes. 
 
 The Church, dedicated to St. Thomas a Becket, is a spacious 
 building, erected at different periods of time ; the tower, which is 
 the most modern part, is 120 feet, forming a good mark for sea- 
 men. Behind the altiir is a large and elaborate monument, or ra- 
 ther cenotaph, in memoi^ of the Duke of Buckingham, hail- 
 ing ill the centre a marble urn, in wljich the heart of that ill-fated 
 nobleman is said to be deposited : the Duke’s body was buried in 
 Westminster Abbey. The parish Church of Portsea is situated at 
 I^ingston, a hamlet about two miles distant : this inconvenient cir- 
 cumstance, and the augmented population of the town, have occa- 
 sioned two neat Chapels to be built here : these are respectively 
 dedicated to St. George and St. John. The internal arrangement 
 of St. John’s Cfiapel is paiticularly elegant ; the altar is placed in a 
 semicircular recess, separated from the body of tlie Chapel by a 
 screen of Corinthian columns, fluted; the ceiling is richly decorated 
 with stucco-w'ork. This Chapel was consecrated in the year 17S9. 
 Besides, these places of worship, there are ten or twelve Meeting- 
 Houses within these towns and the immediate environs, principally 
 for Dissenters. 
 
 Among the charitable institutions is a Free Grammar School, 
 founded in the last century, by Dr. Smith, a Physician of this town, 
 and by whom it wa^ placed mider tlie patronage of the Dean and 
 Chapter of Christ Church, Oxford. This has already become a 
 sinecure ; but several other Schools of more effective use liave been 
 establisired h^re; one of them is under the patronage of a Friendly 
 Society, and, is. kept ip the Society, Hull: the honorary meinbers 
 of this society include many gentlemen of tlie first respectability in 
 Hampshire. Here is also an Alms.-House for eight poor widows, 
 of late endowment. The poor of hoffi parishes are cliiefly employed 
 in picking oakum ; but the ^neral system, under which they are 
 managed is very distinct; and the rates are in consequence much 
 higher at Portsmouth than at Portsea, where tlie regulations are 
 most judicious. The Poor-House of Portsmoutli is an old build- 
 
 X 4 ing, 
 
328 
 
 HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 ing, standing in a very dissolute part of the town, and much con-, 
 fined ; that of Portsea occupies a more open spot about a mile dis- 
 tant, having a large area and garden within its walls : at Portsea, 
 also, the parish officers may be considered as holding their ap- 
 pointments for life, as they are always re-chosen annually. They 
 are generally shipwrights belonging to the Dock, who are deserv- 
 ing of preferment, and nominated on vacancies, by the principal 
 officers of the yard. 
 
 Many improvements have been made in both towns within the 
 last thirty or forty years. The paving o>f Portsmouth was com- 
 pleted in 1775, at an expense of nearly 90OOI. levied under an 
 act passed in 1768: the paving of Portsea commenced in 1792, 
 but is not entirely completed. The ancient regulations of watch 
 and ward are yet enforced at Portsea ; and a certain number of the 
 inhabitants parade nightly, or find substitutes for that purpose : 
 in some parts, however, the expense of watching and lighting is 
 defrayed by subscription. In Portsmouth, the charges of light- 
 ing and watching are defrayed by a rate raised mider a particular 
 act. 
 
 The commercial character of these tow ns has been greatly im- 
 proved within the last century; and even in time of peace, the 
 trade is now veiy considerable. The amiual fair, or Free Mart, as 
 it is called, originally granted by Richard the First, is still held in 
 the High Street, and still lasts during its original term of fifteen days, 
 commencing on the tenth of July: no person can be arrested with- 
 m the precincts of Portsmouth during its continuance. The mar- 
 kets are held thrice weekly, and are well supplied with all kinds 
 of provision. In Broad Street, which forms part of the western 
 suburb, or Portsmouth Point, is the Custom-House, a large 
 and convenient structure, with an extensive establishment, includ- 
 ing several fast-sailing cutters for the prevention of smuggling. 
 “ This part of the town is admirably situated for commerce, the 
 inhabitants on the north side, having generally an immediate com- 
 munication with the water. The place where the merchant ships 
 liej is a large bay between the gun-wharf and the‘point, having 
 the advantage of an excellent quay, and all its appropriate appen- 
 2 daws; 
 
Jhu/Afea. (hsde, JTa/its. 
 
i 1 A I 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 329 
 
 dages: this communicates with Portsmouth by a large gate, deno- 
 minated the Quay Gate, leading directly to the Victualling Office; 
 and with Portsea, by a road which passes the King’s mills and gun 
 wharf” At the point, and close to the mouth of the harbour, is 
 a spacious and convenient Bathing-House, 
 
 At high water, Portsmouth-Point is completely insulated; and 
 the communication with the town is then by a draw-bridge. Seve- 
 ral extensive Brexveries are established at Portsmouth; and for 
 commercial convenience, a Bank has been erected on the Parade. 
 
 The amusements of the upper classes are sought in subscription 
 assemblies, held at the Crowm inn, occasional concerts, &c. These, 
 however, have less influence than the pleasures of the Theatre, which 
 is always crowded, and generally suffered to remain open somewhat 
 longer than the ‘ law allows/ Among the diversity of ranks that 
 people a maritime town, and particularly one so extensive as this, 
 some profligacy will always obtain admittance; yet, even in this 
 respect, Portsmouth has certainly been the subject of undeserved 
 reproach. The unfortunate women, whose general habits have 
 rendered them amenable to the police, are mostly confined to 
 particular districts, with which, by some late judicious regulations, 
 the soldiery are debarred intercourse, at least openly. The lite- 
 rary character of Portsmouth is improving, and two newspapers 
 are pubhshed here. 
 
 The general mode by which the inhabitants are supplied with 
 water, is inconvenient : from the want of reservoirs, or aqueducts, it 
 is carried about in carts, and sold for daily use. A more enlarged 
 degree of public spirit would, perhaps, accomplish the desirable 
 undertaking of conveying it to the houses through pipes, as in the 
 Metropolis: the springs in the vicinity could certainly be formed 
 into a head sufficient for the regular supply. 
 
 The population and number of houses in this district, are thus 
 stated in the returns made under the act of 1801. Portsmouth: 
 houses, 1134; inhabitants, 7839. Portsea: houses, 2554; inha- 
 bitants, 14,943. Liberty of Portsea, in that part within the Bo- 
 rough: houses, 16'51; inhabitants, 9384. Guildable part, or 
 vicinity of Portsea, beyond the Borough limits: houses, 231 ; in- 
 
 bitants, 
 
330 
 
 HAMPSHIRf. 
 
 habitants, 1060. The whole number of houses in the district is^ 
 therefore, 5570; and that of inhabitants, 33,226. Of this num- 
 ber it is deserving of remark, tliat the females constitute the ma- 
 jority by 3538. This, however, is a disproportion more apparent 
 than real, as the males who reside here belonging to the army, the 
 navy, and the militia, are not included in the abov^ statements. 
 The number of inns and public houses, was returned at 231. 
 The chief part of those who inhabit Portsea and its vicinity, are 
 the artificers and laborers belonging to tlie Dock-Yard, and per- 
 sons employed in retail trades, &c. 
 
 Among the natives of Portsmouth whose names deserve the ap- 
 probation of posterity, is Jonas Hanway, a celebrated philan- 
 thropist, who was born on the twelftli of August, 17 12 . He was 
 bred a merchant, and having formed a connection with a commer- 
 cial house at Petersburgh, it occasioned him to travel into Persia, 
 of which journey he published an account. He afterwards settled 
 in London, and, in the intervals of business, devoted his whole 
 time to the projecting, and establishment, of societies for benevo- 
 lent purposes. The Marine Society, and the Magdalen Hospital, 
 were among the number : and, for his exertions hi behalf of the 
 former institution, he was appointed a Commissioner of the Navy. 
 He died in the year 1786. 
 
 The capaciousness and safety of Portsmouth HarboijR are 
 decidedly superior to most others in the khigdorn. Secure bom 
 every storm, the greatest first-rates may, ride here, at the lowest 
 ebbs, without touching ground; and its extent is almost sufficient 
 for the whole Navy of England, gr^t and multitudinous as it is. 
 Even when the sea at Spithead is so agitated by the fury of the 
 winds, that the largest ships are sometimes driven from then an- 
 chors, the ships within the harbour remain in perfect security. 
 Every where the bottom affords good anchorage, anff is so com- 
 pletely free from bars or impediments, that even a first-rate can 
 make sail at any time of the tide, and quit tlie harbour in the deep 
 water beneath Souffii-Sea Castle. As die ebb tide is much stronger 
 than the flood, all accumulation of sand is prevented, a^d the en- 
 trance of the port is perfectly free and open. Besides these ad- 
 1 vantages, 
 
£T.^7nyc^- l7y J:. 
 
 MEM AT S. FJiTlTlEA]© « 
 
 tiondou; Publish ©tl fcr the ['ropriPTors by Geo /.S- Tvy h£uie . 
 
HAMPSHIRE. 
 
 331 
 
 vantages, Portsmouth Harbour possesses almost complete security 
 from assault by sea, by reason of the various forts or batteries 
 that defend the approach, and are almost level with the water’s 
 edge. Hardly any wind that can blow, could have power to en- 
 danger the shipping moored on its wide bosom, so effectually is it 
 sheltered by the position of the surrounding lands. 
 
 During the last war, U Impetueux, of seventy-four guns, and 
 the Boyne, of ninety-eight, were destroyed by fire in tliis harbour, 
 the former was one of the prizes taken by Lord Howe, on tlie first 
 of June, and was set on fire by the accidental ignition of some gun- 
 powder: she burnt to the water’s edge ; but no further damage was 
 done. The destruction of the Boyne was a more tremendous sight ; 
 this happened on May-day, 1795. The fire broke out aft, with a 
 fresh breeze at south-west, which occasioned the flames to spread 
 through the whole ship with extreme rapidity. Most of the crew 
 were saved by the numerous boats that went to assist them; but 
 the heat at length became so great, and the danger so imminent, 
 that no further assistance could be given; and, on the turn of the 
 tide, she drifted slowly to the eastward, with the fire issuing through 
 every port-hole. Her lower-deck guns were shotted; and as these 
 went off, much damage was done, and some lives lost. Exactly 
 at five o’clock, six or seven hours after the fire commenced, and 
 when the blazing w^reck had drifted nearly to Soutli-Sea Castle, the 
 after-magazine blew up, with an explosion that was sensibly felt 
 over all Portsmouth. The effect was awfully grand; shot and 
 |)ieces of timber were thrown to a vast distance ; and a column of 
 smoke ascended from the inflamed powder, that assumed the most 
 sublime appearance, before it was dispersed by the winds. Seve- 
 ral boats were blown to atoms by the explosion, and about twenty 
 of their hands perished. The ships that were leeward when she 
 began to drift, got under weigh, and ran down to St. Helen’s to 
 escape the danger. 
 
 In the fiunous reach of Spithead, and immediately off the en- 
 trance of Portsmouth Harbour, at about the distance of a mile, 
 the ill-fated Royal George lies buried in the ocean. This ship, 
 carrying 100 guns, and considered as one of the finest in tlie navy, 
 
 was 
 
332 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 was sunk by accident in August, 1782. Some repairs being want- 
 ing on her keel, to save the delay of going into harbour, she was 
 hove on one side, by the removal of her guns, and while in tliat situa- 
 tion, a sudden squall from the north-west threw her broad-side on 
 the water, and tire lower deck ports not having been lashed down, 
 she filled, and sunk in about three minutes. Her brave Admiral, 
 Kerapenfelt, and upwards of 400 of her crew, besides 200 wo- 
 men, perished in her; though every assistance was immediately 
 given by the boats of the fleet, which had just returned from a 
 successful cruize. Her top-masts are yet visible above water. The 
 body of her gallant commander was never found ; but a cenotaph 
 in Alverstoke Church records his talents, and his virtues. 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 The Isle of Wight, tliough included within the jurisdiction of 
 this County, is separated from it by a channel, varying in breadth from 
 two to seven miles, and in former ages distinguished by the appel- 
 lation of the Solent Sea. Many have conjectured that this Isle 
 was originally connected with the main land, but that the violence 
 of the sea had gradually disjoined it from the neighbouring shore. 
 Of this opinion is the learned Whitaker, who remarks, from older 
 writers, that its name is evidently derived from the British Guith, 
 or Guict, signifying the divorced, or separated : hence arose the 
 appellation of Vectis, or the separated region, for the Isle of 
 Wight.'’* This opinion is not without its opponents ; but the sup- 
 porters of the affirmative appear to have the advantage both in ta- 
 lents and in number. Diodorus Siculus, who speaks of an Island 
 by the name of Ictis, to which he affirms the Britons carried their 
 tin over in carts at the recess of the tide, in order to export it to 
 the opposite coasts of Gaul, is thought by many to allude to tlie 
 Isle of Wight ; and if this could be established, it would at once 
 decide the controversy. 
 
 The 
 
 * Hist, of Manchester, Vol. I. p. 416, 
 
^ MUts 
 
 Fixrton^j 
 
 Camp^ 
 
 lymc^ton** 
 
 . Fo Iron. Wa 
 
 
 tXhoAe^ 
 
 “ooum V 
 
 iXowTi 
 
 '•ChesfU. Shdlri 
 
 Brook, 
 
 ^ortfu£ouI^ 
 
 t>LAK or the TOWN <>/• NEWPORT. 
 
 Hunr^/l 
 
 Walpati ( 3 wi£^ 
 
 Black 
 
 ’mpanyfill 
 
 Brawn anAEn^rgyid, 
 
 Engraved ty J.Boper,fi^m a Brawmp hy G.Coltx 
 
 Jjt'ndcrv.PuhUshed for the Froprtrtoi 
 
\\S TUch/UMl Haven 
 
 h.^^arbour 
 
 RowxK^r 
 
 Alverftoke + 
 
 
 
 • of the 
 
 (rearge 
 
 ^umet 
 
 '^adjncre. / 
 
 y Uospiit^- 
 
 8*Helle^ 
 
 smdUnsGn 
 
 jArreton 
 
 ChurcK 
 
 iverstone 
 
 
 \HocLse 
 
 \^ford 
 
 
 ^ihni 
 
 Mia\ 
 
 EXPLAN ATI ON. 
 
 yy Pri/hipcd Town a* . . . 
 
 iChuie Ifark^/andBorvuohTownj- 
 Vmag^^ 
 
 Seai^ and Itifks - . 
 
 Pruiapal RxiOds 
 
 ^ Kocks andUr Water ....... ^ 
 
 me Red^>' OifFe 
 
 The. Soundings art taken atU>w Waterm/zfk 
 
 tLicea that send, membens to htriiament are die 
 tinguiahed hy S tare, acarrdir^ to die number oT 
 
 members returned,,.. ** 
 
 The SiTudifigunes denote die iiuttawTofeodiFlace 
 fram.Londori'.tiie if umeral figures fitc distance he- 
 
 'tween ary two towns orpleuxs. . . 
 
 2&.AiUdlfacket sods every 3Tomwg,abtrut 7 
 O'clock, eocepabiondt^sfhmi Soudiampom. to 
 Island: and returns every evening, eccaept Sun, - 
 
 dqys. Ve/^is usudify leave Sndhamptanfithi^i 
 
 Water, and. depart-ihom Cowes, at low Water. _ . — 
 
 NEWPORT 
 
 bmfnxmn 
 .. _ ♦ ChsOe 
 
 
 /^itoDn- 
 
 
 ofJJ.Brxtto 
 
 fe> aeoomparty me neauUes of England k Wales 
 
 $: lIood,Tc*ouhry , Octi i ,iSo^ 
 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 333 
 
 The original Tin Staple was certainly at the Cassiterides, or 
 Scilly Isles ; but prior to the time of this historian, it had been re- 
 moved to the Roman Vectis, or Isle of Wight. ‘‘ Tlie Greeks of 
 Marseilles,” observes Mr. Whitaker, who quotes Strabo and Dio- 
 dorus as authorities, “ first followed the tract of the Phoenician 
 voyagers; and some time before the days of Polybius, and about 
 200 years before the age of Christ, began to share with them in 
 the trade of tin. The Carthaginian commerce declined ; the Mas- 
 sylian commerce increased : and in the reign of Augustus, the 
 whole of the British traffic had been gradually directed into this 
 channel. At that period the commerce of tlie Island was very con- 
 siderable: two roads were laid across the country, and reached 
 from Sandwich to Caernarvon on one side, and extended from 
 Dorsetsliire into Suftblk on the other: and the commerce of tlie 
 coasts must have been carried along tliem into the inteiior legions 
 of the Island. The great staple of tin was no longer settled in a 
 distant comer : it was removed from Scilly, and was fixed in the 
 Isle of Wight, or central part of the coast, lying equally betwixt 
 the two roads, and better adapted to the new arrangement of the 
 trade. Thither the tin was carried by the Belga; ; thither the fo- 
 reign merchants resorted with their wares ; and the trade was no 
 longer carried on by vessels that coasted tediously along the wind- 
 ing shores of Spain and of Gaul : it was now transported over the 
 neighbouring channel, and unshipped on the opposite coast. The 
 Isle of Wight was now actually a part of the greater Island, dis- 
 joined from it only by the tide, and united to it always at the ebb . 
 and during the recess of the winters, the Britons constantly passed 
 over the low isthmus of land, and carried tlieir loaded carts of tin 
 directly across it,”* 
 
 The circumstance of the Tin Staple being continued in the 
 neighbouring port of Southampton, even so late as the fifteenth 
 centui 7 , is thought to corroborate its having been previously fixed 
 at the Isle of Wight. Sir Robert Cotton, in a very curious tract 
 relative to tlie estates of the Kmgs of England, observes, that 
 
 Hem-y 
 
 ^ Hist, of Manchester, Vol. I. p. 387. 
 
334 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 Henry the Sixth, in the thirty-first of his reign, “ arrested all the 
 iin in Southampton, and sold it to liis own present use " It ap- 
 pears also from the Rolls of Parliament of the twenty-ninth of the 
 same Monarch, that the Merchants of Genoa, among other privi- 
 leges, were empowered to receive all the customs and subsidies 
 “ arising and growing in the said port,” upon all wools, woolfells, 
 hides, tin, and other merchandise, till the sum of 80001. should 
 be paid to them for a certain quantity of allom foyle, which the 
 King had taken for his own use.* The removal of the tin staple 
 from the Isle of Wight to Southampton, is supposed to have taken 
 place after the connecting isthmus had been broken through by the 
 sea. 
 
 Among the supporters of the opinion, that this Isle was the Ictis 
 of Diodorus, was the late Rev. W. Gilpin, who writes thus : “ As 
 we entered Lymington River, we found a fresh proof of the pro- 
 bability of the ancient union between Vectis and the main. The 
 tide was gone, and had left vast stretches of ooze along the desert- 
 ed shores. Here we saw lying on the right, a huge stump of a 
 tree, which our boatmen informed us had been dragged out of the 
 water. He assured us also, that the roots of oaks, and other 
 trees, were often found on these banks of mud ; which seems still 
 to strengthen the opinion, that all this part of the coast now cover- 
 ed with the tide, had once been forest-land .”f It has also been 
 observed by a gentleman of the Isle of Wight, whose testimony is 
 quoted by Sir Richard Worsley, that “ a hard gravelly beach ex- 
 tends a great way across from the Isle, towards the coast of Hamp- 
 shire, about midway from the extremity of the channel, and cor- 
 responding with the place called Leap, probably from the narrow- 
 ness of the pass.” Here then is supposed to be the isthmus along 
 w'hich the tin was originally carried to the Isle of Wight. 
 
 Borlase, 
 
 * Sir Richard Worsley, Bart, in his History of the Isle of Wight, 
 mentions the House where the Stannaries were held at Southampton ; 
 and observes, that there is a large cellar, now the quay, which still re- 
 tains the name of the Tin Cellar, and was most probably the place 
 where the tin was deposited. 
 
 t Observations on the Western Parts of England, &c. p. 345* 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 355 
 
 Borlase, who, in his Natural History of Cormvall, has treated 
 oh this subject, conjectures that the letis of Diodorus must have 
 been near the coast of Cornwall : and Polwhele, the historian of 
 Devon, who adopts a similar mode of reasoning, and pursues it to 
 a considerable extent, concludes, that the real Ictis was the place 
 now called the Isle of St. Nicholas, nearly opposite the mouth of 
 the Tamar. 
 
 Suetonius, who is the first of the Roman authors that notices 
 the Isle of Wight, records that it was conquered by Vespasian 
 about the year 43 : no remains of Roman occupation, however, 
 either of camps, or coins, appear to have been ever met with here. 
 Cerdic, the Saxon Chieftain, and founder of the kingdom of Wes- 
 sex, made the second conquest of the Isle ; and having slain most 
 of its inhabitants, re-placed them by Jutes and SaxOns, over whom 
 he placed his nephews, StulF and Withgar. In the year bbl, it 
 was again subdued by Wulphure, King of Mercia, who bestowed 
 it upon Adelwach, King of Sussex, whom he had previously van- 
 quished, and made prisoner. Ceadwalla, a descendant from Cer- 
 dic, agam seized it about fifteen years afterwards, as his rightful 
 inheritance ; and Bede relates, that he had determined to root out 
 the inhabitants as idolaters ; but that Bishop Wilfrid had the ad- 
 dress to prevail on him to spare all who Would submit to receive 
 baptism. The two youthful brothers of the deposed Sovereign, 
 were, however, put to death, even after they had consented to 
 embrace Christianity.* 
 
 The next remarkable occurrence recorded by historians, is the 
 seizure of the Isle by the Danes in the year 787, with design to 
 make it a place of retreat, to which they niight retire with their 
 plunder from the neighbouring coasts. How long they continued 
 here is unknown ; but in the reign of Alfred, they again landed, 
 and plundered tlie inhabitants. In 1001, in the time of Ethelred 
 the Unready, they oiice more seized the Isle, and retained it for 
 many years, making it their head-quarters on this coast, and the 
 place whence they issued to commit their piracies. 
 
 la 
 
 ^ See under Redbridge, p. 154. 
 
336 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 In the reign of Edward the Confessor, it was twice plunderer^ 
 bv Earl Godwin ; and again in the time of Harold, by Earl Tosti^, 
 also a son of the Earl, who had been driven from his government 
 in Northumberland for his oppression and cruelty. On the acces- 
 sion of William the Conqueror, that Sovereign granted the Lordship 
 of the Isle of Wight to his kinsman, William Fitz-Osborne, after- 
 wards Earl of Hereford, “ to be held by him as freely as he him- 
 self held the realm of England,”* Fitz-Osborne had been Mar- 
 shal of the Conqueror’s army at the Battle of Hastings, and, inde- 
 pendent of the ties of consanguinity, had, by his general conduct, 
 obtained a very high degree of his favor, insomuch, that, besides 
 being intrusted with the custody of the newly-built Castles of Win- 
 chester and York, he was constituted Chief Justiciary for the north 
 of England. In this capacity he acted with distinguished equity 
 and prudence ; though, with respect to his Lordship of the Isle of 
 Wight, he seems to have assumed a more absolute authority over 
 his dependants there, than was exercised by William himself over 
 his English subjects; for that King confiscated the lands of such 
 oxdy as had been active in the support of Harold ; but Fitz-Osborne 
 ejected indiscriminately all the original possessors, excepting the 
 officers or servants of Edward the Confessor, and granted their 
 lands to his followers.! 
 
 This powerful Baron was soon afterwards slain in battle on the 
 Continent. Roger, Earl of Hereford, his youngest son, and suc- 
 cessor to the seignory of the Isle of Wight, and all the other lands 
 which had belonged to his father in England, engaged in a con- 
 spiracy to dethrone the Conqueror, with Ralph de Waer, Earl of 
 Norfolk, and other nobles, among whom was Waltheof, Earl 
 of Northumberland. The latter, who had only acceded to the 
 plan in a moment of exhilaration, soon disclosed it to the King, 
 who was then in Normandy, and submitted himself to his cle- 
 mency ; but the obdurate Norman, no wise softened at his peni- 
 tence, 
 
 Chartulary of Carisbrooke Priory, in the possession of Sir 
 Richard Worsley. 
 
 f Worsley’s Isle of Wight, p. 48. 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 337 
 
 tence, caused him to be decapitated at Winchester. Earl Roger, 
 who had assembled some forces in aid of his design, retired to his 
 Castle at Hereford ; but being arrested, and convicted of treason, 
 was sentenced to perpetual imprisonment. “ His spirit seems to 
 have remained unbroken by his sufferings; for, at a solemn cele- 
 bration of the feast of Easter, the King sent him his robes, when 
 he, to show his contempt of what was doubtless meant as a com- 
 pliment, caused a fire to be made, and burned them. This being 
 reported to the King, he swore by the glory of God, that the Earl 
 should spend the remainder of his life in prison ; which oath he 
 strictly kept, as Roger was never released, but died in confine- 
 ment; and the Isle of Wight, with his other lands, escheated to 
 the Crown/'* 
 
 Henry the First granted the Lordship of this Isle, with many 
 other lands in Hampshire, and other counties, to Richard de Red- 
 vers, Earl of Devon, who had faithfully adhered to his interests 
 during his contention for the Throne with his elder brother, Ro- 
 bert. Baldwin, his son, the second Earl, was a zealous partizan 
 of the Empress Maud, in whose cause he fortified the Isle ; but 
 was dispossessed by Stephen, and forced to become an exile. 
 Some accommodation, however, soon afterwards taking place be- 
 tween the opposing claimants for empire, his estates and titles were 
 restored, and descended to his son Richard, from whom they des- 
 cended to William de Vernon, a collateral branch of the family, 
 and whose sirnarae was derived from the place of his birth in Nor- 
 mandy. This nobleman, who was styled Earl of the Isle of Wight, 
 was one of the four who supported the silk canopy over Richard 
 Coeur de Lion, at his second Coronation at Winchester, after his 
 escape from captivity. King John obliged him to pay a fine of 
 500 marks, before he would give him permission to exercise the 
 right that appertained to his landed possessions ; among which, 
 was the governing his tenants in the Isle of Wight by military ser- 
 vice. This, and the many similar acts of oppression, exercised by 
 John on his Barons, occasioned the memorable confederacy which 
 
 VoL. VI. May, 1805, Y forced 
 
 «• Worsley’s Isle of Wight, p. 50. 
 
338 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 forced the degraded tyrant to. sign the Magna Charta ; which may 
 justly be considered as the first bulwark raised to liberty after the 
 Norman Conquest. John, however, to employ his own words, 
 was not of a disposition “ to suffer fetters of parchment” to re- 
 strain his actions; he therefore applied secretly to the Pope, for 
 absolution from the tremendous oaths by which he had sworn to 
 observe the extorted grants; and also empowered his minions to 
 raise soldiers on the Continent, for the purpose of effecting his me- 
 ditated revenge. While these negociations were pending he retired 
 to this Isle, that his conduct might be less exposed to observation ; 
 and during the time of his residence here, Ite chiefly associated 
 with fishermen and sailors.* 
 
 Isabella de Fortibus, great grand-daughter to William de Ver- 
 non, released the Lordship of the Isle of Wight to Edward the 
 First, on her death-bed, for the sum of fiOOO marks ; and though 
 the validity of the grant was afterwards questioned in Parliament, 
 it was finally determined in the King’s favor.f Edward kept it in 
 his own possession till death; entrusting its defence to Custodes, 
 or Wardens; one of whom was the celebrated Adam de Gurdon. 
 
 Edward the Second granted the Isle of Wight to his favorite. 
 Piers Gaveston : but through the remonstrances of his nobility, re- 
 sumed the grant the following year, and bestowed it on his eldest 
 son, afterwards Edward the Third, in whose reign, and in that of 
 Richard the Second, it was several times assaulted by the French, 
 and partially plundered. Carisbrooke Castle was then the only 
 fortress on the Isle, and of course the only place to which the in- 
 habitants could fly for refuge. This, in tlie year 1377, was be- 
 sieged by the invaders, but without success ; and a great number of 
 the assailants was slain ; many of them fell into an ambuscade, in 
 
 a narrow 
 
 * Rapin’s Hist. Eng. Vol. I. p. 277. 
 
 •{• See Appendix to Sir R. Worsley’s Hist, for the proceedings on 
 this occasion, extracted from the Rot. Pari, eighth and ninth of Edward 
 the Second. 
 
ISLE OP WIGHT. 
 
 i narrow lane, near the Castle * When the French quitted the 
 isle of Wight, they levied a contribution of 1000 marks, and 
 obliged the inhabitants to swear not to resist should they revisit 
 them within a year: In this expedition they burnt the village of 
 
 Rye, and the towns of Ne^Wown and Yarmouth. 
 
 Richard the Second, in the ninth of his reign, granted the Isle 
 of Wight to William Montacute, second Earl of Salisbury, for life. 
 After his death, this Lordship was granted to Edward, Earl of 
 Rutland, and afterwards Duke of York, to which title he was re- 
 stored in the seventh of Henry the Fourth. This nobleman led 
 the van ^t the battle of Agincourt, in the thitd of Heniy the Fifth ; 
 but being a fat and unwieldy man, he was thrown down in the 
 throng, and siiiothered. In this reign a large party of Frenchmen 
 again landed oii the Isle of Wight, with intent, according to their 
 own vaiintings, to keep their Christmas here: they were, however, 
 soon forced to retire to their ships with great loss. A short time 
 after this defeat, they made another hostile visit, demanding a sub- 
 sidy in the name of Richard the Second, and Isabella, his Queen. 
 
 “ They were answered, that Richard was dead, and his Queen 
 sent back to France, without the payment of any subsidy being sti- 
 pulated ; but if the French had any desire to try their prowess, 
 they should not only be permitted to land without molestation, 
 but also be allowed six hoUrs to refresh themselves, after which 
 the Islanders would meet them in the field.”f This spirited invi- 
 tation the invaders thought prudent to decline. 
 
 In the seventeenth of Henry the Sixth, Humphrey, 'the good Duke 
 of Glocester, succeeded to the Lordship of the Isle of Wight, by 
 virtue of a grant of the reversion from the Duchess of York, to 
 whom it had been regranted oil the death of her husband at Agin- 
 
 Y 2 court. 
 
 ^ “ The lane is still called Deadman’s Lane j and a tumulus, where 
 the slain were buried, was exultingly called Noddies Hill: the cause 
 of this denomination was in danger of being lost ; the hill being built up- 
 on, and forming one of the avenues to Newport, is now corrupted into 
 Node Hill," W orsley's Hist. Isle of Wight, p. 32. 
 
 t Worsley’s Hist. p. 33. 
 
34-0 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 court. This nobleman appears to have retained it till the time of 
 his death ; though two years previous to that event, Henry Beau- 
 champ, Duke of Warwick, was crowned King of the Isle of 
 Wight, by patent from Henry the Sixth, who himself assisted at 
 the ceremony, and placed the crown on the Dukes head. He 
 died soon afterwards, without male issue; and, on the decease of 
 Duke Humphrey, the Lordship again reverted to the Crown ; but 
 was shortly afterwards in the possession of Richard Plantagenet, 
 Duke of York, and father of Edward the Fourth, who was slain 
 at the Battle of Wakefield. 
 
 In the thirty-first of Henry the Sixth, the Isle of Wight was 
 granted to Edmund, Duke of Somerset, who had married the sis- 
 ter and coheiress of Henry, ^Duke of Warwick, in satisfaction, as 
 it was alledged, for “ certain sums of money due to him firom the 
 .King’s Exchequer, and for the duties of petty customs in the port 
 of London, which were part of his inheritance.”t This Duke was 
 slain at the battle of St. Alban’s; and his possessions, including 
 tliis Lordship, descended to his son Henry, who was beheaded by 
 the Yorkists, after the battle of Hexham. 
 
 In the sixth of Edward the Fourth, Anthony de Widville, after- 
 wards Earl Rivers, had a grant of this Isle, together with the Cas- 
 tle of Carisbrooke, and all other rights appertainmg to the Lord- 
 ship. This ill-fated Lord was beheaded at Pontefract in 1483, to 
 further the ambitious designs of Richard, Duke of Glocester. His 
 brother. Sir Edward Widville, was, in the first of Henry the Se- 
 venth, made Captain of the Isle of Wight; and about three years 
 afteiyvards, to ingratiate himself in the King’s favor, by promoting 
 what he conceived to be his wishes, he convened the inhabitants, 
 and persuaded them to undertake an expedition to France, in aid 
 
 of 
 
 ■» This singular event, observes Sir Richard Worsley, has beenbkrdly 
 noticed by our historians. Leland is the chief authority ; but his testi- 
 mony is confirmed by a painting of the Duke in an ancient window of 
 the collegiate Church at Warwick, in which he is represented with an 
 Imperial crown on his head, and a sceptre before him. 
 
 t In Officio Remembr. Thes. 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 341 
 
 of the Duke of Brittany, who was then in arms against the French 
 Monarch. From the numbers that flocked to his standard, he se- 
 lected about forty gentlemen, and 400 of the commonalty, and 
 embarked with them for Brittany in four vessels. These auxiliaries 
 were clothed in white coats, with red crosses; and, to make them 
 appear the more numerous, they were united to 1 500 of the Duke’s 
 forces, arrayed in the same uniform. Victory, however, proved 
 unpropitious; and in a battle fought at St. Aubin’s, Sir Edward, 
 and all the English, were slain, except one boy, who reached home 
 with the melancholy tidings. There was scarcely a family in the 
 Isle who lost not some relation or other on this mournful occasion. 
 To encourage an increase of population, an act was soon after- 
 wards passed, prohibiting any of the inhabitants from holding lands, 
 farms, or tithes, above the annual rent of ten marks. 
 
 Whether Sir Edward had received a grant of the Lordship of 
 the Isle of Wight is uncertain ; but, from the period of his deathy 
 it has continued in the Crown ; though some lands, that are an- 
 nexed to the Castle at Carisbrooke, are held by the Governor jure 
 officii. The fee-farm of the Isle, together with the Castle, and 
 the manors of Swainston, Brixton, Thorley, and Wellow, were, 
 however, leased for life to Sir Reginald Bray, by Henry the Se- 
 venth, m the tenth of his reign, subject to an amiual payment to 
 the Crown of 307 marks. 
 
 From the time that Edward the First purchased this Lordship 
 from Isabella de Fortibus, its defence was generally entrusted to 
 some person nominated by the Crown, and who was distinguished 
 by the appellation of Warden, Captain, or Governor; titles which 
 obtained in the order here enumerated. Richard Worsley, Esq. 
 ancestor to Sir R. Worsley, Bart, of Appuldurcombe, was Captain 
 here in the thirty-sixth of Henry the Eighth, when the French 
 landed 2000 men from the fleet commanded by D’Annebaut.f 
 The enemy held a council of war, in which it was proposed, to 
 fortify and keep possession of the Isle ; but this being deemed iiii- 
 
 Y 3 practicable 
 
 * Life of Henry the Seventh, by Lord Verulam, p. 48, 62. 
 t See under Portsmouth, p. 317. 
 
342 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 practicable by the majority, they began to plunder and burn th^ 
 villages. They were, however, suddenly attacked by the Captain, 
 and obliged to fly to their ships with the loss of their General, and 
 a great number of men. Several forts were soon afterwards con- 
 structed on different parts of the coast, for the future prevention 
 of descents; and the Islanders were also induced by their Captain 
 to provide a train of artillery at their own expense. He also in- 
 troduced the use of fire arms; and an armourer was settled in 
 Carisbrooke Castle to make harquebusses, and to keep them in 
 order.* 
 
 When the liberties of Britain were menaced by the Invincible 
 Armada, Sir George Carey, afterwards Lord Hunsdon, was Captain 
 or Governor of the Isle of Wight ; but his administration, though 
 generally beneficial, was not entirely agreeable to the Islanders, 
 who. thought that he assumed more authority than either necessity 
 demanded, or their rights allowed. A statement of grievances was 
 in consequence drawn up, aiid laid before the Lords of the Coun- 
 cil, 
 
 ^ Worsley’.s Hist. p. 95. ** The ancient military force of this Island, 
 with the arrays, arms, beacons, watches, and wards, prescribed in time 
 of danger, may in some measure be collected from those authentic re- 
 cords, and genuine papers, which have escaped the ravages of time. 
 By a return to an inquisition taken at Newport, in the seventh of Ed- 
 ward the Third, it appears, that the landholders were, by their tenures, 
 obliged to defend the Castle of Carisbrooke for forty days at their 
 own charges : and two other inquisitions, taken at Shide Bridge, the 
 eighteenth of Edward the Second, specify the several watches and bea- 
 cons ; and likewise show that eyery person having 20l. per annum in lands, 
 was obliged to find a horseman completely armed ; or more or less so, in 
 proportion to his possessions, according to the statute of Winchester. By 
 another inquisition, taken at Newport in the sixteenth of Edward the 
 Third, it is returned, that the Earls of Devon, Lords of the Isle, sent 
 seventy-six men at arms from the County of Devon for its defence ; 
 and that after Edward the First obtained the Island from the Countess 
 Isabella, men at arms were sent for its protection by divers Bishops, Ab- 
 bots, and other persons who are therein specified. It also mentions that 
 the King sent 100 slingers and bowmen, and the city of London 300 for 
 - _ the 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 343 
 
 cil, but without producing any result of importance, the threatened 
 danger of the state outweighing the minor considerations of indivi- 
 dual security.* During the residence here of Henry, Earl of South- 
 fimpton, who was appointed Governor and Captain by James the 
 First, this Isle became very flourishing ; the hospitality and affable 
 disposition of the Earl attracting numerous visitants. 
 
 Early in the Civil Wars, the Parliament obtained possession of 
 the Isle of Wight, by the removal of Jerom, Earl of Portland, 
 
 Y 4 who 
 
 the same service. The number of men raised by the landholders of the 
 Island, are found in an old roll without date, but which, by the names 
 of some of the persons charged, appears to have been made early in the 
 reign of Edward the Third, &c. 
 
 The authority of the Warden seems to have been yery extensive, as 
 appears from a commission granted in the twenty-sixth of Edward the 
 Third, to John de Gattesden, appointing him to that office : it authorised 
 him to array the men at arms, hoblers,f and bowmen, with all others, 
 as well horse as foot ; to levy new forces, if those already arrayed were 
 found insufficient ; to provide them with weapons, and to marshal them. 
 He was empowered to take men, who were to be paid by the King, 
 from the County of Southampton, as well as from the Island ; and that not 
 only within, but also without the liberties. He was likewise to summon 
 all absentees, who were bound by their tenures to defend Carisbrooke 
 Castle, or the Isle ; to order them to return with their families within a 
 limited time, under penalty of forfeiting their lands and tenements, 
 goods and chattels, to the King’s use ; and in case of non-compliance, 
 the said men to supply their places.” Ibid. p. 35, 36. 
 
 The great power which the Captains of the Isle of W ight had about 
 this period, may be instanced, by the curious anecdote respecting attor- 
 neys, quoted by Sir Richard Worsley from the papers of Sir John Og- 
 lander, a descendant from one of the most ancient families in this Island, 
 and who lived at the beginning of the seventeenth century. “ I have 
 heard,” observes the Knight, “ and partly know it to bp true, that not 
 only heretofore there was no lawyer nor attorney in owre Islanfl ; bqt 
 m Sir George Carey’s time, an attorney coming in to settle in the Island, 
 was by his command, with a pound of candles hanging att his brepch 
 
 lighted, 
 
 + Hoblers were soldiers lightly armed, and mounted on small horses, or hobbies, 
 
S44 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 who was attached to the cause of the ilhfated Charles ; and whose 
 “ extraordinary vivacity,” observes Clarendon, “ crossed their ex* 
 pectations.”* They, indeed, not only removed, but committed him 
 to prison, objecting against him, “ all the acts of good fellowship, 
 all the waste of powder, and all the waste of wine, in the drinking 
 of healths, and other acts of jollity, which even he had been at in 
 his government, from the hour of his entering upon it.”f The 
 principal inhabitants petitioned Parliament in his favor, and after- 
 wards signed a declaration to support the cause of royalty; but 
 the popular voice was wholly dissentient; and Moses Read, the 
 Mayor of Newport, represented to the Parliament, that the safety 
 of the Isle was endangered, while the Countess of Portland, and 
 Colonel Brett, who had been appointed by the King, were suffered 
 to retain possession of Carisbrooke Castle. “ The Parliament, in 
 consequence of Read’s representation, directed the Captains of the 
 ships in the river to assist him in any measures he should think ne- 
 cessary for securing the Island. Read accordingly marched the 
 Newport militia, with 400 naval auxiliaries, against the Castle, 
 where Brett had not above twenty men ; many well-wishers to hhn 
 and the Countess being deterred from assisting them by the me- 
 naces of the populace, who now threw off all respect for their su- 
 periors. Harby, the Curate of Newport, a man under peculiar ob- 
 ligations to the Earl of Portland, distinguished himself in spiriting 
 up the besiegers against his lady and children ; assigning for a rea- 
 son, her being a Papist; and exhorting them, in the canting phra- 
 seology 
 
 lighted, with bells about his legs, hunted owte of the Island: insomuch 
 that our ancestors lived here so quietly and securely, being neither 
 troubled to London nor Winchester, so they seldom or never went owte 
 of the Island ; insomuch as when they went to London, thinking it an 
 East-India voyage, they always made their wills, supposing no trouble 
 like to travaile.” In another part of his writings, Sir John remarks, 
 that “ peace and law hath beggared us all ;” but since his time, the 
 legal practitioners have so greatly increased, that many of the inhabitants 
 make little scruple of wishing that Sir G. Carey was alive again. 
 
 ^ Clarendon’s Hist. B. VI. p. 531, 
 
 t Ibid, 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 345 
 
 seology -of the times, to be valiant, as they were about to fight the 
 battle of the Lord. 
 
 The Castle had not at that time three days provision for its 
 slender garrison; yet the Countess, with the magnanimity of a Ro- 
 man matron, went to the platform with a match in her hand, vow- 
 ing she would fire the first cannon herself, and defend the Castle 
 to the utmost extremity, unless honorable terms were granted. 
 After some negociations, articles of capitulation were agreed on, 
 and the Castle surrendered : these were, that Colonel Brett, the 
 gentlemen with him, and their servants, who composed the gar- 
 rison, should be allowed the freedom of the Island : but were re- 
 stricted from going to Portsmouth, which was then held for the 
 King by Goring. The Countess was to retain her lodgmgs m the 
 Castle, until the contrary should be directed by Parliament. An 
 order arrived soon afterwards, prescribing her removal from the 
 Isle within two days after notice given her ; and she was then in- 
 debted to the humanity of the seamen for the vessel which con- 
 veyed her and her family”* to the coast of Hampshire. 
 
 The other forts in this Isle were also seized; and on the arrival 
 nf Philip, Earl of Pembroke, whom the Parliament had appointed 
 Governor, he was respectfully received by the inhabitants, who 
 tendered him their best services. This decisive step in favor of 
 the prevailing powers, happily prevented the occurrence of those 
 scenes of bloodshed which speedily desolated the other parts of the 
 kingdom. Indeed, the security which was here enjoyed, induced 
 many families to become residents; and the rent of land increased 
 about twenty-five per cent, in consequence, but fell again soon 
 after tlie Restoration. 
 
 The flight of Charted tlie First from Hampton Court, and the 
 subsequent events of his melancholy life, have a memorable con- 
 nection with this Isle; for hither the fallen Monarch was con- 
 ducted after his unconditional surrender to Colonel Robert Ham- 
 mond, at Titchfield House. , Hammond was then Governor here ; 
 and Charles presuming on his relationship to Dr. Henry Hammond, 
 
 his 
 
 * Worsiey’s Hist. p. 115, H6. 
 
346 
 
 ISL3S OF WIGHT. 
 
 his own Chaplain, * thought that he should be safe under tlie Co- 
 lonel’s protection, till he had an opportunity to make proper terms 
 of accommodation with his enemies. His expectations were, how- 
 ever, deceived ; for Hammond had yet a closer connection with 
 the adverse party than wjth the King’s Chaplain; as, by the in- 
 terest of Cromwell, he had married the daughter of the famous 
 Hampden, and been promoted to the government of the Isle of 
 Wight. For some time, however, he treated his Royal Master 
 with every attention, lodging hint in Carisbrooke Castle, not as a 
 prisoner, but as a guest, and suffered him to ride out for recrea- 
 tion, when and wherever he pleased, This conduct was not agree- 
 able to the designs of the ruling powers ; and Hammond was orr 
 dered not to permit the attendance on the King, of any of the 
 persons who had served him at Oxfprd ; and also to prevent the 
 King’s Chaplains from the future exercise of their respective func- 
 tions. The day succeeding the dismission of the King’s servants, 
 rendered his own situation less equivqcal; he was deprived of the 
 liberty of ranging about the country, and confined within the walls 
 pf the Castle ; but some degree of personal freedom was still per- 
 mitted him by Hammond, Even this, however, was afterwards 
 abridged, through the injudicious attempts made to contrive his 
 rescue; and the King for a time suffered the vigor of his mind to 
 bend to the pressure of his fate, and gave way to emotions of 
 despondency. 
 
 At length, in the year 1648, the House of Commons determined 
 to revive their negociatjons with the captive Monarch : a new treaty 
 was proposed, and the town of Newport was appointed as the 
 place of deliberation. Here the King was to enjoy the same state 
 of freedom as when last at Hampton Court; and to be attended 
 by servants of his own appointment; after giving his Royal word 
 not to leave the Isle during the treaty, nor for twenty days after, 
 without the advice of both Houses of Parliament. The sway of 
 the Parliament was now, however, more nominal than real; and, 
 after negociations had been opened, and continued for upwards of 
 
 tw'O 
 
 * Colonel Hammond was the Chaplain’s nephew. 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 347 
 
 ^0 months, the army, with Fairfax at their head, determined to 
 $eize the King, notwithstanduig the pledge that had been given by 
 the House of Commons. Colonel Ewes was dispatched to the Isle 
 of Wight for this purpose; and Hammond, from whom some op- 
 position was probably expected, was ordered in the mean time to 
 attend at head-quarters. 
 
 On the evening of the twentyruinth of November, the King re- 
 ceived intimation, through a person in disguise, that the army 
 meant to seize on him that night. Somewhat alarmed, though 
 doubtful of the truth, he immediately required the attendance of 
 the Duke of Richmond, the Earl of Lindsay, and Colonel Cooke, 
 to whom he communicated the information he had received. The 
 Colonel was then sent to make inquiry of Major Rolfe, whom 
 Hammond had left as Deputy Governor, whether any design of 
 that nature was entertained. Rolfe denied all knowledge of such 
 an intent; saying, “ You may assure the King from me, that he 
 may rest quietly this night ; for on my life he shall have no distur- 
 bance this night.” The Colonel remarking that he laid great em- 
 phasis on the words this night, urged him to declare whether there 
 was any intention of seizing the King at all. After some pause, 
 he answered, that It was impossible for him to know the pur- 
 poses of the army at so great a distance, but that as yet, he had 
 received no such orders.” After some further conversation on the 
 same subject, the Colonel returned to inform the King; and was 
 again sent back to inquire into the truth of a report which Charles 
 had just heard, of a great number of troops having landed on the 
 Island that evening. 
 
 During the short interval of the Colonel’s second absence, the 
 King was infonned, that 2000 foot soldiers were drawn up round 
 Carisbrooke Castle. At this he seemed greatly agitated ; exclaiming, 
 “ Surely there must be some very extraordinary business in hand, 
 that can cause such a body of men to be so secretly landed, and 
 in so bitter a night as this, exposed to the extremity of the wea- 
 ther;” the wind then blowing very high, and the rain falling very 
 fast. Expressing, also, an anxious desire fpr further information, 
 Colonel Cooke again ofl’ered his services; and the night being ex- 
 2 tremely 
 
348 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 Iremely dark, with great difficulty found his way to the Castle ; and 
 having rode round it witliout meeting any troops, he took shelter 
 imder the gateway, to cover himself from the violence of the rain. 
 Here he endeavored to obtain information from the soldiers, but 
 without success; when recollecting that a Captain Bowreman, with 
 whom he was well acquauited, was in the garrison, he desired to 
 speak with him. After some time, he was invited in, and was sur- 
 prised by the sight of above a dozen officers of the army, most of 
 whom he luiew. After mutual salutations, he desired to speak 
 with the Governor in private; but was plainly told by Captain 
 Bowreman, “ That he was no better than a prisoner in his own 
 garrison, being threatened with immediate death, if he so much as 
 whispered to any of his servants.” Some other circumstances in- 
 creased the Colonel's suspicion that the seizure of the King was 
 actually intended, and he again departed for Newport. 
 
 On his arrival, he found that guards had been placed round the 
 King’s lodgings, and even at every avenue, not excepting the win- 
 dows, and the chamber-door; so that the King was greatly incom- 
 moded by the smoke of their matches. The centinels, however, 
 whose matches proved most offensive, were removed on applica- 
 tion to Major Rolfe, and the Captain of the guard. The former 
 accounted for the increased number of troops round the King, by 
 observing, that the two companies had been drawn out so late, 
 that quarters could not be provided for them that night; and he 
 had therefore thought of the expedient of having the guards 
 doubled. 
 
 Such a combination of events left little doubt on the mind of 
 Charles, of the intention of his foes ; and he was strongly urged 
 to attempt his escape while it was yet practicable, both by the 
 Duke of Richmond, and the Earl of Lindsay ; and the former, to 
 show the possibility of the measure, passed twice through all the 
 guards, disguised in a cloak, and accompanied by Colonel Cooke, 
 The King, however, strongly objected ; but on the Lords resuming 
 their persuasions, suddenly commanded the Colonel to give him 
 him his advice, which the latter immediately suggested in these 
 words : “ Suppose I should not only tell your Majesty, that the 
 
 army 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 349 
 
 army mean suddenly to seize upon your person, but, by concurring 
 circumstances, should fully convince"' you of it : supposing also, 
 that, beside the pass-word, I have horses ready at hand, a vessel 
 attending, and hourly expecting me at Cowes, myself both ready 
 and desirous of attending your Majesty, and the darkness of the 
 night, as it were, suited to the purpose, so that I can foresee no 
 visible difficulty in the thing : the only remaining question is, what 
 will your Majesty resolve to do ?” After a short pause, the King 
 returned this positive answer : “ They have promised me, and I 
 liave promised them : I w'ill not break first.” 
 
 This reply left very few hopes of shaking the King’ s determina- 
 tion ; but the Earl of Lindsay and the Colonel still continued to 
 press him to escape : he at length ordered them to retire to rest, 
 and went himself to bed, the Duke of Richmond remaining in 
 waiting. About day-break, the King heard a great knocking at 
 his outer door ; and sending the Duke to ieam the cause, was in- 
 formed, that several officers from the army were desirous of speak- 
 ing with him. He immediately gave orders for their admisaon ; 
 when rushing into the bed-chamber before the King could rise from 
 his bed, they abruptly told him, they had orders for his removal. 
 He inquired, “ Whither ?” and was answered, “ To the Castle.” 
 “ Vie Castle,” said the King^ on receiving a siimlar answer to a 
 second question, is, no Castle;” but adding, that he was well 
 enough prepared for any Castle; they at length named Hurst Cas- 
 tle. “ Indeed,” said the Sovereign, “ you could not well have 
 named a worse.” Thus was the King’s confidence betrayed ; and 
 the short-lived freedom which he had enjoyed at Newport, proved 
 the immediate prelude to captivity and death. 
 
 The Duke of Richmond, observing the anxiety of the officei’s 
 for the immediate removal of the King, ordered his breakfast to 
 be hastened ; yet, before he was well ready, the horses arrived ; 
 and Charles was hurried away. The Duke accompanied him for 
 about two miles; but was then told, that he ‘ must go no further!' 
 on which, he took a sad farewell of the King, and returned to the 
 lodgings of the Earl of Lindsay and Colonel Cooke, who were now 
 first bformed of the King's removal. They tlien all left the Island, 
 1 accompanied 
 
350 
 
 isle of wight. 
 
 accompanied by the Earl and Countess of Southampton, and larid« 
 iiig near Titchheld, the seat of the Earl, proceeded to his house, 
 where, on the following mOrning, they drew up a narrative of the 
 events in which they had been so lately engaged ; and the original 
 manuscript was afterwards deposited in the British Museum.* 
 Charles was beheaded in about seven weehs after the occurrence of 
 the events here related. 
 
 No transaction of distinguished historical importance has since 
 been recorded in the annals of this Isle. Its defence from foreign 
 invasion is now intrusted to a proper distribution of the regular 
 force, to its militia, and to its numerous volunteers : the latter alone 
 amount to 3500; several hundred of whom are sea fencibles. The 
 present Governor is Lord Bolton, whose annual salary is 5001. 
 besides the rents of the Isle, which he enjoys by his patent. 
 
 The form of the Isle of Wight is that of an irregular lozenge : 
 from the eastern to the western angle it measures nearly twenty- 
 three miles, and from the northern to the southern, about thirteen; 
 its superficies is supposed to include 105,000 acres. Through the 
 middle of it, in the longest direction, extends a range of high hills, 
 affording excellent pasturage for sheep, and commanding views 
 over every part of the Isle, with the Ocean on the south side, 
 and on the north, the beautiful coasts of Hampshire. The face of 
 the country is very diversified ; hill and dale, the swelling promon- 
 tory and the lowly glen, appear in quick succession to animate, 
 and give interest to the prospects. The land round the coast is, 
 in some parts, very high, particularly on the south, or back of the 
 Island, as it is commonly termed ; here the cliffs are very steep, 
 and vast fragments of rock, which the waves have undermined, lie 
 scattered along the shore : on the northern side, the ground slopes 
 to the water in easy declivities, excepting towards the Needles, or 
 western point, where the rocks are bare, broken, and precipitous. 
 
 The height of the cliffs, of which the Needles form the extreme 
 point, is, in some places, 600 feet above the level of the sea, and 
 
 when 
 
 ^ From this manuscript, as quoted by Sir Richard Worsley, the above 
 particulars were derived. 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 351 
 
 when viewed from the distance of about a quarter of a mile, have 
 a very sublime and stupendous effect. “ These cliffs are frequented 
 by immense numbers of marine birds ; as puffins, razor-bills, will- 
 cocks, gulls, cormorants, Cornish-choughs, daws, starlings, and 
 wild pigeons ; some of which come, at stated times, to lay their 
 eggs and breed, while others remain there all the year. The cliffs 
 are in some places perpendicular ; in others, they project and hang 
 over, in a tremendous manner: the several strata form many 
 shelves ; these serve as lodgements for the birds, where they sit in 
 thick rows, and discover themselves by their motions and flight, 
 though not individually visible. Here are many caverns and deep 
 chasms that seem to enter a great way into the rocks ; and in many 
 places, the issuing of springs forms small cascades of rippling water 
 down to the sea. The country people take the birds that harbour 
 in these rocks, by the perilous experiment of descending by ropes 
 fixed to iron crows, driven into the ground : thus suspended, they 
 with sticks beat down the birds as they fly out of their holes. A 
 dozen birds generally yield one pound weight of soft feathers, for 
 which the merchants give eightpence ; the carcases are bought by 
 the fishermen, at sixpence per dozen, for the purpose of baiting 
 their crab-pots.”* The rocks called the Needles, obtained their 
 name from a lofly pointed one, resembling a needle in shape, 
 which had been disjointed, with the others, from the main land, 
 by the force of the waves: this was 120 feet high above low-water 
 mark ; but nearly forty years ago, it fell, and totally disap- 
 peared, its base having been undermined by the sea. 
 
 All the higher parts of the Isle are composed of an immense 
 mass of Calcareous matter, of a chalky nature, incumbent on 
 schistus, which runs under the whole Isle, and appears, at low- 
 water mark, on the coast near Mottiston : this becomes so indu- 
 rated by exposure to the air, as to make very good whetstones. 
 The lime-stone is burnt for manure ; and in the pits where it is 
 dug for that purpose, are found numerous echini, shark's teeth, 
 and ammonia. These fossils are particularly abundant in the 
 
 range 
 
 * Worsley’s Hist. p. 273. 
 
352 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 range of cliffs which forms the southern shore ; together with bi- 
 valve and turbinated shells of various descriptions : the cornua am- 
 monis are of all sizes, from one inch, to a foot and a half in dia- 
 meter. A stratum of Coal discovers itself at the foot of Bimbridge 
 Cliff, and runs through the southern part of the Isle, appearing 
 again at Warden Ledge, in Freshwater parish. On the north side 
 of this stratum lies a vein of white Sand, and another of Fuller’s 
 Earth ; and on the south side is another of red Ochre. The coal 
 is reported to be of good quality : the upper part of the stratum is 
 about three feet wide : it dips to the northward. A shaft was sunk 
 by the late Sir Robert Worsley at Bimbridge, to ascertain its depth ; 
 but the vein was there so thin, that it was judged insufficient to 
 defray the expense; and the undertaking was abandoned. 
 
 Freestones, of several descriptions are found here ; but none of 
 superior quality; though that obtained in the quarries near Quarr 
 Abbey, was some ages ago in much request ; but the superior nature 
 of the Portland stone has long destroyed its reputation. Red and 
 yellow Ochres are particularly observable in Allum Bay, to the north 
 of the Needles, where their mingled strata variegate the cliffs : in 
 this Bay, native Allum is found in considerable quantities. Here 
 also, and at Freshwater, are immense beds of micacious or silvery 
 Sand, great quantities of which are annually shipped off for the 
 glass and china manufactories of London, Bristol, and Worcester. 
 Small masses of native sulphur are frequently picked up on different 
 parts of the shore, as well as Copperas Stones: the latter are so 
 extremely abundant on the south coast, that several small vessels 
 are employed in freighting them to London, for the purpose of 
 extracting the copperas. Argilla apyra, or pipe-clay, is likewise 
 very plentiful in different parts of the Isle. 
 
 The Soils are very various, but the prevailing kind is a strong, 
 loamy earth, well-adapted for agricultural purposes, and extreme- 
 ly fertile. The quantity of grain annually raised here, is computed 
 to amount to seven or eight times the quantity necessary for all the 
 inhabitants. The farms vary in size ; theirgeneral rental being from 
 lOOl. to 4001. per annum, with a few at 5001. The average rent 
 per acre is about seventeen shillings. The sorts of grain chiefly 
 
 cultivated, 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 353 
 
 cultivated, are wheat, barley, oats, beans, and peas : turnips, clover, 
 trefoil, vetches, rye-grass, and potatoes, are also grown here. The 
 rotation of crops varies according to the qualities of the soil : in 
 the eastern and central parts, the course is wheat, barley, clover, 
 and wheat; but on the stiff clays, the latter is only sown once in 
 four years; in the southern part, the rotation is wheat, fallow and 
 turnips, barley, and clover; in the western part, turnips, barley, 
 clover, rye-grass, and wheat. The medium produce of wheat, 
 throughout the whole Isle; is about twenty-one bushels per acre ; 
 the medium produce of barley and oats is about thirty bushels 
 per acre; and of beans and pease, about twenty-eight bushels : 
 potatoes are very productive, though not greatly in esteem ; and 
 turnips also yield a great increase. The meadow lands are ex- 
 tremely rich, and produce from one to three tons of fine hay per 
 acre. The grain is in general sown broad-cast; but the drill-system 
 has been introduced of late years, and found to answer exceedingly 
 well in the light and sandy soils. The manures are, lime, marl, 
 and the produce of the farm-yard : wheat is generally sown in Oc- 
 tober, and cut in August. The elevated tracts are mostly appro- 
 priated to pasturing sheep; the number annually shorn is about 
 40,000; the wool is extremely fine, and in much repute: the 
 breed in general use is the Dorsetshire; about 5000 lambs are sold 
 annually. 
 
 The Cows are principally of the Devonshire and the Alderney 
 breed, though blended with other kinds: the butter is very good ; 
 but the cheese, which is made of the skim-milk, bears the appro- 
 priate name of Isle of Wight Rock: the calves are remarkably fine. 
 The Horses are in general large ; and as the farmers value them- 
 selves on the strength and beauty of their teams, great pains are 
 taken to improve them. The breed of Hogs is somewhat peculiar; 
 they are large and tall, and make excellent bacon. 
 
 The Climate is extremely salubrious, and highly favorable to 
 vegetation ; its genial qualities, and near approximation in mildness 
 to more southern regions, maybe instanced by the profusion of ge- 
 nial myrtles, and by the flourishing state of a vine-pkmtation in the 
 grounds of Sir R. Worsley, at Appuldurcombe. The central parts 
 
 VoL, VI. May, 1805. Z of 
 
354- 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 of the Isle arc subject to frequent rains ; the high range of hills 
 proving a constant source of attraction to the vapours, and in the 
 winter months, mvolving all beneath them in gloom and humidity. 
 The general fertility, however, is so little affected, and the vege- 
 tation is so abundant, that this Island has often been styled the 
 Garden of England; an appellation, perhaps, that is partly sug- 
 gested to the mind by the innumerable plants and flowers which 
 grow every where in wild luxuriance : among them are the ophrys 
 apifera^ or bee-orchis; the. digitalis, or fox-glove; and the cntA- 
 mum maritimum, or rock-samphire. 
 
 The contiguity of the Portsmouth, and other yards for ship-build- 
 ing, has operated to deprive the Isle of Wight of much of its tim- 
 ber; and even Parkhurst, or Carisbrooke Forest, which includes 
 about 3000 acres of good land, is ahnost destitute of trees of any 
 value. The woods of Swainston are of considerable extent; and 
 those of Wooten and Quarr, cover a superficies of nearly 1100 
 acres ; the oak and the elm are the most flourishing. Game is ve- 
 ry plentiful, though not so abundant as formerly, owing to the 
 greater havock made of late years by the numerous soldiers sta- 
 tioned here. Foxes, badgers, and polecats, are unknown in the 
 Island ; though vipers exist in great plenty, and are caught in large 
 numbers for inedicmal purposes. Domestic fowls, and poultry, 
 are bred here in considerable quantities, for the supply of the out- 
 ward-bound shipping. 
 
 Great variety of Fish is found on the coast, and in considerable 
 abundance : those of the crustaceous kind are particularly numerous 
 on the southern shores. The lobster and crab are of uncommon 
 she, and extremely fine : some of the former are upwards of six 
 pounds in weight; the latter is so abundant on a particular part of 
 the coast, that a neighbouring village has obtained the name of 
 Cm^>-Niton from this circumstance. The Isle of Wight cockles 
 are very celebrated ; the sand-eel is also very plentiful : the cuttle- 
 fish is occasionally taken. 
 
 The trade of the Isle of Wight is flourishing; the harbour of 
 Cowes is particularly convenient for shipping and unshipping mer- 
 ehandize. The chief imports are coals, timber, deals, iron, wine, 
 1 hemp, 
 
jtfigwpoiOT iFMestf ffrdDii, s©OTis. 
 
'ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 355 
 
 hemp, and fruits; the principal exports are wheat, flour, barley, 
 malt, and salt. The chief manufactures are those of starch, hair- 
 powder, and salt; and latterly, the making of woollens, sacks &c. 
 has been carried to some extent in the House of Industry, near 
 Newport. 
 
 Several Chalyheaie springs have been found in different parts of 
 the Island; one of them, at Black Gang, under Chale Cliff; is 
 very strong: about half a mile from this, at Pitland, is a spring, 
 impregnated with sulphur; and at Shanklin, is a spring whose wa- 
 ters are slightly tinctured with allum. The springs of clear water 
 are very numerous, and, in general, extremely pure and transpa- 
 rent, from the natural percolation which they undergo through 
 the lime-stone strata. ^ 
 
 The principal Rivers are the Medina, the Yar, and the Wooten. 
 The Medina, anciently called the Mede, rises near the bottom of 
 St. Catherine’s Down, and flowing directly northward, divides the 
 Island into two equal parts: gradually widening in its course, it 
 passes to the east of Newport, and in Cowes Harbour, unites its 
 waters with the ocean. Numerous smaller streams also exist; and 
 various creeks and bays run up from the sea. The two hundreds 
 into which the Island is divided by the Medina, are named East 
 and West Medina, from their respective situations to that river ; 
 they contain thirty parishes; and the three market and borough- 
 towns of Newport, Newtown, and Yarmouth, each of which re- 
 turns two members to Parliament. The population of the Isle of 
 Wight, as ascertained under the Act of 1801, was 22 , 097 ; the 
 number of houses SbSZ. 
 
 NEWPORT 
 
 Is situated nearly in the centre, and may be considered as the 
 Metropolis of the Island. Its recent origin, however, has prevented 
 the accumulation of antiquities, and it presents but few objects of cu- 
 riosity to engage the attention of the traveller. The more favorable 
 situation of this place for commercial purposes, than that of Caris- 
 brooke, appears to have occasioned the decay of the latter town, and 
 
356 
 
 ISlE OF WlGHt. 
 
 to have been the rise of this. Its first charter of immunities was 
 granted by Richard de Redvers, second Earl of Devon, in the 
 reign of Henry the Second; but contains little more than a grant 
 of liberties in general terms. In a second and more important 
 charter, granted by the Countess Isabella de Fortibus, this town is 
 styled the New Borough of Medina ; and its Burgesses are invested 
 with all the market tolls, and “ all other customs whence free 
 Burgesses can have liberty,” in as full and ample a manner as the 
 Countess herself enjoyed them : various other privileges accompa- 
 nied the grant; and for all the immunities and freedoms thus be- 
 stowed, a yearly rent of eighteen marks of silver was reserved to 
 the Countess, and two marks annually to the Prior and Monks of 
 Carisbrooke, to whom the tolls, &c. of the market of that town 
 belonged. This charter was confirmed by Edward the Tliird, and 
 various succeeding Sovereigns, to the time of Queen Elizabeth, 
 whose immediate predecessor, Edward the Sixth, confinned also 
 to the Burgesses, the petty customs within all ports and creeks of 
 the Island, which had been bestowed on them by Henry the 
 Seventh. 
 
 The first charter of incorporation was granted to Newport by 
 James the First ; but that under which it is now governed, was 
 given by Charles the Second, in his thirteenth year ; by it the go- 
 vernment is vested in a Mayor, Recorder, ten Aldermen, and twelve 
 Burgesses; the latter of whom are to be chosen from among 
 the principal inhabitants, and the Aldermen from these. The 
 earliest return to Parliament was in the twenty-third of Edward 
 the First; but no subsequent return was made till the twenty- 
 seventh of Elizabeth, when the interest of Sir George Carey, 
 Captain of the Isle, occasioned a restitution of the privilege ; the 
 mistaken gratitude of the Burgesses was evinced by the immediate 
 surrender to Sir George, of the right to nominate one of the mem- 
 bers during “ his natural life the right of election is vested in the 
 Corporation. 
 
 The situation of Newport is high and pleasant : on the east side 
 it is watered by the chief branch of the Medina River, and on the 
 west, by a small stream which rises at RayneFs Grove, about three 
 
 miles 
 
T©WK’ MAILi.IL, WlEW:?©;ig,T. 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 357 
 
 miles distant, and falls into the former at the Quay, where the 
 Medina becomes navigable. The houses are disposed into five 
 parallel streets, running east and west, and crossed by three others 
 at right angles. The buildings are mostly of brick ; and some of 
 them are handsome. In the original plan of the town, it was in- 
 tended that there should have been three large squares, at the in- 
 tersections of the streets, to serve as markets for cattle, corn, and 
 poultry; but the uniformity of this design has been destroyed by 
 various encroachments. 
 
 The Church was originally (and still is) a Chapel of Ease to Caris- 
 brooke, but the inhabitants appear to have gradually obtained a 
 power of choosing their own mmisters; and the parish seems to 
 have been considered as independent, for many years previous to 
 1794 , when the Vicar of Carisbrooke determined to resume hiS 
 dormant rights, and on a vacancy, nominated a minister himself, 
 in opposition to the wish of the inhabitants. This fabric stands in 
 the centre of one of the squares of the town : it is spacious, but 
 low, and consists of three aisles, of equal length, separated from 
 each other by pointed arches ; at the west end is an embattled 
 tower. Its patron Saint is St. Thomas a Becket, from which cir- 
 cumstance it is supposed to have been founded about the time of 
 Henry the Second ; but the architecture is of ditferent periods. 
 The various mechanical instruments, that are sculptured on the 
 south wall, as hammers, shears, &c. render the opinion probable, 
 that part of the expenses of building was defrayed by a subscri}>- 
 tion of the mechanics of the town, The pulpit is of wainscot, or- 
 namented with figures curiously carved on the pannels, in alto-re- 
 lievo, representing the Cardinal Virtues and the Liberal Arts : un- 
 der the sounding-board is the date l6'3fi. The principal mo- 
 nument displays a recumbent statue of Sir Edw'ARD Horsey, 
 Knt. who was Captain of this Island in the reigh of Queen Eliza- 
 beth. Sir Edward is represented in armour, with short hair, and 
 a quilled ruft’, lying on a mat, beneath an ornamented niche. 
 Above is a Latin epitaph, expressive of his courage and virtues, with 
 his arms quartered, and the date of his decease, March 29, 1582. 
 This gentlemaii was descended from an ancient family, settled at 
 
 Z 3 Melconib&r 
 
358 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 Melcombe-Horsey, hi Dorsetshire, and acquired renown for his 
 skill and valor in clearing the Channel from the enemy's ships. 
 Though a far better man, he was particularly favored by the worth- 
 less Earl of Leicester, with the management of whose clandestine 
 marriage with Lady Douglas Sheffield, he had been entrusted, and 
 kept the secret so faithfully, ‘ that the crafty Earl was enabled to 
 deny it, when under the temptation of a fresh amour.’ By the 
 interest of Leicester, he was appointed to the Captainship of tliis 
 Isle ; he was also employed by Queen Elizabeth as Ambassador 
 to Don John of Austria in 1576-77* Among the other persons 
 buried in this fabric, was the Princess Elisabeth, second daughter 
 of Charles the First, who died a prisoner in Carisbrooke Castle at 
 the age of fifteen. The leaden coffin including her remains, was dis- 
 covered in a vault under the chancel, in October, 1793 : oii it is the 
 following inscription in three lines : “ Elisabeth 2? daughter 
 OF Y' LATE King Charles, Deced Sept. 8. mdcl.” Sand- 
 ford, in his Genealogical History, affirms, that the Princess died 
 of a broken heart. A burial-ground was first appropriated to tliis 
 Church, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, in consequence of a plague, 
 in which the mortality was so great, that the Church-yard of Caris- 
 brooke was not sufficiently capacious for the interment of the dead. 
 The Roman Catholics,' the Methodists, the Arminians, the Bap- 
 tists, and the Quakers, have each a Meeting-House in this town. 
 
 In the Town-Hall, which is situated over the largest of the 
 market-places, besides the Meetings of the Corporation, &c. is held 
 the Knighten Court, or Curia Militmn, under the precedency of 
 tlie Governor's Steward, or his deputy. This court was instituted in the 
 feudal times; and, as supposed, by William Fitz-Osborne, to who^ 
 the Island was granted by the Conqueror. The original judges were 
 such as held a Knight’s fee, or part of a fee, in capite, from the 
 proprietor of the Lordship : the present judges are freeholders, 
 holding of Carisbrooke Castle : these are empowered to decide 
 without tlie intervention of a jury, and generally sit in rotation, or 
 
 as 
 
 The very great abundance of game with which this Island was stored, 
 tradition refers to Sir Edward, who is reported to have given a lamb 
 for every hare that was brought to him from the neighbouring counties. 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 359 
 
 as convenience dictates, three or more at a time. Tlie court is 
 held every Monday tliree weeks, except that happens to be a ho- 
 liday, when the meeting is postponed for three weeks longer : it 
 has jurisdiction over every part of the Island, but the Borough of 
 Newport; “ it holds pleas of all actions of debt and trespass under 
 the value of forty shillings ; and upon replevins granted by the 
 Steward, or his Deputy : the proceedings are of the same nature 
 as those in our Courts of Equity, and are carried on by attornies 
 admitted by the court. The actions for debt are tried by proof of 
 plaintiff or defendant ; or the defendant’s wager of law with two 
 hands, if he prays it ; and actions of trespass are determined by 
 proof only,”* The seal of this court represents a castle with bat- 
 tlements, with the inscription SIGIL: CVRI^; MIL: IN: INSV- 
 LA: VECTIS: »{-. Some endeavors were made by the inhabi- 
 tants of the Island, in the reign of Charles the First, to render 
 the powers of this Court more analagous to those wherein all 
 causes are determined by jui-y; but without effect. 
 
 The markets are plentifully supplied with provision, but esj)e- 
 cially with poultry and butter; yet the latter is very dear; fish are 
 extremely scarce, and are mostly brought from Southampton. Vast 
 quantities of grain were formerly exposed for sale here, to the 
 amount of 150 or 200 w^aggon-loads at a time; but the illegal 
 practice of selling corn by sample, which has lately obtained, has 
 so greatly reduced the market in this article, that not more than 
 five or six waggons have been exposed at once for these five years. 
 At the Michaelmas markets, Newport is a scene of great bustle ; 
 every street is crow'ded, and every public-house is thronged : gaiety 
 has universal sway; and singing and dancing fill up the hours.. 
 
 The education of youth has been attended to by the establish- 
 ment of several Schools. A Free Grammar School, for a limited 
 number of boys, was erected by subscription in the year 1619, and 
 afterwards endowed with lands for the support of a master; but 
 it has now almost dwindled to a sinecure ; the scho<)l-room is fifty 
 
 Z 4 feet 
 
 * Worsley’s Hist. p. 82 , 
 
360 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 feet long, and has become memorable from having been the place 
 where the negociations between Charles the First and the Parlia- 
 mentary Commissioners were discussed. Another School, for 
 clothing and instructing girls, has been instituted here, and is partly 
 supported by endowments, and partly by subscription. Two Sun- 
 day Schools have also been established under the patronage of the 
 principal inhabitants, and bid fair to become of the most essential 
 utility. 
 
 The number of houses in Newport is about 700: that of inha- 
 bitants, as returned under the Act of 1801, was 3585; this, how- 
 ever, is subject to great variation, from local circumstances. Many 
 of the working classes are employed in the manufacture of starch 
 and hair-powder; and in the making of cracknells, biscuit, &c. for 
 the use of the shipping. The amusements of the upper ranks are 
 sought in a neat Theatre; and in Assemblies, held at stated times, 
 in two elegant rooms that have been erected for the purpose. 
 
 For the promotion of science, a Philosophical Society has been 
 lately established here. The streets were regularly paved a few 
 years ago ; and, in digging stone in the beast market for this pur- 
 pose, a large reservoir was discovered, which appeared to have 
 been formed for supplying the town with water for domestic use; 
 ^ article in which it is extremely deficient, from its elevated situa- 
 tion: the chief part of what is now used by the inhabitants, is 
 brought in water-carts from Carisbrooke, and retailed from house 
 to house. The charges, made on strangers at the principal inns, 
 are exorbitant : indeed, this is generally the case throughout the 
 Island, thfe inn-keepers appearing to consider all visitors as objects 
 of prey.* On the streams in the vicinity of tlie town, are several 
 corn-mills. 
 
 Dr. 
 
 ^ Those who are disposed to survey the whole Island, commonly fix 
 their head-quarters at Newport, from the certainty of procuring lodg- 
 ing. In this case, three principal routes are laid down, denominated, 
 from their respective courses, the western, the north-eastern, and the 
 
 south-eastern : 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 361 
 
 Dr. Thomas James, a learned divine and antiquary, appears 
 from Wood,* to have been bom in this town about the year 1571. 
 The tuition of his early years was obtained at Wyckham’s College, 
 Winchester, from which he was removed to New College, Oxford ; 
 and became so celebrated for his erudition, that he was esteemed 
 ‘ a living library.' He was the first Keeper on the Bodleian foun- 
 dation; in which office he assisted the great Camden in col- 
 lecting materials for his Britannia. He was afterwards made Sub- 
 Dean of Welts, and had other promotions. His knowledge in the 
 Manuscript Fathers was very great; and Wood affirms, that “ he 
 was the most industrious and indefatigable writer against popery, 
 that had been educated at Oxford since the Reformation.” He 
 died in August, 1629. 
 
 About one mite north from Newport, is that admirable institu- 
 tion, the HOUSE OF INDUSTRY ; which originated in the year 
 1770, from a meeting of the principal inhabitants of the Isle of 
 Wight, assembled for the purpose of discussing the best mode of 
 providing relief for the poor. In this assembly, it was proposed 
 to consolidate the rates of the different parishes; and to erect a 
 building for the general reception of the poor, sufficiently large 
 for all the purposes of residence, education, and employment. 
 Application was accordingly made to Parliament for the necessary 
 powers; and the design being approved. His Majesty was empow- 
 ered to grant a lease of eighty acres of land in his forest of Park- 
 hurst, for the term of 999 years, at the reserved annual rent of 
 8l. 17 s. 9d. and renewable at a fine certain. 
 
 On this ground the House of Industry was immediately began : 
 it consists of several ranges of building, of sufficient magnitude for 
 
 the 
 
 ¥ Athena Oxon. p. 537. 
 
 south-eastern ; these, with a few shorter trips, include all the scenery and 
 objects worthy of inspection in the Island, and may be travelled over 
 in five or six days ; though the roads are very indifferent, and in some 
 parts absolutely impassable for carriages, except in the finest weather : 
 this probably arises from the roads being repaired by statute law, as there 
 are no turnpikes throughout the Island. 
 
362 
 
 ISLE OP WIGHT. 
 
 the reception and employment of nearly f 00 people; connected 
 with courts, a garden, &c. The principal building is 300 feet in 
 length, and twenty-seven in breadth; with windows on both sides, 
 to promote the free circulation of air; in this is a Dining-Hall, 118 
 feet long, a Store-Room, a Committee-Room, and many other 
 apartments. About 200 feet from the west end, another building 
 ranges southward, to an extent of 1/0 feet : in this, on the ground 
 floor, are the School-Rooms, Kitchen, Scullery, Bake-House, &c. 
 and above them are various apartments, as lying-in rooms, sick wards, 
 and twenty separate chambers, for married poor. At the end of 
 this, and parallel with the main buildmg, is another range, contain- 
 ing extensive workshops for the mechanics and manufacturers. 
 Besides these, and within the inclosure, is a Chapel, and various 
 offices; together with a Pest-house for those afflicted with contagious 
 disorders; and a small building, erected a few years ago, for the 
 admission of persons under inoculation. 
 
 The regulations and bye-laws by which this important establish- 
 ment is governed, are excellently calculated to further the advance- 
 ment of morals and of industry : even in an economical point of 
 view, their effects have already greatly operated to the advantage 
 of the community ; the poor-rates having been decreased upwards 
 of one half since the institution was planned. The sura borrowed 
 for erecting the buildings, was 20,0001. chargeable with an interest 
 of 8001. of this, upwards of one-third has been liquidated ; and as 
 the profits arising from the manufactures carried on here, has, of 
 late years, amounted to nearly 2001. annually, tliere is every rea- 
 son to imagine, that the whole will be discharged before the lapse 
 of any great portion of time. The principal branches of manufac- 
 ture are sacks for corn and flour; clothing, as kerseys, stockings, 
 &c. dowlas sheeting ; mops, shoes, and various other articles. The 
 number of persons generally in the house at one period, varies 
 from 500 to 550. Relief is also afforded to tlie families of the in- 
 digent, who, from local circumstances, do not require removal 
 from their own abodes. Still further to promote the well-doing of 
 society, an allowance of three guineas has been lately voted to 
 “ every servant in husbandry, day-laborer, and journeyman-me- 
 chanic, 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 S63 
 
 chanic, on low wages, who shall marry the daughter of a cottager, 
 or laborer,” As this bounty is given with reference to the preven- 
 tion of illicit intercourse, those who are known to have had any 
 child born out of wedlock, are excluded from receiving it. 
 
 The entire management of this concern is vested in a Corpora- 
 tion, styled “ The Guardians of the Poor within the Isle of 
 Wight;” to which all persons are eligible who possess, in their ovra 
 right, or in that of their wives, lands or property within the Island 
 rated to the poor's-rate, at the yearly value of 501. or are heirs ap- 
 parent of such property, to the annual value of lOOl, or are occu- 
 piers to the same amount; together with all rectors or vicars within 
 the Island. From these twenty-four Directors, and thirty-six act- 
 ing Guardians, are appointed, twelve of whom are removed on tire 
 last Thursday in June, annually, and their places filled by as many 
 others who are eligible. These are divided and sub-divided into 
 quarterly, monthly, and weekly committees; by which means the 
 institution has the benefit of a regular superintendence of the best 
 kind; that of the judicious, and the disinterested. The necessary 
 officers for the internal government of the house, are appointed by 
 the Directors and Guardians, and include a Governor, a Chaplain* 
 a Steward, a Schoolmaster, a Matron, two Surgeons, a Secretary, 
 &c. These have regular salaries ; the only officer who fills a re- 
 sponsible situation without salary, is the Treasurer. That part of 
 the eighty acres of land granted by His Majesty, which is not oc- 
 cupied by the buildings and garden, has been divided into fields, 
 and cultivated with every appearance of success. 
 
 At a short distance south-west from the House of Industry, are 
 the PARKHURST BARRACKS, and Military Hospital, 
 which have been erected since the year 1778, and contain every 
 requisite accommodation for upwards of 3000 soldiers. The Bar- 
 racks consist of various ranges of building, running parallel with 
 each other; and the principal of them measuring 1()3 feet and a 
 half in length. The Hospital is formed by a centre, and two wings, 
 with proper offices, as fumigating rooms, baths, &c. Great al- 
 terations have been lately made in this building, and many im- 
 provements have been eftected. The whole inclosure occupies 
 
 an 
 
364 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 an extent of twenty acres; of which about two acres are appro- 
 priated to the Hospital. The water for domestic purposes is pro- 
 cured from four wells, of different depths, from 262 to 286 feet. 
 The streets between the ranges of Barracks are forty feet wide. 
 The magnitude and regularity of these buildings give them an im- 
 portant and dignified appearance. 
 
 The Forest of Pahkhurst, within the limits of which the Bar- 
 racks and Hospital are situated, occurs in the Domesday Book, 
 under the appellation of Parco Regis, or the King’s Park. It was 
 afterwards denominated the King’s Forest : and in an account of 
 rents and disbursements of the twenty-third of Henry the Seventh, 
 is a charge for salaries paid to a ranger and two under keepers. 
 Courts of Swanimote were also held here, as appears by an an- 
 cient warrant from the Duke of Suffolk. 
 
 About one mile south-west from Newport is CARISBROOKE 
 CASTLE, the most ancient and important fortress in the Island, 
 It stands on a high and commanding situation, on a conical emi- 
 nence, rising above the village of Carisbrooke, and occupying about 
 twenty acres of ground. When it was originally founded is uncer- 
 tain : some authors have attributed it to the Britons ; and Lluyd 
 says, there was a city here called Caer-broc; words signifying the 
 city or toun of yew-trees. Others suppose its origin to be Roman; 
 among whom is Dr. Stukeley, who assigns its erection to his fa- 
 vorite Emperor, Carausius : and Warner mentions six Roman coins, 
 as being in his own possession, of the Emperors Tiberius Caesar, 
 Germanicus, Vespasian, Maximianus, &c.* that were dug up in a field 
 to the north of the Castle about sixty years ago. 
 
 The earliest historical notice, however, of Carisbrooke, occurs 
 in the Saxon annals, under the year 530, when the Castle was be- 
 sieged and taken by Cerdic, who, as already mentioned,f bestow- 
 ed the government of the Isle on his nephews. Stuff and Withgar; 
 the latter of whom is said to have rebuilt the Castle : this affirma- 
 tion is supposed to be corroborated by the appearance of part of 
 the wall of the base-court, which bears evident traces of a different 
 origin to the other parts of tlie fortress. The 
 
 * History of the Isle of Wight, &c. Appendix. f See p, 335« 
 


(CAIKISJBTOOOK CASTILIE 
 


View t'/CARISBROOK CASTLE, llle 
 
i65 
 
 ISLE OP WIGHT. 
 
 The most important era in the erection of this Castle, at least in 
 its present form, was undoubtedly the time immediately succeeding 
 the Norman Conquest; as we learn from that invaluable record, 
 the Domesday Book, that the manor of Avington, of which it was 
 anciently a part, was, in the time of Edward the Confessor, rated 
 at two hides and a half ; but in that of the Conqueror, at only 
 two hides; because the “ Castle stands upon one virgate." This 
 is a clear proof that, whatever was the ancient state of this fortress, 
 it must have been greatly enlarged between the decease of King 
 Edward, and the period of the Domesday Survey; but whether 
 by William Fitz-Osborne, the first Lord of the Island, or by Ro- 
 ger deBreteville, his son, may be questioned ; though most writers 
 attribute it to the former; yet, as he was slain on the Continent 
 within four years of the Norman Invasion, it seems probable that 
 the completion of the Castle must have been left to his son. Various 
 alterations were made in subsequent reigns; and in the time of 
 Queen Elizabeth the whole of the original works was smrounded 
 by an extensive fortification, faced with stone, encompassed by a 
 deep moat, and defended by five bastions. The additions and re- 
 pairs that have since been made, chiefly regard the improvement 
 of some of the interior parts, for the purposes of residence. 
 
 The walls of the Norman fortress, including the keep, which is 
 probably more ancient, inclose about an acre and a half of ground, 
 approaching in form to a rectangular parallelogram, with the an- 
 gles rounded : these angles seem to have been rebuilt when the 
 works were enlarged by Elizabeth, as that to the south-east has 
 the date ifiOl. The keep occupies the summit of an artificial 
 mount, between fifty and sixty feet high, situated near the north- 
 east angle of the walls; this, as well as the walls, was defended 
 by a surrounding foss. The form of the keep is an irregular poly- 
 gon, about sixty feet broad in its widest part, with walls of great 
 strength and thickness: some of the angles are strengthened by 
 buttresses of hewn stone, evidently more modern than the other 
 parts. A flight of seventy-two steps leads up the mount to the 
 entrance, which was anciently defended by a strong double gate 
 and portcullis. . On the left, within the entrance, is a larger apart- 
 2 ®®ot, 
 
566 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 ment, in which is a well, now partly filled up as dangerous, said 
 to have been 300 feet deep. The upper apartments are wholly 
 destroyed ; though a small decayed stair-case yet remains, which 
 led to the platform on the summit of the keep, from the ruined 
 walls of which, is a very extensive and beautiful prospect, including 
 great part of the Island, together with parts of the New Forest, 
 and the Portsdown Hills. On this spot the Royal flag is displayed 
 on days of public rejoicing, or when the Governor resides at the 
 Castle, At the bottom of the mount was a sally-port, which ap- 
 pears to have been defended by a bastion, now destroyed. 
 
 The principal of the Norman works occupy the north-western 
 angle of the area; to which, the entrance is on the west side, by a 
 handsome machicolated gate, with grooves for a portcullis, flanked 
 by two round towers: this is supposed to have been built by 
 Lord Widville, in the time of Edward the Fourth, his arms being 
 carved on a stone near the top, with the rose, the badge of the 
 house of York, on each side. This leads to the more ancient en- 
 trance; the old gate of which, with its wicket of lattice-work, made 
 of oak, and covered with bars of iron, still remains, and opens into 
 the inner area; on entering which, the first objects that meet the 
 eye on the right, are the ruins of a Guard-House, and the Chapel 
 of St. Nicholas. The latter was built in the year 1738, on the 
 site of a more ancient Chapel, that stood here at the period of the 
 Domesday Survey, and had various lands bestowed for its support 
 by the different proprietors of the Lordship. In this structure the 
 Mayor and High Constables of Newport are annually sworn into 
 office. On the opposite and north side, are the ruins of the build- 
 ings occupied by Charles the First during his imprisonment in this 
 Castle : a small room, said to have been his bed-chamber, is still 
 sho^vn. Further on, extending from the north wall, towards the 
 middle of tlie area, are the Barracks, and Governor's House. 
 These buildings have been the work of very different periods; and 
 so many alterations have been made in them, that the original form 
 of construction is almost obliterated. Among the arms on different 
 parts of the walls, are those of William Fitz-Osbome ; Isabella de 
 Fortibus; Montacute, Earl of Salisbury; and Sir George Carey." 
 
 The 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT* 
 
 The GovenuMr’s lodgings include several good apartments, with 
 vaulted ceilings; they were improved, and made habitable, about 
 the year 1700, by the then Governor, Lord Cutts; but having been 
 afterwards neglected, were again repaired, and fitted up, by the 
 present Lord Bolton. 
 
 At the south-west corner of the area, is a platform for cannon, 
 made in the reign of Elizabeth : and near the centre of the south 
 wall are the remains of a watch-tower. The ruins of another 
 tower, called Montjoy’s, though unquestionably part of the Nor- 
 man fortress, stand at the south-east angle of the area : the walls are 
 in some places eighteen feet thick, and the top may yet be ascend- 
 ed by a flight of decayed steps. On the east side are the remains 
 of two other w'atch-towers, and some buildings formerly used as 
 store-houses, &c. but now occupied as offices for the Governor’s 
 household. Near the centre of the area, under a small building, 
 is a Well, 200 feet deep, supplying a very pure water for the use 
 of the Castle.* 
 
 It seems evident that the fortification erected by Queen Eliza- 
 beth, must have been raised on the site of some outworks, or en- 
 trenchments, that had previously existed ; as the space it includes 
 is not more considerable in extent than tlie Castle itself is recorded 
 to have occupied in the Domesday Book ; that is, one virgate, or 
 twenty acres. The entrance of this modern part corresponds with 
 that of the original fortress, it being nearly opposite on the west 
 side. Its form is that of an irregular pentagon, about tliree-quar- 
 ters of a mile in circumference; the chief engineer was an Italian, 
 
 named 
 
 * The water is raised by means of a tread-wheel, fifteen feet in dia- 
 meter, worked by an Jss, who was promoted to his present office in 
 the year 1798, on the death of one of his long-eared brethren, that had 
 performed the same service twenty-six years. Another of these animals 
 died in 1771, having patiently executed the duties of his station dur- 
 ing the long period of forty-five years. When this well is shown to 
 strangers, a curious experiment is generally made, by letting down a 
 lighted lamp, which, in descending, occasions a strong sound, from the 
 resistance of the air, like a hollow wind ; and as the lamp rests upon 
 the surface of the water, the walling of the well may be distinctly seen. 
 
358 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 named Genebella,* who had been employed on the fortification^ 
 of Antwerp, to which thes^ are said to bear considerable resem^ 
 blance. I'he moat is crossed by a bridge, leading to the gate, 
 which opens into the area; over it is a shield, with the date 1598, 
 and the initials E. R. In the east part of this area, is the Place of 
 Arms, a large open piece of ground, surrounded by a redoubt, or 
 rampart, of considerable height : this was originally set apart for 
 the purpose of, training and exercising soldiers. The expense of 
 the works raised in the time of Elizabeth, was partly defrayed by 
 a subscription made by the inhabitants : those who could not af. 
 ford money, are said to have contributed labor, so that the whole 
 of the outer foss was excavated without any public charge.f 
 
 This Castle appears to have been the residence of the Lords of 
 the Island from the very earliest period ; and since it became the 
 property of the Crown, it has been the constant seat of the Cap- 
 tains and Governors. Isabella de Fortibus resided here in great 
 state and dignity ; and her charter to Newport is dated from this 
 place. Here also the will of Philippa, Duchess of York, who died 
 in the ninth of Henry the Sixth, was opened ; in which she styles 
 herself Lady of the Isle of Wight. 
 
 The adventitious lustre reflected on this fortress, from its having 
 been the scene of the imprisonment of Charles the First, has al- 
 ready been intimated ; and there are yet some further circumstances 
 relating to his confinement here that require detail. Among the 
 books that served for the amusement of his lonesome hours, were 
 Hooker’s Ecclesiastical Polity, Tasso’s Jerusalem, and Spencer’s 
 Fairie Queen : these, with the Sacred Scriptures, and some works 
 on religious subjects, formed nearly the whole of his library'. 
 Stated hours were set apart for devotion and writing; and his 
 Suspiria Regalia, the manuscript of which was found among his 
 books, is thought to have been composed during his captivity. 
 
 His 
 
 ^ Manuscripts of Sir John Oglander. 
 
 f In Sir R. Worsley’s Hist. Appendix, No. xvlii. is a very interesting 
 and curious paper of all the various items of expense incurred in strength- 
 ening the Castle at this period. 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 369 
 
 His mornings, in the early part of his confinement, were generally 
 employed in walking on the ramparts; and many persons obtained 
 access to him at these times, under pretence of being touched for 
 the King’s Evil. The subsequent rigour of his imprisonment may 
 be attributed to the attempts made to effect his rescue. 
 
 The second attempt, and which seems to have failed through 
 the King’s own inadvertency, is related at length in Herbert’s 
 Memoirs; from these it appears, that a correspondence had been 
 secretly commenced with some gentlemen of the Island, and it was 
 determined that Charles should let himself down by a cord from 
 his chamber-window ; and again from the top of the ramparts ; 
 under which a swift horse, with a guide, were to be placed in 
 readiness, to convey him to a vessel purposely stationed at the sea 
 side. The chief difficulty in the scheme, was the narrow space be- 
 tween the bars ; but Charles affirmed that he had tried the passage, 
 and did not doubt but that it was sufficiently large. The prepara- 
 tions were therefore completed ; the hour of enterprize was come, 
 the concerted signal was given, and Charles attempted to force 
 himself through the window ; but though he found an easy passage 
 for his head, he stuck fast in endeavoring to portrude his neck 
 and shoulders, and for some time he could neither advance nor 
 retreat. His groans were heard by his friends below ; but nothing 
 could be done to relieve him ; at length, by repeated efforts, he 
 forced himself back, and immediately placed a candle in the win- 
 dow, as an intimation that the design was frustrated. 
 
 As this attempt was not discovered at the time, it was again 
 resolved to have recourse to the same means; and files and aqua- 
 fortis were conveyed to the King from London, for the purpose 
 of removing the impediments that had before obstructed his escape. 
 Some intelligence had, however, been received by Hammond, 
 which occasioned a more strict degree of watchfulness; and Major 
 Rolfe, by pretending to be in the King’s interest, obtained the 
 confidence of some of the persons concerned, and of course, was 
 made acquainted with the plan. The night was however fixed ; 
 and Charles was getting through the window, when perceiving 
 more persons beneath it than he expected, he drew back; and re- 
 
 VoL. VI. May, 1805. A a tired 
 
370 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 tired to bed. Soon afterwards the Governor entered the cham- 
 ber; and Charles found that the sclieme had miscarried. The 
 gentlemen who had been concerned, escaped with much difficulty ; 
 and Charles himself appears to have been in great danger, as Ma- 
 jor Rolfe exhibited a charged pistol, declaring that he had resolved 
 to shoot the King with it as he descended from the window. The 
 seizure of Charles at Newport has been already related : on his 
 way to the sea-side he met Sir E. Worsley, one of tlie gentlemen 
 who had endeavored to aid his escape, and presented him witli 
 his watch, as a token of his remembrance and gratitude.* 
 
 The village of CARISBROOKE is pleasantly situated on the 
 banks of a rivulet, at the bottom of the Castle-Hill, hut retains few 
 other vestiges of its former consequence, as a market-town, and 
 the capital of the Island, than what are displayed in its Church, 
 and even that was originally more extensive than at present. This 
 structure occupies the site of a more ancient edifice, of Saxon ori- 
 gin, imd was built by William Fitz-Osborne, and given by him, 
 with several others, to the Abbey of Lyra, in Normandy, of which 
 lie was also the founder. It consists of a bxody and south aisle, 
 with a handsome embattled tower; the north aisle and chancel 
 have long been destroyed. Near the altar is part of a monumental 
 stone, rudely carved, with the figure of the head and upper part 
 of the body of an ecclesiastic, with a book and paschal staff; sup- 
 posed to represent one of the Priors of Carisbrooke. Against 
 the north wall is a monument of the time of Henry the Seventh, 
 in memory of the Lady of Sir Nicholas Wadham, who was Cap- 
 tain of this Island in that reign : the lady is represented kneeling 
 at a desk, in the attitude of prayer ; at the back of the tomb are 
 six small figures, represented as cripples, in allusion to the charity 
 of the deceased ; this monument is much mutilated. In the body 
 of the Church is a wooden tablet, in memory of Captain 
 
 William 
 
 * This watch is still preserved in the family : it is of silver, large and 
 clumsy in its form, but the case neatly ornamented with fillagree. The 
 miovements are of very ordinary workmanship, and the spring is wound 
 up with catgut. Gilpin’s tf^estern Observations, p. 324. 
 
C ARis BROOK Church Isle of Wight. 
 
 J*uh1isl}t.^ act^ordauf lo Atd of J^vu'ltament hv,A/€4i'^JToy£f2V^?l€Pfd^rfu>^tet'Jtow. 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 371 
 
 William Keeling, who is represented sitting on the deck of 
 a ship, with a crown of glory suspended over him; Fides is 
 written on the sail; on the compass, verbum Dei; and on the an- 
 chor, Spes. The inscription below the ship informs us, that he 
 died in 1619, having been Groom of the Chamber to James the 
 First, and General for the Honorable East India Adventurers; it 
 concludes thus : 
 
 Fortie and two years in this vessel fraile. 
 
 On the rough Seas of Life, did Keeling sail ; 
 
 A merchant fortunate, a Captain bould, 
 
 A courtier gracious, yet, alas; not old. 
 
 Such wealth, experience, honour, and high pfaise, 
 
 Few winne in twice so manie years or daies. 
 
 But what the world admired he deemed but drosse 
 For Christ ; without Christ all his gains but losse : 
 
 For him and his dear love, with merrie cheere, 
 
 'I’o the Holy Land his last course he did steere : 
 
 Faith served for sails ; the Sacred Word for card ; 
 
 Hope was his anchor; Glory his reward; 
 
 And thus with gales of Grace by happy venter. 
 
 Through Straits of Death, Heav’ns Harbor he did enter. 
 
 The Priory of Carisbrooke, w'hich stood near the Church, 
 iiad also William Fitz-Osborne for its founder; and was equally 
 appropriated to the Abbey of Lyra ; and became a Cell of Bene- 
 dictines to that foundation, Edward the Third granted it to the 
 Abbey of Mont-grace, in Yorkshire; but Henry the Fourth re- 
 stored it to the Monks of Lyra. In the reiijn of Henry the Fifth, 
 it was again seized, with the other Alien Priories, and granted 
 to the Abbey of Sheen, in Surrey, to which it continued annexed 
 till the general Dissolution. Few vestiges of the monastic build- 
 ings remain; and those are chiefly confined to the out-houses 
 and barns of what is still called the Priory-Farm : the shell of one 
 of these buildings is 100 feet long, and twenty-five feet broad ; 
 the walls are richly mantled with ivy, 
 
 GATCOMBE HOUSE, formerly the seat of the younger 
 branches of the Woi sley family, but now the residence of A. Camp- 
 
 A a 2 bell, 
 
372 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 bell, Esq. is beautifully situated on the declivity of a hill, about 
 two miles southward from Carisbrooke Castle. Some line timber 
 and coppice wood ornament the grounds ; and the scenery derives 
 interest from the contiguity of the river Medina, which flows on the 
 east side. The house is a regular square building of stone, erected 
 by Sir E. Worsley in the year 1730. Near it is Gatcombe 
 Church, in the chancel of which, in a recess of tlie north wall, is 
 an ancient and curious effigies of a Knight carved in oak, supposed 
 to represent the founder of the Church. 
 
 The manor of GODSHILL was anciently part of the lands of 
 the Abbey of Lyra, and its Church was one of the six given to 
 that House by William Fitz-Osborne ; but after passing through 
 various hands, it has become the property of Sir Richard Worsley 
 by purchase. The Church is an ancient building, in the form of 
 a cross, occupying the summit of an eminence, and commanding 
 some fine prospects. Here are various monuments of the Worsleys, 
 and other families : among them, under a richly sculptured arch, 
 are the recumbent effigies of Sir John Leigh, and Mary 
 his Lady, the daughter and heiress of John Hacket, Esq. who 
 died in the reign of Henry the Eighth. On the borders of the 
 Lady’s robe are the arms of the Hackets, and on each side of her is a 
 child : above the arch are three angels holding shields. Near this 
 is the monument of Sir James Worsley, and Anne his wife, 
 daughter of the above : their figures are represented kneeling un- 
 der an architrave, supported by two Ionic pillars. The next mo- 
 nument commemorates Sir Robert Worsley, who died in 
 174.7; and his brother, Henry Worsley, Esq. who was Go- 
 vernor of Barbadoes, and died in March, 1740: their busts are 
 placed on a sarcophagus: the pediment is sujiported by pillars of 
 marble veined, with the figures of Hope and Fortitude on the 
 sides. Here is also a mural monument to the memoi^ of Cap- 
 tain Richard Worsley, son of Sir James, who died in May, 
 1 5fi5 : on this is a long inscription in Latin, containing various his- 
 torical particulars of the family. 
 
 APPULDURCOMBE, the principal seat of the Worsley family, 
 and now the property and residence of Sir Richard Worsley, Bart. 
 
 2 is 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 373 
 
 is about one mile south-east from Godshill. Its name is derived 
 from the British words, Y pwll y dwr y cwm; signifying the pool 
 of water in the hollow or recess of a hill. The manor was an- 
 ciently part of the possessions of the Abbey of Montsbury, in Nor- 
 mandy; and, after passing through several families, became the 
 property of Sir James Worsley, of Worsley Hall, in Lancashire, by 
 marriage with Anne, daughter of Sir John Leigli, of More, in Der- 
 byshire, from whom it has descended to the present owner. The 
 Worsleys trace their descent to Sir Elias de Workesley, who atten- 
 ded Robert, Duke of Normandy, in his expedition to tlie Holy 
 Land, and died and was interred in the Isle of Rhodes. 
 
 A Priory was founded here in the Norman times, and was 
 given to the Abbey of Montsbury, by Piichard de Redvers, Earl of 
 Devon. Henry the Fourth granted it, during a war with France, 
 to the Nuns without Aldgate, in London, who afterwards obtained 
 a grant of all its lands, including Appuldurcombe, Sandford, and 
 Week, from the above Abbey. The Old Priory- House, which ap- 
 pears to have been a venerable building,* was thoroughly repaired 
 in the reign of Elizabeth, and made a family residence; probably 
 by Sir Francis Walsinghara, who married the widow of Sir James 
 Worsley, and held these estates in her right. It was taken down 
 in the beginning of the last century by Sir Robert Worsley, who, 
 according to his own phrase, ‘ leit not one stone standing by him, 
 in the year I/IO, the present mansion was begun at a short dis- 
 tance froiii the old Priory : he died, however, before it was com- 
 pleted ; and it remained in a very unfinished state till it came into 
 the possession of Sir R. Worsley, who has made considerable ad- 
 ditions, and in several instances, departed from the original design. 
 
 The situation of this house is extremely fine : it stands in a spa- 
 cious park, in the midst of an amphitheatre of hills, commanding 
 various extensive and grand prospects : the slope v/hich forms the 
 back-ground, is ornamented with beeches of great size, interspersed 
 with large and venerable oaks. The mansion itself is built with 
 
 A a 3 freer 
 
 ^ See the Engraving opposite p. 181, in Sir R. Worsley ’s History qf 
 the Isle of Wight. 
 
374 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 free-stone, and, from its magnitude and situation, assumes an air 
 of considerable grandeur; though the singularity of its construction 
 detracts from its magnificence. It has four fronts, of the Corin- 
 thian order; with projecting buildings advancing from each front, 
 and finished with pilasters and pediments of Portland stone ; the 
 principal entrance is on the east side. 
 
 The interior of this mansion is most superbly decorated with 
 sculptures, paintings, and drawings ; most of which were collected 
 by the present owner, in a tour through Italy, Spain, Oreece, 
 Egypt, Asia Minor, and Tartary, during the years 1785, 178(), 
 and 1787. The collection was made at a vast expense; Sir Rich- 
 ard having freighted a ship for himself and suite, and engaged 
 some excellent Aitists to accompany him. The marbles and paint- 
 ings are principally arranged in the Entrance Hall, and in the apart- 
 ments on the same floor ; most of the drawings are preserved in 
 port-folios. The Ilali, which is fitty-fbur feet long, and tw'enty- 
 four broad, is decorated with eight beautiful Ionic columns, of a 
 composition resembling porphyry. Here many of the sculptures 
 are displayed, intermixed with paintings, the judicious arrangement 
 of which exhibits great taste. 'Hie most eminent of these valua- 
 bles will now be described, under their appro])riate heads, with- 
 out regard to the apartments in which they are placed. 
 
 Among the Marbles is a most beautiful group of Bacchus, and 
 his mythological favorite Acratus, winged as a genius ; a Cupid, found 
 under the Colonna at Rome, and supposed to be an antique copy 
 of the bronze obtained by a stratagem from Praxiteles, by Lais; 
 Asclepias, the Priestess of Diana, with a curious inscription on the 
 plinth, demonstrative of her nature and office; Hercules Ehrius, 
 found in Egypt, represented crowned with flowers and ribbons; 
 an Egyptian Priest, in basal tes; a fragment of an Egyptian Idol; 
 Canephoru, found at Eleusis; two Antique Chairs, which originally 
 belonged to the celebrated Fulvius Ursinus; an Hermean statue 
 of Sophocles, found at Athens; Alcihiades, from the same place; 
 Anacreon; Pherecydes, the Philosopher, cotemporary with Thales; a 
 bust of Hercules Jutenis, with falling locks on each side of the head, 
 wliich is covered with the lion's skin; Achilles, a bust dug up in 
 
 lh« 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 375 
 
 the Campagna of Rome; Attilius Regulus, a bust; a group of 
 Niius, in small, resembling that formerly in the Capitol; a bust of 
 Sappho; a bust oi Jupiter, finely sculptured; an Henna of Hercu- 
 les, with a close beard; Jupiter and Minerva receiving the vows of 
 an Athenian, a basso-relievo, supposed to have been part of a frieze 
 designed by Phidias, for the Pantheon at Athens ; a basso-relievo 
 of an antique Syren; a fragment of the Eleusiman Mysteries, 
 found at Eleusis; a basso-relievo of Pluto, with a youth stand- 
 ing before him, extremely curious, from displaying representations 
 of the three kinds of cups used for consecrating wine; a fine 
 specimen of the antique Terra-cotta, representing in basso-relievo, 
 a Man, with Three young Women, washing the statue of the Deity 
 ©f Lainpsacus with a sponge ; a large and very beautifully-sculp- 
 tured basso-relievo of a Pull, the Maxima Victima of Virgil, found 
 in Magna Graecia, near the ruins of Crotona, and thought to have 
 belonged to some ancient temple; a basso-relievo of a Young Wo- 
 man caressing Doves, found in the Isle of Paros, and conjectured 
 to be the work of Praxiteles ; a tripod belonging to the monument 
 of Lysicrates, at Athens; and a fragment found at the Sigaean 
 Promontory, representing an Aunt and Niece waiting the answer 
 of the Oracle * 
 
 The following Paintings are of the very first degree of merit; 
 the whole assemblage, indeed, is extremely fine. 
 
 Henky the Eighth, on pannel; Holbein: this was given by 
 Henry himself to Sir James Worsley, then Governor of the Isle of 
 Wight, after a visit to Sir Janies at Appuldurcombe. 
 
 Chaeles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, and Mary, his wife, 
 the Queen Dowager of France ; small, on pannel ; Mabuse : both 
 these pieces are mentioned in Walpole’s Anecdotes. 
 
 Edward the Sixth; Holbein: a very curious small picture, 
 in which Edward is depicted as very young, with q rattle in his 
 hand. 
 
 A a 4; Sir 
 
 ^ Two very sumptuous volumes, descriptive of these Marbles, in Ita- 
 lian and English, with engravings, have been printed by Sir Richard 
 Worsley ; but are not to be purchased : a copy is preserved in the 
 bfary of the Society of Antiquaries, Somerset-Place. 
 
376 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 Sir Henry Neville, of Billiugbeer; on pannel; Cornelius 
 Jansen: Sir Henry was Ambassador from Queen Elizabeth to the 
 Court of France ; and father to Frances, who married Sir Rich- 
 ard Worsley in the reign of James the First, and whose portrait, 
 by the same artist, is also preserved here. 
 
 Philip Herbert, Earl of Pembroke, a small whole lengtli ; 
 Vandyck. 
 
 Walter, Earl of Essex, with the date 1572; Zuccharo. 
 
 Roxalana, in the Georgian dress, half-length; Geutili Belli- 
 ni. Roxalana was a Venetian, and was married to Soliman the Se- 
 cond, after having lived several years with him. Bellini painted 
 this portrait at Constantinople, whither he had been sent for the 
 purpose by the Doge of Venice, at the request of Soliman : she 
 died in the year 1561. 
 
 Philip the Fourth of Spain, and his Queen Isabella of 
 Bourbon, whole lengths, on horseback; Velasquez: these pictures 
 were brought from Granada; both of them have been finely 
 etched. 
 
 Pope Alexander the Sixth, a fine head; Titian: this also 
 was brought from Granada, where Alexander was born. 
 
 Ambrosio Caradosso, the friend of Raphael, Engraver to 
 Pope Julius the Second ; Raphael. 
 
 Head of one of the Medici family; Carlo Dolci. 
 
 Thomas Hobbes, the Philosopher of Malmsbury; Vandyck. 
 
 Six Landscapes, with Figures; Zuccharelli: extremely fine. 
 
 Two Landscapes, Berghem ; and one ditto, Garalfi. 
 
 The Saviour, and St. John Baptist, embracing; Raphael. 
 
 Consecration of a Bishop ; Tintoretto : the figures in tliis piece 
 are as large as life : Paul the Third is represented as officiating. 
 
 Cleopatra applying the asp; Murillo. This was presented to 
 Sir R. Worsley by a Spanish nobleman, whose family had pos- 
 sessed it for upwards of a century. The composition is extremely 
 beautiful, and singularly expressive of these lines in Shakespeare’s 
 Antony and Cleopatra : 
 
 Peace ! Peace ! 
 
 Dost thou not see my baby at my breast. 
 
 That sucks its nurse asleep ? 
 
 Joseph 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 37f 
 
 Joseph with the infant Christ; Titian: a very valuable picture. 
 
 St. Catherine; Murillo. 
 
 Daniel in the Lions’ Den ; Rubens. 
 
 The Stoning of St. Stephen ; Titian : a very fine painting, and 
 in excellent preservation-. 
 
 Nymph and Satyr; Rubens. 
 
 Susannah and the Elders; Guercino. 
 
 A View in Italy; Gas. Poussin: the figures by N. Poussin. 
 
 Portrait of a Lady; Rubens. 
 
 A Madona ; Guido. 
 
 A Dead Christ ; Annibal Caracci. 
 
 The Drawings are very numerous: among them are two 
 Views of Athens; the Head of the Sphinx, and the Pyramids at 
 Alexandria; the Pits where the Mummies are obtained near Cairo ; 
 the Ruins of the Gyimiasiura, at Alexandria ; Troas, in Asia Minor ; 
 the Aqueduct of Justinian, near Constantinople; View of Con- 
 stantinople, and the Harbour called the Golden Horn; Ruins of 
 the Homariam, near Smyrna; Ruins of Hierapolis, in Upper 
 Phrygia; and Ruins of a Grand Temple at Corinth: most of these 
 drawings are executed upon a large scale. 
 
 The attractions at Appuldurcombe are not confined to the in- 
 terior of the mansion; the Park is well stocked with deer; and 
 the grounds are disposed with much beauty, independent of the 
 advantages they have derived from Nature. The prospects also 
 from the eminences are extremely fine, and comprehend a great 
 portion of the Isle of Wight, as well as Spithead, Portsmouth, 
 and the adjacent parts of Hampshire, The artificial ruins called 
 Cooke's Castle, which stand on a rocky cliff at a considerable dis- 
 tance to the east, form a good object from various points of view. 
 On the summit of the principal eminence in the Park, is an obe- 
 lisk of Cornish granite, nearly seventy feet high, erected to the 
 memory of Sir Robert Worsley, by the present Baronet. 
 
 About two miles directly south from Appuldurcombe Park, on 
 the sea-shore, in one of the most beautiful parts of tlic Island, 
 near the Church of St. Lawrence, is an elegant COTTAGE, built 
 a few years ago by Sir Richard Worsley, and surrounded by 
 
 grounds 
 
378 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 grounds of an extremely romantic and picturesque character. Bold 
 fragments of jutting rocks; irregular lawns, a crystal rivulet, and 
 natural groups of fine elms, combine to give interest to the sce- 
 nery; and still more to attract attention, on this spot is found 
 the only Vineyard in England. This has been raised by Sir 
 Richard under the inspection of a French Vigneron, who com- 
 menced his operations in the year 1792, and the plants were put 
 in the March following ; it consists of two plantations, occupying 
 about three acres of ground, sheltered from all unfriendly blasts 
 by a high range of rocky hills. The vines, which are of the white 
 Muscadine and Plant Verd sorts, are planted in beds twelve feet 
 wide ; being so arranged as to leave a foot and a half between each 
 plant. The stems are about eight inches high, with two shoots 
 on each stem, which are regularly cut olf every spring, and their 
 places supplied by other young ones ; the shoots are kept at the 
 length of two feet, or two feet and a half : a light white wine is 
 made from the grapes. The novelty of this plantation, and the 
 peculiar beauty of the coast, have attracted numerous visitants to 
 this part of the Island. 
 
 The Church of St. Lawrence is the smallest in the Island, and 
 perhaps in the whole Kingdom, its length being not more than 
 twenty feet, and its breadth only tw'elve. The greatest part of this 
 parish consists of a slip of land, extending about a mile and a half 
 along the sea shore, and forming part of the romantic tract called 
 UNDERCLIFF, which reaches from a small house, called Knowles, 
 on the west, to Boncbyrch on the east ; a distance of nearly six 
 miles. Above this singular region, the downs terminate abruptly 
 in a steep precipice of limestone rock, which accompanies the Un- 
 dercliff through its whole length, in an almost uninterrupted line, 
 assuming the appearance of an immense stone wall, particularly 
 when seen from any distance. The general elevation of this preci- 
 pitous descent is from ninety to one hundred and twenty feet : the 
 tract of land immediately beneath it extends to the sea, varying in 
 breadth, from a quarter to three quarters of a mile, or upwards. 
 
 Through this interval of rock and water, colossal fragments of 
 stone, torn or sunk from the precipice by some great convulsion of 
 
 nature, 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 S79 
 
 nature, lie scattered in the most irregular confusion. These solid 
 masses are of such a ponderous magnitude, that they form emi- 
 nences of the most capricious shapes ; while the intermediate spaces 
 become deep vallies, in which houses are built, and even ashes 
 and elms are seen to flourish, sheltered from the storms and the 
 spray of the sea, by the hospitable and lofty shades of these frag- 
 ments. Every spot of this land, that can bear the impression 
 of a plough, is uncommonly fertile, and well cultivated ; but the 
 fruitful patches are of all sizes and figures ; and huge rocks, co- 
 vered with briars, frequently arise from amidst a polygon inclosure 
 of two or three acres,”* The inequalities and rapid descents of 
 many of the spots thus cultivated, occasion the ploughing them to 
 be a work of considerable difficulty ; and five or six horses are in 
 some places necessary for that purpose. Many fresh separations 
 from the precipices are visible ; and the huge fragments beneath, 
 frequently discover, by their form, the situations from which they 
 have fallen. The road below the cliff is stony and irregular; but 
 every inconvenience is compensated by the grandeur of the scenery. 
 In some particular situations, a very distinct echo is returned from 
 these rocks, even to the repetition of four syllables. 
 
 About a mile from St. Lawrence is another beautiful retreat, 
 called STEEPHILL, now inhabited by the Earl of Dysart, but 
 formerly belonging to the late Hans Stanley, Esq. who built the 
 Cottage when Governor of this Isle. It stands on one of the dis- 
 membered rocks before described, nearly half way between the 
 base of the precipice and the sea; and though small, is fitted up 
 with much elegance. Some beautiful sea-pieces, by Vandevelde, 
 ornament the interior. The cliffs, which are here covered with 
 shrubs and copjnce-wood, afford a fine and umbrageous canopy 
 over the walks tliat have been formed beneath. The grounds are 
 laid out with great taste. This part of the coast abounds with 
 shell-fish of every kind ; and vast quantities of crabs and lobsters 
 are annually taken in the summer-season : the crab-pots, as they 
 are called, are a sort of baskets made of wicker. The sun-fish is 
 spmetimes caught on this shore. A few 
 
 ^ Wyndham’s Picture of the Isle of Wight. 
 
S80 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 A few yards below, and almost under the Steephill Cottage, is 
 the New Inn, where parties usually refresh themselves beneath the 
 spreading foliage of a luxuriant fig-tree. From Steephill the coun- 
 try begins to wear a more open and cultivated appearance, but 
 scarcely less romantic ; the precipitous wall is succeeded by a rapid 
 verdant slope of much greater elevation, trodden only by sheep, 
 and in one part forcing the road to a narrow and tremendous pass, 
 on the brink of a mouldering cliff, where a few ragged rails seem 
 hardly sufficient to secure the traveller from danger. On doubling 
 this point, the hamlet of VENTNOR presents itself, formed by a 
 range of neat cottages, chiefly inhabited by fishermen, open to tlie 
 sea in front, and backed by woods, and the high downs of St. 
 Boniface. The situation of Ventnor Mill is well known to all the 
 tourists of this Island, frojn its highly picturesque situation ; it is 
 worked by a small stream, which rises about a quarter of a mile 
 above, and, after passing the mill-dam, falls in a cascade upon the 
 beach. 
 
 The COTTAGE of St. Boniface is finely seated at the foot 
 of the steep and mountainous eminence of the same name, on a 
 small level plain. This was the property of the late Colonel Hill, 
 who obtained it by marriage with an heiress of a branch of the 
 Popham family: the grounds are disposed with much judgment, 
 and possess great natural beauty. In front of the Cottage are se- 
 veral long ranges of rock, covered with coppice-wood; and ad- 
 mitting some partial views of the sea. At a short distance is a 
 Spring, the virtues of which were formerly held in such high re- 
 pute, that even seamen were accustomed to lower the fore-topmast 
 on sailing past this place. 
 
 In approaching the village of St. Boniface, or BONCHURCH, 
 as it has long been corruptly termed, the scenery assumes a very 
 different character; “ the smooth declivity of the down is abruptly 
 changed to a dreary and romantic waste of craggy, broken, and 
 almost naked rocks; not of the magnitude of those between St, 
 Lawrence and Steephill, but such as may be expected on the side 
 of a mountain, where one great stone is checked in its progress by 
 the projection of another, that is firm enough to resist its further 
 
 fall, 
 
nd "ly ■['. Barber. P.rtecrt by- .j Sabi 
 


ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 381 
 
 fall. This is the leading feature of the higher parts of this small 
 parish ; the lower parts consist of the same stupendous fragments 
 as are seen in the other spots of the UnderclitF, on some of which 
 arise isolated and natural pyramids, * 
 
 Bonchurch Cottage, the property of Hatheld, Esq. 
 
 stands in a most romantic situation: nearly opposite, is a singular 
 rock, abruptly starting from the ground; on this, the proprietor of 
 the cottage has erected a prospect seat, giving it the appearance of 
 a small fort. The village Church is embosomed in fine trees: it is 
 a small building, displaying marks of antiquity, particularly in a 
 semicircular arch at the entrance. 
 
 Bonchurch was the birth-place of the gallant Admiral Hob- 
 son, who having been left an orphan at a very eariy age, was ap- 
 prenticed to a taylor; but disliking his situation, and inspired by 
 the sight of a squadron of men of war coming round Dun-nose, 
 he suddenly quitted his work, ran to the beach, jumped into the 
 first boat he saw, and plied his oars so skilfully, that he quickly 
 reached the Admiral’s ship, where he entered as a sea-boy. Within 
 a day or two afterwards, they met a French squadron; and du- 
 ring the action that ensued, while tlie Admiral and his antagonist 
 were engaged yard-arm and yard-arm, young Hobson contrived to 
 get on board the enemy’s ship unperceived, and struck and carried 
 off the French flag: at the moment when he regained his own ves- 
 sel, the British tars shouted ‘ Victory,’ without any other cause 
 than that the enemy’s colors had disappeared. The French crew, 
 thrown into confusion by this event, ran from tlieir guns, and while 
 tlie officers were ineffectually endeavoring to rally tnera, the Bri- 
 tish seamen boarded their ship, and forced them to surrender. 
 At this juncture, Hobson descended from the shrouds with the 
 French flag wrapped round his arm ; and, after triumphantly ex- 
 hibiting his prize to the seamen on the main-deck, he was ordered 
 to the quarter-deck, where the Admiral complimented him on his 
 bravery, and assured him of his protection. From this period his 
 promotion was rapid; and having passed through the inferior ranks 
 
 '* Wyndham’s Isle of Wight, p. 81. 
 
S82 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 of the service with much credit, he was made Admiral; and so 
 great was the confidence which his Sovereign, Queen Anne, reposed 
 in his discretion, that she gave him the command of a squadron, 
 with a commission to cruize as his own judgment dictated. 
 
 The rude promoutoiy of Dun-nose presents its craggy heights 
 beyond Bonchurch, and, by precluding all passage along the shore, 
 obliges the traveller to climb a steep and zig-zag road, that has 
 been formed with much labor through the huge masses of dis- 
 jointed rock, which lie scattered over the acclivity in all directions. 
 On ascending the hill, and passing through some of the large and 
 fertile fields on its summit, the eye is attracted by the chasm called 
 LtJCCOMBE Chine: the sides of this ravine are clothed with 
 shrubs and brush-wood; and at the bottom runs a stream of fine 
 water, which, at the termination of the Chine, forms a small cas- 
 cade. Before so much attention was given to prevent illicit trade, 
 Luccombe Chine was the favorite haunt of smugglers; and many 
 thousand pounds worth of property are known to have been se- 
 curely concealed in its recesses. 
 
 The next remarkable object on this coast is SHANKLIN 
 CHINE, a chasm of a similar description to that of Luccombe, 
 but on a more enlarged scale; and, in consequence, assuming a 
 greater proportion of magnificence and grandeur. It commences 
 about half a mile from the shore, and gradually increasing in 
 breadth and depth, becomes, where it opens to the sea, nearly 
 sixty yards wide, and ninety deep. Through the depths of the 
 cavity flows the Shanklin rivulet, which rises to the south of the 
 village, and, after supplying the inhabitants with its pellucid waters, 
 hurries down the Chine, and in one part forms a fall of about 
 twenty feet. On rocky ledges, of different elevations near the 
 mouth of the ravine, are two picturesque cottages; near the lower- 
 most of which, a winding path, and some irregular stone steps, 
 lead the venturous traveller to the sea-shore. In some places, the 
 water is almost concealed from sight, by the quantity of shrubs, 
 briars, dwarf trees, and under-wood, which fringe the interior of 
 the chasm. 
 
 “ Exclusive 
 
cinnT.KfM 
 
siEfAwiKiLiiw s]sa:it5nii. 
 
SiniAPJIKlMEKT CnUlRCB 
 Xsle of Wig-ht . 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 3SS 
 
 “ Exclusive of the Chine of Shanklin/' observes Mr. Wyndham, 
 “ which is deservedly ranked among the principal objects of the 
 Island, the parish itself invites the attention of every observing 
 passenger; for though not large, the neatness of every cottage; the 
 park-like lawns through which the shady current meanders to the 
 Chine; the acclivities around them, enriched with coppices, and 
 with respectable ashes and oaks; and the mountainous range of its 
 coast, form a variety of fine prospects, of striking beauty and 
 contrast. 
 
 It has been frequently asserted, and that with an air of great 
 confidence, that Shanklin Down, which rises to the south-west 
 of the village, has considerably increased both in bulk and height 
 w ithin the last sixty or seventy years : Warner mentions it as a well- 
 known fact; and other writers corroborate his testimony. The in- 
 crease in its elevation is said to be at least ‘ one hundred feet;' as 
 demonstrated by its appearance from St. Catherine’s, from which, 
 within the memory of man, it was not to be discovered, through 
 the intervention of Week Down, but is now seen rising above the 
 latter from the same spot, to the full height above mentioned. 
 
 SANDOWN COTTAGE, formerly the elegant retreat of the 
 late John Wilkes, Esq. the chief star in the political horizon dur- 
 ing the administration of the Earl of Bute, is situated near the 
 shore of Sandown Bay, which extends about six miles, the eastern 
 extremity being terminated by the chalky cliffs of Culver, and 
 the soutli-w^estern by the craggy rocks of the mountainous point of 
 Dun-nose. The house is small, and elegantly fitted up : in the gar- 
 dens are some detached and pleasant apartments, constructed with 
 floor-cloth of the Kensington manufacture: these were ornamented 
 with much neatness and classic taste by the late owner. The 
 grounds are extremely pleasant, though not extensive. Immediate-j 
 ly adjoining to the south-west, a range of Barracks has been" 
 erected for the accommodation of 300 men. 
 
 About half a mile eastward from the Cottage, is SANDOWN 
 FORT, a regular quadrangular fortification, flanked with four 
 bastions, situated on the level of the beach, and encompassed by 
 a ditch. This was built in the reign of Henry the Eighth ; yet 
 ^ having 
 
384 . 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 having been greatly neglected after the rise of the English navy, 
 it became ruinous; but has of late years been repaired, and 
 strengthened, at the expense of Government, and again placed on 
 the military establishment : it is now the most considerable fort in 
 the Island. During the American War, it was attacked by several 
 privateers, though without effect. 
 
 CULVER, CLIFFS, which rise to the height of 600 feet, and 
 terminate the south-eastern extremity of Bimbridge Down, are 
 supposed to derive their name from the Saxon Culvre, signifying 
 a pigeon; numerous flocks of this species, as well as other kinds 
 of birds, breed in the precipitous recesses of the Cliffs ; which were 
 also famous for a peculiar breed of hawks, now less plentiful than 
 fonnerly. An eagle’s nest was likewise taken on these steeps so 
 lately as the year 1780, by one of the gatherers of Samphire^ 
 which grows here in abundance. 
 
 At the eastern part of the Cliffs, about fifty or sixty feet below 
 the summit, is a natural hollow, called the Hermit’s Hole, the 
 path to which is steep, narrow, and rugged ; only fit to be trod 
 by those who are accustomed to explore the recesses of these crag- 
 gy eminences. This opening is but of small extent, and scarcely 
 repays the difficulty of reaching it, unless the idea of danger may 
 be supposed to give point to the interest. The Cliffs command 
 the whole sweep of Saudown Bay, with Shanklin and Dun-nose in 
 the distance. The views from the summit of Bimbridge Down 
 are peculiarly fine, and in some respects superior to those from 
 any other part of the Island ; particularly at the time of high wa- 
 ter, when Bradiiig Harbour resembles ap extensive lake, surround- 
 ed with gentle slopes, covered with wood. The northern prospects 
 comprehend St. Helen’s Road, Spithead, and the neighbouring 
 shores of Hampshire. The peninsula of Bimbridge is extremely 
 fertile, and well cultivated. 
 
 The Manor of YAVERLAND was anciently part of the posses- 
 sions of Sir Thomas de Aula, whose heiress conveyed it to the Rus- 
 sels, by marriage, in the reign of Edward the First. In the time 
 of Henry the Sixth, it passed by an heiress to Stephen Hatfield ; 
 and again devolving to females, was purchased, in the first of 
 
 Queen 
 
LABUS3'&, EDEILIJ^S. 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 385 
 
 Queen Mary, by German Richards, Esq. the last of whose fami- 
 ly devised it, about forty years ago, to the Rev. Mr. Wright; and 
 in default of his issue, to Exeter College, Oxford. The Manor- 
 House is a spacious and respectable building, apparently of the 
 time of Elizabeth, occupying a bold situation at the upper end of 
 the village. Near it is the Church, a small edifice, supposed to 
 have been built by the Russels ; the door-way is ornamented with 
 a curious semicircular arch. 
 
 BRADING 
 
 Is an ancient market-town, consisting of one long street of irre- 
 gular buildings, situated at the upper end of Brading Haven, to 
 which a convenient quay is attached, with store-houses for corn, 
 &c. The inhabitants were formerly represented in Parliament ; 
 but were excused from returning members on their own petition, 
 on account of inability to support them ; each representative hav- 
 ing been four-pence daily. No charter is extant of an earlier 
 date than the first of Edward the Sixth; yet the town was incor- 
 porated long before that period; and is still governed by its cor- 
 porate oflicers, consisting of a senior and junior Bailiff', a Recorder, 
 and thirteen Jurats. The common seal is encircled with the words. 
 The Kyng’s Towne of Braydynge; and the fee-farm annu- 
 ally paid into the Exchequer is four marks, or 2l. 13s. 4d. The 
 Town-Hall is a small structure near the Cliurch, with a market- 
 place beneath. 
 
 The Church is supposed to be the most ancient foundation of 
 the kind in the Island: Sir John Oglander attributes its erection to 
 Milfrid, Bishop of Chichester, in the year 704,* who is said to have 
 baptised his first convert on this spot. Tlie pillars of the nave are 
 evidently of the Saxon order of architecture. It consists of a nave, 
 side aisles, and chancel, with a tower at the west end : the aisles 
 are separated from the nave by pointed arches of different forms ; 
 and at the end of each aisle is a small Chapel ; that to the south 
 was the burial-place of the Oglander family. On the monument 
 
 VoL, VI. May, 1805. Bb of 
 
 ** See first leaf of the Old Register Book of this Parish, 
 
386 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 of Sir John Oglander, and his father Sir William, are 
 their effigies, represented in complete armour, carved in wood. 
 In the chancel; curiously cut on a large slab, is the figure of a 
 man in armour, with his feet resting on two dogs ; together with 
 the figures, in ornamental niches, of the Virgin with the infant 
 Saviour, and twelve Apostles; round the verge is this inscription: 
 
 Ibic jatct nobilis 3Iobanm0 erijeraltittt armiflet hum bihebat 
 
 mo 
 
 Con0tabulanu0 ca0tti he )Porce0tre, qui obiit anno hni* mille. 
 mo 0 ^ . 
 
 guahrinsen* quahtace. pnmo, hie ultima meno: octobno : anima 
 
 eju0 tequieocat in pate» amen. 
 
 In the Church-yard, on the grave-stone of Mrs. Ann Berry, is 
 the following epitaph, which has been beautifully set to music by 
 Dr. Calcott, as a glee for three voices : 
 
 Forgive, blest shade, the tributary tear ' 
 
 That mourns thy exit from a world like this; 
 
 Forgive the wish that would have kept thee here. 
 
 And stay’d thy progress to the seats of bliss. 
 
 No more confin’d to groveling scenes of night. 
 
 No more a tenant pent in mortal clay; 
 
 Now should we rather hail thy glorious flight. 
 
 And trace thy journey to the realms of day. 
 
 BRADING HAVEN is an extensive tract of marshy ground, 
 covet ed every tide by the sea, and at high water admitting the pas- 
 sage of small vessels to the quay. As the sea flows in through a 
 very narrow channel, the proprietors of this manor have several 
 times been induced to endeavor to exclude it by an embankment; 
 and the celebrated Sir Hugh Middleton, the ever-memorable pro- 
 jector of the New River, had at one period nearly effected this 
 object ; but in a wet season, the fresh water which filled the inner 
 part of the haven, combining with the waves at a high spring tide, 
 completely destroyed the works, which had been raised at an ex- 
 pense of 7000I. The Haven includes between eight and nine hun- 
 dred acres: it abounds with excellent oysters, mullet, whitings, 
 
 2 and 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 387 
 
 and flat-fish : cockles are also caught here in prodigious plenty ; 
 the gathering them employs a great number of women and chil- 
 dren in the summer season. Brading Parish is still one of the 
 largest in the Island; though the parish^ osf St. Helen’s, Yaver- 
 land, Shanklin, and Bonchurch, have all been taken out of its an- 
 cient limits. The number of houses it contained, as returned un- 
 der the act of 1801, was 253 ; that of inhabitants, 1529. 
 
 NUNWELL, the ancient seat of the Oglanders, and now the 
 property of Sir William Oglander, is situated about one mile west 
 from Brading, on a gentle eminence, descending from the foot of 
 Nunwell Down. The mansion is a plain building of brick, shel- 
 tered by a lofty grove of ash and lime-trees; it has been much im- 
 proved by the present owner. The Park is about two miles in cir- 
 cumference, and contains some very fine oaks. The grounds are 
 well diversified. 
 
 On the summit of Ashey Down, which rises to the west of 
 Nunwell, and forms the eastern termination of Arreton Down, 
 is a triangular Pyramid of stone, about twenty feet high, with the 
 apex finished in an oblique direction. This was erected by Govern- 
 ment in the year 1735, as a Sea-Mark; the summit of the Down 
 being conspicuous from almost every point of the horizon. The 
 views from it are of proportionable extent and beauty. Near the 
 Pyramid, a Signal-House has been lately built, for the purpose of 
 communicating with three others placed in diflerent parts of the 
 Island, and designed to convey information of whatever shipping 
 may appear on any quarter of the coast. At the foot of the Down, 
 on the south, is an ancient and venerable mansion, called KNIGH- 
 TON HOUSE, the seat of G. M. Bisset, Esq. This, from the 
 hills above, appears to be situated in the bosom of a valley ; yet 
 its prospects are extensive, from the yet lower elevation of the ad- 
 jacent country. The grounds, though not extensive, contain some 
 fine timber. 
 
 ST. HELEN’S GREEN is a small village of scattered cottages, 
 neatly built with stone, and tliatched: the ancient Church was 
 partly taken down about the beginning of the last century, the 
 Church-yard having been encroached on by the sea ; the tower was 
 
 B b 2 suffered 
 
388 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 sjifFered to remain as a mark for seamen. The new Church is a 
 sniali editice, standing in a more elevated situation to the north- 
 west of the village. 
 
 In this palish, in a beautiful situation opposite St. Helens Road, 
 was a Priory for Cluniac Monks, founded before the year 1155, 
 and made subordinate to some Abbey in Normandy. The site of 
 the ancient building is now occupied by the seat of Sir Nash Grose, 
 one of the Judges of the Court of King’s Bench, whose mansion, 
 denominated PRIORY, commands some delightful views of the 
 Hampshire and Sussex coasts. This edifice has been much en- 
 larged and improved by the present possessor: it stands at the 
 head of a spacious lawn, that gently declines from the house to the 
 brink of a high ridge, the steep bank of which is covered with 
 wood down to the water’s edge : through this wood various plea- 
 sant walks have been cut, of irregular breadths, according to the 
 steepness of the declivity. In the southern part of the wood are 
 the remains of an ancient Watch Tower, supposed to have belonged 
 to the Priory. The whole of this demesne is formed of a narrow 
 slip of ground, about a mile in length, extending along the shore. 
 
 About three quarters of a mile north-west from Priory, is FAIRY 
 HILL, the seat of the Rev. Henry Oglander ; the house is a neat 
 structure, and the grounds are pleasantly disposed zs'dfermeornee: 
 the sea views comprehend Spithead, and the coast of Hampshire. 
 On the sea-shore, near Old Fort, is a Saltern. 
 
 ST. JOHN’S, situated near the angle of the road between Bra*- 
 ding and the north coast of the Island, is the residence of Edward 
 Simeon, Esq. The House, a small but neat building, was erected 
 by the late Lord Amherst : it stands on a lofty eminence, in the 
 centre of a sloping lawn, environed by trees, and, from its elevated 
 site, commands some very extensive prospects, particularly to the 
 north : the grounds have been lately improved under the direction 
 of Mr. Repton. Between this demesne and the sea, is Apley, the 
 pleasant residence of the Rev. Dr. Walker. The northern pros- 
 pects from this mansion are similar to those from St. John’s. 
 
 RYDE is an irregular, but flourishing place, consisting of two 
 divisions, called Upper and Lower Ryde, from their relative situa- 
 
 1 tions. 
 
■ SI (31 jLm 
 

ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 389 
 
 tions. Lower Ryde is near the water’s edge, under a steep bank, 
 at the extremity of a piece of land nearly twelve acres in extent, 
 which separates it from Upper Ryde. This is the most populous 
 and respectable part of tlie village; and the variety of prospects it 
 affords, renders it extremely pleasant. Ryde is the principal 
 thoroughfare between the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth; and any 
 person wanting to cross, is empowered by Act of Parliament, to 
 command a boat to go off at any time of the tide, on paying live 
 shillings ; the usual charge in the regular boat, is only one shilling. 
 Here is a bathing-machine; but, from the flatness of the shore, the 
 time of bathing varies daily. The accommodations at Ryde have 
 been much improved of late years; and several good lodging- 
 houses have been opened. 
 
 The road between Ryde and Binstead is exceedingly pleasant. 
 Binstead Church displays marks of considerable antiquity, par- 
 ticularly in the arch which separates the nave and chancel; and in 
 the arch of a door-way, now closed up, on the north-side, the 
 key-stone of which is ornamented with a rudely sculptured figure, 
 represented as sitting naked on a kind of bracket, resembling a 
 horse’s head. This sculpture, called the Idol by the country peo- 
 ple, has given rise to much fanciful discussion. 
 
 Near Binstead are the ancient Quarries, from w hich part of the 
 stone employed in the building Winchester Cathedral was ob- 
 tained ; and about three quarters of a mile to the west, are the 
 remains of QUARR ABBEY, founded originally for Cistercians, 
 by Baldwin, Earl of Devon, in the thirty-second of Henry the First. 
 It wa.s dedicated to St. Mary; and its benefactors were so nume- 
 rous, that, at the period of the Dissolution, its annual revenues 
 amounted to the sum of 1341. 13s. lid. but Speed states them at 
 1841. Is. lOd. Henry the Seventh granted the demesnes to John 
 and George Mills, who destroyed the principal buildings for the 
 sake of the materials. The Abbey estate was afterwards pur- 
 chased by Lord Chief Justice Flemyng, in the possession of whose 
 descendants it yet continues. 
 
 The situation of Quarr Abbey is very fine ; the sea opens on the 
 north; and on tire south and east, are rich and luxuriant woods. 
 
 B b 3 Most 
 
ISLE OE WIGHT. 
 
 df)0 
 
 Most part of the boundary wall, which includes upwards of thirty 
 acres of ground, is yet standing; together with remEiins of two 
 gates, which formed the entrances on the north and south: each 
 gate was secured by a portcullis; and from the ruins of a small 
 stair-case attached to the north gate, it evidently appears to have 
 been defended by a tower. The Refectory is now a bam, and the 
 only building that remains entire; though the situation of several 
 other parts of the monastic foundations may yet be traced. Part 
 of the site is occupied by a modern farm-house, built with the old 
 materials of the ruins ; and some of the ancient monumental stones 
 are seen in the pavement of the out houses. Several illustrious 
 personages were buried in this Abbey ; among whom were Earl 
 Baldwin, the founder, and his Countess, Adeliza. William de Ver- 
 non also bequeatlied 3001. for erecting a tomb here for himself 
 and father. And in the Chapel W'as a monument for the Lady 
 Cicely, second daughter of Edward the Fourth. A metal ring 
 was dug up a few years ago in the grounds, with the inscription 
 MARIE -f DEI MENI. 
 
 The sequestered road which leads from Quarr Abbey to Woot- 
 ten Bridge, passes through the beautiful and extensive wood called 
 Firestone, which abounds with aged oaks, and renders the estuaiy 
 of the Wootten River extremely picturesque ; particularly at the 
 times of high water, when the estuary resembles an extensive lake. 
 Wootten Bridge is a long narrow causeway, upwards of three 
 hundred yards in length, on the high road to Newport. At Woot- 
 ten Farm, which includes the tract described as a Park in Speed’s 
 Survey of this Island, is an ancient oak of remarkably large dimen- 
 sions ; its girth being forty-seven feet. 
 
 On a commanding eminence, southward from the Bridge, is 
 FERN HILL, the seat of Charles Chute, Esq. The House was 
 erected by the present Lord Bolton ; it bears some resemblance to 
 a Church ; one end consisting of a lofty and handsome tower, rising 
 above a single apartment of inferior height and breadth, at the op- 
 posite extremity. The prospect of Spithead, and the adjacent 
 parts of Hampshire, from this eminence, can scarcely be exceeded 
 in beauty by any view in the Island. 
 
 Qm 
 

C®‘WffiS, ‘fflEDE :EAS'ffi'. 
 
u 
 
 
ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 391 
 
 On Arreton Down, about three miles to the south, several 
 ancient Weapons were found near a marl pit, in the year 1735-6. 
 Some spear-heads and axes were among them, bearing a resem- 
 blance to similar instruments sculptured on Roman altars J on the 
 same eminence are two large Barrows.* 
 
 On the east side of the Medina River, about three quarters of a 
 mile below Newport, is FAIRLEE, the pleasant seat of John 
 White, Esq. The House is a plain building of glazed brick, stand- 
 ing on a gentle eminence sloping to the river. One mile lower, 
 and nearly opposite to each other, are the East and West Mills, 
 two immense piles of brick and stone-work, said to be capable of 
 grinding forty loads of com weekly: here immense quantities of 
 biscuits are made for the use of the navy; these fabrics possessmg 
 
 every convenience for tlie purpose. 
 
 At Barton was an Oratory of Augustines, founded in die 
 year 1282, by John de Insula, and dedicated to the Holy Trinity. 
 In the reign of Henry the Sixth, it was surrendered to Bishop 
 Wainfleet, by whose interest its lands were granted to the College 
 at Winchester. The farm-house on this estate includes some part 
 of the ancient Oratory: it belongs to Barrington Pope Blachford, 
 Esq. whose neighbouring Mansion, called OSBORNE HOUSE, 
 formerly tenanted by the Earl of Glencairne, is one of the most 
 spacious and best houses in the Island. This building occupies 
 the summit of a hill, commanding some of the finest prospects on 
 
 this part of the coast. 
 
 NORRIS, a handsome modern edifice, built by James Wya , 
 Esq. for Lord Henry Seymour, stands in a peculiarly fine situation 
 near the shore ; and commands some grand and extensive views of 
 Southampton Water, Portsmouth, and the adjacent parts. 
 
 FASkT rOWES a thriving hamlet in the parish of Whipping-i 
 «.e east L of the ^outh of the Medina Ri, 
 vet, and immediately opposite to West Cowes. Many of tlie 
 houses ate resliectable ; but the buildmgs are not arranged m 
 any regular form. This is a place of some trade, from its con- 
 ' Bb4 bguity 
 
 * Archaeologia, Vol. IV. p. U3-, 
 
392 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHt, 
 
 tiguity to West Cowes : a small Custom-House has been built 
 here. On the brow of the neighbouring hill is East Cowes 
 Castle, a modern edifice, commanding some fine sea-views: 
 this was erected by John Nash, Esq. the present possessor, whose 
 architectural ability has been eminently displayed in the north 
 front of Corsham House, > Wiltshire. Its appearance is some- 
 what novel; as it consists of one square and two round towers, 
 ornamented with battlements: the interior is disposed with much' 
 skill, to suit the domestic economy of a small family. The spot 
 called 0/d Castle Point, on this coast, was the site of a Fort built 
 by Henry the Eighth ; no part of which is now standing. 
 
 WEST COWES, situated on the declivity of a steep eminence, 
 on the west side 6f the mouth of the Medina, is a chapelry to’ 
 Northwood, and now a large and populons place; though its build- 
 ing was not commenced till Henry the Eighth erected a Castle 
 here, which is yet standing at the entrance of the Harbour: this 
 fortress principally consists of a small battery, in the form of a 
 crescent. The streets of Cowes are narrow and ill-built; but, 
 from the manner in which they rise one above another from the 
 water s edge, they have a singular and not unpleasing appearance, 
 both from the sea, and from the opposite banks of the river. 
 The conveniency of this town for bathing, has of late years occa- 
 sioned it to become the resort of much fashionable company; the 
 general accommodations also are very good: the bathing-machines 
 arc stationed on a fine beach to the west of the Castle. The trade 
 carried on here is extensive, particularly in provisions, and other 
 articles, for the use of the shipping. The Chapel was consecrated 
 in the year 1()6'2 : the number of the inhabitants is continually 
 varying; but that of the general residents is upwards of 2000. 
 Many handsome houses, inhabited by respectable families, have 
 been built in the upper parts, and in the vicinity of this town. 
 The pleasant seat to the west of tlie Castle, called Egypt, the 
 property of D. Collins, Esq. occupies the most northerly point of 
 the Island. 
 
 NEWTOWN, though reduced to about ten cottages, is still a 
 borough and corporate town; returning two representatives to Par- 
 liament, 
 
f'V;- - ^ 
 
 ■V ' ■■ 
 

 
. 
 
ISLE OP WIGHT. 
 
 393 
 
 Lament, and being governed by a Mayor and Corporation. It 
 was formerly called Francheville, by which name it occurs in a 
 charter granted by Aymer, Bishop of Winchester, who bestowed 
 the same liberties and franchises on its Burgesses, as were enjoyed 
 by the Burgesses of Taunton, Alisford, and Farnham. This char- 
 ter was confirmed by Edward the Second, and Edward the Fourth ; 
 and was again ratified by Queen Elizabeth, in the twenty-seventh 
 of whose reign the inhabitants were first represented in Parliament. 
 The Members are chosen in the Town-Hall, which stands on an 
 eminence overlooking one of the creeks of Newtown Harbour : the 
 right of election, as determined by the House of Commons in 
 1729 , is vested in the Mayor and Burgesses having borough lands. 
 
 Newtown was formerly of much greater extent than at present; 
 It is thought to have been burnt by the Danes in the year 1001, 
 as it certainly was by the French in the reign of Richard the Se- 
 cond. From the appearance of the ground, it is evident that here 
 were two long streets extending from east to west, connected by 
 other streets running nortli and south. Many small burgage lands 
 lie on each side the old streets ; and in some ancient deeds are the 
 names both of High Street and Gold Street. The Haven of New- 
 town, which is formed by the .junction of Newtown River with the 
 Sea, is extremely pleasant and secure; at high water it is of suffi- 
 cient depth for vessels of 500 tons burthen : on the difierent creeks 
 of this harbour are several Salterns. 
 
 On the west side of the Newport River, on Hampsted Farm, 
 is a spacious and picturesque new farm-house, built by J. Nash 
 Esq. forming a fine object from several different points. The 
 farm includes about 1 100 acres, which have been brouglit into 
 high cultivation within these few years, from a state approaching 
 to sterility. 
 
 SHALFLEET Church is an ancient and singular structure ; it 
 consists of a body, chancel, and south-aisle, with a low tower of 
 considerable magnitude. The north porch is of Norman architec- 
 ture, embellished with a rude sculpture of a Bishop, with his arms 
 I extended, and his hands resting on animals resembling griffins. 
 
 I The windows were formerly ornamented with painted glass; the 
 i arms 
 
394 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 arms of Montacute, Earl of Salisbury, and of Isabella de Fortibus, 
 Still remain in them. 
 
 YARMOUTH, 
 
 Anciently called Eremiith, is a small borough and corporate 
 town, situated on the east side of the mouth of the river Yar. 
 This, like Newtown, was formerly a place of much greater impor- 
 tance than now; and, like that also, was destroyed by the French 
 in the reign of Richard the Second. Its original charter was granted 
 by Baldwin, Earl of Devon, and was confirmed by Edward the 
 First, Und other Sovereigns. The charter of re-incorporation, 
 granted in the seventh of James the First, states, that the inhabi- 
 tants were ‘ greatly impoverished when the town was burnt by the 
 enemy and, after other remarks, it appoints a Common Council of 
 twelve chief Burgesses, from among whom one should be annually 
 chosen as Mayor. The right of election is nominally in these 
 officers, and in free Burgesses, who are chosen by the capdal 
 Burgesses; but the real right is possessed by one or two indivi- 
 duals; as is the case both at Newtown, and Newport: the first re- 
 turn was made in the twenty-third of Edward the First; the num- 
 ber of voters is twelve. 
 
 At the west end of Yarmouth is a small Fort, or Castle, 
 erected in the time of Henry the Eighth, on the site of the Church, 
 which had been demolished by the French a short time before : 
 it chiefly consists of a platform with eight guns. The present Church 
 stands near the centre of the town; it consists of a nave and chan- 
 cel, with a small Chapel separated from the latter: in the Chapel 
 is a well-executed monument to the memory of the gallant Admiral 
 Sir Robert Holmes, who was Governor of the Island in the 
 reign of Charles the Second, and entertained that Monarch at 
 Yarmouth, in a house built purposely for his reception, but which 
 is now an mil. The statue of Sir Robert is carved in white marble, 
 and placed on a pedestal inscribed with a Latin epitaph, particula- 
 rising some of the maitial exploits of the deceased; he died iiiNo^- 
 ycmber, 1692. From the Quay a daily intercourse is maintamed 
 
1. Patlishcd Simpkm. jc Mai- shall Staiu 
 
Fre^hwat/^r Baif , in t/i£L?U of Wi^ht, withadi^t/int Fi^w oftheyWee/iFFoehv. 
 
j'' :.r:e .j 
 

ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 395 
 
 with Lymington, which lies nearly opposite. The inhabitants of 
 Yarmouth, as returned under the late act, amounted to 343 j the 
 numbeir of houses to 73. 
 
 On the sea-shore, westward from the Yar River, are the remains 
 of Worsley’s Tower, and Carey’s Sconce ; two fortifications 
 successively erected near the same spot, in the reigns of Heniy the 
 Eighth and Elizabeth. The former was built under the direction 
 of Sir Richard Worsley, who also superintended the construction 
 of Yarmouth Castle, but having fallen to decay, its place was sup- 
 plied by another fort, built by Sir George Carey, 
 
 Near the village of FRESHWATER, on the western banks of 
 the Yar, is Freshwater House, the seat of Edward Rush- 
 worth, Esq, The grounds are pleasant and extensive. 
 
 Freshwater was the birth-place of Dr. Robert Hooke, the 
 ingenious inventor of the pendulum spring for watches. He was 
 born in the year lfi35; his father was Curate of the parish; but 
 dying while his son was young, the latter was taken into the house 
 of the Rev. Dr. Busby, and educated under his care. Here he ac- 
 quired a competent knowledge of Latin and Greek, and also a con- 
 siderable acquaintance with the Oriental languages. Removing to 
 Christ-Church, Oxford, the attention which he bestowed on science, 
 recommended him to Dr, Willis, whom he frequently assisted in 
 his chemical operations; and by whom he was introduced to the 
 Hon, Robert Boyle. This great man engaged him as an assistant 
 in the mechanical and philosophical works he was then employed 
 on ; and Hooke’s penetrating genius contributed in a considerable 
 degree to the invention and construction of the aii-pump. On the 
 institution of the Royal Society, he became one of its Fellows. 
 He was afterwards intrusted with the care of its repository, and 
 I made Professor of Mechanics to that learned body ; about the 
 same period he was elected Professor of Geometry in Gresham 
 College. After the Fire of London, in l66'fi, he was appointed 
 one of the city Surveyors, in which employment he attained afflu- 
 ence; but the mechanical sciences were still the favorite objects of 
 his pursuit. In 1691 he was created M. D. by warrant from Arch- 
 bishop Tillotson. It does not appear, however, that he was ever 
 
 professionally 
 
396 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 professionally engaged in the practice of physic. He died in the 
 year 1702. Several of his papers were printed in the Philosophical 
 Transactions; but the chief work published in his life-time, was 
 intituled, ‘ Micographia, or Philosophical Descriptions of minute 
 Bodies,’ &c. His posthumous works appeared iu 1705, in one 
 volume folio. The sciences are indebted to him for many valuable 
 mstruments, as well as for various improvements in those previously 
 m use. 
 
 FRESHWATER GATE is a small creek, in the centre of Fresh- 
 water Bay, separated only by a narrow isthmus of pebbles from 
 the source of the Yar River. On the west side, between two and 
 three hundred yards from a convenient little inn, that has been 
 built for the accommodation of travellers on this coast, is an ex- 
 tensive natural Cavern, opening to the sea. The principal entrance 
 forms a rugged segment of a circle, about twenty feet high, and 
 thirty-five feet wide: its depth is about 120 feet. This can only 
 be approached at low water ; even then the access is very difficult 
 from the jutting craggs, and lofty fragments of rocks, that obstruct 
 the passage. At some distance to the eastward, about 500 yards 
 from the shore, are two insulated rocks, through one of which the 
 waves have formed an opening, resembling a picturesque arch. 
 The views of this part of the coast from the sea are extremely fine. 
 The cliffs are the resort and breeding-places of innumerable multi- 
 tudes of marine birds,* whose various notes, mixed with the so- 
 lenm roar of the waves that rush into the caverns, and break among 
 the rocks beneath, produce a most singular, yet not unpleasing 
 concert. The prospect from the XiighL-House, on the highest 
 point of the Freshwater Clifls, is extremely magnificent, and in- 
 cludes a full view of the Needle Rocks. The violence of the sea 
 is continually making devastations on this coast. 
 
 The road eastward from Freshwater, passes over a mnge of 
 High Downs, from four to six hundred feet above the level of the 
 sea; and commanding prospects of proportionable extent. The 
 lands below these hills to the south, are extremely fertile, and 
 
 well 
 
 * See Account of the Needles, p. 350, 351. 
 
1S®(£F£, IFmESlilWAITEIE ISA'T. 
 

I 
 
 ed by John a drmin^ by F. -. f'trrfhf Bfoitdrj' o(' £n^^hnil 
 
 FRE S HWA^r ETR - C AVE , 
 
 7>/<f orMlqhf , 
 llainpfhiTc. 
 
1‘ubiniiicd “by Simpi.ua kMarsh-. 
 
TilETRr HIEAS. :SAT, 
 

JJIEIS®!, AW© SCSiATTCSIIE^^’S IfBAT. 
 



ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 397 
 
 well cultivated ; yet there is little to entertain the eye, but exten- 
 sive fields, and a boundless expanse of water. These heights have 
 different names, according to their situations : on Brook Down, 
 so called from its contiguity to the village of Brook, are several 
 Tumuli, each encompassed with a small foss : these may possibly 
 have been raised after a battle, as there is a place adjacent to the 
 Down, called Dunsbury, most probably a corruption from Danes- 
 bury. At Mead End, near Brook, large timber and hazel-nuts 
 are found at a considerable depth in the soil, 
 
 MOTTESTON is a small village, pleasantly situated, in full 
 view of the sea. This manor was part of the possessions of the 
 ancient family De Insula; but in the year 1374, it became the 
 property of Edward Chyke, Esq. whose descendants retained it 
 for upwards of 300 years. Of this family was the celebrated Sir 
 John Cheke, Knt. who, according to some writers, was born 
 here, in the Manor-House ; but others have recorded the town of 
 Cambridge as the place of his birth. Sir John was tlie first Greek 
 scholar of his age.f 
 
 WESTOVER, in the parish of Calbourne, is a small hunting 
 seat, the property of Lord Holmes ; the Mansion stands on a gen- 
 tle eminence, from which the north-west views are very fine. 
 
 In CALBOURNE Church is an ancient tomb, inlaid with a 
 Brass, representing a Knight in complete armour, with his feet 
 resting on a dog : the upper part of the figure is included by a 
 niche, apparently of the workmanship of the fourteenth century. 
 T his edifice consists of a body, and transept, witli a tower at the 
 south-west angle. 
 
 FROG HILL, the scat of Fitzwilliam Barrington, Esq, is plea- 
 santly situated to the north-west from Calbourne Church, near the 
 margin of a pellucid stream, which rises on Swainston Down, and 
 flows into the Newport River. The House, though small, is ele- 
 gantly fitted up ; and the grounds are disposed with much taste. 
 
 SWAINSTON, the seat of Sir John Barrington, Bart, was an- 
 ciently the property of the Bishops of Winchester. In the reign of 
 
 Edward 
 
 f Sec Vol. II. p. 107. 
 
398 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 Edward the First, it was surrendered to the Crown ; and afterwards 
 passed through various noble families, till, in the first of Queen 
 Mary, it was finally granted to Winifred, daughter and co-heiress 
 of Henry, son of the Countess of Salisbury, the last possessor, 
 whom the tyrant, Henry the Eighth, had caused to be decapitated. 
 This Lady, for her second husband, married Sir Thomas Barring- 
 ton, Knt, whose son Francis was created a Baronet by James the 
 First : from him the manor has regularly descended to its present 
 possessor. The House is a small, yet convenient structure, finely 
 situated in the midst of a wide and sylvan demesne. The grounds 
 are extensive, and judiciously laid out : the woods and plantations 
 have been much enlarged by the present owner. 
 
 NORTH-COURT HOUSE, near the village of Shorwell, is 
 the property and residence of Richard Bull, Esq. who purchased 
 it of the Leigh family, its ancient possessors. This building was 
 commenced by Sir John Leigh, in the early part of the reign of 
 James the First, and finished by his son ; but it has been since al- 
 tered, and the interior rendered more convenient : the east front 
 retains its primary and venerable form. The grounds are nearly 
 in the same state as originally disposed, in ranges of small terraces, 
 with seats and walls for fruit : a small stream rises in a shrubbery 
 near the lawn, and flows southward through the garden. In 
 SHORWELL Church are several handsome monuments of the 
 Leigh family. This was originally a Chapelry to Carisbrooke, but 
 W'^as made a separate parish in the reign of Edward the Third. On 
 the borders of this parish, adjoining Carisbrooke, is Billingham, 
 the seat of the Rev. James Worsley. 
 
 ST. CATHERINE’S HILL, the western ascent of which com- 
 mences near Chale Church, is the highest eminence in the Island, 
 its summit being 750 feet above high-water mark. The prospects 
 are uncommonly fine, including both land and sea views, of great 
 extent. On this eminence a Chapel, dedicated to St. Catherine, 
 was erected in the year 1323, by Walter, Lord of the Manor of 
 Godyton, in this neighbourhood ; the tower was employed as a 
 Light-House, and sea-mark ; to the latter of which purposes it is 
 yet appropriated, and is still called St. Catherine’s Tower. 
 
 Its 
 
€OrM';l 
 

;j.A5r;4 C.mi]SriE 
 
iSl£.A®S©AJ^(& •trjaifi'TS ; 
 
ISLE OP WIGHT. 
 
 399 
 
 Its utility having been frequently demonstrated in guiduig the ma- 
 riner from the rocks of this dangerous coast, the shell of this build- 
 ing was repaired a few years ago, and strengthened by buttresses ; 
 its height is thirty-six feet ; on the outside it forms an octagon, 
 but the vacuity within is quadrangular. Before the Chapel was 
 built, an Hermitage had stood upon this spot, as appears from an 
 entry in the register of the Diocese of Winchester, under the year 
 1312. Near tlie Tower, the Brethren of the Trinity-House erect- 
 ed a circular Light-House, about fifteen or twenty years ago ; but 
 it was found to be of no use, when its friendly aid was most neces- 
 sary ; the summit of the hill being continually obscured by vapours 
 in bad weather ; no light, therefore, is now exhibited in it. 
 
 On the south-western declivity of St. Catherine's Hill commences 
 the rude chasm distinguished by the name of BLACK-GANG 
 CHINE, which has partly been formed by the springs that rise 
 here. “ Two currents trom distant parts of this hill, have made their 
 way to its brow, and, from this height, have excavated two large 
 and separate chasms, but their waters form a junction at the foot of 
 a high prominent point, the sides of which have been torn away by 
 the respective torrents. The chasms at this junction become oiie, 
 and consequently much deepened ; the waters more rapidly hurry 
 down the steep channel, for about 200 yards, till they arrive at an 
 impenetrable precipice of rock, from which they fall in a perpen- 
 dicular sheet, of forty feet, upon the shore. The declivities of 
 this Chine are lined alternately with strata of rock, and of a dark, 
 crumbling earth, from the latter of which, its name of Black-Gang 
 is probably derived. This earth having been washed away by the 
 current, the rock above it, of course, became undermined, and 
 has fallen : the stones lie in large fragments throughout every part 
 of the channel ; but a long and upright stratum of rock extends 
 itself on each side of the chasm, and gives the appearance of a re- 
 gular and grand embankment to the declivity."* The view of this 
 Chine from the shore is very striking ; from the impending and over- 
 hanging cliffs, and the dark hue and nakedness of the mouldering 
 
 precipices. 
 
 ’'f Wyndhara’s Isle of Wight, p. 126, 127. 
 
400 
 
 ISLE OF WIGHT. 
 
 precipices. Tlie grandeur of tliis scene is much lessened in dry 
 weather, from the want of water ; but after hard rains, in stormy 
 seasons, its appearance is impressively awful. Many smaller Chines. 
 exist on this exposed coast ; but none of them of sufficient interest 
 for description. 
 
 During the continuance of a hard frost in February, 1799j a 
 remarkable Phvenomenon happened on this coast, about half a mile 
 south-easbvard from Black-Gang Chine. The whole of a farm, 
 called PiTLANDS, on the confines of the parishes of Niton and 
 Chale, and consisting of 100 acres of various kinds of land, was 
 observed to be in motion, and continued so during two successive 
 days, directing its course towards the sea, m nearly a direct line. 
 The changes which took place upon the surface were extremely 
 curious, as there was scarcely a square yard but what had altered 
 its appearance ; both rocks and trees shifting their situations, and 
 forming as confused a scene, as if the ground had been convulsed 
 by an earthquake. In many places, the eartli sunk to the depth 
 of thirty or forty feet ; and a cottage, which had been tastefully 
 fitted up as a prospect-house, was partly thrown down, and buried 
 in tlie fissures. This Landslip appears to have been occasioned 
 by the freezing of the springs in the chasms of the hill ; the expan- 
 sive force of the ice causing a separation at the base of the cliff be- 
 neath the hill, the ground began to move forward ; and the lands of 
 the farm being pressed on by the descending mass, were torn from 
 their original foundations, and sullenly moved forward, till all fur- 
 ther progress was stopped by the stability of a ridge of rocks, 
 which, like an opposing barrier, prevented the dreary wreck from 
 rusliing headlong to the sea. 
 
Somerford- 6-i?an.pe, Hamplliire. 
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