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1» •
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1
H I S T a R Y
O F.
H E trH r R E:
'S VALiar-ROYALi^Ti&B,
TOOXTHXI WITH
^^^£onfiderabk Extnifts fromSir Pxteh Lbtcistxr's '.V AvTiogiTiu OT Cmsinitt \ and the^Ob&rva* 8f
t^^
tkms of later Writers, pardcularlyi Px^ant^
THI WaOLI FORMIHO A COMPLITI
DESCRIPTION OF that COUNTYj
With all its Hundrbds ; Seats of the Nobility, GEBrra.Y, and Frebholdbrs ; Rivers, Tovns, Castlis, and Buildings, ancient and modem.
to which is prefixed
AN IN T R.O D U C T I O N,
Exhibiting a GeneraT View of the State of the Kingdom previous to, and immediately after.
The NORMAN CONQUEST.
VQL. n.
CHESTER: Pmiitbb it JOHN POOLE, m,dcc,i.xztiii.
2730926 ^
A0toB. lb:.::: 'W mlmr i^iiiui>oin
^
T H S
p
E F A C E
T O
SIR 1P:ETER LEYCESTEk^S
AMTiqLUITISS Of
BU C. K LO W HUNiyR Bpt
HUI^REDS and tithings were appointed l^ » king Alfred^ who began his reign over Eng-^ land about the year of Chrift 872. Thefe were ordained for the better foppreffing of robberies^; for every free-bom men was now to be ranked^ or puc inco fome hundred and tithing ; and if therft were any perfon of fnoh di0blute carriage, that he coukt find no ptodge or furety in the hund)red and tithing for hia good denieanour, he was to be im- prifoncd, as a man unworthy to be at liberty. And if any perfon guilty of a robbery (whether before fuck pledge found, or after) ihould fly and ^ make an efcape, alL the inhabitants of the hundred > and tithing were to be amerced by the king ; fo Z that by this means there was fuch a calm of peace . in the nation in a fiiort fpace, that if any man had ' left bracelets <^ g^d, or bags of money, in the ^ high-way, there was none durft take them away^ 1 as both Malmefbury and Ingulphus do inform us* Now thele freeholders^ or free-born men, were r caft into feveral companies, by ten in each com- ^ 4 P 2 pany.
ii PR 1SJ\ F^ A. C- Ei
psny, Mrhence in the wdUr*:part5 of ithe: realm they were called Tichingmen. And everv of thex; pledges or furedes were yearly prefented iuid brought nrth by their cbief pledge, at 'ft^g^nenilmireraMyE^ foT/char purpofev^hich we yetin reifiendM-ance thereof do call The view of die Frank-oledgep or The Leet-court ^ and 48 ten times ten do imbe a hundred, fo becaufe^it was then alib appointed Chat ,ien of thefe companies (hould at certain times meitltogether for n8UiterM>f greater. woi^t ; -there- fore that afTembly or court was called The Hun- dredXourt.
In this county of Chefhire we had formerly twdve himdreds, as we find them^ in the record of Domefd^y-^hook; r^^i \ r *> t -j ", ;: Atttfcros hundred* kifeton hundred;
Ereftan hundred. Roelay hundred.
Cfcefter hondi^. • MildeftrBc Jiumii^.
Wilawefton hundred. Hamftaa hundred, J.
I>u4efian hundred. Bycklow. hundred.
3Varmundeftreau hundred. Tunoidon hundred.^ - .But thefe hundreds wiers reduced .by a later dir vifioninto feven hundreds, as a(rtiu$. day they Itend divided and caUed, to wi^* . Bucklow hundred. . . Broxton hundred.
Macclesfield hundred Sdefbury hundred.
Nordiwich hundicd. . TVVirral hundred. . • Nantwich hundreds . . ,
f Which new divifim I conjedum* doth not ex- teed the reign of king Edwand III« .. ■-. ■
And as there muft needs be an enlai^cment of the number of the towns in each hundred of the jfewdivifion above the old, faecaufe the whole is contrafted to a lefier number of* hundreds, ib they have all begot new names, exceptthisjof Buckkiir hundred, which both retains its oldtjiame, and* hath now the towns of the other old hundred of Tunendon annexed to it. • ** . .* * .,
For
¥ & ^ F" A C E. iii
For tlir proportion of ih^ old hundreds-- ta the ', it is ta be obferved, that the towns comprt- kadtd'ia the old hundreds of Attifcros and Eief- tm^wcx by: the ftatute of 33 Henry VIIL cap. f^ taken trom Cheihira and annexed to Flintfhirc, odyDodlefion yet reniains to Chefhire, belonging to-fiRNCton hundred. And for Chcfter hundred; tkecliy of Chefter was made a diftinfi: county of idHf (except the Caftle only, cum pertinmHs) by ifae- -kiag*^- charter, dated 6th April, 21, Henrv YiL 1506. .
Mildeft-vich hundred is now called Northwich
kondradL -- ■ . -^ '.-.i '. ...
• Wilaweflon bundfed,now called Wirral bundled.
Dudeftan hundred, now called Broxton hwidred;
Wamkuixfeftreau hundred, now called Nantwich
hundred; .
Hamftan hundred, now called Macclesfield hun<* dred,
Rifeton and Roelay hundreds, now compre* bended in £defl>ury hundred.
Bucldow and Tunendon hundreds, now com- picheoded in Bucklow hundred.
Many inort towns are now in Chefhire than we find in Domefday-book ; for many were then walVe, which have been fince improved and inhabited.
The method I propole to myfelf, is, to take the particular townftiips of this hundred of Bucklow in order according to the alphabet, to the end I might fpare the labour of an index or table \ and ib oUerve in them particularly what I can difco- ▼cr from old deeds or records, concerning the owners of thofe places fince the Norman conoueft; adding alfo the pedigrees of many ot the better Ibrt ok the.gentry in this hundred (fo many as my ieifure will permit me to go through, and for which I have feen good deeds and records proving the lame), placing at the end of fuch towns where
fuch
iv PREFACE.
fuch families have been refpeftivdy feated in an- cient times.
.. And >^ Speed calls our County Palatine fif Cheiler^ The Seed-plot of Gentility ; aM karncd Cambden, in his Britannia^ ftyles it» The m<^ fuN paffing Nurfery q£ ancient Gentry above any othei county in England; fo I may not unfitly c^lthit liundrcd of Bucklowy The prime border of that Nurfery, as having a more numerous company of gentry herein, propdrtionably to ita con^aft^ than any other hund^d in our county.
Concejcning the churches and chapels of' this hundred^ I (hall add what I can gather concerning them in thofe particular towns where I find them fijtuated. .
^ Hidky, in his View of the Civil and EccWia- (iical Law, tells us, that fonts, in the primitive [im^'p. were not in the churches, but the cuftom of thofe elder ages was to baptize in rivers and fountains;, and that cuftom being diiicontinued through perfecution, fonts were er^ed in privant Itouies,, and in more peaceaJiile ages they made bold p build their fonts a UctljQdiftai^cefrom the churchy ^terwards they obtained leave to fet them in the church-porch, at laft they got them into the church. But tlKij were not at firft placed in every church ijBmediately -, for at the 6m they were found only in the cathedral church where the biihop refided i and though ff^rvice might be £|id in the leflfer min- fters and rural churches, yet the right of fepulturt and baptifm belonged to the cathedral churchy un}efs it were in cale of neceifity \ and it was therefore called the Mother-church, becaufe as people in their mothers womb were born men^ fo m the fonts of baptifm, as in thechurch'b womhi they v/ere born Chriftians. In fuccoeding ages, when it was found that the mother-church was too far diftAi>c from Ibme viUagQs,.and fo fifuMed^ that
in
P R B F A C? E, r
in the winter the people could not repair ^ither^ confideradon was had of this inconvenience, and tbe biihopjEook occafion hence to transfer the rites of boptiim and fq)ulture to the rural churches^ and this, together with the right of tithes, made k n pariflirChiirch of that kind which we now have. But becaufe alfo in many parilhes fome familie* lived b remote from the church, that thcy^ could not conveniently frequent the fame, it was indulg- ed to fuch, that they might build a private oratcNry in or near their manfion-places, referving for the wok part the rites of baptifm andiepulture to the pariflirdHirch ; which, in refped of thefe leStr oratories, was to be accounted the baptifmal or aiotfaer«church. It was alfo provided, that thefe £imilks (nowithftanding their grant from the bifhop for a private oratory) fhould, upon more folemii ieaft-days, repair to their parifh-church, as it feems by the council held at Agatha. Thefe private oratories were afoerwards called CapelUy Chapels ; and thofe that did exercife in them the miniiterial fun&ion, were called CapcUani^ Chaplains. Thus Ridley.
None might of right build oratories without licence from the bifhop, at leaft none might ad>- minifter divine fervice there without the bifhop's ipecial licence.
Oratories ere&ed in the houfes of great perfons, &r the ufe of a private family, I call fuch Domef- tick Chapels.
When built by one, or feveral perfons, in fome convenient place, for the ufe of feveral families, or of a townihip or townfhips, not having liberty of baptifm or burials, I call fuch Chapels of Eafe.
When built by a more numerous multitude of the neighbourhood, confifting of one or more vil- lages, having got liberty for baptifm and burial, with coofecration thereof by the bilhop, and fome-
times
/
TI
P R E F A 6- It;
times an allowance in money or tithes from the modier-church, I call fvtth Parochial Chapels; tor thefe have all the ri«es and ceremonies as the mother-church or parifh^church hath, except the tithes ; fo that indeed they are as lefier pariflier created within the greater for the benefit of the neighbourhood.
As to the confecration of churches, we find the Jews had their encania^ or feafts of dedication of their temple. John x. rcr. 22. I. Mac. cap. ir; ver. 59-
But there was no dedication of bur Chrifthw ehurches tx> faints, until pmying to faints was in life ; and after churches began to be dedicated* tO: faints, their dedication feara were ufually kept OHi that day, which was the fcaft-day appointed in the^ kalendar for commemoration of that faint, to whom fuch church was particularly dedicated. This tirte was called with us. The Wafces, fronf waking, as the Latin word vigiHa^ a vigilandoj bei' caufe at fuch times the people prayed moft of the night before fuch feaft-day in the churchw. And though the primitive cuftom herein was facred, yet how It was abufed in the reign of king Edgar, amip Ddw. 967» or thereabouts, appears by the canons of the church in his reign^ Num. 28. *• We inftruftj that in the feafts of the dedication of churches, all Mrfons ihall demean themfelves modeftly, ap^ly aili^ntly to prayer, and abflain from drarikennel^^ Md ^icbauchcry." And at laft it turned to feaft-^ iog aiKl merriment of nei^bours*
riow invocation of faints for three hundred jcari Wttr CKrift cannot be found among any or xhA liihcis I none did teach invocation of faints^ fSH;^ 1^ rhetorical exprefllons, and poetical fancies, Kkc iiivv<4«fti^ oi the M ufes, Bafil, Nyflhi, and Na-
^m^\ h«i kd Che way.
. 1 •
THE
' ^
->
||lll::||:inW4llstlil
THE VALE-ROYAL
O F
ENGLAND.
CHAP. I. 0/*/^^ Romans /« Cheshire.
THIS chapter I (hall divide into four parts, or fc6tions ; the firft whereof fhall rt lau- the names of thofe Britons that inhabited thcfc coafts under their dominion •, the Iccond Ihall mention the cities •, the third the rivers -, and the fourth the high-ways of note, remenibercd by ancient authors in that region.
1. The names of the ancient inhabitants ^vt•rt, the Cornavii, Devani, Cangi. Ptolemy, in hi^; Geography, lib. ii. cJi. 3. alter having treated of the Ordevices, the flout inhabitants of North- Wales, Ipcaks thus of the Cornavii ; I'hc Cor*
r.avii
432 THE VALE-ROYAl.
navii lie eaft of thcfe, whofe cities are Devana^ ^nd Legion xx. called Vidrix, is llationed tliere. Thcfe people inhabited alfo the neighbouring coun- ties fouth and fouth-eaft of Chelhire. This xx. legion was raifed by Auguftus CaEfatj as Dion Caflius relates in his 55th book of the Roman hillory. They were placed firft of ^11 in Gallia Bel- gica (now Low-Germany), and from thence, by the command of the emperor Claudius, tranl- portcd into Britain, under the conduit of Aulus Plautius, in the vulgar year of Chrift 43, whom the emperor himfelf followed the very fame year, as Dion tellifies ; which he confirms by that eclipfe therein famous, that it happened on^ Claudius's birth-day, two years after, when Marcus Viiii- cius, the lecond time, and Statilius Corvinus, were confuls, in the vulgar year of Chrift 45 ; the fun being darkened about five digits the jirft day of Auguft, in the fixth degree of ^he Lion. But what time this legion was fettled in thefe quarters is fomewhat difficult punftually to defign ; yet, if I may conjefture their plantation in that place (fince called Chefter, from their camps) to have been in the year when Caslbnius Paetus and Pe- tronius Turpilianus were confuls, under the reign of Nero, and in the vulgar year of Chrift 61, I think I ftiould very little cfcape the troth, it being the very fame time when Suetonius Paulinus at- tempted the conqucft of Anglefea. To accom- modate this conjefture with further probability of truth, we find, when Galb^ being emperor, but eight years after (in the 69th year of Chrift), drew up a fcheme of all the 33 legions of the .empire then in being ; that the xx. legion, called Valeria Viftrix, was th^n fixed in Britain, if we may cre- dit the induftrious enquiry of Onuphrius, in his defcription of the Roman empire, page 392, edit, Francof. They continued w this ftation when
M. Aurel.
O F E N G L A N D. 455
M. Auid. Alexander was emperor, ann. Chrifli 223 i and alfo when Conftanune the Great had newly built Conftancinople, and contrived the de* I'cripcion of both the eaft and weft empires. We read of this legion ftill remaining in its old fitua- tion in the cenfual book of the emperor, in the vulgar year of Chrift 330. But Conftantine lay- i^S g^^t ftrefs on the fervice of his countrymen, tranlported a great army out of Britain, and whe- ther or not all or any of this legion, we have not yet certainly learned. Others alfo tranfported many forces out of this province into foreign countries. Some 'very early, as Vefpafian, who had 20,000 BritonsSmder his conunand at the facking of Je- rufalem -, as fays Richard Broughton, in his Ecdef. Hift. p. 166. edit, at Douay, out of a Jewilh author. Others alfo in after ages, as Clodius Al- binus, and the captains under Thoodofius and Ho- norius, tranfported many forces out of this pro- vince into foreign countries. But laft of all, in the declenfion of the empire, unhappy Valentinian III. carried away all the Britifh forces then in arms, about the time of ^tius's fecond con- fulihip, being then prefident of Gallia, in the year of Chrift 437 i fo that moft probably long betore, but moft certainly at this time, all thefe valiant foldiers of the garrifon of Chefter were utterly gone, and the place inhabited and defended by the Britons themfelves, fo long as they could hold up againft their potent invaders in fucceeding ages. Now, befides the teftimony of very ancient authors, for this 20th legion's Quarters, in the Marches of Wales, and particularly in this city, the Roman coins, and infcriptions on ftone, and Britifti bricks, do abundantly teftify. I fuppofc alfo, that fome imall parties might lie in other towns, as particu- larly at Caerhean, i. e. the old town, and the true Vol. I. K k k Conovium
(
434 THE VALE-ROYAL
Conovium of the Romans, in the county of Car- narvon, where I have fcen bricks of a foot and a half f^uare, with this infcription, LEG, XX. V. i. c. Viftrix. Yea, I have in digging up part of one of the Roman hypocaufts in that place, found other bricks of the fame quality, infcribcd with this figure.
which is the rude draught of two conjoined fer- pents, noting the union of princes ^ as PanciroU lus in his comment on the notices of the empire expounds it (as he thinks truly) out of Pierius.. '
The Devani are a people only mentioned ^for what I have feen) in modern authors, the nam^ importing only the inhabitants in or near the city, and river Dee. As particularly Humphrey Lloid, in thefe words : Devani Jive Ceftrenfes funt babitanies frope ftuvium Deam^ ubi alia civitas ejt Romanarum numumentis cekberrima^ (sfc.
The Cangi arc mentioned by Ptolemy in the chapter before-cited, who places Seteia and Tri- fblia in thefe coafts. Doftor Powel, in his notes upon Giraldus*8 Itiner, Camb. lib. ii. ch. la. places the promontory of the Gangani where is now Ormeiby Point ; near which is the caftle of Diganwey (over againft Aber-conway), in Den- bighfhire, which Hugh earl of Chefter fubdued ; which, with fubmiflion, I fuppofe to be the very fame people treated of by tlie grave hiftorian Ta- citus, while he difcourfes of P. Oftorius, in the X2th book of his annals, in thefe words : deterum elade Icenorum compojiti^ qui bellum inter fc? pacem dtibiSaboHt^ &f duhus in Cangos exercitus, vajiant cgros^ prada pajjim aEia \ non aujis aciem hojlibus^ vel fi ex eccuUo carpere agmen ientarent^ pmito dolo.
Jamque
O F E N G L A N D. 435
Jamqui vtntum baud pr^cul fnuri^ quod Hibimiam infuUum afpeBat^ cum ort^ apud' Brigantes difcordi^ retraxire ducem^ Gf^. The Notices alfo of the Em- pire feem to hint at thefe very people, when thejr tell usy that under the duke. of Britain there w^s Pr^feSus numeri vigslum Ctmcangios. Now, feeii^ that the learned Mr. Cambden tells us of pieces of lead dug up about the fliore near Runcorn, Haulton, and Rock-lavage, with this infcription, IMP. DOMIT. AUG. GER. DE CEANG. why Ihould we doubt any furdier, but that about thcfe reeky and fteep promontories Ptolemy's Can- gani had their feat. Nay, what if Conghill in the hundred of Broxton, and Con^leton in the hundred of Northwich (which was tor certain an old Roman (tation), Ihould have foiiiewhat of the Cangi couched in their names. Poffibly, they might ftretch themfelves through Lancaftiire, and the fouth part of Weftmorland, where Cangdale, or Kendal, and Kangfands, now Kenfands, may in Ibme mcafure retain the rubbifh of their memo- ry. However, let the judicious antiquarians be picafed to accept of my conjefturcs, to ftir up their induftry m the fearch of their more exact fituation. The Roman towns of note within this county I find but two -, the firft Chefter, which Ptolemy places in the latitude of 55 degrees, Deouna, or Devana, from the river Deva, or Dee, on which it is placed. Antonine, in his Itinera- ry, mentions this city under the name of Deva twice ; firft, in his journey from the Pift*s Wall to Richborow in Kent, whereby it fcems the Roman highways wound about in a crooked line, as their fortreffes and ftations lay moft convenient for curbing their enflavcd provinces. Between Condate and Deva (fays Antonine, where the xx. and conquering legion lay) there intercede twenty miles J let my countrymen judge of the diftance, K k k 2 wliether
436 THE VALE.ROYAL
whether it be not much about the fame fpace, only conlidering the difference between Italian and Englifh miles. The ftcond time we read of it is in the journey from Segoncium, or Llan- beblifiy in Caernarvonfliife in Wales, to Chefter, thus:
Segoncium Ua^Aeblin^ in Caernarvenjhirej
Cimcvium Caerbaen^ in Caernarvonfiire^
19. Vans Pot-vary^ in FUntJbire^
32. Deva Cbefter. For the antiquity of this city, that it was ex- tant before the Roman Conquelt, let the admirers of honeft Gcoffry of Monmouth, of Ralph Hig- den, and Henry Bradfhaw, plcalc their warm con- ceits, and wreftle with the memory of fturdy giants, on condition they will but fuffer others to boall of its foundation by the noble Romans. The pircife time is hard to fix, but if you will hearken tv> Leland, in his Commentary on the Cantio Gyg- nca« and the learned Selden, in his notes on the tenth fong of Drayton's Polyolbion, fpeaking thtoogh one quill, they will tell you, that it *'Vrung from the tents of the Roman legions, in t^v tuxKr of Vefpafian (after emperor), when he CJU^HT over with Claudius into Britain, and per- Vi'^W. nn^ft noble exploits in this land, and was 'tV<^*«' ^^ ^^^ -o^f^ legion out of Low Germany, ^* . Hr tivour of Narciffus, who had obtained this • viiO^ ror him of Claudius. This fell out in X <*4f bctiwr-mentioned, as by comparing Dion ^v 'w3s Vacuus, and Suetonius together, may «^;»T 4is'r^^ appear-, fo that from what I f}K>ke ^^.* ^^igKvaing this legion's cncamjjing, if we '•^u.c :fti^ VTC cpocha ot Chcfter's nativity at the .iC*^ <i« X Chrift 61, it wants at this time but ^ five
OF ENGLAND.
437
five years of being 1600 years old, which I think is a gallant age, tl'pecially feeing fhe breaks but little, and holds her complexion lb bravely. The unhappy bumins of Fon^ate-ilreet in the late un- civil wars, and mf ihalkrimeis of the river's chan- nel, threatening the confumption of her radical moifturB, have plowed her beautifiil forehead with a few prefaginj^ wrinkles of mortality.
The Romans reudence in great numbers and plenty, their arched vaults, and iWeating-houfes, their urns, coins, and teflelated pavements do abundantly witnefs. I have heard it from a fcholar, reflding in the city, when I was there, in the year 1653, that there was a texr^le-dedicated to Apollo in old time, in a place adjoining to the cathedral church, by the conftant tradition of the learned. But I leave that in iivs0* The imprefs upon die reverie of Septimus Geta's coin, declares it without difpute a Roman colony, and one of the four in Britain, COL. DIVANA. LEG. XX. Vidrix, mentioned by the learned Cambden. I have read alfo of an ancient Britifh infcription, wherein Colonia Vifhicenfis ieems to import, that it was colonized by the 20th legion.
All that I ihall add nK>re is, the various opi* nions of feveral authors concerning its latitude and longitude. I wonder little at their variety, when as the longitudes are poflibly reckoned from diffe- rent meridians, and the latitudes performed by weak artiits, and taken by the authors upon truft.
in his Geogr. 1. ii. c. 3.
in his Tbcat. of Brit. 1. i, c. 37.
in hib dc Globis.
iin hit Valc-RoyaU, p. 16 and
of London, In Harmon. Cotlefie. of London, in his BricUh Tables. In hit Britannia.
Win. Shakcriy.
|
Latitude. |
Longitudf. |
|
dcg. min. |
deg. niin. |
|
55 ; |
18 40 |
|
53 5« |
17 18 |
|
53 5<> |
11 30 |
|
53 »4 |
17 29 |
|
53 30 |
17 30 |
|
53 «> |
1 1 m. weft |
|
53 »^ |
10 m* weA |
|
53 " |
%o X3 |
Of
43S THE VALE- ROYAL
Ot all thele, I prefer Shakerley*s for the trued, whj being an exadl arcift, and a near neighbour in Lancaihireof late years (though fmce gone in- to Ana}, performed it by his own obfervation, as he in that book profellcs, by affixing lo it a ujublc aitcriik.
The iecond town of note for th^ Roman re- fuiciKe was Condate, now Congleton, in the noiih-eafc angle of tiie hundred of Northwich, K'jicd on the river Dane, mentioned twice by An- ii>ninc : tirll, in ciie journey to Richborow, bcfore- iiial; and next, in the journey between a town ciuc once Hood on VVentfbcck, in Northumber- land to Llanvellin, in Montgomeryfhire -, I will only recite the town betbre and atcer, in diefe w\)ids :
Mancunium. Manchefter, in Lancafliirr, called X V u 1. Mamucium, in the fonr.cr journey, but with the fame dillancc o1 miles. woiuUto. Congleton, in Chcfnire- wiu. Mv\!wUnum. Llanvellin, in Montgomer)fliire.
; i.Mc, being dciticuteof any further miimation
■ t-. aiuiijuiiy, I fliall entreat all the ing<»nious
V 5;,ai?\>ur* CO improve their knowledge by fearch
.. aiii> and coins, and the like tellimonics of
H « -ait leudiMice, which doubtlefs it either hath
Kw vv» cr will Uiiricicntly, to thofc that wiil be
X v\^5J?v.^ Julable pains, and fmall coft of cx-
, -«. i^ wv jLiKJent dull and rubbilli.
• V. ••o rivk-rs mentioned by any of the an-
*^ .*,.. i*:i*Umy, who mentions two, both
,^ ,^u^s on the well-fide of the illand,
-^ . '•v^ th\' Irifli, or Vergivian ocean,
,, ^. ^ A^uuptly, as moft of his copies are,
w I'^d longitude, which might pro-
. < ^iwrance or negligence of the
, ^ *>X r.irtiy from his own diftance,
taking
flWi^r die;-[tfe^^ ^. BritKin ^spin^ truii. I
CMJfejMJii this point. ,llorido<ao«t|ii»iB FcofanUp luch. s Sook i^who.waiLlojNbninible a mathanaa. cian) as tt apnn dii^i^rait tongitudes and latitudes ID tbggSie^^hiisti'wifapp^ag titdiitb be cor- net to BMOtiqWrtbe fiwae risers twice. Wheiv- loRi I tfi^pjgfeclMC teei^ muA be-^ fallof the imr VkAf,' to callcairom id being tlie boundarjr
Pdm ^mtimmm^ Juuring itt outlet into tiic ibL^ w beodkd Sheh^r ^imA if mockft tambd^
Ltti»Aiie; to be tlW ^1 of PcdfeMy^v ^l^f mxf we not^ if his foundation be good, as cur^ rendj affinn- that riyer which falls thence into th€ Keoftndi to be Seteis.
4* I fliaUi inr a word, run orer the highways^ and come to a dofure of this chapter, i; The famous mifitary wqr of the Romana, called Wat^^ fing-ftrcet^ went through part of this counoy, as Hem Huntington exprefly teftifies, teUing ua^ dm; it led 4 Dfr^kermi in CeJMm$. Howevefi it is improbable, that it continued its name hither^ to ; but that the old Roman way from London in«> to the North wheeled about by Chefter, ia cer- tainly determined but of Antonine's Itinerary. A fecond highway crofled the country, in a fouth* weft tracl^ from Mrachefter into Montgomery- ihire. A third vrcnr from Chcftcr irfto Anglefeys A fbtn'di from Chefter to Bangor, the old Bonium^ corruptly fioviurn, in Antoniiie. The fifth from Northwich to Middlewich, according to the opi« nioo 0^ worthy -Cambden^ having obferyed- avifi-
ble
440 THE VALE. ROYAL
ble highway, caft \ip in the Roman manner ; from whence much gravel is frequently fetched for pri- vate ufes, there being none near, befides this, in ail the country round about.
C H A P II.
Treating of the Kings^ Dukes^ and Earls of M£rcia; with the tarticular Earls of Chester, difpofedin their exaSl times. .
THE kings, &c. of Mcrcia, were rulers of this province and city of Chefter, in former days ; and therefore we have dtfigned this tjadt concerning them. But (hall not in this chapter enlarge much in any long difcourfe of their aftions; but refer the diligent reader unto the many bcoks^^ wherein their exploits are defcribed. My main defign is, by chronological characters, to fix the rile and period of the Mercian monarchy, toge- ther with the true time of each king's attainment of the royal fcepter, fo far forth, as the com- paring of moft, if not all, the ancient and mo- dern writers extant on this fubjed will give light | who are generally fo full of abfurd contradidtions, and anachronifnis, that I almoft defpaired to at- tain my oropofed end. But confidering, tHat all our monkiih writers, more fkilful in the num- bering of beads, than years, did, uno tramite^ follow the Dionyfian account (a thing diligently to be attended to in the reading of our monaftical writers), I hope to extricate myfelf out of thefe difficulties, by treating a little of it, before I be* gin with the reigns of the kings of Mercia. Ro- bert
O F E N G L A N D. 441
ixrrt of Lorrain, the 28th bifliop of Hereford, in h:s cpicome or Marianus's Chronicle, at the year of Cnrift 532, recites thefe words, Dominus nofter Jij'ds Cbrijius^ 8 CaUndis Aprilis Lund 17, a mor- uis refurrexUy anno 1 8 imperii Tiberii Cslaris y?- L'undum EvMigelium Joliannis *, boc eft in an. 1 2 Tn^ iarnaiionis fecundum Dionyfium. Now, on the comnmon fuppofition of our Lord's attaining but the 34th year current of his age before his paffion ; \1 we fubrrad 12 from 34, there remain Z2 years, wherein the Dionyfian account falls ihort of truth. For the confirmation of this teftimony. the learned may confult William of Malmfbury, de Gejlis Pon- tificum^ 1. iv. in the fe&ion about the bifhops of Hereford ^ Matthew of Weftminfter, 9nd Florence of Worcefter^ together lyich the learned Selden on Drayton's 4th fong. But referring this to be proved more at large in its proper place, when I treat about the Saxons arrival into our land, de- mmftrating tlieir entrance to have been in the vul* gar year of Chrill 428. As Sir John Price, in his defence of the Britilh hiftory, fays, that the Saxons came into this land, l^auro Cf? Felice Cofs. P^- I '9t N^^v ^h^y ^^*^ confuls A. Chrifti 428, and not 21 years and a quarter, or 22 years cur- rent after, viz, in the end of 449, or in the be- ginning of 456, as our old authors'ufually fix it \ whereby great and knotty difficulties have tied up the hillory of the Saxon dominion in this ifland : I (hall only prcmife at prefent, that the firft who arrived to royal dignity in Mercia, being Crida (the I J th in a direct line from Woden, as Florence, like a Welfti gencalogift, derives him, whole line to Adam, you may trace as truly in Matthew Weft- minftcr), began to fet up this kingdom, as ancient authors relate, anno Cbrijli 5S2, and cut of them Selden, and Boxhu)rnius, in his Univer- fal Hiftory; whom our modern Speed in his Chro- VoL. I. I- I 1 nick.
44i THE VALE.ROYAL
nicle, Ifaaclbn in his Chronology, and Heylin in his Geography, do all follow. So then, if from 582 wc fubtrad 22 years of the corrupted Dio- nyfian account, there remain 560, for the exaft time of the commencement of the Mercian king- dom in Crida. With which time there falls out a marvellous harmony in the reigns of the fucceffivc kinp, much to the fatisfaftion of all inquirers in- to the confufions of the Saxon Heptarchy. I know Matthew Weftminfter puts down 585. Others, 522. Others, different times for its beginning; but' all corruptly enough ; whereas, with our prcfent computation, the Ecdefiallical Hiftory, under the name of Harpsfield, doth almoftexadly concur^ laying the beginning of Crida's reign, anno Dom. 561, and yet but with a circiter or thereabouts^ in the twenty firft chapter of his feventh centenary 1 as not being certain of his hitting the mark pre* cifely, though very near it. This time we Ihall take then, as the radix of the Mercian fovereignty ; and from thence compute the fucceffions of its Tulcrs.
SECT. I.
Of the Mercian Kings.
1. /^RIDA, who had his palace firft at Dorchef- V>l ter in Oxfordftiire, and afterwards at Lin- coln, as Florilegus tcftifies, reigned twenty-five iears, as the author of the Vale-Royal preceding, y good hap, had learned out of HoUingftiead and pthers. This king did little abroad ; but at hom« laid the ftrong foundations of this kingdonv, and left it to his fon in a handfome frame fitted for augmentation and ornament.
^. Wibbji,
OF ENGLAND. 443
2. Wibba, the fon of Crida, began his reign is the year 595. He is called Wipha, and Wip- pa, by H. Huntington; who, having enlarged his dominions upon his neighbouring Britons, af- ter his twenty years reign, he furrendered up his fccptcr to death.
This king's reign is famous for the notable bat- tles of Ethelfrid the Wild, king of Northumber- land \ but elpeciaily for that notorious flaughter of the monks of Bangor, about one thoufand two hundred at leaft, which happened in the year 604, which I prove thus: H. Huntington tells us, diat king Ethelfrid fought againfl: the Britons at Caerlegion, in the ninth year of Ceolulfe, king of the Wcft-Saxons^and that the feventh year of Geol- ulfe, was the firft year of Phocas the emperor. But the firft year of" Phocas was 602 ; therefore, it muft needs follow, that this butchery was com- niittcd in the year 604, I know fome caft it 603, as Matthew Weftm. and others the year 607, as the Saxon Annals. Others 613, as bifhop Uftier in his Index Chron. but all without any fix- ing charafter. For further confirmation of this : ne, the Saxon copy of Bede's Ecclef. Hift. affures, that by and by after this fad accident, Au- eiiftin ordained two bifhops, where the Latin co- py fupplies the year 604. The reafon why I have bcx-n lb careful to fix this time, is, becaufe our no- ble city of Chefter, having been all the while fince the Romans departure in the hands of the Bri- tons, was now wrefted out of their power, and fell into the pofleflion of the king of Northumber- land, from the time of this his viftory, as Malmf- bury witneiTes.
But this cruel king was foon ftopped in his fu- rious courfe, by the joint union of the Britifh forces that very fame year (as the learned knight Sir Henry Spelman hath recorded), under the con- L 1 U dud
444 THE V A L E-R O Y A L
duft of Blcdcrick duke of Cornwall, Margaduc duke of South-Walcs, and Cadwin duke of North- Wales, who having bid him battle, over- threw him, dangeroufly wounded the king him- fdlf^ (lew ten thoufand and fixty of his ioldiers, and after^forced him by articles of compoft- tion, to retire into his own countr}% north of Trent, and leave the dominion of Wales to tht IJritifh fcepter. In the chief city whereof, being Cheftef, now recovered, they crowned valiant. Cadwan for their king.
3. Georlus, the fon of Kinemund, the brother of Wibba, began his reign in the year 615, and is called Cherlus by Huntington *, and according to the general confent oi hiftorians he reigned ten years. In this king's reign was the famous battle at Idleton, a little village upon the riv.cr Idle, a;bout a mile fouth of Retford, in the divifion of Southclay, in Nottinghamfhire^ wherein Ethelfrid, the furious king of Northumberland, the great affli£ter of Chcfter, and the Britons, was flain by Red- wald, the king of the Eaft- Angles, in the year 617, as Matth. Weftm. and bilhop Ufher in his Index Chron. places it 5 though Florence, Cambden, and others put it 616, which I leave for reftifi- cation to the Saxon hiilory.
4. Penda, the flout fon of Wibba, began his reign in the year 625. For the beginning where- of, that we may obtain the exoft time, Hunting, ton tells us, that it was coincident with the fix- teenth year of Kinigilfus, king of the Wtft-Sax- ons. In the fixth year of whofe reign he tells us, that Ethelbert, king of Kent, died : but he died in the year 616, and 6 Kal. Marcb^ that is Fe- bruary 24^ to which, if we add nine years cur- rent, it makes 625, February 24 ; fo that in the fixteenth year of Kinigilfus, that is the year
625*
. /aF%ENGLANa 445^
615^ ibout the middle thereof, thii king Peada bqjfhim itign. The epitome of Bede*s hiftoiy mn, that he was (lain in the year 6^5^ being nine jaa$ before the famous ecli|)ie in the year (»64,Mav lit, cloie by Kerftal^bbey, near Leeds inYorklhiit^ in Win«^field« According to the % iag ^ HuQtington : Jk 'Whtwad mnne vitiiM- mA^€4eiii Am^ Thiseclipfe wfeis celebrated ift the year .664^ May the ift. The fun in the Ainemck of Taurus being darkened i^bove^le- len digiti, on Wedndday aitemoon : In which very-
K, viz. .655, Ethelwerdus notes Che death of iatofallouti fnom .which, fubtra£litig'thirty fcm,^ the cor^sht coaient of all writers,, for tbe tenon of hia rei^ there remain 625 for its htgnning. t his king was a notable walr^or, as tilde memorable piifSgsii do amply teftify in the yearSag. He warred againftKinigilfus, king of the Weft-Saxons, acCirencefter, in Glouceihrrfhire,and compelled him to a compoficion in the year 63^j, Oftober 12. He flew the famous Edwin, king rf Northumberland, at Hethficld, or Hatfield- chice, in Strasforth-Wappcntake, in the Weft^ riding of Yorkfeirc, in the year 6^5* He befieg- cd and burnt the city of Bebbanburg, now the ruinated caftie c^Bamburgh, in Northumberland. . The fame year he received a notable overthrow by Ofwald, king of Northumberland, at Havenficlcl, now Halydon, or Holydown, in the fame coun- ty. In the year 636, he flew Erpenwald, alias Carpwald, alias Eorpwald, king of the Eaft:-Angles. In the year 638, he flew Sigel^rt king of the fame province. — ^In the year 642, he flew Ofwald, the nicA Chriftian king of Northumberland, Auguft tic 5ih, at Mafcr-field, now Ofwald-llreet, or Ofweftry (from that fatal accident), in Shroplhire. The fame year alfo he flew Egrick, king of Eaft- ilngles ; as by computation of the years of his ^
rciga
446 THE VALE- ROYAL
reign may apptcir out of Malmfbury and Florence^ In the year 645, he invaded Kenwalch, king of the Wcft-baxons, and deprived him of his kingdom for fome years. In the year 654, he (lew Anna, king of Eaft- Angles, in a fore battle -, but was at lail, for all his cruel wars (lain himfelf by Ofwy» king of Northumberland, in the year 655^ No- vember the 15th. We Ihall leave you this his wretched character, out of the monk of Malmf- bur)', reciting the vidory of king Ofwy, Pendam regem Merciorum illud vicinorum exitiumy il!ud per- diiellionum feminarium exit to dedii.
5. Peada, called Weda, by Malmfbury, the fon of king Penda, began his reign in the year 655, November the 15th, over the fouth part of Mercii, by the permiflion of Ofwy, king of Nor- tliuiiiberland, while Mearwoldus, another of Pen- da's Tons held the weft part under the fame king Ol'wy, as Simon of Durham teftifics. I Ic married Elllcda the daughter of Ofwy, two years before his father Penda's death, on this condition, that he would tufn Chriftian, and promote that religion in l»i.s own country. Accordingly he was bap- tized by Finanus, in the king of Northumber- land's palace, being in a ftrong town near the Picts-wall, called Admurum, and fince Walton, right miles weft of Newcaftle. This was done in the ye^r 653 -, afterwards, as a teftimony of his con- verlion, he began the foundation of the Itately abbey of Peterburgh, but being prevented by deaih, left it to be finilhed by his brother Wui- fcrriS. He enjoyed his kingly dignity but five months, being (lain by his own wife, lay fome •, by his mother, fay others ; by whichfoever moft unnaturally, in the very feaft of Eafter, in the year C^,6. "J'he cycle of the fun that year being twen- ty-one. The dominical letters ( it being Biflex- (ifc) C. B. the cycle of th« moon eleven. Eafter
Ml
OF ENGJUANa
447^
fi^on.the fevtnteenth day of April, on which day tc was murdered ^ after whofe death, king Ofwy fwafod the foepter of Mercia for fome time, be* twcen two and three years-, at^ which* time, Im- min, Eaba^ and Eadbcrht, thcec capicaios of the Mercians, rebelling agai tilt Ofwjr, prevailed,. and lifted up Wulttrus, the fecond fon of Ptiida, into the Mercian throne.
I 6. WuU"eru% the fon of ?enda, began his reign in the year 65S, not without ne^t troubles,' lofing the province of Lindfey to tne kine of Northum- 4ierland^ buc afterwards he r^ainedT his reputation Iff mksj noble exploitSt being of great prowefs^ andattunqd at length the chief rule over all the Scmna ; ip die you* 661 he fbu^t a cruel battle ^idtKcnwalch, kin^of the Weflc-Saxons, at Po- iantefburah^ and being overcome, fays Ethelwer- dus, was kd captive by Kenwalch to Eflcfdun : But Henry Huntington, Matth. Weftm. and Floren- tius, tell another tale, that the Weft-Saxon king was there overthrown by Wulferus -, who, profe- cuting his viftory, furprifed the Ifle of Wight, which he beftowed on Edelwalch, king of Souch- Saxons, oh condition he would receive baptifm, which he did at the hands of Birinus ^ which ito- ry bcin^ in fome fort attefted by Beda and Bromp- ton, I luppofe the truer. In the year 664, the year of that famous folar eclipfe before-mentioned in the reign of Penda, this king founded the abbey €^ Peterburgh, in the feventh year of his reign, and the ninth of Deusdcdit archbifhop of Canter- bury, who died the fourteenth of July, 664. Hence Ulfer began his reign early in the year 658, ieeing his feventh year current was begun betorc this archbi(hop*s death. There are two relationa which ftain the reputation of this kin^ : Firll, |hat Wina, expelled bis biftioprick of Wmchefter, was prdtrred w the ruk of London, for a fum ot
money
448 J HE V A L E - R O Y A I.
money given to Wulfer in the year 666, which^ by the coni'tnt of all, leenis too true. A lecond ilory is this, that being on a time at his caftle of Wulfer- Cheiler, fjnce called Wolverhampton (as fome fondly imagine, contrary to Cambcien'$ opinion) in Staifordftiire; and underllanding that two of his fons went fecrctly to Chad, bifhop of Lichfield, to be inftrufted in the Chriftian laith^ he bafely murdered them at Stone, in the faxd county. This ftory, Stowe, Cambden, and Speed, do reverently prefs upon us, out pf a monkilh ledger-book ot Peterborough : But this relation is foully fulpefted by the learned Seldcn, feeing this king is related by authentic writers, to have had only two children, St. Kenredus, and St. Wcr- burgh. Befides, let me add, how improbable it is, that he fhould (lay his fons for repairing to Chad, whom he himfelf had conftituted bimop of Lichfield, as venerable Bede writes j nay, what is more clear, this murder is laid to be committed in the year 662 (which I am forry to fee fo con^ fufedly put down by a late elegant Ecclefiaftica) writer). When as St. Chad, the youths inftriidor, was not come to Lichfield, till the year 667, or 668, at the fooneft ; at which time he beftowed upon his new biftiop the land of forty families, to build a monaftery upon, in a jplace called Ad- bearve, or Adbarvc, by Bede j Adbarune, Matth. Weftm. Barwe, by Florentius and Bromptonj that is, a wood, fay they, in the province of Lindiey in Lincolnftiire. detwbium ^thbumenfiy by Alan Cope, and Eadbarna, by Godwin. In this king'.s reign, in the year 673, the learned Bede was born, the great ornament of our nation. In the year 6y5, this king fought the memorable battle with Elcwine, or Elkwin, king of Weft-Saxons, at Bidanheaford ; in which very year he died, be- ing the feventeenth of his reign, not fully com-
pleat
OF ENGLAND.
449
pleat and ended. Befides his great caftic ifi Staf- fordflxire, he had another palace at Wcedon in Northampconfliire } he was buried at Lichfield, fay fome •, but- others, at Peterborough.
7. Ethclred, Ibn of Penda, and brother of Wuipherc 5 his name is written fomctimes Edil- rcd, and Adclred. In the next year 676, he en- tered the kingdom of Kent, and wafted it grievouf- iy, and took the city of Rochefter, Lotharius their king not being able to encounter him. In the year 678, a very fearful comet appeared in the month of Auguft in the morning, and continued ilireo months, in the eighth year of Egfrid, king nt Northumberland. In the year 679 was the great battle between this Egfrid and our Ethtrl- rcd, near the river Trent, being tlie ninth year of Egfrid, whofe brother Elfwin was flain. Thcfe wars were fiiortly after compofed by Theodore, the archbilhop of Canterbury. In the year ()So, rliis archbilbop celebrated a council at Hatfield, September the 17th, where wc have a notable link of the times of tlie Saxons kings faftcned by Bcde himfelf to the pillar of truth ^ he himfclf be- 113^; this year feven years old, wrote afterward what was within thecompafs of his own age, viz. Tliat it was kept in the tenth year of Egfrid kijig cf Northumberland ; the fixth year of Ethclred, king of Mcrcia (whereby we learn, thot five y<^*ar.s of his reign were exactly compleateil before the 1 7 th of September, 680) ; the leventeenth year of Aldulf, king of the Eail-Angles; die feventh year of Lo- ihaire, king of Kent -, and that it was indiction the eighth year. This is the famous year in which tlie fixth Cecumenical council (as it was callc.i) was be- gun at Conftantinople, November 7. TJiis alio is the year of that eclipfe of the moon that happened on Monday the eighteenth of June, bciore one o'clock in the morning, the moon being ecliplcd
Vol. I. M m m totally ;
(
^,. - - 1 • A 1 E - R O Y A L
_ : 1.:;^:,. Micthcw Wellminftcr, and his
.;. -i.. *\'.t:.mi:::. *.-« both grolsiy miftakcrn.
i^.: X-* w^ -iiruces himlclf by his annexing
•^ •^^•:.': jr j CO 6S6. They blunder both
...•w'% -n: xrr indeed fadly eclipfed in ihcir
: v-n. ;^ V .. a kill. In the year 696, the Mercians
.. \ \^ Oitrica their queen, the daugh-
;. . ::-;:: w iuig of Northumberland. In the
w v^^^*^;i Echelred changed his crown into
^ ^ ^:w" c^xame a monk in the abbey of
>^. ^•. .: L ;acolnlhire, about feven miles eaft
.^ . .' CI Lincoln, on the river Witham, in
V ^u v:. having reigned but twenty-nine
V v.'.^^v:. :^.e fon of Wulfer, by the refignation . :.> ..1. c tchelred received the crown. This
MA.^ . <^'«2s ^as very devoutly inclined to a ^i:»^.v,. rci and having performed no ac- V > ,x rsci^ent in his reign, took a religious ^^ »v • -v Kcnic, together with OflFa, the fon of V.N v^ V 1$ of :lvEaft-Saxons ; which journey he ^ V .vv- a :hc year 709, after he had reigned
.^ H'.4>^ iiid there remained to the hour of his
^ x :ia:, or Ceolred, the fon of Ethelred,
^» V 'W's departure, fat on the Mercian
v^.v •«>< :^«^**r 7^9'» ^^^ being continually in-
^ .vw N II-* 0\< potent king of the Weft-Saxons,
;.^ '^'iv^ -^^ •* "g"^ battle at Woodenft)urgh,
1 * % . vv ivivu^h, about feven miles north-eaft of
^^ ."x^.w ^ WiUlhire, in the year of grace 715,
* .K***o .> l\;hyearofkingIna,and thefeventh >^ ;^^>v^:<c*^"hercwasfodefperateand(harpan
.V . ;Ni: nw author fays, Rex Cheolreii^ 7- ^ . . - .• ^- ^Kfribiliter Jihi occurrebaty ut neutrd
* ^ ^ ^ ^ ^T9m Mdes deteftabiliar contigeraty nef-
^ L^ ;t the next year, to the great grief ^. ..vvvv\^ chis gallant prince falling fick,
went
OK BICGI^AND. 451
f^ft«lt^ditl^rdf:ifi «fkt wu buried at Lich^
^4lAii hk ili^'jcMtr 71^ bebg^in the eighth yeirtf
^dU* f*igfr llbl^eoni^kac^. '
^^ 'ieA Ethfilbtfl^ ibiv df' Altirjr, the fim of
Bbp^ Hib.ibfi' of Wibbtf (thefecond king^ilf the
Mridui)^' beg;u his^^ f^ iit the year 776 im
rwirfdi wty yeiir he laid the fbundatioii oS^ and
'ji^«^ a duU«er to, the abbqr of Crowland^ in Lin.
.>iMliiftiife. Iflf the year 73 r, Sritwold, the dghih
vVCMMwfi^ Canterbury* <B# January tl>e mxi^.
"ntNMyeart >a<fier^ tiz. in the year 733,- fae ixMk
^w9t^6Mihtkitgi3£ ih^ andleiPa
■mptmtmny^ ixp Bromptoii; agatnft Somerton-
caftle, about fix miks fouth of Glaftonbiny; ' in
Someciitfliiilie, and iron it: which year is fixed by
a itotaUK^ecUpfeofthefnii* that happened tJie
okieifeeitth'kal. Septeniber, or the fburtbentfa of
Au^^O&l^^'b^ Friday, about half an hour pift eight in the^'moming ; the fun, being then in the fwenty.f6urth degree of the Lion, was eclipfid deven digit9i and therefore no marvel that the ^coiirinuator 6( Bede cries out, that it ws^s fo dread- Mi^uSp^ ifHiS $rbisfoUs quafifUgerriino & bmremb fcuio videretur effe coopertus. The very fame words aie-'liied by Simeon of Durham, in his hiitory of the a^ Q# the kings of England.
In this eclipfe Matthew Weftminfter agrees as to the day and time of the day,' faying, it was hori tertiiy i. e. about nine o'clock, as we now count from midnight ; only he differs in the year, and puts down 734, wherein it is impofliblc he fhould be true : winch, to any one that will take die pains of- calculation, ihall quickly appear out irf either the Rudolphine, or Buliialdine tables, the beft yet extant in the world. His miftake arifes from a fecond error of the Dionyiian account, wliich fiiall (if God lend life and leifure) be am^ ply mani£(ftcd in the Saxon hiftory. In the year M m m 2 734s
45a THE V A L E-R O Y A L
734; the moon was cclipfed Januuy 25, oa a Monday mornings two hours after midnight^ the moon being then in the 7th degree of Leo was totally eclipfed. Many of our hiltorians hit tipon the year and month, but fail in the day generally, cafting it on the fecond of the kal. February; in which very year, Tatwin the ninth archbiihop died. In the next year fucceeding, viz. 735, venerable Bede died at his monaftery ; of which time, we have an exa£b charafter given by Simeon of Durham ; who, in his fecond book of the hiitory of the church of Durham; affirms, that he died on the feventh kal. Jun. being Aicehiion- day. Now in the year 735, the cycle of the fun was 16, Dominical letter B. cycle of the moon 14, and 7 kal. Jun. i. e. May 26, being exactly that year Afcenfion-day, we are well affured of the time. Florence is yet more punctual, relying on the authority of St. Cuthbert, prefent at his death, telling us that it was on Wednefday night at ten of the clock. May 25, being Alicenfion-eve, anno Dom. 735, All which is confirmed by Hunting- ton afTuring us, he was fixty-two years old when he died ; which being added to 673, his birth-year before-mentioned, makes up cxadtly this prefent y^^r 735' Anno Dom. 737, our puiffant king Ethel baJd afflifts Northumberland with cruel wars, being the i ith year of Adelard, king of the Weft- Saxons, which fell out in the evening of the reign of Ceolulf, and the morning of Egbert, kings of Northumberland. Anno 743, our king being united to Cudred, the Weft-Saxon king, advances againft the Britons, and performs brave exploits in war. Anno 747, he received a letter from ho- neft Boniface, archbifliop of Mentz in Germany^ taxing the king and his countrymen, the Englilh, of many enormous crimes ; which fo wrought up- on the king's heart, that he foon called a council
foi;
.t A a r 1 1^ o ]& A N D. 451
*^^t^idkmua&k: The>ieit0f yo«s havrtttku^ge ^^im imialtbmfi-^ :Tlie«*iiidl was cOkd tt Gloirc- '4ki^^ Csm&'Vk^HM; in K<«t, in the yatt yjL*^^ m- rdiiSkiMl theii^th; Sqnember ki. Cambdeii, itidna^ .ttM» MitUrly «M^ fiMtiftwhat
p^ircyf^bat^thf-fean^ lawyer LambaHd^-fU'liis qpciiMrtbdaticirt of tiAic cwiftty, te refdited tb fHck .WTcbriiiiijpet -'dtt'a better infoftner j^uck*^ hinl Mit '« J|]noDoiiiL^9i^9V EcMbald ftlb ouc nHth GtiKHMd nMMrhyli rnrnews among thde Saxon kingl^) swil^enalMrfni^hifn (at Beorhtfotd, or Beorfoid^ or ^aauggfeiia^ «Mr -Burfbrd^^^lwelve iniks weft h£ *eifwd]^wi(h ii lAxkly 4^qo«t; >i»fi«i« Et^ ^thaWeft-SMMn ftUdaittbeAtr; bduing tfie golcteh t4ramM^''])RMed«ltt^ a lahice.
iffli&l^aMt Ifttii afizedi^haraaer-bf ar» ccli^ ?iidbi to^^'bf MtttheiT'of 'Weft^ and 6-
^dienr, whieh was' of the moon, and total, July 31, 752, on Monday morning about one of the ckick. Anno Dom. 756, the moon was totally cctipfed, 8 kal. December, i. e. November 24, as ibme write ; "vthich I the rather put down, as the hea- ^ven-mark of dits great Ethelbald*s deaths which is fet down to be the next year after, viiz. 757, b^ng flain ac Sekinton,- three miles eafterly of Yamworth' in W4rwicklhirc, and buried at Rep- tonv upon the river Trent, in Derbyfhire. This murder was committed by his own fubjefts, and particularly by Bemrcd, who afpiring to the crown enjoyed it but a little while, being (lain, as fume iay, by Offa, This Ethelbald reigned forty-one years compleat, by general confent; and being flain anno 7575 it thence we fubtraft forty-on(; years,' there remain 716 for the year of his in- auguration ; which is further confirmed by Roger Hoveden, who tells us, that the year of Tatwin*s coniecration was the 15th of king Ethelbald, king of Mercia : But Tatwin, by conttant confcnt^
of
454 THE VALE-ROYAL
of all writers, was confecrated 4 id. Junii, yjt. Therefore, if you fubtraft from 731, thtffum of 15, there remain 716 for the begimiing of this king's reign, as before.
757. II. Bernred, or Beornred. The time of his dominion was very (hort, wherein I read no- thing of what he did^ but what he fuffeied^ viz. the lofs of his kingdom by Offa, his potent fuc- ceflbr. He died, fay ibme; he was (lain, (ay others ; but all agree the very fame year c^ his ufurpation, as moft call it; though Brompton terms him xhf lawful heir of the kingdom. 1 can- not read any where of his parentage, or his pit>- geny, and therefore fufpeft the l^iOity of his roy- alty. To which purple I may produce the tefti- mony of feveral authors, mentioning the burning of Cataraft, in Yorklhire, by this Beornred, anno Dom. 765, twelve years after his depofition, and that the ume year he himfelf was burnt ; whereby it appears^ that he efcaped from the former battle againft Oflfa with his life, contrary to the former authors.
757. 12. Offa, the fon of Thinfert, thefon of Eadulf, the fon of Ofulf, the fon of Eoppa, the Ion of Wibba, the fecond king of the Mercians. Some call his father Twinfreth, or Twinfred ; and his mother Marcellina : Others, Wingferd •, but it matters not much. The third year of his reign is confirmed by an eclipfeofthe moon, mentioned by Matthew of Weftminfter only, of all our writers. I read of it in Sigonius de Regno Italix, who tells us the year was famous for a notable eclipfe : wluch Matthew places in the kal. of Auguft. And others tell us, there was an eclipfe of the fun that year, Auguft 15. Anno Dom. 771, king Offa lights with the Eaft- Angles : Matthew Weft- minfter calls them plainly Angles; Hoveden, Eftings; Simeon of Durham, Heftings; whom Dr*
Watts,
^ OF £N Q^AND. 4SS
^^fhm^^iA hb: «dkkm of Mttckew Ptolis,' fufpeAs .•^4»llibBiiKMGi of Sufltei wfakh ftl^k^ I J^mOfitUimm^^ * AniMlMm. ^^^4^ fce
fetigPit OMt brftiFrbtttie at Otfbrd in Kent ;- kieh iOmiingBbn udhHovidden ckft kjMy tSfrkig 4a die ^pikJiiipliim of iLemr^ of tlie<W«ft.SMk-
jfittLimMlofe Mdi yitt iif 4iip|iei^ 'Hii i ^ year both agree to be 765, there(bli^'U|^ ttlit fuppofiiion this year dates the batde»> wMcM'^ll confirmed by the teftimony of Bdidfwerd^^^llie Saxon Annals, and Florence, Ann^- iT^i fe 6nig^t again A: the \V(rft-Saxons at BaidnMOA,*lMNf Bcnibn, m Oxtbrdfhire, in the 24th ]^eMrbf' IQitfi- wulf their king^ and dcmolifhed tthe* MlU6i'>dii wry place whereof 15 now fcarce kinoiMlL Alter which he goes againlt Wales, and rriakib M^ IMK- quefts upon the Britons, and their IdHg MahifCM dtus, where you have many Bne paflag^ recitcM bf tfce monk of St. Aibon's, to magnify t^ deeds of dieir royal founder. But aTOut thcTc yciifi^' it ihouM mBi, tiie famous ditch in Wales, calkd ClaudhOffa, was dug from the mouth of die Dee* to the lAouth o£ the Wye, about one himdiedffliles in length, which Humphrey Floid is pfekicdto put down the year of 770 for its be- gbwiing, Poflibly it mig^t be fome years in doings Aawy^gy, the eouncil rff Caleuth was celebrated^ whkb place archbiihop Parker fixeth in the king* dbra of Northumberland, HoUingflied in Mercia. I fiod *a place called Kilcheth, or Culchetb, five ndles north of Warrington in Lancafhire, which Wttjuft oh the borders of Mercia, though indeed witmn the bounds of the kingdom of North umber*- iafld^ -which being much minorated by king Offa, to ttfe the terms of Horeden, might now be with- intMs king's territories; but I fubmit my conjee- ture^coih^ learned. In this council, I wad that the grcttOflfk crowned hi& ion Egfrid king in his Ufe^
timCi
i
456 THE V A L E -R O Y^A L
time. The next year, 788, this king tranfiated the archbilhoprick to Lichfield. Ann. 789 was the fatal year to the Saxons wherein the Danes ar« rived in England in three iliips, juft as many as the Saxons came with into the iflcof Thanet ; thejr (lew only one man, and retired. I know bofh Flo- rence and the Saxon Annals place it anno 787,but withal they give us this afluring criterion that it was feven years before the death of pope Hadrian and OfFa, who both died anno 796, therefore this in- vafion was in 789, as Mr. Fuller alfo hath rig)itly placed it in his Ecclefiailical Hiftory. In this very year was the fynod of Finchale, now Finkley, three miles nonh of the city of Durham, on the river Were. Anno Dom. 793, Ethelbert, the young king of the Eaft-Angles, was murdered by the command of king OfFa, at a place called Villa Regalis, now Sutton, i. e. South-Town, in Hcrc- fordfliire, the 13th kal. of June* i.e. May 20, a§ you have the ftory at large in Brompton, who tells us alfo of die prophecy of the murthered king's fpoufc, that king OfFa fhould not reign after that time above three years j by which he aflurcs U5:, tliat it was three years before his death, according to his computation, though the prophecy might commence long after its fulfilling, by the ai&ate of fome monkifli quill. In the fame year 793, that is three years before his death, being at Batli, troubled in confcience for his abominable murd^rs^ he tell to the work of building a place for St« Alban's bones near Verulam i went to Rorne^ and obtained a goodly pardon of his ghoftly father the pope ; called a council at Verulam 5 gave Peter- pence to the pope's kitchen ; did much for the church of Hereford, where Ethelbert was after interred, and illuftrated the place with many blind miracles. Indeed Matthew of Weftminfter fixes theft great works, anno 794, but then he concludes
his
O F E N G L A N D. 457
his life in 797, thi:e^ yeairs after : But our Offa died in^96, tl^ercibre, upon his placing it three years betbre his death, it follows upon that fuppo- jiion that the true year is 793. Anno Dom. 796, on the 4th of the kal. Augyit, viz. J\lly 29, this great and imperious King departed oyt of tnis life at Offly, and was burio} f^^^ Bedford. 1 Jcnow there is fome difagreement abqut the /ear, but two cha- rader^ ihall fix it } the one of the death of pope Hadrian^ within the compafs of the fame year, tor lb faith Matthew \Veftminft(er. 8ijt pope Hadri^ a^ died 795, 7 kal. Jan. i. e, Pecemoer 26. So that feven months alter (hi3 king died. But th^ bcft' is of that faijious ccliplp, which feveral of our authors do mention, but principally Hoveden, ip thefe words, quitUa cal. ApriliSy ecUpJU lunafaila efi inter GalUcifdum & Auroram^ &r. £/ non mulio pcfij id ejl^ ftptima caL Augufii^ Offa fotentijffimus rex Merciorum^ poftquam ;p(:xi^ (innQs regnavit^ defuiiUus eft. This cclipfe was tofal, and fell out anno y^G^ upon the 28th day oS March, being Monday, at four o'clock in the morning, the moon being dark- ened in the 1 2tl> deg. of Libra, cycle of the fun 2 1 , cycleof the moon i8,-dominical letters C.B. JSothat if you fubtraft 39 years of his reign from ^^6^ there remaii) 755 for the beginning of his rcjgn as ^fore.
796. 13. Egfrid, the fon of king OfFa, began his reign July 29th, and reigned but 141 days, flying confequently on December the i7rh, and left his throne to his fucccflbr, having performed nothing worthy of note, and was buned at Sr. Alban's.
• 796. 14. JCenulpb (the fon of Cuthbert, the fon of BalTa, the fon ot Kenrow, the fon of Kent- win, the fon of Kenwalch, the brother of Penda, the fourth king of Mercia) entered on his reign ann. 796, Peccmber 17th, as Ipgulphus, one of
Vot. I. N n n our
458 THE VALE. ROYAL
bur ancient writers, doth atteft, on whofc teftimo- ny, as bein^ neareft to thofe times, I may better rely \ who letting the death of Offa on 4th cal. Auguft, and Egtrid*s 141 days after, leaves the initiation of this king's reign on the i^7th of De^ cember. Ann. 798, he wades the kingdom of Kent, and takes Eadbert, or Eadbright, their king, prifoner, puts out his eyes, and cuts off his hands. Matth. WeKm. and Fbrence place ^is notable accident in the fecond year of nis reign, with which the Saxon Annals, and Roger Hove- den alfo exaftly concur. In which very year he began the foundation of the famous abbey of Winchcomb, in .Gloucefterlhire. Ann. 801, he writes to and receives a letter from Pope Leo III. about* reftitution of the archbilhop's pall to Can- terbury, where it hath ftuck clofe about 840 years. Ann. 811, the new abbey of Winchcomb being now finiflied, was mod lolemnly dedicated, 5th id. Novcmb. i. e. the 9th day of November ; at which time he fees at liberty his old prifoner the king of Kent. In this year the vidonous Egbert, king of the Weft-Saxons, wafted the Britifh ter- ritories in Wales, and took the city of Chefter from them. In the mean while, the Mercian power declining, and our king performing, little abroad, at length yielded to the Fates by a natural death, lay moft ^ but by a violent, fays Brompton, telling us, that he was Qain by the £aft-Angle&, attempting the invaiion of their kingdom $ but all agree in the 24th year of his reign, not fully compleat and ended ^, and was buried at Winch- comb, in Glouccftcrfhirc, the abbey of his own foundation, ann. 820.
820. 15. Kenelm, the fon of Kenulph, being feven years old, began his reign ann. 820, being the fifteenth king of Mercia i but hCyj>auds mef/- fihns a futris obitu devolutis crudelijjinie tnartyrizahts
OF ENGLAND.
459
jf, fiys Irigulphus i and John Capgravc, in his Lives of the Saincs, tells us, he was murdered on thei6th of the calends of Auguft, or July 17th, itClcnt, in StafFordfliire.
820. 16. Ccolulphe, the brother of Kenulph, lid uncle to the laft king Kcnelm, b»-gan his reign inn. 820, July 17th-, he was expelled his king- d^, altera anno^ fays Malmfbury, in the fccond year of his rcign, by Bernulf.
821. 17- Bcmulf, the ufurper of the Mercian (ccpter, and yet of the blood-royal at fomc dif- unce, began his reign ann. 822. In the third year of his reign he fought a cruel battle with Eg- bcn, king ol the Weft-Saxons, and was over- come, at EUendun, now Wilton, two miles weft of Salifbury, in the county of Wilts. This alfo is the year, viz. 825, wherein the famous coun- cil at Cioveftio, in Kent, was celebrated, the third year of this king's reign, indiftion the third, as it was indeed. Therefore, I wonder the learn- ed Spelman Ihould hefitate fo much about it, when, as he himfelf tells us, that every year of this king's reign there was a council in tlie fame place, which might caufe the diftraftionj and liencc the ninth year of Ludovicus may agree with the firft or fecond council, and his query anfwcpcd. In the next year the Eaft- Angles flew this king, as he was invading their territories ; to which the printed copies of Ethelwerd fix the year 825 in the margin. But he compleatcd three years, and was flitin in his fourth year, as learned Spelman hath obferved.
826. 18. Ludecan, the kinfman of Bernulf, be- gan his reign over the Mercians, who, dclirous to avenge the blood of his predeccfiur upon the Kiift- Angles, was by them, having received aid from the Weft-Saxon monarch, difcomfited in battle, and {lain with five of his nobles. This battle was N n n 2 fouyhi
|6o tH£ VAL£.BLOTAt-
fought in the fecond year of his reign ; fome fay he compleaced two years, bpt that caniiQC liana with the fixed charaAer of an eclipfe, add^ to Egbert's conqueft of the next king.
Herey if I fiould follow the counfel of John Bron^^ ton^ Iflaould infert another king^ called Milfrid^ ibe builder of the cathedral at Hereford^ out of great di^ votion to the murdered king Ethelbcrt b^ore-tain- tioned\ but becaufe I find him wholly dfferj^d iy all other hifloriansj I fhall rather account him fome Re-: guluSy or great Lord in that kingdom^ abxfut thistim^^- as one Mtrwald was before*
. 828. 19. Withlaf, the grandfon of QQier, of the Mercian blood royal» was choicn king; ac the beginning of whofe reign Ingulphus fays thus : Msx^ ut rex faff us eft, 9 (^ autequam exercitum pote-^ rat cpUi^ere \ Ke was hid in a monaftery from the fury ot j^gbert's captains, he bdn^ it fliould feem, overthrown in battle, and efcap^; which I^attle is fixed by a notably eclipfe the very fame year by the monk of Wdrcefter, which happened the very night of Chrift's nativity % raited affo by Ethelwerd ^d the Saxon Aanals upon the iame account/ But the thith is^ this eclipfe. of the. moon, which they all place in the year 8.27, did fall out a year later, ai Aldelmus BenediSinus^ in his Annals of the kings of France, hath truly placed it, and agrees with the calculation as I havct proved it, and (hall nvore at large (annuente Deo) in the Saxon Hiftory. ' I find alio Math. Wefttta, \ tVar n)ore by chance than cunniri^^ falling, in \i\\\\ this year tor the beginning of this Withlaf's I ci^i\, together with his expulfion put qi the king* Juin. Uut foon after, within the compafs of a Ycdf^ by the favour of Egbert, fic received his Icpter, as tributary to the Weft-Saxoas-» and
having
^h^ir^iRSR^ra^H^T^iipleat y&ars, he died in ihc chmcc^ih year current, as Ingulphus teltific*/ Now aJihough we read not what ^irtic of the year Ke bcg^ his rdgn^ yet by tiie eclipfc &40, and ihc lynchronifms, co-Incidejic with the times of the uiccccding kings, he ihould buz have newiy entcicd ir>tohisihirteerith ytar, and have died in S^o^ md was buried at Kepton in Derbyihi^e, a place tiuDQUs for the Mercian tonibs, 1 his eclipie Flo- vcncc puts in the year 839^ but contutes himfetf py adding tntalljbk chara^flers \ for he l^ys thc^ ccltptc happened 3 n^nai Muii in vt^Uia £{f{enfioms[ fiemim^ wh;ch clearly determines it to be 840*^ Ja whieh year the cycle erf' the Ion was 9» domi* nical letters D* C- cycl< of the moon 5^ There- fore ibe Tenninus P^chalis that year, according to the Latins, was Maich ^^d, upon a Monday. The ncsa Sunday, confcquently^ was Eafter-day^ vii. March 28th J Arccnfion-day the 6th of May, and Alccnfion-cve was exaw^ly that year May 5th,
. a^ so.fieruilph, €);« bfpthorof Withlaf^ by {enifpon q| 4ie Weft Sa«on mpttWRctei obtain- ed: ^ Memm diopfiinipiUL . A. ^: 84$^ I rcii4 (Kancclisi^cildi^iii^ tl^e blends* of Oftober^ hiiri'^^fixf^ ftyA Math. W«ftm. whereof elf«, lidicrp^ ^^Ijq ycv?49/Hiag Alfred by gencnrf Con&nt wtt} bori). iVy hen he ^ms, thre^ years ol4 tb^ Danes came, into, the Therms mouth with 350 ibifi&i ag^ifft ■ whom thi^ Mofciiaii: king, fought an unaray i>attle» a^ ^pveden (eJ^if^e^ in the 16th jm^ €t A^n^^ king of the Weft*Saxpns, in tb^ v^piiids^..ipeaiung of ilie t^aaes : Fitgavenml ^^fjOft^m ugm Ji/t^cifirHm cum exercU^ fuo^ qui
^^, vjmefit. But king Ad^lulfe, or JitheU
^if^ 'Mi^ his reign in the year 837, ^9 Matht ^^ 9Bi|e tcQbifics^ and the ^^ c^j ;£ebni«ry| .
there- i
4^3 THE VALE. ROYAL
therefore his i6th year current began ia the year S52) Feb, 4th, in which year this battle was fought by king Bertulf, who died the next year after, viz. 853, as Hovcden recites before; to which agrees the conftant confent of all authors, that he reign- ed 13 years compleat, which will be fixt by the term of the reign of his fucceflfor moft exadtly.
8$^. a I. Burthrcd, or Beorred, afccnded the Mercian throne, but ftanding in a feeble pofturc^ being tributary to the Weft-Saxons, and wdeftillt «Eaulted by the raging Danes, politicly moved and obtained a marriage with Ethelfwide, the daughter of the Weft-Saxon king Ethelwulf, to his ^rcat cconfort and fupport, which was folemnizod in £after-week in Aprils £after-day falling April %zd that year, 854^ ai the king's houfe at Chip, penham in Wiltftiire. In which verv year^ being llK>kfted by the Britons of Wales, tie ob^ned a ^iftory over them, having received the aid of the Weft^Saxpn forces, being the 1 8th year of king Ethelwulf. Ann. 8f,7, king Ethelhald married iu3 own mother in Cheften Ann. 868, being in- feftod by the Danes, he received more aid tronft hU brother- in- law againft their common enemy^; riul marched againft them to Nottingham, and there befieged them in the third year current of king Ethelred. I find him clofe in his camp, giv- ing a charter to the abbey of Crowland, in the beginning of Auguft, 868 ; for fo it muft be read; as^ the a6ts of the fuccecding years do manifeft; Oiemioned by the &me hiftorian to be done, anrr. 869^ and 87Q. To the date of which aAion^ Hovcden, Matth. Weft, and the Saxon Annals ex* ^^ly agree. The Danes within, being much ftrsatencd, yielded upon terms of compofition, and departed into the kingdom • of Northumber- land ; but being afterwards forcly vexed by their potent armies, who had fpoiled the famous mo-
haftery
p F ENGLAND. 461
Wing finiihed twelve compleac years, he died in xtic thirtcenih year current, as Ingulphus tdtifie». Now although we read not what time of the year he began his reign, yet by tlie eclipfe 840, and :i;c fynchronilms, co-incident with the times of ;he fucceeding kings, he ihould but have newly enteicd into his thirteenth year, and have died in 840^ and was buried at Kepton in Derbyfhire, a place tamous for the Mercian tombs. 1 his eclipfe Flo- rence puts in the year 839, but confutes himfelf by adding infallible charaders ; for he fays the eclipfe happened 3 ft^nas M^i ^ vigiUa nfcetifioms Domini^ which clearly determines it to be 840^ in which year the cycle of the fan was 9, domi<» nical letters D. C. cycle of the moon 5. There* fore the Terminus Pafchalis that year, according to the Latins, ^as March 2 2d, upon a Monday. The next Sunday, confequently, was Eafter-day^ viz. March 28th j Afcenfionday the 6th of May, and Afcenfion-eve was exadtly that year May 5th, and in the Julian kalendar 3 nonas MaiL
840. 20. Bcrtulph, the brother of Withlaf, by permifiion of the Weft Saxon monarchs, obtain- ed the Mercian dominions. A. D. 848, I read of an eclipfe of the fun, the kalends of O&ober, bora diet fixta^ fays Math. Weftm. whereof clfe- whcre. In the year 849, king Alfred by general confent was born. When he w.as three years old the Danes came into the I'hames mouth with 350 Ihips, agoinfl whom this Mercian king fought an unhappy battle, as liovcdcn telliBes in the 16th year of Adelulfe, king of the Weft-Saxons, in thefe words, Ipeaking of the 1 )anes : Fugaveruni Brtilulfum regem MerctGrum cuui e:aratu fuo^ qui nunquam poftea viguit *, cui fcquenti annQ defuntto Eurbrtdusfucceffit. But king Adelulfe, or lithel- wolf, b^an his reign in the year 837, as Math. Weft, ttuly teftifies, and the 4th of February \
there-
464 T HE V ALE-ROY' A L
886, when king Alfred had y^^tly over-power^ cd his enemies, and taken LondpHt ^'^ niade Ethel- red duke of Mercii, and captain of his forces in that city. This king Selulf, for fome notorious offence given to th^ Lord-Dane^, wais dtpofedancl ftript naked, and after ended his life moft mife- rably. At what tiaic this kingdom received its fatal and final period, wh^ri noble Alfred fubftitut- ed dukes under him to govern it, which fell out; in the year 886, it having continued' under the reign of 1% kings, fitom' the beginning of king Crida, ann. 560, till this pfefent year, 3^6 jrc'arSv wherein, if there be any thing in the cont^Tc'ture'of times, n^)t moft exaftly chained througK. humaq fraihy, and the wild contr^iftibiis of monkilK writers, I fhall endeavour fUlly to fatisfy'tlkf cur ribus inquired in my pronniifed treatife ; althpi^ I have ftrortg hopes, that the charafleris T Have 'let down, and might much have ehl^rgcd^ doj^ivc great evidence to the truth' of this chronological treatife. Thus have I fihiflieff the pieriods'of th^ Mercian mbnarchs, who werelords of this county of Chefter, as part of their dominions. TBp'liylCi I confefs, is rugged, and not of fuch vdVet fmciotli^ jiefs as hiftory doth require'^ but let ingenious pej^ fons remember, mv pen was to travel th'rbfigh tnc craggy rocks of chronology. In the next j)Iac€l i fhall briefly pafs over the dukes arid earls»'ani| then put a period to this chajiter, . ' !
9WOti
t
1I
;,i..i.. •■•.,> •. S.E C T, H. ■• *•■ '
m/i- TT^THELREDUS, or iE;dttdm». __ X2j of the race of the kt^gs ol" n|etcui| ind being potent in that country/ was Q)fclt4DVc uf'Mcrcia by king Alfred, in the 141)1 vearw^ reign. He is called the lafl: king or4uS«C^Mcrr cla by Brompton, and married Elfleda, the'dwg}iT rer of king Alfred, Ann. 894, idnc Dimes' tpolj^ I he city of Cheiler, and were ttNercin bfifiqgpd^ and forced to eat their own hodcs for liungsn*^ having been clofely penned in for twelve months, swi. it Jeogtb constrained to depart ifrom thence« 4^* 9089 this duke and his noole lady repaired me city, and walled it aJbout^. taking in the Caftle,, w^ich foreierly was without its limits. Ann. 9 1 1 » was l^( notu)le battle between the Danes and. knur ^waid the Elder, at Wodnesfield in Staf- {ffSmirc^ 00 the 5th of Auguft. After the expi- ration of a year nom that time, Ethelwerd tells !», that this our duke departed this life, and was buried at Gloucefler.
912, 2. Elfleda, the wife of Ethel red, ruled Mocia with a ftrong hand, like an Amazonian dame, every year performing very notable feats. Ann. 913, May 6th, Ihe came with a great army to a place called Sceargate by Hovedcn, and others ; Strengatc by Math. Wcftm. and built there a ftroi^ caftle, and another on the weft, bank of the ^ern, called Bridge, haply Bridge. nonh in^Skropihire. Ann. 914, in the Spring. Vol. I. 'O o o time
i
4«5 THE VALE-ROY At
time, (he goes to Tamworth, aad builds tlicre another caltle, and repairs the town. From thence to Stanford, on the river Welland, but more truly Stafford, on Sow river, as Florence hath it, and repairs that caflle. Anno 015, ihe built Edcf- bury, and fortified Warwick, as Hoved^im ; or Wartham, as Math. Weftm. corruptly calls it. Ann. 9169 (he builds Cheretiburgh, as Math. Wcftm. Cyriebyrig, by Florence; Cercburih, by Huntington-, Wrffcury, and Runcorn. Ann. 917, July 30th, (he made wars upon the Britpns, at the caftle of Brecknock, took it, and therein the king's wife, and 33 prifoners. Ann. 918, ihe made war upon the Danes at Derby^ aflaulted the Caftle, and took it, not without fiaughter of four of her valiant captains. Ann. 919, me took the town of Leiccfter from the Danes, and forced them to terms of compofition •, but that very year died at her caftle of Tamworth, July 13th, and was buried at Gloucefter, in the porch of St. Peter. 919. 3. Alfwina, or Algiva, the daughter of duke Ethelrcd, who enjoying the power only one year, was fcnt for into the Weft-Saxon territories, ann. 920, by king Edward the Elder, who kept in his poflcflion the dukedom of Mercia. Ann. 921, Chefter was furprifed by the Welch, and won again by king Edward the Elder, whofe fifth fon Edmund obtaining the kingdom ann. 941, mar- ried, as fomc conceive, this Algiva, who in the year 943, brought forth king EDGAR. This king Edgar, in favour to fomc of his kindred of the royal race of Mercia, bcftowed this dominion, under the title of a dukedom, on Alfarus ; in what year I read not punftually fet down, it having continued in the hands of the Weft-Saxons during the reigns of Edward the Elder, Athelftan, Ed. mund, and part of king Edgar, the fole monarchs of all England, excepting what the Danes ufurped.
966.
yS6, 4- Altarusj or Elfcrus, or Elfenus^- 9S others write him, was the next duke of o/ltfcUd^ in what year created I read not ; he was pr^Hqum EJgiifi^ a kinfman of king Edgar's, as Siittieod ot Durham terms him, and by his favour obttin- rd the dukedom, 1 he Brft time that I find him poficft of this honour was the year 966, at which time he fubfcribcd 10 that king's charter, gnmted 10 the abbey of Hide, near Wincheftcr, Ann^ 973, king Edgar came to Chefter after Whitfoii- tide, and was rowed upon tlie river Dee by dghC* petty kings, Ann. 975, Florence telJsus he Iticklcd againft the monks, and expelled theirfout of rhe monaileries, and put married priefts tn their
rms. Ann, 979, Math. Weftm, tells us, thalc took up the botiy of St. Edward the Mtftyr, A Warcham, and buried it honourably at Shut-' (buTy\ Ann, 9S3, the Saxon Annals relftte hiar death to have happened ; to which relation, R(^r Hdvqten and Florence of Worccftcr both agree! WiUiaih of Malmfbury fays he was eaten up by fice, fbr his dellrudion of monafteries, moft fool- ifhly inquiring into the reafons of God's dilbenfa- tbh^, il; at fesift, he fpaike truth in that relation. '983. 5. Alffjcus, thcfon of Alfar, fuccecded, as Hovcdcii and otlKn-s, with joint confenr, attcft. Ann. ^Sf6, hie was unjuftly expelled England, and tfiit crueiry, as one author terms it. Ann. 991, he wa3 made admiral of the king's fleet, but be- t«y<!d his truft^ himfelf efcaping. Ann. 593, the king not being able to obtain the body of the fu- gitive' Alfrick, reveng^ the treachery upon his ion Algar, and commanded his eyes to be put out; fiutAurick getting into favour again, obtained the comniand of an army, and when within fight ofthe-Daniih enemy, he counterfeited an infirmi* ty of body, and would not fight, to the great .dif- honour of the nation, in the year of grace 1003, Ooo*i " fays
^ ,%
468 THE VALE. ROYAL
fays Florence. But I much miftruft the monkllh relations concerning our noble dukes, for as much as we find them great enemies to thofe lazy lubbers, in fcveral councils of the nation.
1003. 6. Edricus dc Streona, the fon of one ^gilricus, and the uncle of Godwin, of mean pa- rentage, but of a dexterous wit, was created duke of Mercia, as Hoveden and Florence relate, ann. IC07. But I conceive it more agreeable to truth, that it was 1003, as Math. Wemn. hath caft it, being fubftituted in the room of the former Al- fricus, with whom and his fon the king was high- ly difpleafed, and had difinherited them. He married Edgita, the daughter of king Ethelred, and was a great favourite at court, but proved perfidious to his truft. Ann. 1006, he procuircd the flaughter of duke Ethelftan at ShreWfbury, by one Godwin, an inhumane butcher. Ann. loi I, he was one of the council at London, that gave a tribute of forty-eight thoufand pounds to the Danes. Ann. 1015, ne caufed Sigefert and Morcar, earls of Northumberland, to be flain at Oxford; and that year alfo, with 40 Ihips, re- volted to the Danes, as Math. Weftm. teftifics. Ann. 1016, being joined by king Canutus, he, in a hoftile manner, invaded Mercia, and did much harm. After which time, the fame year, June 25th, he came with Canutus in battle-array againft the king, Edmund Iron-fide, at Shii^ftone, upon the borders of Oxford and Worcefterlhipcs, not far from Rowlright and Long-Compton 5 near to which place, at this day, I have feen remain- ing great ilones fet in a circular form upon a hfll, lying over Little-Rowlright, in memory, as fome imagine, of the great battle there fought 1 the vidlory being obtained by the Englifh, where this duke behaved himfelf very treadheroufly 5 but perceiving king Edmund's valour, aod fearing the
turning
iCfF ENGbAN^X;. ^ 4%
tomiiig of the feales he potictcly made his peac^ and &u^ virii^tbe kkij^ wgmA the Danes, ac OcfoftL in Kent the fame j^ar *, but perBdioufly counfelUng a A0|> of the puiiuit of vidory ac Aylcsfbr4 in Kent, ^ve a breathing time to the Paoest wl)o, recweni{g tbemfelves, fought with tfbe &ne/)W8 ^ A&doinfii in Eflbc, andMt » gKUviaajrhy the^^ioof diis'fidriek m the ^r«T^Mnf battle ; and^ at length, as Hoveden cells us, periinded king : £dimi&d to flxare tbe jcmgdom with Comitus, a|Cttrmtfiti|^ combat, as ibmc report, iQCheifle^Afaicy, near GlouccAert^ tQ the year t£»iyi fe whicfa ^r king £dimiiQd died on Sc, iSadMv's.D^, uncertain, whether n natural or a vkdwt dadi, bjr che means «f -this pcrtidious Fdrick. Mstth. Wcftm. and. others idl a roiil tloTy'«f'the«iiunki:;.€oinimMtd M|mi the king &t Oxford. But king Csniitus,' loving die t region but abhorring the traitor, took aw»^ his dukedom from him, asMacth. tells us, whiea ib ineeifled him, that he gave forth menacing words to the kii^ 1 who, not enduring his lan- ffog^ «nd fearing his wretdicd defigas, com- maoded him to be privately fkrangled, and his bo^ dtfown out of a window into the Thames. Oaim relate him to be beheaded, and his head find ^pon a-pole in the Tower of I^ondon. Ano- ther ti^% he was hanged, and flung into the ThanMs. Another, thai he was fiung over the €ky walls, and his body left unburicd ; ^hich. was dooe^ lays the fame author, in NativUaie jDo- w4m^ L «. Deconber 2fth. Some relate the place 10 fae-Baynard's Caftle, on the north bank of the riwr.
SEC
r
470 THE V A L ER O Y A L
SECT. III.
Of the Earls ^Mercia {called byfome Earls pfChthtr) before the Conquejl.
1017. i.T EOFRICUS, the fon of Leofwin, was X-/ made carl (or duke, as feme call him) of Mercia •, but, moft ordinarily, earl of Chcftcr. His Father l-eofwine, is called duke of Mercia by one author only, that is Knighton, and that but obiter^ when mentioning this Leofrick. There be thofe that produce his progenitors, for five gene- rations, as earls of Leiceftcr : The firft fpoken of is Leucitus, or Leofricus : The fecond Algar, his fon, buried at Crowland, The third, Algar the Second, who was flain by the Danes. The fourth was Leofrick the Second. The fifth was Leofwin, who had three fons, Edwin, flain by Grif- fin, prince of North Wales ; Norman, flain by Canutus •, together with Edrick, and this prefent Leofrick advanced by Canutus to this honoun There is a fufpicion of all this honour conferred upon Lei'cefter, to be falfe, and that by the impo- fition of Legeoceftria, in ancient copies, which fig- nified Chefter, or the Caftle of legionary fof. diers. But I (hall leave it injiatu quo. A. 1023, an eclipfe of the fun,, hor. 9, verno tempore^ happened January 24, ad hor. 11. This earl was a great ftickler for the coronation of Harold^ and with his confederates obtained it. A* D. 1035. He'w^s the builder of many chur(!hcs, agranterof charters to Coventry, a great lover of Chefter, ana adorned it with many buildings. A. D. 1051, he was a prime leader m the army againft earl God-
wii»
win. A.D. 10551 tlie^kiQg,Jb«iiUM the
Saa of diit Leofrick^ without caufe, as Hbvedcn relates. But he proved a notable thmbler of the kiiufs peace i ibr fljihg into Iitland, he obuiricd 18 m^ps, and with aid of Griffin, the Bnton, com- QUtned great (boils* and overthrewt)se king's aimv witUn two miles of Hereford, OA6ber 24^ and at* lerwards took the city and burnt it^ but at length POdpe w^ made, and the ^oung earl rfftpred to (is <jigpi»W. Hisifather having built the monaftery oflxpminflwin Herefoidfhire, called LeonenieMo- nafteriunm corruptly Leovenfe, and Leofenfe, do- jmitd this life in a good old age at his houfe in Ofoaicf in iStaffordflure, Nov. 30, 1057, fays woomton : but Simeon Durham, Hoveden, and V(f!i;£.yir^. agree, that it was Aug. 31, the fame yw^ imd was buried at Coventry. ' 1057. 2. Algar, the foh of Lcofrick, fucceeded his father in the earldoms of Chefter, Leiccfter, and Coventry ; and, befides, was alfo earl of Ox- ford. He was expelled by the king a fecond time, iays Ingulphus, A. D. 1058 (who highly extols him, for it ieem3 he vras a good beneta£tor to his monaftery of Crowland), but by the help of Griffin, his old friend, the king of North- Wales, he made forcible entrance upon his earldom, and quietly re* tained it till the next year, wherein he died, viz. 1059, and was buried befide his father in Co- ventry.
1059. 3.. Edwin, the fon of Algar, fucceeded him in this earldom ; who, with his brother Mor- car, in the year 1066, by force of arms, drove carl Toftiusout of Lincolnlhire, and the fame year fought with Harold Harfagcr, king of Norway, and earl Toftius, Sept. 20, being Wcdnefday, neu- Riccal, upon the river Ouie, about leven miles fouth of York, but were beaten, and many of their foldiers drowned in the river. But king
William.
47* THE V A L E . R O Y A L
WilliaT) the Conqueror arriving in this idand, and having overthrown king Harold in that faul bat- tle at the place thence lo called in Suflex, on Sa- turday Oftober 14th, foon put a period to the dignities of the Saxon nobility, and created; one of his own kinfmen, that very year, earl of Cheftcr : Yet this earl Edwin, with others of the nobles, made their peace witlv the Conqueror at Berkhamfted, in Hertf ordlhire. A. D. 1067, the Conqueror failing into Normandy, carried this earl and other nobles with him over fea, not daring to truft fuch dange- rous friends in a late acquired dominion. A. D. 1071, the king was defirous to put them in clofer - cuKody ; but perceiving his defign they fecretly ftolc from court ; and among the reft earl Edwin made his way for Scotland, but was flain by his own companions in his journey thither. He bare in a field of the fun, an eagle difplayed, Saturn, enfign- cd with a crown naval. Feme, in his Lacies's No- bility, pag. 28, where you may read a large ftory of thefe feven fucceflive earls in the next fedtion.
♦<-M->**^<-e-^*<-«-fl-0-M-
Of the Earls o/^Chefter, Jnce the Conquefi.
1071. I. TTUGH Lupus had the earldom by XJl gift from the Conqueror j in what year certainly to fix his feizure of this dominion the fluid relations of our hiftorians will not permit ; But r fuppofe it was in the year 1071 ; prefently after the death of earl Edwin : For the Conqueror, perceiving the minds of the Englifh to be very a- verfe to his yoke, and on every occafion fubjeft to raife new broils, he cut ofi^ fome of the nobility, im* prifoncd others, and feized their lands •, among the reft Ingulfus (one that wa;> alive in thofe days) re- ports
' OF E N.aL A NJDfe. . 4?^
pprts Edwin to have beep flaugKtcDcd.; and faap^
Pnmceps ergo Comtaius & B^ronias^ Bpi/capaiuSy (S
fr^ilatias Mius tenitjkis Nmmamiisijux^ dijtrihuit.
I find a)fo, to confirm this conjefture^ that Adatth.
Weft^ A« P. 1079, fpea^ •£ the earidfxm of Cfae£*
ter beixw piven to one Rj^milph de Miccnis, lend>-
ii^ us a nuic of the ttipe of the firft donation, tha*
hemifs in the perfoa, putt]ng.RalphdeMefchins^thc
ihiid earl, for Hugh Li^s. This firft earl. A- IX
1098, joining forces «ii{h Hugkeacl of Shrewibw*
7, overthrew the Welihmen, and wrefted Apgldc^
wc ot their hands. He fiuAt the caftfe of Digan-
wejr, oyer againft the prefent Abercoawsufin MlaiesKp
tbd ancient ieat of th; Bcidfli Kings. U^ lent for
Aafelmy th,e abbbt, hia anoient fciendi out of Nos^r
mondy^ to afift him. in thfc building and dn^ring
of St. Wcrburgh's monsiftery, and tovifit him now
in ficknefs. After he lij^d done ma^y notable
feats, and fettled his province in a martial poihirq,
he died the very fame year, £iys Knighton, that
Anfelm, now being archbi^pp, held a council at
London, which was in the year of grace 1 loa. He
bare Jupiter^ a wolPs he^ erafed, Luna. Feme,
in Lacy, pag. 40. In this, and the fucceeding earls,
that I mav not feem aSlwi^ 4S^^ ^ AaU recite only
what was before oln|itted, and ftaqp the exaA and
(rue tiQAes of their dominionr
s. Rkh^dt ^ f?n of Hugh Lvpvst at feven years of age focceeded his £ather \ he wsas drowned at Bafbfl^ in Nonnandy, November 25, being Thuriday, in the c)o^ of the evenihg<i according 1x1 the general dilates of our writers.
3. Ranulf I. nephew to Hug4i Lupus: he is calkd dcGernones by Brampton ^ but corruptly: for in his charter to St. Werburgh, calling Hugh his uncle, he is ftylcd deMelbhyns. He gave Up- ton, two miles North of Chcfter, to that abbey.
Vol. L P P P He
474 T H E V A L E - R O Y A L
He ruled but eight years, as Brompton and Knigh- ton do both teftify.
4. Ranulf IL iumanied de Gcrnons, or Vernon, fon of the fonner Ranulf, A. D. 1 141, he poffcffed Lincoln .a^ainft the king, and made notable ftirs in the nation. He is reported to have been poi- foned by William Pcverel, and died in the year .1154, as JSimeon of Durham, Brompton and Knighton do all teftify; thelaftwheroof makes fure work, i>2 additionof thefynchroniim €^ king Ste- .phen's.death.
5. Hugh II. called Kevdiock, from a town of the fame name in Wales where he was born, now termed Machanleth, in Montgomeryfhire. He was the foil of Ranulf IL. . In the year 1 157, Malcolm king of Scotland came to Chefter, a|}d did homage to kjngHenry.. In the year 1172, this earl rofe in arms againft the king; and in 1173 was taken prifoner. In 1 1 8 1 , he died at Leek, S tafibrdfliire.
1 1 8 1. 6. Ranulf IIL fon of Hugh II. born at Whitchurch in Shroplhire, was alfo earl of Lincoln and Huntingdon. He had three noble wives, but no iffue; and performed, as before recited, many .great atchievements. He died at Wallingford the 28th of Odober, 1232, and was buried at Chefler.
1232. 7* John Scot, n^hew to Ranulf III. enjoyed this earldom but a mort time, dying, as fome fay, of poifon, in -the year 1237, at Darnal Grange, in Edibury hundred, the yxk of June, and was buried at Chefter. After his deccafe king Henry IIL held the earldom for fome time in his own hands, and ajfterwards created his fon Edward earl of that palatinate. The following genealogi- cal fcheme exhibits at one view an account of theif fviccclfive title t0 that dominion.
Tbi
OF ENGLAND.
47F
The Stem of the Earls of Chefter.
Jdm Bohwii Bail of Gwncrliiiay tnd loidofCaititl.
Rtnolf I. - dcMefchyn.
4-
Rasnlf JL- deGernon.
Botriet, iMXn^tttr «f— ^ Rid. LiKy, chief | jufticeofEoglaBd.
£iiiiiiii,....A.^_RichardEbil or AvrancbcK in Conftantinc in ,Nqi- mandjr. •
Hugh Lttpnt, ■■ A. Enncnimdc. •Mar^TOt*
«;
Maud — A— lUchard. 2. Ottwd. 3 . Rob. daughter to Abbot
Stephen, £• 4. Geva. of Bu-
of Bloii. ry.
-Maud, daughter to Aubrey deVere, £. of Guifnes and Oxon*
-Alice, dai^hter to Robert Earl of 5. I Gioucefter.
^^ — Hugh IL Keveliock.
6.
Ranulf m. He buUt Beeflon-Gaftle. de^B(jcmde\'iIle.
Maud •~^^— David, Earl of Angui Habel I apd Gallowiiy in Sco(-
Agnes I land, aud of Hun-
Avifi I tingdon in England.
7- John Scott.
Pppz
SECT.
^y6 T H/e. V A L ^.R 6Y-A L
The Earls ^Cheftfer, ^f fhe Jioyal '^looJ^
1 Z5Z. i^ rp DWARD I. fon of kii^ Henjy III. J2/ "Ms born Juite 'i 6, 123^, at Weft- riiinftcr j whicfh year ind month he cohfemi by an eclipfe of the fun, oh the third day of the fame month bordfextd^ i. e.ndar^noon ; and fo it fell out iUdtiiAy t)ieTunt)i6ih]p; i^lij^fed about nine digits^ in the 19th Qemini. When lie was thirteen yea^ <W^ in the year 12^2, he was created ejM of CheA)ftr,« wiAthoft6h(yuf»6f-!rcIand,<Jiifcoign, and Wales; as b6th the Matthew^ ^ml iCni^hton do teflify^ iTTiis was ^tHe man U^at ^tr^s fc} mightily pleafed with the pleafantnefs of Chelhire^ that. he term- ed it the *oyal Vattcy xti -fingfend ; tWt parti* cularly, fKat ijplSce :of it, ^where lie ifourfded his ftately abBiey,
1264. 2. Simon de Montfbrt« the* potent earl of Leicefter, Jft'Wf^ oVdthT&wn' the kflfig in a fignal battle, at LC^es In SulRx^ 'tfh'd Yaken the king prifoner, and Tiis fgn Ejdwi^rd, iie reeeived. tiic earldom of Chefter, aind mkny 'other honodrsiMto his poffeflion for the prince's rarrfyfa 5 htit Ac nctxt year i>e>i)ff flain at Evdham, the fifth of Au- gull, aH nis honours . retarded unto the crown rj^gahi % the^^diir rt&S' JThe feries of time •cohftrairted i!his man to bciiiferted as aftual pof- l^flbr of tliis earldom, t1kh%h not of the royal btoiod.
1302. 3. Edwordll. born at Carnarvon in Wales, 6ft Tuefday/ApTit 25, 1284* He was fummoned
to
O f? E N g'l a N p.- . 477
to the parlvimenc at Lincoln, held by his father at ttat place, in the year 1.302^ with the- titles of carl of Chcfter and Flint : in which year he went to Cheiler and received homage.
1322. 4. Edward III. born at Wiiidfor, November 14, 13 12, being the feaft of St. Bricius, whofe birth Walfingham fixes with a notable eolipfc of the moon, the fame year, on Thurfday the foar- tceotJi of December, the morrow after tlie feaft of ^Lucy, which began in the evening, <ind conti- nued three hours. He was created prince of Wales, duke of Aquicain,and earl of Cliefi:«r, in a parlia- ment-at York in the year J 322, and held it four- teen years, till he difpoiedc^ it to his fon.
1336. 5. Edward the Black Prince^born at Wood- ftock^ June 15^ 13299 ^nd cf eated eaf 1 of Chefter in full parbament, on the feaft of St. Gregory, i.e. March 12, 1336, which he hdd till the ilay of liis death, which was upon Trinity Sunday, June 6,1376, having been earl of, this county forty years and almoft three months.
1376. 6. Richard II. the fon of the Black Prince,
bom at Bourdeaux, in 13^6^ fays Walfingham,
fc? in Efipbanid Domini^ fays Thorne, i. e. January
6. He wa5 created carl of Chefter prd'ently after
his father's d^ath, in the parliament at Weft-
minfter, in the nrionth of June, 1376. In the
year 1398, he aflumed the ftile of prince of
Chefter, in the parliament at Shrewlbury, and
continued fo till his depofition by Henry IV. So
Ithat he held this dominion from his firll creation
till diat time twenty-three years : after whom the
eldeft fons of the kings or England were always
at their birth reputed earls of Chefter ; but moit
times were folemnly create. 1 and inveftcd in that
dignity.
1399. 7. Henry V. when his father afTumed the re- gal dignities, was, in the lame parliament, created
prince
478 THE y A L E . R O Y A L
prince of Wales, duke of Cornwall, tnd earl of Chefter. He wa$ bom at Monmouth, in the year 1388, and he held his principality twenty-two years.
1421. 8. Henry VI. born earl of Chefter, at Windfor, on St. Nicholas da)r, December 6, 142 f> which he held till the birth of his eldeft fon, ahnoft thirty-two years.
1453. 9* Edward, the fon of kii^ Henry VI. was born at Weftminfter O&ober 13, X452» ^^ ^ ^ birth, earl of this coimty ; bur he was more (b- lemnly inftituted the 15th of March follow- ing. He was murdered at Tewkeftniry, by Rich* ard Crouchback (after king of England), in May»
1471. 1 o. Edward V. fon of king Edward IV. was born November 4, 1471, at Weftminfter, his £^ ther being now king, and he, by right of birth^ fucceeds the former unfortunate Edward in rfiis earldom; but wa^ more pompoufly inaugurated into his dignities July i, 1473 ; and fo continued ten years, till he was cruelly murdered at the fe-; cret appointment of his ufurping uncle and un» natiaral guardian, to preferve the crown from him.
1483. 1 1 • Edward, the eldeft fon of king Richard III. was born at Middleham near Richmond^ 1473, and was created by his father earl of Chef- ter Auguft 24, 1483, which he held but two years, tor he died in 1485, before his father was flain at Bofworth field ; happy in that he faw ndt his father's downfall.
1485. 12. Henry VII. fon of Edmund earl of Richmond, was bom in Pembroke-caftle in the year 1457, ^^^ ^^ ^^ fifty-two years old when he died April 22, 1509. He attained the crown Auguft 22, 1485, and among other ix)yaltte9*, kept in his pofTeflTion the palatinate of Chefter, till the birth of his eldeft fon.
i486.
f X486. 13. iUtlmritbeeldeftibnofld^ imbomuiHiadiitaicT Septrmberao; *i48«; jndl fRHn his cnmuioe into liie world darts tht adniif- fioD into this earldom, but was with more fokm* flitir inftalkd ixt the fifth tear cuncfcit <xf Us ik^ tho^s itign, 0nthe £vA Wv-St.. Andrew,. Ndvenbk br^^o, 74&9« He ctted in the year 1 503^ 'April ^ at Ludlow. « V
^^risdbl. 14. Henry VIIL duke of York^ andiecood ft* ^Ifiof Heoiy VII: fucceeded his brodk:r4n thb d^^piiff/. He was^iKNSf at.GreeMrich, June^aa^ ^fpx^ he;waa'ttivefted Febmary iSirfgof , ^ih the nilittf fftli ycar^rf hit. fatl^er^aicigai ^ '.' .7dit37»s5^Edwa]?dyLdiefoirat.kingHeiir7 V (at hxs birth, which wat. at HamptiArCourt^ earl tfAChAcr), intfaeyear 1537^0001^60 la, and was ^.'lii^aE the iame months as' biflKMJir - 0«i- win tefti(ie$, invefted in that dignity, iii died atGivenwich, July 6, 1553. ,^^
1553* 16. Mary,i daughter to king Henry VIII. hanring the royal diadem upon her he^, is to be re-
ritcd countds. of Chefter during ber lite v^' which may as well fet down, as Dr. Powell in hi& Wales, makes her princefs of that territory : bo- &iei,' flie afted in thefe dominions according to ^•ratc of her place . and titles: to which alio, .Humphrey Floyd gives in his vcrdift, that tJie ■idqg.of England's fldcft dwghier enjoyed this
Jriviltge^ if njale iiTue failed. She died at St. amcs's-houfc, November 17, 1558. 160^. J 7. Elizabeth, queen of England, and daugh' tcr coking Henry VIII, at her afccnt to the royal thronCf affomcd the dignities of Chefter, and ac- cordingly mana^d the aifairs of that county. Shu was born at Greenwich, September 7, 1533, and died at Richmond, March 24, 160}.
18. Henry, the cldcft fon of king James, w«s
born at Edinburgh, February 19, 15$^ and %t
- . ' ' *hi-^
i
48q the VALE-IQYA^L
his father's coming to the-crown, was invnod^tely earl of Chefter ; but fuUy invefted May 30;, idiiO, He died November 6, 161 2, at St. Jfames'Sk •
1610. 19. Charles I. fecond ion ofking James, born atDumfermling,in Scotland, November 9^ 1 60Q9 at his brother's death was earl of Chefter ; hw pom* |)oufly invefted November 4, 161 6. He fuQered a. violent death at Weftminfter, on Tuefday Janu- ary 30, 164^-, about two o'clock in thp afternoon, and buried at Windfor on Saturday £ebrutry the Seventeenth. His death I (hall Bx tor future ages, with an eclipfe of the fun, in Scorpio, 12, 24, which I faw at Oxford, above four digits, eight months after, viz, 0£tober 25, 1649, one hour forty-five minutes, P. M«»
1630, 20. Charles, the eldeftfon of kingCharlfi^, was made earl of this county on Saturday Nt^y 39, 1630, near one o'clock in the afternoon, and is ftill living. Whether, or when hp was iblemnly inftalled in this royalty, J yet find not* His birtn was accompanied with two notable accident^ in the heavens, i. The ftar of Venus was vifible all day long ; as fometimcs it falls out near hergmafr- eft elorigation. The fecond was an ^ipfe ra the fun, about eleven digits the fecond day after» be- ing May the thirty-firft, 6. h. P. M, dbf^rved l» Dodor Bainbridge, at Oxford, m Gemini 19^^ and Gaflendus, at Paris, p. 88^, £picur. Pit^ lofopb. to be eclipfed eleven digits thirty-two mi- nutes. ^
Thus have 1 given in the catalo^e of ail the carls of Chefter to this day. Ijudecd, I read of one £dol, in the year 471, and of one Curibn, in -<he days of king Arthur, earls o( Chefter ; Alfo,, of one Brochweil, earl or confirf of Chdler, in the days of Ethelfrid, king of Northumborland : ' But becaufe more fobcr and difcvect authors, not addided to the pS^y &^ons of bardi and monks,
biiyt
OF, ENGLAND.
481
bane yieUbd us no foUdconfimutionoftfadir dines aoAwMmaions, I 0udl lay them to flecp. in thdr MiDiilfiih cndks, and leave them to be rocked by Pwwinw VJnuuuus, Geo^f of Monmouth, HcdEor Boeduiis, and t^dydore .Viigi^ perioas noiefic to tend babes with their rattles and talo, tiuu CO write a ibber hiftory.
CHAP. III.
Cfjie Bs/io^ tf MertMf and others Jkceud- mdi bfUfy^ oftbepKuliiirBififipstf^
S E C T. I.
OfibeBiJbtfsofyitvciz^ their Seat not fixed.
655. t. TXIUMA, a Scotchman, was immedi- JL/ ately afttr the (laughter of Penda, cMftttutcd bifliop of Mercia, by Ofwy, the Chrif- tiaa king of N<xthumberland ; he was one of the four priefts that came with Finanus out of Scot- land, and was ordained by him to this prorin^. He died at F^ing.
658. 1. CooUah, another Scot, called Cellach, bff Bcde, late hifliop of Mercia \ who, upon fome dtfcoctents, in a little while returned to the mo- nafterf of Hij, in Scotland, or Jona, one of the illes of the Flebrides, called now Icolmkill, from $L Columbus^ the firft erefter of that monaftery.
660. 3. Trumhere, an -EngUflunan, but or* dained by the Scots ; he was abbot of Ingctlin, the place where kbg Ofwy was flain.
Vol. 1. (^q q W4.
aSz the vale-royal
664. 4. Jaruman, or German, as *Bede*s 9tK- on Copy calls him, next fucoeeded, and perfi^rflied many good deeds beionging to his fun&ioti in tlie £aft-Saxon province, being ient tiiither bf tbe king of Mercuu ^
SECT. n.
Bijhops of Mercia, having tbitr Seats fome- times at Coventry, fometimes at Chefter, nwfi eommonfy at Lichfield, 4nd th$f^)bre (thetfttalfyfoJtiieJ; Ina bMlCkeMren^ider their Eptfa^al Government.
669. I. /^EApDA, fo called by Bede, was V-^ forrietiriie archbrfhop of York, and ab- bot of LeftiOTay, in Yorkfliire ; but new by Wol- phur, king or Mercia, made bifhop of Mercia, and W & feat affigned at Lidifidd. :Tto is that famous St. Chad, ai whom tht csompiler of Wooden Legend tells fo many true lies^. He is faid, by Bede, to die 6 Nan. Mart, or the fecund of March, being St. Chad's day, famous in* Iiich- field AnnaU. -^-
672. 2. Winfrid, a good and as modef): iniM, l9?ho had been a deacon under St. Chad; and^was ordained bifhop of this province, by' TlMKtore VII. arcfabiihop of Ganterbury. He was ^piefeat at the council of Herttbrd, but was dDp^icdL by the fame Theodore, for fome difobddUdirer as Bede terms it.
(\y6. 3. Scxwulfus, in this year, fate bilhdp of Mercia atLich&dd ; as the cfafohcAc^ical table at the end of loguifus fays. He was C^r^ru^or &
Mbas
OF EN G ^ A ^1^ .4§9
Jl^ Afyu^mi MuUs4fmi^fd^ ntm. caOed Cecer- .li«m^ in Nortliiaoiptonflure. laJ^W.^^^ tlif
692. 4* Hedda^ or Eadhedius^ ^y .^^i||^onr nils him, h^an in this jcap, ^ the^c)[u?9Qolbg;{c'4 table ezbibits ^ whidi hiihop Ggdiyin fqUows.
721. 5. Al(hdnuSy Cut d^ 7ii^, as the for- mer table, dicnigh bilhop Gcxiwin jg^ down 721^ whom i lo6ku{>on aa ftandii^onthe former^s ihoulders, and feeing truu the'taith He died in the year 727, as Hoveden tttftifies. *737v ^' Witta, or ^icca, as Simon 0f '0ur- •JiJWtcailshim.
' ■ 75«- 7- Hcmelitt^ . . » \ .
^ ' 764. 8. Ciichred, qilk)d.Ctftbtfi?4> J^ff J^^f- .buiy.
773' 9- Berthunus, or Berthum •, his beginning is placed in this year by the chjnonological uble.
780. 10. Higbertus : th{$ man is not mention- ed in Malsnibury's Rafter of Mercian bifiiops -, JbtM I fin4 him fubTcribingto the canons of the ci^nfril m Calcuth there cielebrated, in the year ^ . 7^7 : In which year k was determined, that Lich- £Md Ihould be the (eat of an archbiuiop, as the . kamed knight collets out of Hoveden . Befides, ^ .he tells us, that he was called Higcbritus, or Hugebertus, or Humbertus. That Higbert, as Jirchbiihop, was alive in the year 793 -y one of the ^.^^harters of king OSa tellifies by his lubfcription. - That Humbert, as archbifhop, was alive anno. -793fc Matthew WcftnAUifter witncffes, cafting up his.HC^ount, that he died ann. 795, and that one Highqrt fucceeded. Of one Higbert, I read >Q^* 795* 4^ 9:^ May, fubfcribing to a fecond '- charter of St. Alban's. I find at this very time oneAdulf^ arcbbifliop of Lichfield, fitting in the Q^q q 2 chair
i
4^4 T HE V At E-R O Y A L
chair ann. 790^ as the fore-cited Cable and the kiuig^ both place, hhn: In the mean while^ Wilr liam of Malmlbury^ leaves out all the Higbcrts and Humberts, and fets down only one Adulf be- tween the two bifhopSy Berthun and Herewiii. I read alfo of one Aldulf, bifliop of Sidnacefter) ili Lincolnihire, within the limits of Mercia, at this very time, who is called biftiop of Lichfield, bare- ly without a pall at his back, by Brompton ; and yet notwithftandinft, Malmfbury records that the archbifliop of Lichfield's name, at his conftitution, was Aldulfus. The time of this archbiihopriek's duraoon was from 787 to the year 802, but fif- teen years continuance, no long time ^ for in the year .787 the meflengers from pope Hadrian came to the council at Calcuth, and Drought the the pall to king Offa^ who, it is probable, did in^ veft his bifhop with this new ornament ; and that in .the year 79P, Aldulphus fucceeded him in .the fame hpnoun
79P. II. Aldulphus, archbifliop of Mercia,whQ^ according to the former table began this yeart but in the year 801, or 802, at fartheft (as the learned. Uflier obferves), ^e epiftle from Pope Leo to king Kenulph, degrades him from this hor nour ; But he continued in his old feat twelve years after ; it feems it went not to his heart, nor did St. Peter's keys knock him at headt - ^
814. 12. Herewinus: he was alive in the yeai" 835, fubfcribing the charter of king Withlaft to the abbey of Crowland.
835. 13. Ethelwaldus in the tables, orErk- enwald in Malmfbury. I read him called Orkan- wold, in his fubfcription, and figning to king Ber>> tulPs charter 851. He died, as Godwine •coi^' ccives, in the year 857.
857. 14. Humbert IL he died in the year 864^
.864.
. ■ « or Bf> t N* O 1} A* N */ * '^" ^Ij} fcir ^^vi^iviaicHBw^ wcRmiimcr ixgnr inni aowiii
r MmiAdi& totetlKr ftfiietiim w^ iSeCbmber:
IHIbit;Hmd(sf Ae BBiiebr Hiirpsfie^ I'fitic tralV
dtA the'mtifttrf^'tlifi^ttbksi^
till more lij^ arifes concerning their ftkccclijons. Vkncm oar^^ood friend Matthew Wcfhtiinftcr makes Tuncfnd to live to the vear 928, and men- tiom no Othd-'tban hini from tne fprmer year. A fi|gt cdUiifenbr certdinly : Wdl, howevci' we find
r^Si - 1*7/ Ella began in paS. That he fiite in cli5d«y9^/%ing^Athdftan, Malm -940. ' i8i jCUPgarus, according to the tables^ U^an in the year of Chrift 040 to put on his poh- ofical mitre i but when he lurrendered it, it is hot fo eaiy to determine: For whereas they fet it 953, 1 find liiff iUGceffor Kihfius fubfcribing a charter in Ingulfus anno 948.
94*." 1^. Kirifius: where to place the exaft tenn of his beginning I am yet to learn, but that he was in his teat in 948 is clear out of Ingulfus, and that he continued till 966.
966, 20. Winfius : I know feveral put down this man as the iucceflbr of Kinfitis ; but at what je^t be began is uncertain. The forecited tables,
Malmfbury, 1
486 T H.E V A L E.R O YA L
Malmfbury, and bifhop Godwin do mention him ; but fome place, his beginning in 5^65 •» but becaufc in the former charter I find Kinuus alive in 966, 1 ^ar he is the fam^ man with Winfius ; but till better information, I (hall fet him down 9^5. It being agreed on moft hands, that there .^^oacf Winfius different from Kinfius. and that his rule determined anno Dom. 977^ he fublcribed to king fdgarus's'charteri given to Glaflx^nbury abbeyi anno Dom. 971. opeknan's CounciU, p. 4S69 and Monaft. AngL i7to 33.
977. 21. Eltegus, or Elfeth, as Malmfbot^ calls hict) : He fate down in the ieat, as the t^ bles, and l^fa^cfon, a laborious man in the churcht$ anticjuities, ajpprehend, in the year 977.
990,. :^2. Godwinus began according tothdi; fituation of him in the year of Grace 990^ and ended his rule 1007.
1007. 93. Leofgarus : he fat down in the year 1007, and died in the year of our redprnption 102 !•
1 02 1. 24. Birthmarus -, the ubles place him to commence anno Dom. 102 1. Others 102 x. I find him fubfcribing the charter of king Gaqute to Crowland abbey. He died in theyeaf 10391 a; Simeon of Durham^ Matthew Wcftminftcr, and Florence jointly atteft.
1039. Ulfius, or Wulfius^ b^^h in- 1059 1[>y general conient, and died in the year 10541
1054. 26. Leowius^ abbot of Coyeoi^, ftfCr ceeds him, of whom Knighton fpeaks; andrlre^ of his death in- the next year-after the comyieft 7^067.
S E C T.
OF S N:GiL, A NOX: ' ^
!'.»:
4if Cbe^txr ^^ ibe Conquefi.
I .tV
f oi^ iw OE'TRtJS^ ivtio 4A the days of arch- .: . . -) ■ iMT 'hifhpp JLafl&anckj ^^friipn the epif- copal (cats were removed from igndble 4uid oh- iMTtimnisto monemuftrioot ^kces» truflated ' xfac tpacfnm lAdtibM^ tbea alordid and disfttt ^plaaeviiMp«Ciuft«r,a.(utf ^ renovM^ wfaiqh Ger- ▼ifi^ittidmMf oihmMeiie. WeJitro ai> epiftle ^IJMiEfauwkiuitotlus^^ bifliop
rcf Chefter^ ^ichthe great antiquary Selden ex* hibits in his notes upon Eadmerus. Noiw we are -amined at nore exaft certainty in the ferics and .fuGCoiten of our btfliops; but fliall not enlarge on any ftories of their lives and afts, but refign oner that province to our eccleliaftical writers; only tecaute th^ are called biihops of Chefter, by theirhcMceft of our hiftorians, we fhall give in cbr catalogue «f them, with their true times of -fedton^ £m- that they bare rule in all fpiritual mat- ters o^er our noble county, and fometimes had • their irfidence in our chief city. This Peter was buned at Chefter.
. io8y. -2. Robert of Lindfey, of whom Mat- thow -Paris tefti£es that king William Rufus 4utpihg iis Cbriftmas at Gloucefter, appointed Robert one of his chaplains, bifhop of Chefter, He is called Robert bifliof) of Chefter by Hovc- den^ and others *, though it is {rue, that he con- fticttted a famous palace for himfelf at Coventry. At kft he died September i, 1 1 17, and was buried at Country. That be died in the year 11 17, Si- meon
488 THE VALE. ROYAL
meon of Durham teftifies ; to which, for the more certainly, he annexes the afiuring chara^er of an eclipfe of the fun, the third of the Ides of De- cember; which was indeed celebrated Dec. ii, 1 1 17, being Tuefday, at one of the clock after mid- nigtit, in the 19th decree of Gemini^ and was total.
1 1 17. 3. Robert reccham, who died in the year 1 1 32, as Matthew Paris witnefies, and calls him bimop of Chefter •, and adds that this biflipprick in his days had three feats, Chefter, Lich^d, and Coventry.
1132. 4. Roger, who began this year 113a, and is called bimop of Chefter in die records of that age : I know others put different years ; but in this I rely on both the Matthews authori^. I find him bifhop of Chefter, and fo called in the chaner of the foundation of Combermere. This man was chancellor of England.
1 146. 5. Walter prior of Dover fucceedfid bi- ihop of Chefter, fo called by both the Matthews, and placed in this year. In the copy of the char- ter to Farewel monaftery in Staffbrdfhire, although granted in the chapter-houfe of Lichfield, die bifliop calls himfelf by the name of Chefter : And indeed, hence I coUeft, and from other tcftimo- nies, that though he might have refided at Lich- field, yet in thpfe days, and ever uU the cutting out of Chefter as a particular diocefs, . they were frequendy called bifhops of Chefter; and fince, thofe that continued at Lichfield, had that name from thence peculiarly. Befides, this man is called bi&op of Chefter exprcfsly in the Hiftory of Co- ventry.
J 162* 6. Richard^ the fon of Robert Peccham, is called bifiiop of Chefter by Radulfus de Diceto, the fon of a bifliop, a great wonder in thofe days, wherein a monaftical life was fo honoured^ and yet that author lays, that the (bns of cletks^ if of
an
O F E N G L A N D. 489
an unblameable life, are not to be hindered in the acqueft of any Ipiritual dignity, no not of the pope- dom itielf^ where he gives fome famous inftances. He lets the time of this bifhop's beginning in die year 1 161, but I have placed it according to the general confent.
1183. 7. Gcrardus Puella, or la Pucella, cal- led bimop of Chefter by Matth. Paris, and Ralph the dean of St. Paul's m London, who died witn- in a few months after. Robert de Monte, who made the Appendix to the Chronology of Sige- bert, places his inftalment the year before, and his'dcath this year, but gives him a high com- mendation. He was conKcrated in the year 1 1 89, September 25th, and died the ides of January fol- lowing, and was buried at Coventry^ who lays he was inftituted ad regimen Ceftrenfis EtcUfis. Af- ter his deceafe, there was a vacancy for a while in that chair,
1 186. 8. Hugo Nunant; by Paris, de Minant, by others, Novant. Matth. Paris, John of Tine- mouth, and William of Newbury, ftyle him bifhop of Chefter ; the laft whereof is extremely angry with him, and calls him fubtle and bold, and yet learned; all the reafon is, it fcems, becaufe he was io learned in the Scriptures as not to defpife, but advance, the married clergy.
1 198. 9. Geoffry de Mufchamp was elefted bifhop in the year 1198, 11 kal. July, and is by the monk of Weft, called bifliop of Chefter. He died in the year 1208, which Paris confirms by a notable eclipfe of the moon, the 3d of February that fame year, which was total about three-quar- ters of an hour paft five in the evening, in the 2 1 degree and 30 minutes of Leo. After whom it was vacant three years.
12 1 1. 10. This year Parifienfis places Walter de Gray in his feat, though his younger brother
Vol. I. R r r Matthew
49P THEVALE-SLOYAL
fl^Eatthew denies it. I had rather follow t^e foj^ ner. He is called by both bilhop of Chefter.
12 16. II. William de Cornhill coniecrated bifhop of Chefter, and died 1223^ as both th» mpi^s agree.
1224. 12. Alexander de Stavenibywas created ^ifiipp of Chefter at Romc^ by no lefs a ms^ than pope Hoqorivis himfelf, on Ea9:er-day, which fell wpon tbfi t4th of April that year) in wl^ch we l^ve %re(ing (h^ fore-cited tc^ckponies. He d^ on St. Stephen's-day^ at Andover, 123S. Fc^ lll^^v^ the Matthews iay k wa$ 1239^ we jnuft j|^K>w, for the iblemnity of the time tbura ^(*r iMgin the y^y qa Cbriftmias-dayy and io tor fik ^ys antedate thdr rcjciied a^iotns before the com-
lW}ncwiei>t <^ rfv5 JiiK W XWff.
. 1939. 13. t^Iugh de Pat^i^ after miaqh con- tt^v^^y ^cnong die qionks^ bfejing canon of F^uji's, was chofen bilnop of Cheider, and To called ac his 4eadi by Paris» which he f^y^ haj^aed q^ De* cember jtb^^ 1 241 *, which he confixoos with ^ ^cf- ribte ecupfe of the fun, viable 9. litt)e bdfp^, being dar^ened^ 11 digiu, in the 2ptb ^egrqe qf J^ibra,. Qdipber 6th, near npqn. A^cer iu$ death, JX lay foipetiffie vacant, as wa% ufyall m theirs days, ^t the reyenjues might be deifAV^ V^^ kcQlf^ cofiers.
1245. 14. Roger de Wefehaip^ or Weftham, 9a our conftant n-iend Parifi^nfis cs^Jis hipa^ waa defted biihop of Chefter : he died 1257.
1257. '5* Hoger de Mokn^ caJUled di lfiui<t $pata\ he was confecr^^.uppfi £aj^«d4y, 125$, which fell out th^t year March 24th, and )^ cai- kd de Mudrlent, anid l^i^p pf Chefter by M^th* f aris. He died 1 295.
1295. 16. Walter de L^qgtoiv Here our oJ|d and conftant friend Mat^. Paris being dea^, anno 1295, can iUnd u« in n(9 lOPgOT l^^ad ^D^t our
biftops^
<» P fi H a L A N 0. ^ ^t
die name xxfChefter, as the oioft falndlM'^liKft 4a the diocefs, and proves, in this point, the favou- rite of Chdfter. Therdbre, ftriking off to Heniy Knighton, ^m Htyi hhn itcdhlblg diis man by die nafne of bilhop of Chefter. The three fucceffinrs of this man, ne read ^led hifliops of Chefter, is wtkl as Coventfjr; bjr do£brti^6eld| but wc Ihall ipefer the pafiages of their lives to him and btkfir^ilMlftirs, UingwiifiktW^lt^^ names, and pals to the left.
131^.' 77. Rd0Kr Kotthbttl^ mtttUd' fi>^ lis gref "jiiirs. • r..
igts: 18. WalnrSldrte^.
irj$6« 19. lUdiatd ScMop.
1309. t6. |olMBHI|^il|eallidbitep«fCM* «r % WaiBiiehsm^ irtio ieHs os, tfuu: Itt tHris trkiiflated fioin Llatkdtfff thither ijjf'S, and «oA« fecraced probably the next year, as other authd^ lepoit. He was the king's coi^flhr.
14x5. at. John Ktcterich. This mail, and tfte left fHCceeding tiH dcaof Bird, ait not caU«d feiinfn l>f Chefter by any of out authentic audicm ; ohfy as I itmemter, Jaines Gary, by Stow ; and GeoSicy Blithe, by Hotti»gi(hed. Bmbecaufe their diocefe tilMipMfaended bxit prinedy city of Chefter, we &ail onfy infeit their names out of approved, wiiters, »d come to die reverend and pecUiar dioceiiMs of Chefter.
1419. aa. James Cary.
1420. 23. WiUiitA Highworth» 1447. 24. William Bdeth. 145=2* 25. Nichdaft Clofe. 1453. ^^^* Reginald Sutler. 1459. 27. John Hales. 1492. 28. William Smith. i49€; 29. John Aniivdel. tsoi. 3a GeefiVey Blithe;
R r r 2 1524
491 THE V A L E - R O Y A L
1524. 31. Rowland Lee, who was afterwards arcli^ifhop of York.
«
S E C T. IV.
Q/" tie peculiar Bijbops of Chester.
- XlT ^^^ Henry VIIL having done great injurjr JT^ to the church, and now being defirous to pay St. Paul with the revenues of St. Peter, and to repair the ruins of his reputation, he ero&ed t;he fabrics of fix new biihopncs at Weftminfier, Oxford, Briftol, Gloucefter, Peterborough^ and Chcftcr. Weftminfter lafted not long. Chefter he did but reftore to its ancient eftate, though not to its primitive luftre, in the largenefs of its cir- cuit and dominion. This he performed in the year 1540, July i6th, in the 33d year of his reign. Its chair was placed in St. John's church, but afterwards in the conventual church q£ St. Werburgh, and its bifhop made a fufiragan to York, as you nmy fqe at large in the afts of par- liament 33d Henry VIIL Its circuit contained
.all the archdeaconry of Richmond, part- of Lan- calhire, as far north as the river Ribble; ail Chefhirc, part of Denbighfhire, and part of Flint- ihire, &c. wherein were 256 pariflies, thereof 10 1 impropriations. It was valued in the king's book at 42ol. is. 8d and had alfo within its bounds two archdeaconries* of Chefter and Rich* mond, twenty-fix religious houfi^s, Jix hofpitals, four colleges, one hundred and forty-five chan- tries and free chapels^ wherein nothing now . but the tune of lacbrim0 is fung, crying out mercy
not
OF EN6£ AND;. 4^
aotfbr finners, but miierable fingers inrthefe days. The tenths of the clei^ to the crown were'tadued 4t455l. las.
Here we fhall beg^n a particular dcfcripdon of its reverend biifaops.
1541. I. John Bird, doftorin divinity, bom at Caventry^ bred pp in the 4iniverfity of Oxford. He was the 31ft (but not the kft, as biihop Godwin lap) provincial of the order of the Carmelite fhara in England, which he prudtatif immagod three years, from 1516 to 1519. Aft^ which he • was mft made bifliop of Oflbry in Ireland^ liKi from thence tranflatcd to Bangor, and thence id .Chefier. This man having preached fome nep- iroos fennoDs before king Henry VIII. anno 1537, MguaSt the pope's iupreinacy,.was thereupon ad- . nmoed to thcfe dignities. He was afterwanb di- veftedof his honour, anno 1556, by queen Mary, who was no friend to wived clergymen; in which year alfo he departed this mortal life.
1556. 2. George Cotes, called falfely John by bifliop Godwin ; but by Twine, in his Apology oif Oxford's Antiquity, and others, chriftened by his true name. He was a ftudent in Magdalen col- lege in Oxford, and was afterwards prefident of Baiiol college in the fame univerfity ; he lived not long after his confecration, yet as little a time as he lived, he waflied his hands in the blood of a godly martyr. He died in the reiga of queen ft^ry.
^557* 3* Cuthbert Scot, doAor in divinity, and fometime ftudent in Chrift's college in Cam- bridge. He was chofen matter of that college 15539 ^^^ ^^ ^ bufy man in the burning of Bucer^s bones at Cambridge. He was afterwards depofed by queen Elizabeth, and catt into Fleet- pnibn in London, whence he efcaped beyond the ieas to Louvain, and there died.
1561.
494 THE VALE.ROYAL
1 561. 4. William Downham received his edu- cation at Magdalen college at Oxford, and was fometime chaplain to queen Elizabeth before flie attained the crown. He was confecrated May 4th, 1561, and died in November 1577 -, a man famous for his two fons, George, bimop of Lon- donderry in Ireland, and John, B. D. a learned and painful writer of many excellent pieces in di- vinity.
1579. 5* William Chaderton, do&or in divi- nity, who was firft fellow of Chrift's college in Cambridge, and afterwards mafter of Queen's col- lege in the fame uhiverfity anno 1568, and fo continued till the year 15799 wherein he was regius profeflbr of divinity, a learned and a witty man. lie was confecrated November 19th, 1579, and was afterwards tranflated to Lincoln, 1595. This dodor, while at Cambridge, preached a wedding- fermon, and ufed therein this merry comparifon : The choice of a wife (faid he) is full of hazard, not unlike to a man groping for one fifli in a bar- rel full of ferpents ; if he cfcapc harm of the fnakes, and lijght on the fifli, he may be thought fortunate ; yet let him not boaft, for perhaps it may be but an eel.— He was beloved by the fcholars for his affable and courteous behaviouK Being made bilhop of Chefter, he was a great lover of the noble family of Derby. He preach- .cd the funeral fermon of Henry Stanley earl of Derby, at Ormfkirk in Lancafhire, anno 1593; wherein having given large commendations ot the deceafed perfon, he turned his fpeech toFerdinando^ the tten prefent earl. You (faid he), noble carf, that not only inherit, but exceed, your frthe^s virtues, learn to keep the love of your country as your father did. You give in your arms throe legs, fignifying three Aires, Chefliire, Derby- fhire, and X^ancafhire ; ftand faft on chefe three
legs.
t
OP ENQ^,ANa ^
At which, die jparl, locn^luit raqmi^ j^^ q^ a Ifeai:, ami. finfiiUi; witli aii oath,^ T^
prieft, 1 believe* hopes one day to nuke him three courtefies. The Difhop himfelf was married^ but had only one daughter, whom he joined to a knight of a worfliipful i'amily j though ai'terwards the pcrlbns lived afunder, to the fmall comfort pf
told age. He died in April^ 1608^ 1595, 6. Hugh Billet, or Bellot, doftor in di- vinity of St. John's college in Cambridge, was tranfUted hither from Bangor, 1595, and lived in this feat, fome fay, two years j others, and thofc the moft, but one year. He died about Whit funtide, 1596, and lies buried at Wrqfhvn ihe coujity of Denbigh,
1596. 7- Richard Vaughan, doftor in divinity, i?f St, John's college m Cambridge, lyas tranflat- ed hither from Bangor May i6th, 1596^ as thp Aonals of Chefter do teflify, and wa3 inflalled> November lOth, 1597. I know bifhop Godwin ^Ikfpjt, ^ IfUQe X7^thi but the AoiijilSj of the ciur MPM^iV^h^^^ teftkmi^ili^,} who pdte alfo a moft nofff^^ 094 ^Qus eclipi^ of the fup^ feen in th^t ^4% ^39h^ ^^k V^ central, afid obfenrcd by JflflteWW^ TS?& » Mifoia, Ft^bruvjr 25th, qn *$W»»4?y: W«« ^pofu This our biihop co». iHM^ti^tiU itMpend of Pecemher, 1604, afnl fr« tifiwRfli;^ to Lo^dkwii. The beginning of his ;^yajpcemeiit was under the lord-keeper Pucker- iitg^ iqh(> dei^ed hjim to examine fuch as fued tp ^ IprdUkpep^r ^ benefices in ifds gift^ Onc^ ^k: vra^. a noblpman's chaplain to beexamioe^; Vhi^ HQt being very profound, ya^ helped out b^ 4 gfii>tlcn^ii th^ capaq with him. Mr. Vaugh^ 41^/)^ the cler^, a^id feriou^y prpfe0ed %o the geaiiifflai^i^ that if he himfelf defired to Hand fiotr the place, he would allow him fufficiently caaa-
i
Cf96 THE VALE.ROYAL
ble. Our bifhop was a man of a prompt and ready utterance, and a great enemy ca ail liip- pofcd miracles. For proof whereof, one arguing with him in defence thereof, in the queen'j^ clofec at Greenwich, urged, as an argument, the queen's healing of the throat-evil. He implied, that he was very unwilling to anfwer arguments taken from the topics of the cloth of cftate, but if ihey would urge him to an anfwer, he faid, his opi- nion was, (he did it by virtue of fome j>recious ftone, in the pofleflion of the crown of England^ that bad fuch a natural quality. He grew' fuH and corpulent towards his end, and falling mto the drowfy difeafe of an * apoplexy, may be pro- perly faid (as the fore-citecl knight wittily faid) to nave flept with his fathers. He died March 30tb, i6oy.
1604. 8. George Lloyd, born in Wates, was dodkor in divinity, and fometime fellow of Mag- dalen college in Cambridge. Afterwards he was 'bifhop of the Ifle of Mann five years, and thence tranflated to Chefter, and confirmed January i^ib, 1604 ; and died the 14th of Auguft, 1615, in the 55th year of his age, and was buried at Cheften
1 61 6. 9. Thomas Morton, allied to the wof- Ihipful family of the Mortons in Leicefter&iit, whofe anceftor, John Morton, had been archbilhop of Canterbury anno J486. This worthy man was dean of St. Werburgh*s in Chefter,' and afterwards biihop of this fee, July 7th, 1616. He was hence tranflated to Lichfield, 161 8, and thence to Dur- ham, 1632, that famous palatine bifhopric of Britain, fit for none but fuch as had tafted of the palatinate of Chefter in its earldom. He is as far as I can yet learn living, though content to walk up and down without a mitre, unlefs he would be ipifcopus puerorufHj in die innoctntium^ according to the rites of Sarum.
i6i8.
^ OF EN<} L and; 49f
1618. 10. John Bridgeman, dodor in divinity, and re£lor of W>gaa in iLanctfthice^ :l\c was chap- lain to king James, and, upon bi(hop Morton's trandatlon, was advanced to this dignitv ; but after many yearslfpent inJhis.diocefs, m the fatal year of the bifhop's downfal, he once more com- menced do&or ot (Uvinitv i& the mouths of the vulgar ; Whb now'dtem it *d ^ittt ^ facrile^ to call a man any other than a congr He died, as I liaVe heird, about ^ aMd'trd btiHed, ch^ir, 2tnd almoffi in thcTard tariredril ruins cff St. Werbuiigh, -At
• ^Utaliafaniof
^♦<^<^«W*^*»*<>*^
C H A P. IV-
C^ tbe' iPaHlamertiary Barons af the tlarls bf Chester.
IN this chapter I fhall but. crave leave to make an eflay to what, I hope, the diligent pains of the learned, in fearching the records, parch- ments, and conveyances of the noble and wor- "Ihipful families of this county, may give, in fuc- ceeding times, a more full and ample enlarge- ment. Meanwhile, let me entreat an indulgence from all liberal and good-natured fpirits for thefe hnill velitations j prefuming, that the whole body . of Chefhire's learned antiquaries will, in a Ihort time, engage uppn this fubjeft, to the great ho- noAir of all its inhabitants. At prefent I fliall make but twofeftions.
Vol I. Sss SECT.
498 THE VALE- ROYAL
: . -S E C T^ L
Of the Barons Temporal.
I HAVE read in feveral writings, that Hudi Lupus, the firft eari, had full power from toe Conqueror to conltitute and create oarons, to call conventions of eftates to aflTift him in coiuicilt'lo manage the affairs at law, and to decree ultimatdy, without appeal to the king's juftices. Thefe barons had their own free courts of all pleas ahd fuits, or complaints, except fuch as belonged to die earl's fword ; their omce was to aflift the earl in council, to yield him attendance, to repair to his court, and to do him homage. They were bound, in time of war, to find for every knight's-fee a horfe with caparifon- and furniture, or elfe two horfes without furniture, within the feveral divi- fions of Chefliire ; as alfo, that their knights and freeholders (hould have corflets, and haubergcons, and to defend their fees with their own bodies. The full number of thefe barons is not mentioned by all who fpeak of them, and many of them cor- ruptly fitiiated. What I have read, I fliall briefly recite, and leave the chain of their Imeages, and the circuit of their dcmefnes, to be more fully pro- fccuted by the learned Fsecials. I Tcad in tome that there were but four barons, viz. Sir Nigel of Haulton, Sir Piers Malban of Nantwich, Sir < Euftace of Malpas, Sir Warren Vernon of Ship- brook 5 and yet otherwhere I find the barofiy of Stockport poileit by one of the fame name, whole heir-^neral was married to Sir " Warren,
and
OF ENGLAND. 499
And thence Mr. Warren of ?6yntoh is called baron of Stockport. I find alfo by general confent the barons of Kinderton, in the name of Venabks, from the Conqueror's days; and, befides, that the goodly park and manor of Dunham, near Al- tringham, belonging to Mr. Booth, was the pof- feflion of Sir Hamon Maflcy, one of the eight barons of the county palatine of Chefter. For the proof whereof, let us hear the teftimony of the learned knight Sir Henry Spelman. It is cer- tain (lays he) chat the barons of the county pala- tine of Chefter were inftituted by Hugh Lupus, &c. but concerning their number it is not agreed; fome aHert there were twelve, and that the Con- queror himielf perfuaded Hugh to create no fewer, promiling to beftow upon them competent de- mefhes in England, if the earl could not in his own country. Th^re are found eight only (of whom it fpecially appears evidbnt) for others chat are fuggefted are no lefs fufpeded than thefe are apparent.
1 . NigpUus, baron of Helton,
2. Robert, baron of Monthalc.
3. William Malbedeng, baron of Malbank.
4. Richard Vernon, baron of Shipbrook.
5. Roberc Ficzhugh, baron of Malpas.
6. Hamon de Maflfcy, baron of
7. Gilbert Vcnables, baron of Kinderton.
8. N. baron of Stockport.
Thefe likewife we find mentioned, after the fame fort, in our Englilh Atlas, the painful fearcher, and happy compofer of our antiquities, in his delineation of Chefhire.
|. Nigel, baron of Haulton ; his furname was Robert as fome conceive. I remember to have read, that when the earl made wars upon the S s s 2 Wellhmen»
carl of Chtflter* being. c4D»}n 'lieutm»(it: t;«^ the; i^d carl, won iho. c^ftl^ of SiViH)^ .Ip Waka from than I which was^ as itf^mM^ f^tn^iit^tkft year 1098, when. Jdie Nowaapfc OJiniji? rtiis vcarV^ conduft, pa0<;d aa fan as Ai^fea^ ai»4 A^jlpldufii it. He was conftajaleiQf ClM^i^Isi:, .an4 nwHinal tQ die faid carL His pttft^r^y %fi^m^ the n^jO^ qH Laqr, for that lilie inheriiapqe pf the Lacys wa^ fallen to them^ uA ^ ^ ^d^ ^^^ of lHii;icc4ih whofe ifluc ending in a datldMifr, marripd^ (q Thomas earl qf Lancafter, . (he honour refl^th; npf^ in that duchy. He bare iflhi^ fliif]|do?s % lioa nmpaat puirputt* Hit ien WilUaa>: f itif-^igo^ founded the abbey of Norton, ia yj^irral,; ovfft againft Liverpool, and yras /buncd in.^h^^. The fowni dr Haulton yielding thus fhfi (itl<; o^ honour, took its aame, ab alt^fitUj from its h^ulc, or. high fituatioQ, and hath as yet a Urge judf-* di&ion,. holding a covy^ of record^ and a jfi^vi^ with many privileges. ^
I fhall here prelent you with the lineal fteni of thefe baronS) for. oiany generations^
;»
•teJ-** •■.^ -^-ii- ^■'J^- •r.v'tl'i-: nc"fi€! ,f..f,\ „i j: •,
y, Eoger HeUe^ bamea at Sfnlaw »A., ..,
-Mil. I
Ifarsaret, Countefs of Lin— -A— 8. John de Laqr, In tbe
^^ 4ni#tar l» «^9lm !4» .1 . r<f;hc of b|ftjiife, Earl of
l^laqr- I Lincoln^ M buried at
Alien, ijnngliwrtQthoii A , 9. Edmnnd: He watno^ Earl of Un- Marquis of Salus, I coin, becaufe he died before M '
in Savoy, | mother {• I^da wat Oonftable H
Chefter/and fiaron of Haul ton, and
vat buried atStanlaw, |2<8. * of Lincoln, i-ondq^, i3xo«
inlaw, |2<8. tfaifarel^ daughter ■ .A "»■ lo. Henry Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, buried
toWilUaniEarl of I at St. Paul's, in
Saliibury. I
Alice ^ XI. Tnomas Earl of Lancafler,
grandfbn to R!nf Maud ^ Henry IlL ha was beheaded in tho
la. Henry day* of Kiof Edw« II. and died iflue- lefs: His bcodfcr, I^niy^ fucceeded in his honours. 13, Henry.* Maud. gUiyhf A— >»i 14* tohoofOauitt,Dukeof
1*^ LancaAer, ton to King ftlwar<»UJ» 15, Henry Earl of Bplingbiolc^ Kin( of En^nd, by the name of Heliiy
2. Robert
501 T HE V A L E - R O Y A L
, 2 Robert, baron of Monthalt, i. e. Je mcnte diOy i. e. Hawarden, or Harden Caftle, in Flints fliire ; he was ftewaid of the palatine earldom of Chefter. . I read of one Euftace Crew, lord of Monthalt, or Hawarden Caftle, and fteward \ and I find the fame man doing homage to king Wil- liam Rufus for Mold and Hopedale in Flint- Ihire. His fuccefTors, I have read, married Ci- cely, one of the co-heirs of Hugh do Albeney;, the 8th earl of Arundel. Moreover, that one RxKr bert, lord Monthalt, did homage to prince Ed- ward, then earl of Chefter, in die year 1502, at which time the prince was refident in that city. Finally, that Robert, the laft baron of thiarace, for want of male-iflue, made over thii barony 19 queen Ifabel, wife to king Edward 11. &c. He bare, as I have read, in a fhield azure, a lion rampant argent.
Roger de Monthalt«->^^-«Cedliay After ta Hugh D'Albany, earl of Arundel, the fon of &!». bcl, After to Ranuph Blondovit^ the 6th earl of Che(icr.
Warw. illuAnt. p. S9
A ■■ Rol>ett dc Monthalt
Ro^er de Monthalt. Robert de Monthalt, •
his brother and
heir.
ȣmmr.
3. William Malbedeng, baron of Malbank, or Nantwich. This William Malbank, as appears by his donation to St. Wcrburgh's monaftcry, was poflTefied of Whitby, Salgal, a(id Claughton, in Wirral; of Wempre, Nantwichj and of Tot- ten-hal], in Broxton hundred. I read of Hugh Malbank, his wife Petronilla, his fon William,
and
OF ENGLAND. 503
and his mother Adelia, who founded the abbey of Combermere, in this county. The daughters of this family brought the inheritance to the Vernons and Bailcts. It hath been in the tenure of the Foul- hurftsy and the greateft part of the territories of Nantwich, were at length pofleft by the noble family of the Cholmondeleys^ and laftly came, as I have read, to fir Chriftopher Hatton.
Richard Vernon, baron of Shipbrook •, he gave to St. Werburph, Alton and Picton in Bucklow hundred. I find one Walter de Vernon, in the days of Richard, the fccond earl of Chefter, A. D. 1109, and one Hugh de Vernon, who gave leave, in the days of the laid Richard, fon of Hugh ear| of Chefter, to Ralph Venator, as he is termed, to give Bradford, and a falc-well in Northwich, to the vorefaid monaftery. I find alfo one Ralph de Ver- non, and laftly, that one Sampfon Eraswick, of Sandon, in Staffordlhire, was lineally defcended from fir Hugh Vernon, baron of Shipbrook, the name being changed (as it was ufual, in thofe ages), from their fundry habitations, from Vernon to Holgrave, and then to Erdswick. The honour of Shipbrook, for want of mafculine heirs, defcended to the Wilbrahams, StafFords, and Littleburics, but is now in the pofleffion of the noble family of the Savages,
5. Robert Fitz-Hugh, baron of Malpas : I read of one David, baron of Malpas, who was clerk, or fecretary, to the carl. Some fay this Robert died without iflue. However, I find one Ralph, baron of Malpas, that married Beatrice, the daughter of Ranulpn II. of that name, earl of Chefter. This baron was poffeft of Chriftleton, Ordrick, Crim, Fulwich, and Boughton, in Broxton hundred. — The barony, with its fair pofleflions, hath paft through the fcveral names of the Patricks, Suttons, Sampires, Clarks, into the hands of the Breretons ^
which
«()4 T HE V A L E.R O Y A L
Which gbodljr famHy enjoys moft of ifs pfteihas and territories. A% for the Sutt6ns, I reiki of oric Richard Sutton, performing homage for Maljp'ai . trhto Prince Edwii'd, at Chcitef, 1 302, in theforc- •cited hiftorjr of Wates, pag. 383.
6. Hamon de Mafley, baron of Dunham, ncal- Ahringham, in the hijridred df Bucklow. *Ht gave to St. Werburgh,' Noi'therden in Macclesfield tiandred. I read 6f ohe Richard de Matl^y^ ihq- yiffof Cliefter, When ttirkhead abbey Was founded, 'liie inheritance ?or defaultof fffue-mile,fell fotte i?itftms of BoUin; fhfcncc it defciended to -the 'Venables; and then totheworihlpfulfafnil/of £lfc ^Booths, where it refted to this day, * 7. Gilbert Venables, baron of ICiOAtmbi ^e gave to St. WdActrgh, E^iftbary, and NfcwboW. His ,p6fterity hath ^ourilhfed by a nUrvtUdusliah'a :6f Providence to th-efe our days.
8. N jbaron of Stdckpor^ alias StdjS^prd,
i have heard this N. interpreted "Nicholas. If l
ihould venture upon a conjedure, being duV6f a
.' defire to ferve this defign, 1 hope it may bc;'^-
■ddnablc. What If this man werie ; called Ndrtnah?
*For Ilind in the charters of St. Werbur^h, .iihat
one Hugo Fitz-Norman was Chamberlain, and
"diat he gave to St. Werburgh, Xdftock, . Cbtgi,
.and Lea, all in the hundredof Northwich; and
thlt'one Ralph, the eari's Buflef, was hi&'broltha'.
T read of one Norman de Arecio, or of. Arra§, that
came over with the carl, and the Coriquerdr^ a
Witnefs to the charter •, as alfo df Hugh, "Ralph,
and Roger, the fdns of this Norman, that ,ga?re
Gdltree and Lahtrehe, iiviti of large poflefCdhs in
Chcftiire. I l-ead alfo of a Robert df this race, ba-
■ rdn of Stockport : From whoto it defceiid63 to t&e
'WaYreits of Pointon, a branch of the hofliibura^e
^Watrens, earls df Surry.
SECT. 2.
OF ENGL AN a 505
S E C T It Of the Barons SpirituaL
npHERE were alfo in the eark parliament^ or X council, held at his Caftle in Chefter, leve^ ral baroQS fpiritual^ who were to affift in all miM cers coQceroingrthe laws of God, and of the fao^ church. The exa& number is: not certain^ but it la very probable there were not fewer thas the tempor^, in point of policy ; and, diat aftei the federal abbeys were founded, that the abbots ^each isonaftery had their feflion in this council is ro be deemed very proper, feeing, even in the grand council of the nation, there were no lefa than fixty-four abbots and thirty-fix priors fum- moned to parliament, in the forty-ninth year of king Henry IIL and at laft, when their number was not flu&uating, twenty-fix mitred abbots voted among the barons of the land. Now, fee«- ing we find in the recital of ancient records, men- tion made of feveral abbots in his council, I fhould conceive, that the bi(hops, whofe chairs were placed within the prccinfts of the earl's territories,, being fupcrior to abbots, in the eminency of their place and dignity, were admitted with greater re- i'pc£l than the former. Nay, I find one Herveius, bifliop of Bangor ^as being under earl Hugh's dominion, who had conquered as far as Angle- fea), fubfcribing to the donation of feveral lands and charters, to St. Werburgh's monaltery, who was after tranflated to Ely, in the year 1 109. We (hall therefore, till further light, fet down the two biihops and fix abbots, as the barons fpiritual Vol; I. T t t of
So6 THE VALE.RO.YAL
of this earldom, fitting in parliament at Chefter. Now, akhouffh the fix abbots were not all extant ill the time or the firft earl •, yet ' before the de- ceafe of Ranvdf, thq ijbcond of that name, earl of Chefter, they were all fixed in their pontificalibus.
1. The biihop of Chefter, whoie epifcopal feat, in the Saxoii days,.^ have read to be at St. Peter's church, near the High-Crols in the city.
2. The biihop of Bangor, whofe dioceia coin* prchended many of the countries and territories that were under the earl, in CarnarvonlhiKg Denbigh, and Anglefea^ although the particular limits might, in feveral ages, vary, though not much, in the times of the primitive earls next the conqueft. - .,
g. The abbot of St. Werburah's in Cheftxr, which church was not the feat of the biihop, till the days of June Henry VIII. but a peculiar re- fidence for the abbot. This abbey, though more anciently built, yet was conftituted into the form of a monaftical cloyfter, by Hugh Lupus, in the year 1095, having been aided with the advice and counfel of Anfelme, the abbot of Beck in Nor- mandy, who came over into England, by the in- treaty of this earl, in the fourth year of king William Rufus, as Eadmerus, the monk of Can-^ terbury teftifies; writing, that he was an ancient and intimate friend of the earl's. It fhould ieem the league of their friendQiip was contraded be* fore theconqueft of England Nay, our honeft countryman Ralph of Chefter, will tell ^ou the truth of the bulinefs, without leafine ius own words, according to the tranflation of Caxton'a Refinement.- " Alfo this year, Ancelm, abbot of ^ Bacco came out of Normandy into En^londe, "at requeft of Hugh, erle of Ghefter, tor thrc " caufes ( one, by caufe he fliolde releve abbyaes,* " that he had before founded in Englonde of gre- * > ** vous
O F E N G L A N a 507
^^ yous trybute, that the abbayes paycfi to the ** kyng. The fecond, for to vyfytc eric Hugh^ ^ that was fore fyke that time. The thyrde, by <« caufe he fholde found an abbaye at Chefter. In " that place, he aflfygned his preefte Rycharde, ** fyrfte abbot, and chaunged feculer canons into ** monkes 5 but in the comyngc agayn thens, he " was made archcbyfli. of Cauntcrbury.**
All that I fhall add here, is, that the day dedi- cated to St. Werburgh, in the Saxon calender,' is the third of February. The valuation of this' abbey' at its diflblution was 1073I. Reynerus de Bcnedift. p. 212. b. but 1003I. 5s. iid, in Mo- nad. Angl. p. 1039, 1073I. 17s. 7d. ob. in Harpf-" field, p. 751, out of Speed. The names of fuch abbots as I have yet read of, I fhall infert, and proceed to the rrft.
1. Richard, the chaplain of Anfelme, was the firft abbot.
2. Hugh was abbot in the time of Ranulph firft earl of Chefter.
3. William was abbot in the year 1133.
4. Robertus de Haftings was abbot in the year 1186.
5. Simon was abbot about the year 1255, when Alexander the fourth was pope.
6. Thomas, abbot, ann 1369, 44 Edward 3d.
7. Simon Ripley, abbot, was a great bcnefadtor to the church, and died Augull 30, 1491, and was buried at Warwick.
4. The abbot of Combermere ; this abbey was founded by Hugh Malbanck^ baron of Nantwich, in the year 1133 •, of which abbey I read of one John Abbot, in 1195, valued in Monaft. 225I. 9s. 7d. In Speed, 258I. 6s. 6d.
5. The abbot of Stanlaw, i. e. the Stoney-hill : This abbey was founded by John Lacie, conftable of Chefter, the fourth heir of Nigel, baron of
T t t 2 Haulton,
5fi8 T H E V A :^ ]^ . R O Y A L
({aialton, in the j^u 1179, and was the ipaufo- leuin, or burving place of fcveral of the earls of Lincoln, and conltables of Chefter. But it was translated in proceis of time into Lancafhire. '6, The abbot of Norton ^ which abbey was founded bv William the Ton of Nigel, the fecond baron of Haulton, about the year of our redemp* tion, 1210. Some think ichat this William did but lay a foyqdation of hofpitallers, which was afterward incorporated into a fraternity of 9[K>nks,. by Fitz-Euftaix, at this place -, the fea} of which convent, had ei^avf n a pale fi^^U, within a bor- der^ kf. witi} eight pox^uficial miters. Fern in his Lacies, p. ni and 112. Edward the Blacjt prince was a great benefactor fp thi9 place,, ^iyipg twenty-three meflua^^es, fix cotugps^ fuid two g^r-- dens, lying in Coventry, being part of his manor gf Cheyldinorp, Warw. iliuftr^^ied p. 99. b. Thomas Abbot, of this monaftery, wasjuiticeof Chefter, 43 £. 3d. We find it valued in Men. Angl. i8ol. 7s. 6d. ob, and in Speeds C^t,v 258I. 113. ^d*
7* T}iipabbotof Birkhead ^ this abbey waslQimded by iiamon Mzffeyj the fon and heir of Hamon the fourth, in the days of pope Alcxapdf^ the fourth, who was pope in the year 1255, and ti\ $ve yeara: It is valura by Reynerus, at loi^L in Mo^aft. 90!, 13s. Spe^, J02L i6s. lod.
8. The abbot of Vale-Royal ( which ab^ W^ founded by king Edward I. in thfi $fty-:^|irth year of the reign of king Henry )I|. 1^ father, in the year 1270, valued iipL 9s* ^cL IVioni^, Angl. p. 1039, and 540L 6s. 2<%r In 5p«4*« Catalogue.
APPENDIX.
i 509 1
-^1/- jMf ^ J* j^if, A. jS/. jti/- AJ'- aI* -sty :J» jI^ \t/ U^ %1/ iA>
' y ♦ -f* T *^ 'r" ^ •(?* -^ v>.' '-1^ !f»' tfi' vjk' '.y rfr 'rfP
APPENDIX.
The following Defcription of the City, and Part of the County, ofCHssTKii, is ex- traded from the learned and ingenious Mr. Pennant's Tour in 1772.
ON Monday the i8th of May, for the fecond time, take m^ departure for the North, from Chefter ; a city without parallel for the Angular ftrufture of the four principal ftreets, which are as if excavated out of the earth, and funk many feet beneath the furface ; the carriages drive far below the level of the kitchens, on a line with ranges of fhops ; and over them, on cilfch fide the ftreet, paflengcrs walk from end to end, fecure from wet or hear, in galleries purloined from the J firft floor of each houle, open and baluftrated in front. The back courts of all thefe houi'es are level with the ground, but to go into any of the four ftreets it is neceflary to defcend a flight of fe- veral fteps.
The ftreets were once confiderably deeper, as is apparent from the fhops, wi^of:: floors lie far below the prefent pavement. The Icflcr ftreets and ftUies, that run into tlie greater ftreets, were floped to the level of the bottoms of the latter, V is particularly vilible in Bridge-ftreet. It is difficult to afliign a reafon for thefe hollowed ways: I can only fuppofe them to have been the void left a^ tihie deftru^tion of the antient vaults men-
tipned
508 , L
Haul' , rr,^ fayj
Li"'- ere cbam-
^^'^'- ... ^mcs therein.
^ . ^:^,y in fxcr,::
foi;
^v wrytyngi
ba* . -mental ir.-
l^ .^'jn the church
i*' . :jrgh) is an an-
l"' -.e outfidc, from
<■• ...c with which it
^•' .. . i moft cltgant
J -*;*e work in the
- !;ri*s Ihrinc is now
.•- -v:rh the figures of
:o whom the fair
. •.;, living immacu-
. -,.:us, copying her
. \tv\ for three years,
. ^ood man Tonberc-
ivond hulband, the
."..-v relates, that this
. ' a nunnery, founded
. ,-* king ot the Mer-
..i:hter's indifpofition.
V. gave way to canons
^^■r ^ufplaced by Hugh
,.-^ucror, in 1095, and
. >,'V*::vlines.
v.plicity of a very an-
. , , ind its fine veftibule,
:vciler. The date of
. ^ •, but it fcems, from-
-ialkrs in a chapel in
,i.y.r* to have been the
vVU'Cls, and thcfe ar-
\ --anj for tl;c mode of
"■^^ * fijuarc
OF E«{OL A>ID. 511
fifttve tonvcrs, with Iqiitped angles^ wit indo- diiciBd ioimedkidv on the conqueft.
The cloifter^ mt gretc refeODry, now the free-' fidiool, and a gannmy of moft tii^pilar fbrufture^ m at prefent the Mc remafai^ of thb monaflor^ TIk ruins near St. John's dturch aiii fine Mliqiin of the pie()^ittf ifee times 1 . and the mafly oc^umns^ and round arches within the churchy tao/lt curknia fpecimenrof th^^umfy ftttwdi df SteOii an^ ttftuvc The^ fohner are probably the femairtsdf the monatery' of Sl Mary, founded by Randal^ JecoodccriofChefM^/^HenediAinenuitt; Tfati chwdi wtfi founded by^kinff E^red, in 6891 aa wODoch infcriodon oh the walls informs 'Os; Omti^KiHg Etfatflred minding more thc^lilils of ^'h«fn^ edified a college church nocabtt and fa-
* amMr in the fuburbs of Chefter, pleafaiit and
* beauteous in the honour of God and the Bap-
* fift St. John, with the help of biihop Wulfrice
* and good ExciLLtoa.' It was rebuilt in 906, by Edielred, earl of Mercia, after he had expel- led the Danes out of the city. This was alfo the cathedral, until fupplanted, in 1551, by the church- of the abby of St. Werburgh.
The Caftle is a decaying pile, rebuilt by one of the Norman earls^ on the fite of the more antient foitreft. The walls of the city (the only com-' pkce fpeeimen of old fortifications) are one mile three quarters and a hundred and one yards in cir- cumference, and, bein^ the principal walk of the inhabitants, are kept m excellent order. The views from the feveral parts are very fine : the mountains of Flintlhire, the hills of Broxton, and the infulated rock of Beefton, form the ruder part of the fixnery ■) a lich flat gives us a fofter view,' and the profped up the river towards Houghton, recalls in fome degree the idea of the Thames and RiduDond-hilL .
The
5IO THE VALE. ROYAL
tioned by an antient hiilorian : In tUs cyte^ fays the PoLYCHRONicoj^i, bm ways under tribe with vowics and ftone-werke wonderfy wrougbi tbre cbam- hred werkes : I grave wUb olde mennes nanUs f herein. Tbere is alfo Juuus Cbzars name umderfy in ftones grave^ ana other nebJe mennes alfo with the mytynge about: meaning the altar and monumental in- fcriptions of the Romany.
The cathedral ('till the reformation the church of the rich monaftery of St. Werbuiig;h) is an an- tient ftru£ture, very ragged on the outfide, from the nature of the friable red ftone with which it is built i but (till may boaft of a moft elegant weftern front ^ and the tabernacle work in the choir is very neat. St. Werburgb's ihrine is mrm the biihop's throne, decorated with the figures of Mercian monarchs and faints ^ to whom the fair patroneis was a bright example, living immacu- late with her hufband Ceolredus, * c<K)ying her aunt the great Ethelreda, who lived for tnree years, with not lefs purity, with her good man Tonberc- tus, and for twelve with her (econd hulband, the pious prince Egfrid. Hiftory relates, that this religious houfe was originally a nunnery, founded A. D. 660, by Wulpherus, king ot the Mer- cians, in favour of his daughter's indifpofidon.* The nuns, in procefs of time, gave way to canons fecular; and they again w^ere difplaced by Hugh Lupus, nephew to the conqueror, in 1095, and~ their room fupplied by Benedidines.
The beauty and el^ant fimplicity of a very an-* tique gothic chapter-houfe, and its fine yeftibule, merits a vifit from every traveller. The date of the foundation is uncertain^ but it feems, from^^ the fimilitude of roof and pilafters in a-chapel in* the fquare tower in the cattle, to have been tbe> work of co-temporary .architeAs, and thefe ar-; chitcds were probably Norman 9 for the jnode^of^
fquare
O F E N G L AN D. gn
fquare towers, with fquared angles, was intro- duced immediately on the conqueft.
The cloifters, the great refeftory, now the free- fchool, and a gateway of moft lingular ftrufture, tic at prdfent the fole remains of this monaftery. The ruins near St. J[ohn's church are fine Feliques of the piety of the times » and the mafly columns, and round arches within the church, mofl curious fpecimensofthedumfy ftrength of Saxon archi- teAure. The former are probably the remains of the nwnaftery of St. Ma^, founded by Randal, fecond earl of Chefter, for Benedidine nuns. The chureh was founded by king Ethelred, in 689 ; an untouch mfcriodon on the walls informs us, dut * King EdxW minding more the blifs of
* heaven, edified acoQ^ church notable and fa-
* mous in the (aVrntbi of Chefter, pleafant and
• beauteous in the honour of God and the Bap-
• lift St. 3o^> ^AAehclp of bilhop Wulfrice
♦ and good Exciluoi.* U was rebuilt in 906, by Ethelred, earl *Moaa^ gfter he had expel- led the Danes o«rttheaty. This was alfo the cathedral, "n«l^J«?Jw«l, in 155,, by the church of the .abby oJSt.^ert)urch
The Cattle is a ^^^ ^^jj^ ^y one of the Nonnan earU, onAefc^,^ more'antient fortrcfs. .T»»^ J*».«^«9(the only com- plete fP«=«^'"\\fa a hSS?') ^--e «"e mile three quarters and » hUMWiiila^ yards in cir
cumfercncc, »"d' *^''^*»TH,S walk oVth;
inhabitants, are kept m ^J^^ ""^^l
views from the fcveral m^'^^' \J^
m^ntainsofFlintlhirt,4nJ'ttT fine: the
rTnfulated rock of Bcdhi5jBroxton, and
oTtS fcenery •, a richlttSJAe ruder parr
^dThe prolpeft up Ae ti^** fofter view,
^alU in foie degree .heljjH Boughtoj
Richmond-hill. A^Thames io^
O'F /EN GL'AiN P. 512
Tl^e Hypocauft^ near the Fcathtrs liui» 19 one of the remain3 of the Romans^ it being well knojivo that this place was a principal ftation. Among many antiquities tound here^ none is^ more lingUr lar than the rude fculpture of the Dea Jrmigers Minerva f widi her bird and altar, on the face of a rock in a Imall field near the Welch-end of the bridge.
Chcfter has been, at different times, a placs iParfHes^ a great thorough-fare between the two kingdoms, and the relidence of a nuaier6u3- and poliihed gentry. Trade, 'till a£ lace years, was but little attended to, but at prefent efforts arc (naking to enter into that of Guinea, the Plwtja* tions, and the Baltic ; and from the Phoeoji^ toper is a good Pifgah view of an internal commerce .by means of a canal, now cutting beneath the wdUa.
Since the. year 1736, and. not before, ^at quantities of linen-cloth have been imported tram Ireland to each of the annual fairs *, in that year* 4499654 y&rds, and at prefent about a miUioil of yards are brought to each fair. Hops are anothn^ gre^t article of trade, for above ten jthoufand pockets are fold here annually, much- of which IS forwarded to the neighbouring ifland. But the only ilaple trade of the city, is in fkins, multitudes of whicn are imported, drefled hcre,^but feot out again to be manufactured. Here is. a well regu- lated Poor-houfe, and an Infirmary ; the left fup-*. ported by contributions from the city, its coun^, and the adjacent counties of North- Wales. The firft has happily the left ufe of this pious fouftda- don i for, whether from the drynefs of the fitua- tion, the clearnefs of the air, or the purity of the water, the proportion of deaths to the inhabitants has been only as i to 3 1 ; whereas in London t in 20, and 3-4ths ; in Leeds. i in 21 and 3;5^b$i and in Northampton and Shrewlbuiy* i iAi'^Ci:
and
.1 /b^ i:is^»<>i^A Nt);- m
^^^5^ ialMtHltf^ptfkht grtti dibfMfr of na^ tyre; Mteklb6pefmtMdM dn Ak me MihM of the bMevdtMit Md diwr« oMe^j^MiHittt U Che dutfafitfriftii: of tMa
die AUnighty. ■ • -
miSy in order to people his new donriritonSi Thb- mj^ii^HMto'Wtt*^ allocm} for thefugi^
tim'^'^ales^- Md the cMifequeiioM dkceAfeS^ tli&4^biifeateMftiftkyA«'<^^ Niim.
Eiat ^bf tlit^'difeQilteiltM hobleflfe of nif ttiti«ht ANMtei^ iteibiM^ aUitfiCtf #illi the"
itelbMtFirwriAM that ditgyee df ▼iIo6]^/ that Ih-' dAer-tim^ givte to the Chc^ire the diftihguiihinjg: tiidft tif Chief op Msir, and made its land the veiy sWD MOT or GEyftLrTY. ' Rfcfe thro' the fmall town of Trafibrd : this^ iAdk^iht lofdlhip of Newton, was, as Daniel King' obferves^ one ot the fweet morfels that the abbofe^ of St: Werburgh ami hw^ conrent kept for their erWn -irttolefome provifion. Get into a tradfe of firtidy-ocrontiy^ tad pafe beneath Hellelby-Tor, m higK and bkrfir cefmination of Dclamere-foreft, com- posed' of the fame friable ftone as that near Ghef* tcr, btit veined with yellow. Hence, a view of rfie jimftion of the Wccver and the Merfey, and antxtenlivt traft of marftiy meadow, with fome good aqd much rufhy grafs ; and beyond' 4s th^ begfn^g of the wide eftuary that flows by Lc- verpooi.
• Ctofi alh:tle brook, called Llcwyn^ rfnd reach Froidelfaam ; a town of one long ftrett,' which^ with' itt Cattle, was allbtted by Edward I. to David; brother to Lewelyn, laft FriMceof Wab^ - VoIm L U u u as
514 THE VALE.ROYAL
as a retainer in his double perfidy againft his own blood, and his own country. Not a vcftige is left of the Caftle, which ftood at the weft-end of the town ; was latterly ufed as a houfe by the Sa^ vages, and was burnt down in 1652, when one of that name, an earl Rivers, lay dead in it.
This, as well as moft other towns and villages in Chelhire, ftands on an eminence of fand-ftone, and by that means enjoys a fituation dry, whole- feme and beautiful.
The church ftands at a vaft height above the town. In the regifter are thcfe two reoEiarkabk inftances of longevity: March the 13th, 1592, was buried, Thomas Hough, aged 141 y and the very next day was committed to the earth, Randle "Wall, aged 103. lobferved alfo, that in the win- ter of 1574, the peftilence reached this fequeftred place, for four are then recorded to have died of It. In early times that avenging angel fpread de- ftrudtion thro* all parts of the land ; but her power is now ceafed by the providential ceflation of the natural caufes that gave rife to that moft dreadful of calamities.
Above the church is Beacon-hill, with a beau- tiful walk cut along its fide. At the foot arc four butts (archery being ftill pradtifed here) for an exercife in which the warriors of this county were of old eminent. The butts lie at four, eight, twelve, and fixteen roods diftance from each other ; but in thefe degenerate days the laft exceeds the ftrengch of the nerves of even a man of Chefliire to reach.
Crofs the Weever, on a good ftone bridge : from a neighbouring warehoufe much cheefe is ihipped off, brought down the river in i>oats from the rich grazing grounds, that extend as far, a$ Kantwich. The river, by means of locks^ is narr viga^ for barges as high as Winflow-bridge 1
' *ut
O F E N G L A N D. 5»5
but below this admits vcflfels of fixty tuns. The channel above and below is deep and clayey, and at low water very difagrceable.
On the north-banks are the ruins of Rock-fa- vagc, fuflfcred, within memory, to fall to decay ; once the ieat of a family of the fame name ; and not far remote, on the fame range, is Afton, a good houfe, finely fituated, butrendered too na- ked, thro* the racp of modem taftc.
About two miles farther, on the right, is Dut* ton-Lodge, once the feat of the Buttons ; a fa- mily in pofleffion of a fingular grant, having the fob power over omnium Leccatorum et meretricum Utius Ceftrefinre. This privilege came originally from Randal, 6th earl ot Chefter, to Roger Lacy, conftable of that city, who, when the earl was clofely befieged by the Welch in Rudland Caftle, colle^ed haltily for his relief a band of minftrels, and other idle people, and with them fucceeded in the attempt ; after which his fon John afligned it to the Buttons, one of that name being affiftant in the affair.
Reach Halton-caftle, feated on an eminence, and given by Hugh Lupus to Nigellus, one of his officers, and founded by one of the two. It be- came afterwards the property of the houfe of Lan- cafter, and was a favourite hunting feat of John of Gaunt. The Caftle is a ruin, except a part kept as a prifon. It belongs to the dutchy of Lancailer, and has flill a court of record, and other privileges.
From the Caftle is the moft beautiful view in Cheihire j a rich profpcft of the meanders of the Merlw, thro* a fertile bottom \ a pretty wooded peninfula jutting into it oppofite to Runcorn •, the great county of Lancafhire, filled with hedge-row trees ^ and beyond foar the hills of Yorklhire and Lancafhire-, and on the other fide appears Cheihire, U u u a and
^^4 THE VALE-;RO.YAL
^d the itill loftier Cambrian oiountaiM^ but plofe beneath, near the church, is Hill a Aiore
J)leafing view ; that of a row of neat iQms-houfcs, or the reception of the fyperannuatcd fcrvants of (he houfe of Norton, founded by the late Puiey Brook, Efq. my friend, and Ae friend of mankincf. Defcend the hill, and pa& by Norton, a good modern houfe, on the fite of a pripry of canons regular of St. Auguftine, fouhaed by William, fon of Nigellus, A. D. 1 135^ who did not Hye to complete his defi^ ; for Euftace de Burgs^ville granted to Hugh dc Cathcrick pafture for a hun- dred iheep, in cafe he finiihed the church in all refpe&s conforpiable to the intent of the founder. It wa3 granted at die diflblution to Richard HrqoL Pf^.
f^m
4Mn/ Walbs. •
Chbsts^ Castle.
rr^'HJt S Caitie^ if IS iaul, was either builL w ' X greatly repaired ' bj^ Hugh Luptis^ earl cf CheftcTi K^phew to Wimatn the Conqueror : this Caftk is built of a fpft reddifh ftone, which dooi not ifcil endure the vreather, and js at prefeot much out of rraair, ioreral larg^ pieces of the fndlsfcaving lately Mk^ down into thef ditch. In- deed its trifling confequence, as a fortrefs, would hardly juftify the expence of a thorough repau". It is, however, commanded by a governor and lieutenant governor, and is commonly garrifoned by two companies of invalids. In Peck's Defide^ rau Curioia, Chefter Caftle Hands in the lift of queen Elizabeth's garrifons, with the following officers and falaries :
Chestek.
1. s. d.
Conftable of th^ Caftle ; fee 6 134
Porter; fee — — 4 u 3 Keeper of the gardens ; fee 618
Surveyor of the works within 7 x- , ^
ChcihireandFlint; fee y * '
Maftermafon; fee *— 8 12 4
Mafter carpenter ; fee --r 9 2 6
It ftill continues to be a royal ga: rifon, and has • CQverflor and lieutenant £ova::gr, each at ten
(hillings
5x8 THE V A L E . R O Y A L
ihillinRS per diem ; and two independent compa^ nies of invalids are ftationed here, During the civil war under Charles the Firft, Chefter was bc- fieged, and at length, Feb. 3, 1645, taken hj, the parliamentary forces, commanded by Sir William Breretoa ; but the Caftle neither made any particular defence or feparate capitulatioa. The church, feen near, the CaAle, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and called St. Mary's of .the Caftle. In and near the angle under the g^ieat window appears the rock on which the Caftle is founded.
The NeWy or^ Water Tawer^ Chester.
THIS tower fecms to have been built for the defence of a quay on the river Dee, which once flowed clofe to it, but is now fo choak- cd up by fands, as to render it entirely ufclefs for that purpofe. The form of this tower is extreme^ ly lingular, its outfide being broken into a vari* ety of angles ; and thofe neither incrcafing its beauty, ftability, or powers of defence.
Chester Bridge,
THIS bridge is more worthy of notice for its pidburefque appearance, than remarkable for its antiquity -, not but part of it is very ancient, though it appears to have been frequently repaired at diflfcrent times, and with different materials j however, the greateft part of it is built with the fame reddilh ftone as the Caftle. Very little is to be met with relative to this bridge in the county hiftories ; it is flightly touched upon by Lte, in the Vale-Royal of England, publifhed by Daniel King) anno 1656, but neither the builder, the
time
time of itieraftipo, nor bf whwi H isrepainKC i» :tline mwikpcdL A nmulc^^^ accoynt ^^
Chcfl^r, communicated by a friend^ Im t|u; fiiit-^ lowing paffage reUtive to this bridgt? : *^ After thies] death o{ Elflcda, her brother £dw^ fucteed^ ' to the throne, who, fighting againft the Dafie^- would have been taken priibner bUjt for the mn paratlded courage and adivity of his fon Athdfta^ In the year after this engagement he vifited li^, territories in Chefhire, and greatly fecund tbeq)^ by erefting fortrefles at Thelwell and MtnchcfteTb^ He likewife finiihed the bridge over the riyer Dee at Cheller, which was begun by his fifter Elfleda^ before which time there was a terry for pa0engq|^ under St. MaryVhill, at the Ship-g^ue. ;...j
.. * BsttSTON-CASTLB^ ChBSBIRS*
THIS Caftlc, as appears not only from iui prefent remains, but alfo from the teftimony of Cambden^ was once ftrongly fortified by art^' as well as almoft inacceflible by nature. His words arc, " Beefton-Caftle, a place wdl guarded *• by walls of a great compafs, by i:he great nuni-j •• bcr of its towers, and by a mountain of very ' *• ftccp afccnt." Leland conceived fo high ah opinion of it, that he wrote, or rather repeated iii fome Latin verfes a kind of prophecy, whichi however, docs not feem very likely to be accdm^ pliihed. Thefe verfes are thus trianflated by bi- (hop Gibfon, in his edition of Cambden.
Ranulph, returning from the Syrian land, T, This Cattle rais'd his country to defend, i. , The borderer to fright and to command, j,, Though riun*d here the ftately fabrick lies, 1 , Yet with new glories it again fliall rife, V . If I a prophet may believe old prophecies. J^,
' Although
i
.,M THE V A L' E- R O Y A L
A .tfHnigh the tknc when the caftfe was bailt ts- lec !wfc ipecificc^ it muft have been between the frsr 1 1 Scy when Ranulph became -earl of Glwfter, jod I2J2, whca he died.- Since the printing of aie firft plate of this Caftfc, in which I infertcd oiie exeunt of it as given in the Vale-Royal of Clielliipc; I haw met with a more ancient dcf- cription, written by Sampfcm Enkfwick, cfq. ami printed in the year 1593. Although thw •ughc, in point of tinnte, to have preceded the other; yet as the forvey of StafFordfliire, in which it b contained, is become extrettiely fcarce, I ima- gine the reader will rather excufc the violation of order, than want the defcription ; I therefore have here tmnlcribed it :
*^ As in StafFordfhire I have begun with Trent, ** fo proceeding to the defcription of Chelhire, ^'^ I think it my readied courle to begin with the ** Weaver, a fair river, which takes its firft *^ iburce or fpring to Peckforton-hills, near Becf- ^* ton-Cuftle, and prefently runneth, firtt, fouth- *^ call, then plain fouth, then bendeth fouth-eaft ** o^ain, then pbin eaft, then turneth fuddenly ** puin north, and fo keepeth on its courfe; ^"^ thvHigh it have diverfe windings,fometimes welV- ** wAfU*, and fometimes eaft, tor fifteen or fix- ** 5cca miles ftill northwards, and then returneth ** ^ ;c were fuddenly weft ; which courfe it hold- ** ci:\ Oi\ until it come into the freet of the Mcr- *" ^:y^ ^hcrcit difchargeth itfelf into a pretty lit- '• ,;c x.i ; and, as the Trent doth divide the (hire •• :iv\> VAT two equal parts, eaft and weft j the * >hx L\:i^^ called the over-fide of Chelhire, and ■* »v .c'x" the lower-fide. Not far from the •^ 'v^ -^^.^ of the Weaver (as I have faid), ftands ^ V ,.M-0^^lc» which for that it was more "^ .:. V *w ^s^? famous than any particular part •*«.%:'^ Ihix ^ibe city of Chefter cxccpteJ), I
** covet
, Q F Js; N G L A Jr a s^
^ covet tp begin withal; and tou muft ibme- ^'tUihg^l^eartH^ Qie» if a- little 1 ran« about •^ the Ecacf of llje'V^e^rer, for dineeoif tourmiks ^ cnrbothfiHrs of tfarriver; fin: tba^ in tbttnart ^ of^ftr finrc tbc rivers be not f6 pfendful as in ^otber placer thereof; and befides, the baronjr ^ of RoDi filius: Htigoniay being die firft baro^ ^ M whidi is^'fppken of br Boomfdky-B6ok« ^ wmcik therefore I covet to begin* withal, lieth •* tiitxMft j^ o£ it above Ai* part of Che(hlre» ^ m^ not t«r fronr dicr Wearer, bet^reen kind •• tHe-Dec, except fome- little of it wWch lieriii ^ Flintibire, d»r reputed- as a member of the •*Countf Palatine of Chefter. Bfeefton-Caiycj ^ ftandi very lofdlr and proudly upon an exceed* ^ ingifteep suid hign ropk, fb ftteep upon all-fidoi *'bnc onc^ thatitfufim no accefr unto it; I9 ^ thar though* it be walled about, yet (for the •* moft part thereof) the wall is needlcfs, the • rock IS fo very high and fteep ; and where the ^ nature- of the thing admitteth accels, there is ** firffi a fair gate, and a wall furnifhcd with tur- ** rets, which endofeth a gpod quantity of ground ** (four or five acres), which licth north-eaft- *• wanls, fomewhat rifcs until it come to the •* over pan of the rock, where is a great dike. or ** ditch hewed out of the main rock, and within ** the fame a goodly ftrong gatc-houfe, and " ftrong wall, with other buildings, which when ** they flourilhed were a convenient habitation for ** any great pcrfonage. In which it is a wonder ^ to fee the great labour that hath been ufed to ** have fulRcient water j which was procured by^ ** no doubt with great* difficulty, a marvellous ** deep w?ll through that huge high rock ; which ** is to deep, as that it equals in depth the riveret, ** which runneth not far from the faid Caftle, ** thix>ugh Teverton, Hocknell, and fo on to the Vol. 1. X X X Mcricy^
522 THE VALE.ROYAL
*^ Merfey. Thi$ Caftle ftands within the nufior *^ of Beeflon, but the ground wheiton it' ftands *^ was procured by Randulf, the third earl' of " Cheftcr, from the owner of the faid manor, to *^ the end he might make and fortify the faid " Caftle there, wmch he did accordingly.
" The manor of Bcefton, whereof this place ^* was a member before the Caftle was bdit, is ^^ within the parifli of Bunbury, poflefled at this " day by Sir George Beefton, whofe fon and heir ^^ Hugh Beefton hath (as I hear) alfo purchafed ** the Caftle of Beefton of the queen.
** The Beeftons are defcended paternally from ** the Bunburys, who (as I take it) were lords o£ " the whole parilh, orthemoftof it, about Henry ** the Second's time ; and were at firft known by ** the name of St. Peere, but (by rcafon of their •* habitation, and the feignory of Bunbury tc^e- " ther) changed their name from St. Peere to ** Bunbury. As Henry of Bunbury (to whom *' his father had given Beefton about king Henry ** the Third's time) had iflue a fon named David, ** who was called David de Beefton, by reafon of " his habitation ; which David had ilTue Henry '' Beefton, who had iffue David Beefton, Wil- ** Ham (that died without iffue), Henry, that *^ begat Thomas, and William, that had iflue *^ John, Raufe, and Agnes."
From the accounts here given it appears this Caftle was in decay when they were written ; but its prefent ruinous condition Ihcws the honourable fears of feveral vigorous attacks fuftained by it during the laft civil war. In the beginning of thefe troubles, this Caftle was feized for the Par- liament, but was attacked and taken December 1 2th, 1643, by the king's forces, then juft land- ed from Ireland. It appears the ganifon made little or no defence ; for Ruihworth fays^ the go«
vernor,
, A F . Et^ P J- A, J^ P,. , su
iretDor, obe captain SteeU was tried and executed iorscowanL ■/."". "^"' ..'*/'" *■ '^ ■^' T&c Pariianibitarians afterwards attempted tq^ jfsulkcit^ nid it was uhfuccefsfully befieged i^f jBivcDteta weekS;! bdtig bravely defended by cap-- 6dn ValcL' Oh priace Rupert's approacii tnei mod^' id^ it; March i8th, 1:644. in' 1645 it was agaib Attacked; and the i^h tf Nidu Yjmnie^ it iurrendered on conditions, after eigh- mi^yfidtM contihual fiege, in which the garrifon wm'itduced to the necdiity df eating-cats, &c. Ttejgovernoi*, colonel Ballard (fays Ruihworth}; in cohrpaffioh to his foldiers, coniented to beat a padey^ whereupon a treaty followed i and having obbuned very honourkble conditions (even beyond Cgpeftatioh in fuch extremity), viz. to march OilCy'tlie governor and officers with hotfea and- arms, and their own pix)per ^oods (which loaded two wains)^ the common foldiers with their arms^ colour? flying, drums beating, matches alight, fltl4 4 proporuqn of powder and ball, and a con** Toy to guard them to Flint-caftlc -, he did, on Sunday the i6tji of November, furrender the Caftle, .the garrifoi) bein^ reduced to not above fixty men, who marched ^way according to the conditions. Many traces oif thefc operations, fucK' as ditches, trenches, and other military worksj' are ftijl discernible in the grounds about it. The fitc and ruins of this Caftle at prefent belong to Sir Ro^r Moftyn, of Moftyn, in the county of Flint, baronet.
Birkeheddc Priory^ Chejhlre,
THIS priory was, as appears from different writers, alfo called Brichevcd, Byrkett, and Burket-Wood Priory. It was founded in the lat- ter ead oi the reign of Henry the Second, or in that
of
i
514 T H E V AX1E.R O Y A L
of Richard the Firift, by Hamon Maflcx, third ^^ ton Qf Dunham Maflejc, who pUccd^erdn fixtcen Beoedi^ne monks. A manufcript in .Gorpusi ChxiB^ College, Cambric^ nukes them canons Jo£ the Order of St. Auguftme, It was dedicated to St. Mary and St. James. In the Monafticon !are two charters of the (aid Hamon Afafiey. ia th^ firft, he grants to this monaftenr in free alms^^lf 4n acre of lan4 at Dunham^and an.acre at.Lachor keci ^i^ theadvowfon of the church of Bowxloxx^ and in the other, the liberty of choofing their own prior, .granted before by Pope Alexander : frpna whence it leems m if the papal permiffiqn for (wij^ cAaftion was not then fumcdent without the confijir'; mation oftthepatron. At the diflblution, its i:eve^^ nuGs weseeftioxatedat 90I. i^. per annum, agcotd?, ing to I>A)gdale ; 102L a 6s. aod. Speedy itsi^e-. puted value ;io81. ; and by amanulcript in Corpus' Chrifti Collie, .Can^brid|e, it was only reckoned, at So}, in the 36th of Henry the £ighth, it was grated to Ralph Worleley. This iioufe is faid hy Iceland to have been fubordinate to the abbey bi Chelter i but Tsumerdoes not fubfcribe to ^atqpi- > nipn. ** The grant pffreecledlion for a prior, the ^ diftindt valuation of its poflTdGon:^, both in tax. *^ Lincoln, and 26 Henry VIlI. jnakes me doubt *^ iquch, fays he, whether this w^s a cell to CixeS^ "ten** Atprcfentitis.theOTopettyof.Rich.P^iy Price, £fq. whofe grandUther, Mr. Cleveland^ purchafed it of Mr. Powel.
Wc
* r • ' ■ *
' tiqiSi^ of 'C^£6tsR.
A- V-^^ ^ c^y for man^ ochturies^ of years 4}^- ibfe the' entrance of the Romans into Britain ^^ tlia; a certain very ancient Britifli lungV c^ed Z.{^, ^eu.:bc.\fydk bixik .1^^ rraaired^uid
lM^,0Sod tl]^'(}eca^s and ruins df "ffie' citf o^
ainboi^': i^t the fanae 'kiqg IfiJfo reignecl liere ixi Bmaiiiit the fame ume kin^ Solomdn pciffied in Jeruiakniq^. which, according to hi&oty^ ^fai abatitifeeycar of the world ^049: Ahd-dioqg'h aU kSCkbdans commonly diHer from one anotMr concccnidg the year of the world when our Lord Cfq/t. was born, as is to be feen in SeUen^ liow- ever^ the cioft reverend arckblfliop tJIJber^ of Ar- magh :^ his Annak, lias fet fo£th dut Cbrifi was bomao the year of the world 4004; but the be- £Qre ddcribod boo^ afib fets forth, that Eirancus^ a certain Britifh prince, built Torik at the fame time that David reigned in Ifrael ; and that RuJi- trafs^ £on and liirvivor of the before-mentioned Lfflcj built the cities Canterbury and Wincbefter^ fo that Chefter is of fo great as well as remarkable antiquity, that in the days of Soltmon^ and when Torky Canterbury^ and fVincbefter^ although cities ycry ancient, were firft built, then Chefter, thro* decay and extream antiquity, iRranted repairing and making good its defeds.
Rme^
SZ6 THE VALE^ROYAL
Rme^ the foundation thereof laid by Romulus^ iccnd about Mount Palatine, on the 21 ft of April, 750 years before Cbrifi^ fo that to the year 1700 it is 2450 years fince that; and from the above ftate it is plain it is 2655 years fincie Cbeftir WIS repaired by king Lijle zs above, and 205 yean before the laying of the foundation of Sjm€.hY Romulus as aforefaid, to the faid year 1700. It is 2808 years fince the foundation of Londen^ and 1755 years from Julius Cafafs invafion of JBjf- land^ being no days before Chriftmas-day, vhicfa was September the 5th.
This account of the very remote antiquity of Chefter correfponds with thofe given by Geoflfty of Monmouth, Higden, and Henry Bradflia^, writers who were, unqueftionably, either ofdfir deceived through an excefs of credulity, or iii* Cended to recommend themfelves to an i^oraot ^, which is always delighted with whatever car* lies an air of the wonderful^ by promul^ting *as truths the exaggerated tales of tradition.*~Ld4n4 and Selden, names to which an infinitely greater degree of refpeft is due, fuppofe this city to hive been founded by the Romans. Yet there are riot wanting fome, and thofe of a refped^blc clafs, who, irom its advantageous fituation, andodnn- corroborating circumftances, maintain, with gi^at appearance of probability, that Chefter was a j>lace ctf Ibme conifideration before the invafion of Bri? tain by that people, by whom, however, they al- low It to have been confiderably improved and en- Urgevl.
A Sum«
- OF rN GiLA N i)J' ''■' sif
I, ■ *' '
A Suaunary of the Life of St. Werburoh,
' ''«^ an hiftorical account of the Images
' TOori her Shrine j[now the Epifcopd
\ TlironO* hi theChour of Chester, col-
tl^^^^ed :m)in ancient Chronicles, and old
' "IJi/ritcrs. By a Citizen of Chester.
I N/TR O D U C T I O N.
.- -r , -^ . .. . :
^IT^E Chapter of Chefter having lately hcgcdi ■A to beautify their cathedral, tte decayed de^ corations on the epifcopal throne engaged their at-^ Centkm : This fine piece of antiquity had been OV"- ffjsmentfd with carving and ftatuary, both which had greatly fufiered, not by time, but by vio- fehce ; they have therefore endeavoured to repair the one, and to reftore the other, fo that the little ioi^^ which have for fo many centuries guarded, as It were, this ancient monument, and were to injurioufly defaced, are, by a commendable care, now made whole again.
As the perfonages whom thefe (hould reprefent, lived in the early ages of Chriftianity, tney arc but little known to us ^ which induced one, who refpeds antiquities, to extraft from old writers fome account of them ^ this was done in a very few days, for his own amufement. And he has (ince been prevailed upon to let his collections be publiihed ior the information of others.
Chester, July 31, 1749.
A SUM-
j:LZ-K.O Y A L V MARY
.*- =c w_-e of
,. V 1 ;. I U R G H, &'c.
y^^^^ c -xi-***. -sexc^ in the caihedral church
^-5sva?» •uc«iKCU to be the fhrinc of St.
. x'it: the abbey was dedicated,
.^ -.t .11 ihc antique monumental
. .-v.§^-»Klrangular form, eight feet
«> r xi^h:; in length, fromEaft to
• ^ -s^ -^^ ux inches i in breadth, from
-^^ ..^ y...'.- :lct and eight inches; or-
^^ .^^i, x vicdiic arches (three feet and
3" ._.. . x^'.^c\ two towards the North
^ ..»^v^ :hc South, one at the Eaft-
^ ..X- i: the Weft; abuve each of.
"^ . _ ', x^^rdcnting a window, in the
!.l - • v '.secure.
'"'' ^ ..; V ^ .cv'orated with variety of carvings
^ x^ ■• .- •* number of images, about
,^ A^> .: *cight, in different habits,
** "''^-^ ^ . - .\i .::ing and gilding : Each of
^^ , ^,x ''i'Wid a fcroll or label, upon
.^-coi in Latin, but in the old Enr
-.^..^w* *'•<' luiues of kings and faints of
^^7 ..^ ^ Mca'ia. Many of the labels arc
,^v.^-> i.r lb much defaced, that only
"" . \ >.o ^'i:^ be read.
.^..iN -^" i^laccd in the following order,
^ V ^•-'^ ^^"^^ figure at the South- weft
, V. ;>.v ^^cll, and thence proceed over
* " . .*.\; *i"^' North-front, and thence round
, - ..^ i0^^irds the ftairs up to the throne.
I. Rex
0^ ENGLAND.
t. Rex Crieda.
2. Rex Penda.
3. Rex Wolpherus.
4. Rex Ceolredus.
5- - - -
6. Rex Offa.
7. Rex Egfcrtus.
8.:^--
9. S^"» Kenclmus. 10. S^Milburga. XT. Rex Beoma. 12. Rex Colwlphus.
13-
14. S»« Ida.
15. us.
529
16. Rex -^* . . ^dus.
17. S^....-*i.rga.
18. --.-i us.
'9-
20. Baldredus.
21. ^lerwalduSw
22. Rex Wiglaff.
23. RexBemnilph.
24. Rex Burghredus.
25-
26. S^* cda.-:
27-
28.
29.
30.
Rex Ethelbcitus. S^Mildrida.
Four more images have been quite cut away, cw:o at the Weft; and two at the Eaft-cnd.
The pcrfonages which were intended to be ne- prcfented by thefe ftatues, were either her anceftors, or eife moft of them nearly related to St. Wer- burgha, who was daughter of Wulphere, king of Mercia, by his queen Erminilda. She was in her infancy raccording to the cuftom of thofe times) betrothed or married to her coufin-german Ceol- redus, afterwards king of Mercia. — Langhorn'i Chronicle. Yet notwithftanding her marriage, flic kept herfelf a virgin, chafte and inviolate, having been bred by her mother Erminilda in the fear of God and a contempt of all worldly vanities, (he very early formed a refolution to dedicate herfelf to God in a ftate of religion and virginity. — Gof- celin^s L,ife of Werburgh.
Notwithftanding that the concurrent teftimo- nies of feveral authors declare her to have been the wife of Ceolredus, yet the diftance of lixty^-fix years between the times of their dcceafe, may pof- iibly occafion fomewhat of a doubt j but any
Vol. I. Y y y ' thing
•i: -^LE-ROYAL
^.-4. • -tii ^.:c •▼:11 'x eafily iblvcd, if wc con- liK Ajj. -ic «as 1 very young girl (puellula) ^iii; >.c ^.u nirricd co chis prince, who lived to .x» .L c:a:« i niddle-aged man, as he did not im- :ic...-LCiy lucurcd his fothcr in the throne of Mcr- .:^ y^z lou :hc kingdom after his coufin Kenred, inv-. mjoycu ic eight years. He died A.D. 716, Uiu :hc died A. D. 782. Sax. Chron.
>;ic pcriiilcd in virginity from a religious motive, lot jniv during the time of her marriage, but after her luibiinu's deceafe, notwithftanding many great matches were propofed to her : Nor could Ihe be ]jrcvaiicd UDon by her father to alter her refolu- dun» diougn, whilft he lived, he would not fufFer hc! CO Lxr profefled. But after the death of Wul- phcre» Ihe and her mother Erminilda were veiled by 5c. Etheldreda, abbefs of Ely. Her uncle, '<:n^ Echeldrcd, who fuccecded his brother Wul- uiwc* admiring his niece's eminent piety, and Lx'iit^ :pmc!i dillatisficd that his kingdom fliould be vicp. ?vcvl oi fuch a pattern of religion and vir- tue, i^^c iho moll prcfling applications to her •V ^.: c 1!y, and return to her native country. NX* ^%.ki at length prevailed upon to come back •luo Mv V .^ .iiul to accept the fuperintendency of v.* %- .v';;:;ivn:s virj;in-focieties, viz. the mona- ■A' CN v*t' I Xi*k:nj:h.uTi (^now Trentham), in Staf- vNv'^^ei \Vi\\!on, in Northamptonfliire ; and . .vi\, i;t StatVoralhire. At the firft of thefc •.iv X he u':e\l, .uul (according to her defirc when ;. *, >%^^ Inuicvl at the laft, where her body re- . vv ,••« V aiul incorrupt for almoft one hun—
^. . x^X V ,.fViV^/i regumy lib. i. ch. 4.) fays,
N,. »x . vv i ul was buried at Chefter \ but Hig-
. X X ;'Mt her remains were dcpofited at
... vt VutburjO, in Staffordfliire •, and
. X.; >;^;, when the Danes had ravaged
a great
p F ENGLAND, 531
i great part of Mercia^ and ^re advanced as far as Repton in Derbylhire, the people of Hgnbury, terrified with their devaftations, toQk up the corps of St. Werburgh, which they found ffcfli and entire, aficl carried it in a hearfe to Chefter, as aplac^ of fafety, from the havock and barbarities of the Danes.
We do not find from any of the old writers, about what time her fiirine was ereAed, but (hall endeavour to give fome account of thofe, whole ftatues are earved upon it. ^
FIGURE I. Crieda. This prince was derived, by about ten dcfcents, from Woden, the famous ftem and origin of the Saxons, and indeed the common father of the Northern nations. He came into Britain, A. D. 584, and founded the fove- reignty of Mercia, which, by the conquefts and acquiutions of his Tucceflbrs/ became afterwards the moft powerful kingdom of the Saxon Hep- tarchy i having for its boundaries, Humber on the North -, the Severn on the Weft -, the Thames on the South ; and on the Eaft the kingdoms of Eflex and of the Eaft- Angles. It confiftcd of Chefliire, Derbyfhire,Nottinghamfhire, StafFordfliire, Shrop- ihire, Northamptonftiire, Leicefterftiire, Lincoln- fliire, Huntingdonfhire, Rutlandfhire, Warwick- fhire, Worcefterfhire, Oxfordfhire, Glouccfter- fliire, Buckinghamftiirc, Bedfordftiire, part of Herefordshire, and a fmall portion of Somerfet- fhire. Hiftorians have not informed us how Cri- eda firft got pofleflion of this kingdom, nor have they tranlmitted any thing more concerning him. He died A. D. 593.
FIG. II. Penda, furnamed The Strong. He was the grandfon of Crieda, and did not come to the throne till he was fifty years of age. He was of a bold, reftlefs, and enterprizing fpirit, ever invading and ravaging the territories of the neigh- Y y y 2 bouring
Sii TH E V A LE:R0 Y A L
bourine prince$. Havijig marched againft O^ wald, king of the Northumbers, they came to a btt(ie ac a.place called Ma&rfelth, where Ofwald "wv flain on die fifth of Auguft, A. D. 642 . Hifto- jiims differ as to the fituation d Bede's Mafeifelth. Cambden, and from himjRapin, Carte and Guthrie, will havtit to be Ofwaldftreet, or Ofweftry, com. Salo{}. Poweli9 in his Defcription of Waleis, fajrs, that it was in the Northumbrian territories, and not at Ofwaldftrcy, which was called, by the Bri- ,tons, Macfuswalht, not Maierfelth. In Lanca- (hire there is a large fee, called Mackerfield, in which lies part of Winwick parifli, where, and efpecially in the town of Newton within that diftri£t, is a tradition, that king Ofwald had a pa* lace 6r caftle thereabouts, where he moftly refided^ and this Mackerfield was within the Northumbri- an dominion, which Shropihire was no^. Oh the fouth outfide wall of Winwick church arc carved, in the old Englifh charader, fome verfes relating to this prince. By this vidtoiy Penda made him- iidf mafter of thofe parts or the Northumbrian dominions which lay on the fouth fide of the Hum- ber. He then laid fiege to Bamborough, which had been built and ftrop^y fortified by Ida, the ftrft king of the Northumoers : Penda endeavour- ed to reiduce. it by fire, but was bafBed, and re- treated.
As his whole reign was a continued Mrarfare, he had, at different times, kilkd in battle five ChrifUans kings; and though he would never he converted, yet he permitted his fon Peada to be baptized, and to receive preachers and miffionaries into his territories. Bede tells us, that Penda w:as wont to exprefs a great^ abhorrence of thofe oiit- fide Chriftians, who did not pra6tife what they ptxrfelled^ declaring thofe to be Contemptible
wfetclies,
- O^F EN GLAND. ^j^
t^retchea, who did aotferve that God in whom thcj believed.
- JPcflida's chief t>feafure was in harraffing the Northumbrians; and having engaged in a war with king Qfwy, brother and luccelTor to Oifwald, they fought a bloody battle on the fifteenth of Novembd", A. D. 65^, upon the banks ot' the riTcr Winuaed (now Aire; near Leeds in Yorkr flt^y where the Mercians were totally routed^ and PeHda^ together with thirty chieftains ot royai extra^ion, killed uj^on the Tpot : He was (lain b the eightieth year ot his age, having reigned thir- ty years.
FIG. III. WuLPHERB, dielecond fon of ?enda. He fticceeded his elder brother Peada, who was poifbned by his wite, a Northumbrian princcfs, in the third year of his reign.
Wulphcre, during his infancy, had been con- cealed, preferved, and afterwards fet upon the throne of Mercia, by the care and affection of three noblemen : Soon after his acccflion, he re- nounced Paganifm, was baptized, and caufed his children to be educated in the Chrillian religion.
He was an aftive prince, much embroiled with his neighbouring potentates, and waged war with various fuccefs. He was attacked by Kenv/alch, king of the Weft-Saxons, but had the good tor- tune to defeat the invaders -, and fo far improved his vidory^ that he fubdued Buckinghamihire, and the adjoining parts of Oxfordfliirc, as far as the Thames ; and afterwards conquered a part of Surry, Hamplhirc, and the Ifle of Wight. Hiv- ing fought and vanqiiilhcd Adelwalch, king of the South-Saxons, he brought him priibner 'hmo Mercia, where he was converted to Chriftianity ; upon which Wulphere reftored him to his liberty, and gave him the IQe of Wight, and a Urge diftrift in Hamp(hire.
Malmeft)ury
i
S% THE VALE, ROYAL
yUicadharf charges Wulphere with fimonically felirr-^ ihc biihoprick of London to one "^yn^, mtticn, if true, ierves to evince that he . had got «i abioLutc fway in the kingdom of Eflex.
la the ieventeentb and laft year of hi^ reign, he Ibughc a bloody battle with Efcwin, king of the Welt-Saxens, at Bedanheof, where a teirible flaughter was made : Henry of Huntingjdon fays, that if there wsl^ any advantage gained in t|us bat- tle, it might be clain>ed by the Mercian, who died oot long afterwards^
Wulphere married Erminilda, princcfs of Kent : Their chief refidence was near Stone in Stafibrd- fliifc 5 and by her he had iflue a daughter, Wei"- burgha, and three fons, two of which died before him(fome writers fay, killed by him), but ^ third, Kenred, came afterwards to be king pf Mcrcia.
FIG IV. Ceolred, nephew of Wulphere, coufin- german, and (according to the Saxon Chronicle) hufband to St. Werburgha, whofe brother Kenred rcfigned to him the kingdom of Mercia.
In the year 715, he fought a memorable battle with Ina, king of the Weft-Saxons, at Wodens- burgh in WiltQiire ; but the occafions of this war arc not related by any hiftorian. Henry of Hun- tingdon tells us, that it was a bloody engagement, and fo fatal to both fides, that it was hard to fay xifhich had fuffcrcdmoft. Little elfe is recorded s>t' this prince : He was reputed to be of an a6tive, w^like difpofition, and had a great chara£ier. ( Ic died in the ninth year of his reign, A. D. 7 16. oiKl WAS interred at Lichfield.
b Uk VI. Offa. a prince of the ancient fine- ly- oi NVoilcn, and of uie royal houfe of Mercia, biv'iiij,; dcKrnded from Eawa (or Eapa) brother of Ki*»K IVjuIa^ grandfather to St. Werburgha. OfFa H.cv V ^'Uxl to the tlirone of Mercia by the unani- mous
ND. 5j5i
mous voice of the people, harrafled out by the tyrannical oppreffions of the ufurpcr Btornred/ He began to reign A. D. ^56^ and was accounted one of the greatcft among the Mercian monarchs. His firfl: exploit, after his acceffion to the throne
of his anceftors, was an expedition againft: the people of Kent, whom he invaded with a power- ful force, and, after an obftinate engagement, routed their army, and with his own hand killed their king Alric. This battle was fought at Ot- fbrd upon the Darenr, A. D, 774-
In the year followino; he attacked the Weft-Sax- ons, and defeated their king Kenwulph, at Ben* , fington (or Benlbn) in Osfordfhire, adjoining to Berkfhire, and forced him to a ceflTion 6f all that territory on the North of the Thames, which, from that time, became a part of the kingdom of Mer- cian He foon afterwards fubdued Gioucefterfhire, and a p?rt of Somerfetlhire, and founded the sb- bejr or BaA : And next, to fliew his great power, atteoij^ed to remove the archiepifcqpal fee from CanterEijI^^ and to fix it at Lichfield.
About this tinie the WeHh, taking the oppor-
. tuni^ of kis vrars with the Saxons, invaded Mer* Cia with fire and fword, and ravaged the country in a dreadful manner : Upon which Offa thought
,4t prudent to come to a triice withliis other ad- veiriaries, and turning his arms againft the Welfh, dtpvie tJiem from their new conqufefts, and forced them to quit to him all the plain country between
. Severn and Wye, which he peopled with Saxons 5 and as a boundary and barrier againft future inva- iions, he threw up that prodigious trench from the Biouth of the river Dee, to that of the Wye, ex- leading about ninety miles, and fince called OflTa's P^ke. ** This Fofs, fays the right reverend ** iniitor of Cambden, may be fecn on Brachy-Hill,
. ^ aiid near Rhyd, or Helig, and Lanterden in
' ' ' "Here-
i»«
r =£ X AL E.R O T A L
* Herebfxnhiic ; and is connaucd northwardl '* izom KiighaWj over a pirt of Shropihirc, in- ^ 32 ykMisgacaujibixc ; mi auy be traced over' -* use i0Esg flBOUDub, called in Wdfli Kevn "* Ci@a^ GO Uayko-caftle, crois the Severn ai^l 4* Liao-X^ioio Common ^ from whence it paOes ^ Vymwy again into Shropfhire, not far from Of- ^ vaiulhcy where there is alfo a fmall village, call* ^ evi rxvryrdawdlu In Denbiehlhire, it is vifihle ^ 4u3QgcheroadbetwccnRhyabDonandWreiJiam; •^ tzKim whence being continued through. Flint- •* ihire, it ends a little below Holywell^* whoc *^ that water falJs into the Dee, at a place former- ^ iy the fite of Bafingwark."
It has been mentioned by fome writers, that when 06\x had nnilhed his dyke, he promulged a decree, that if any Welfhman ihould pal's over this boundary, he lliould be punilhcd with the lols of bis right hand.
L his is hinted at in a poem publiihed . by a young nobleman of Oxford, above a century ago.
" Th peter as clsm Camtros inbihere feroca^ ** i:^s intaclufit multofiruHa agger efojfa^ *' El pudor abfcijfie^ perrupto limited dexir^^.*^,
which may be thus tranflated :
You could, great Offa, with deep dykes enclofc. \^ !iiiin tlitjir bounds your rugged Cambrian foes j Nut uar'd they range into the Mercian lands, Lh«. JOiag the doom of amputated hands*
t -K* lamc of this orince was fo confiderabje, u^^ iK b'.:i>|xrorChanes the Great (Charlemaene) Xv'^'i'V :^i:^ tVkcndand ally ; a circumflance, wnich ^;s. u.a fhhK/ur ; as diftant princes had then very ^u^ ^v%Hii)i«m<acisMi with each other. Offa, ac
the
OF E K^STX iTB; ^3j
the ddire of that Emperor, who was a great lover of learning and learned men in an age Very barren of that ornament, fent over to him a clergyman, celebrated for his knowledge, named Alcuin^ who received great honours from Charlemagne^ and cren became his preceptor in the fcienccs. His chief motive, at firft, for defiring the company of Alcuin, was, that he might oppofe his learning to the he-* refy of Felix bifhop of Urgel in Catalonia; who maintained that our Saviour, confidered in his hu* man nature^ could more properly be denominated * the adoptive than the natural fon of God, This herely was condemned in the council of Francfort,
"Utliitj^ «Ml cofifitiiffiiair «)o tMibops^ 9ttcli iil«ie'ite4<>^>ftfcc>^ lUt«t)ed ihtbat i^^ not only bf liiiMMlwliawto, w bf due wiM. MdgitaMft pnRGQS-*
Slit the character of this prince received ah in* 4fllf Ue ftiiin by his bafe murder of Ethelbert^ king of Eaft Anglia, and his violcht feizure of that kiiigdcMta. This young prince, who is faid to have poMffid.great merit, had made fuitto Elfrjda^ the tlau^ter of Offa, and was invited with all- his it'* tiritie to the court (^0§a at Sutton- Wallis, in Hcxefoidfiiiie^ in order to Solemnize the nuptials. Antidft ihejojr and feftivityofthefe entertainments^ hewas fetzed by Offa^ and fecretly beheaded*: And
* The isg^nkms Mr. John Philip^y in hit fine didadUc j *oiUcd 0^9 mtk that fptrit of hanMUiity which alwayaac paniei tme geniui, pathetically deplores this aflpf barbi^iity^in the following lines :
i '■ Suttott'Aercs, drench'd with regal blood
•Of Sthdbert, when to th'nnhallowM fieaft
CK-Merciao OSa he invic^ came.
To p«at of fpoufals : Lons connubial joyt
He promised to himfelf, alTnPd by fair
UMdaftf beauty ; bat deluded dfd
in Mght of hopcs^r^h I .hardeft fate :So &1) .
By jbew of frieM(hap» aad.prete^d^Jpve I
. Vol. 1 Z z tf tho"
53» THE V A L E . R O Y A L
tbo* Elfrida, who abhorred her father'ii tretcherf» had time to give warning to the Eaft- Anglian no* bility, who dcaped into their own country, Offa, having extin^uimed the royal family, fuccoeded in his projeft ot fubduing that country. The trea- cherous prince, deiirous of regaining the good opi- nion of the world, and perhaps of appeafing the raiK)rfes of his own confcience, paid great court to the clergy, and pra^bifed all the monkifii devo- tions which were fo much efteemed in that ignorant and fuperfti tious age. He beftowed the tenth c£ his goods on the church ; gave rich prefents to the ca^ tbedral of Hereford, and even made a pilgrinuigc to Rome, where his great power and riches. could not fail of procuring him the papal abfolution,-^ The better to ingratiate himfelr with the ibvereign pontiff*, he engaged to pay him a yearly donation for the fupport of an Englifh college at Rome, and in order to raife the fum, he impofed a tax of a penny on each houfe poffefled of thirty pence a year. This impofition beinjg afterwards levied from all England, was common^ denominated Peter's- ' pence ; and tho' conferred at firft as a gift, was af- terwards claimed as a tribute by the Roman pontiff. Carrying his hypocrify ftill farther, Off*ay feigning to be diredted by vifions from' heaven, difcovered at Verulam the reliques of St. Alban, the martyr, and endowed a magnificent monaftery in the place. . Moved by all thefe a£ts of piety, MaLmeibury, one of the beft of the old Englifh hiflorians^ declares himfclf at a loft to determine whether the merits or the crimes of this prince preponderated. . Offa died, after a reign oi thirty-nine years, in 794/— He married, fays Sir Peter Leyceftcr, a lady nam- ed Quendrida, whofe family is unknown : By whom he had ifTue a fon called Egfrid ; Ethelburge, a daughter,, married to Briftric, king of the Wefl- Saxons i Elfleda, another daughter, fecond wife to
Ethd.
of NoirtJiimbttkuicl; and £lfridi» '\£to idj^on in the moaafterjr af .
YIIvEorsRTVi (orEQniDus), fbaawi rv«- OA, » prince of grei« hopei» l^it jAlii'iliii III itiwy^ ItftvinKragiiedonlfoiiehua- ilii !>n< lUi ly jQM^gfn : H^ iras intemsd in cbe
>*^ FIGi iX. Sr.KiM^ui. Thi$ infam kins; iras IteoCSi^al^ a prince qCthe Mercian bkxx^r^-' '«lj;«i»^teoKdBd EgjRsrt, jnft before mentiooed. Htelaa w» JMiefeeen years old at the death of hit AdkW,'and>hisoi«hacceflion.to the crown: Heh«d: . ^IMJMwi i|ily »'fear montiuy when his fitter Qoea^
• Arfiip naiiiiid:i|gainfthis lifi^ and procured his ok MP (Hhi f jiftft<rt>(gt) to m urdcr him i who^ dccayiitt
}tik0mmiotmt youth into an un^equcptpd wooi^ iMroiffhitt'hrad, and buried hi(n ynder a thorn CTCt» The Author of Polychronicon fays, th^t the catpfe was thrown into a well, 3ever4l old hifto* rians mention the murder of this prince, and the miraculous manner of its difcovcry : Concerning the latter, William of Malmefbury, and M;itthew
- i0f Weftminfter, give the following legendaiy ac» . count, viz. >^ That after the jperpetration or this
. .** bloody deed, the inhuman ufter foon feized the *^ kinMbm» and prohibited all inquiry