BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME ■FROM THE SAGE ENDOWMENT FUND THE GIFT OF X891 ...AJlZ/..^... //syp^- Date Due Ifl' ' '/ \A w Cornell University Library DA 690.N55M74 History of Jhe.at«;ienl,town^and|^^^^^^^^ ^^y^pua^ /'cftPnA. The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028185811 REFERENCE S. I. Alms Houses founded by Mr. Raymond. 2. Do. called St. Bartholomew s Hospital. 3- The Free School. 4- The Quakers Meeting. 5- Alms Houses in the Church Yard. 6. The Church and Church Yard. 7- Alms Houses at West Mills. 8. The Globe Inn. 9- Alms Houses. lO. The Baptist Meeting. 1 1. Egypt. 12. The Independent Meeting. 13- The Castle Inn. 14. The Pelican Inn. 15- The Kings Arms Inn. 16. The Road to Shaw House. 17. Marsh Lane. 18. Remains of Jack of Newbury s House. J9- The Presbyterian Meeting. 20. The Rector s House. 21. The Bridge. 22. The Old Guild Hall. ■=3- The New Town House. 24, The Little Lane. 2 5- The Quakers Burial Ground. 26. Alms Houses. 27. The Work House. 28. Ths Market Cross. 29. The Chapel Houses. WesrMi To face Title. EWBUKTaho 3 vi..^-*-*^'^ y^l S'c/f/.e of Pe/9c/iEs o/9^fvf(i-or/iiS. 2o 3o 4o SO 60 7^ do PAflKEH A CO, DTHO. OXFORD. THE HISTORY OF THE. ANCIENT TOWN AND BOROUGH OF NEWBURY, IN THE COUNTY OF BEKKS. BY WALTER MONEY, F.S.A. LOCAL SECRETARY OF THE SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES OF LONDON FOR BERKSHIRE, AND HON. SEC. NEWBURY DISTRICT FIELD CLUB. AUTHOR OF "BATTLES OF NEWBURY," "CHURCH GOODS IN BERKSHIRE," &C. lp>arf?er an& Co. OXFORD, AND 6 SOUTHAMPTON-STREET, STRAND, LONDON. 1887. PREFACE. 'T^HE following work is the result of Several years ■*■ spent in collecting material to iHustrate the History of the Borough of Newbury, with- which the author has been so many years connected. The ground which the book covers it is believed will be found to be unoccupied by any existing book, but at the same time this subject is one which the author trusts will be thought deserving of the somewhat extensive treatment with which he has dealt with it. Berkshire may be said to be much behind the majority of our counties in respect of County and Borough history, which has for the most part been accomplished very superficially, and consequently, in general, with more or less inaccuracy. It does not possess a thick folio like Atkyns' Glouces- tershire, which was published in 171 2, and again in 1768, nor the three folios comprising Manning's Surrey, issued 1804-14, nor the six folios like Sir Richard Colt Hoare's Wiltshire, issued in 1822-44, nor yet the four comely volumes like Lipscomb's Buckinghamshire, completed in 1847. Against these Berkshire has only to set a very thin quarto confined to the Hundred of Wanting, compiled by the late Mr. Clarke in 1824 ; the Col- lections towards a parochial history of Berks formed by Edward Rowe Mores in the last century ; a small volume relating to the Hundred of Compton, iv PREFACE. and another to that of Bray, with a few other minor pubHcations. Practically the only books to which the Berkshire resident who desires to know any- thing of his own district can turn are the few pages given to the county in Lyson's " Magna Britannia," 1813, or in Britton and Brayley's "Beauties of England and Wales" of 1801. Of course he may go back to the pages of the great Camden, who compiled his work at the close of Elizabeth's reign, or to the church notes of the indefatigable anti- quarian and principal labourer for Berkshire, Elias Ashmole ; but neither in the more recent compila- tions nor in the earlier attempts will the student find that the subject has been treated with the detail it deserves ^ And as regards boroughs, not much has been done. Neither Coate's nor Man's works can be said to be at all satisfactory as regards Reading, though for the time at which they were compiled they compare well with other monographs. Both Messrs. Tighe and Davis, and Mr. Hedges, have done something more satisfactory for Windsor and Wallingford respectively, having far greater oppor- tunities, and these works constitute the main sources from which we can obtain authentic and satisfactory information on corporate history and local topo- graphy. Abingdon, with its famous Abbey, is still without a history, and so is Faringdon, unless we except an imperfect account of the latter town, published by Stone, at the close of the last century. While last, not least, Newbury, which now gives • Since the above was written, a History of Berks, by Lt.-Col. C. Cooper King, F.G.S., has been publshed, as one of a series of popular county histories. PREFACE. V its name to a Parliamentary Division of the County, is dependent on a single book issued in 1839. The fact is the last half century has seen a great revolution taking place in the character of historical knowledge and research, and such labours are now more appreciated and encouraged than formerly. Chronicles either not printed at all, or printed from bad and interpolated texts, so as to be often very misleading, have now been properly edited, each with full indices ; besides which a great work has been going on for some years at the Public Record Office, and in the MS. departments of other institu- tions, in the arranging and calendaring the material on which history has to rest. At the same time many literary societies have added their quota to our historical knowledge by printing many an over- looked document, or bringing to bear upon it valu- able criticism, and by recording in an accurate manner the archaeological discoveries which take place. Newbury, situated as it is near to the southern confines of the county, is connected with a district respecting which very little systematic historical in- vestigation has taken place, and yet it will be seen from the following summary that in the times of the Romans the district is brought into note, and that immediately after the Conquest we have several references to it, and these of an interesting kind, exhibiting in detail, and so illustrating in a remark- able way, the close connection which existed at this period between England and Normandy. More- over, now that attention is drawn so much to the history of our tithes and endowments, it will be seen that the minute particulars here collected re- VI PREFACE. latlng to the foundation of the Church of Newbury are interesting and important links in the great chain of historical truth respecting the private.and personal grants of such endowments, many of which can be traced consecutively from those early times to the present day. Though we know but little of Bernard of Neuf March6, who granted the tithes of Speen to Aufay, and less still, perhaps, of Ernulf of Hesding, who in founding a church at Newbury granted the tithes to the Church of Pr^aux, there can be no question from the evidence given that they were personal and free gifts, absolutely independent of any state or even of royal favour. Passing on from the Conquest, the incident of the siege of Newbury during King Stephen's reign illustrates the internal wars of the kingdom during the twelfth century, in the same way that the two battles of Newbury illustrate the troubles of the country in Charles I.'s reign. And throughout it will be seen that many incidents of which Newbury was the scene bring before us illustrious persons of every century from the twelfth onwards. In its municipal history Newbury affords many illustrations of great value shewing the process of municipal institutions, and the jurisdiction of muni- cipal courts ; and though the records only go back to King James I.'s reign, it will be seen that during the seventeenth and succeeding century they are very rich, referring to many matters not only of local interest but of considerable importance in the general study of the social history of the country. It has been impossible satisfactorily to classify these records, and they are therefore given in one chrono- logical series. PREFACE. vii In the course of the arrangement of this work for the press, the author has found his material so much in excess of the limits assigned to the volume, that he has been compelled to omit some portions of the parochial and other records, such as copious extracts from the Registers, &c., which he had prepared for this purpose, but which may probably find publicity in some other form. On the other hand, it may be thought that the later chronological annals are un- necessarily diffuse, and in some cases too unimpor- tant to chronicle ; but the author trusts he may be excused if he has given too much attention to this portion of his subject, on account of the local interest which is attached to these simple records, which are so much interwoven with the general history of the town. The pleasing task remains of returning sincere thanks for many acts of kindness, assistance, and encouragement received from various friends during the progress of this undertaking, to all of whom the author desires gratefully to return those acknow- ledgments which are so justly due. Newbury, 1887. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. The Worshipful the Mayor of Newbury (Benjamin Smith, Esq.). Absalom, Mr. Alderman, J. P., Newbury. Adey, Mr. Alderman, J. P., Newbury. Adey, Mr. Joseph, Newbury. Allen, T. W., Esq., Whitway House, Newbury. Antiquaries of London, Society of, Burlington House. Arbuthnot, Sir Alexander J., K.C.S.I., Newtown House, Newbury. Asprey, James, Esq., Sandleford Grove, Newbury. Atkins, Rev. J., M.A., LL.B., The Grammar School, Newbury. Atlee, Miss, Salisbury Terrace, Newbury. Baily, Lawrence R., Esq., Allerton Hall, Woolton, Lancashire. Balfour, Blayney Townley, Esq., Townley Hall, Drogheda, Ireland. Bance, John, Esq., Newbury. Banting, Rev. W. Bickham, Little Brickhill Vicarage, Bletchley. Barfield, Samuel, Esq., 67 Porchester Terrace, London. Baring, Viscount, M.P., Stratton Park, near Micheldever. Barnes, J. B., Esq., Castle House, Speen. Barnes, John, Esq., Kingsclere, Newbury. Barnwell, E. L., Esq., Melksham House, Wilts. Barton, Rev. T., Donnington Square, Newbury. Batten, John, Esq., F.S.A., Aldon, Yeovil. Baxendale, Mrs. Lloyd, Greenham Lodge, Newbury. , Bazett, A. Campbell, Esq., Newbury. Belcher, W. H., Esq., Newbury (2 copies). Benyon, Richard, Esq., Englefield House, Reading (5 copies). Bew, W. H., Esq., the Poplars, Newbury. Billings, Frederick, Esq., Orpington Manor, Kent. Bingham, A. J., Esq., Nalder Hill House, Newbury. Bingham, R., Esq., 5 Bolton-street, Piccadilly, W. Birch, Robert, Esq., L.R.C.P. Lond., The Litten, Newbury. Bishop, James, Esq., Hampstead Park, Newbury. Blacket, W. J., Esq., Newbury (6 copies). Blakesley, Geo. Holmes, Esq., M.A., 13 Old Buildings, Lincoln's Inn. Blandy, W. F., Esq., i Friar-street, Reading. Boase, Rev. Charles W., Exeter College, Oxford. Boase, Geo. Clement, Esq., 15 Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster. Bosley, Mr. J. L., 7 York Terrace, York Square, Stepney, S.E. X LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Boulnois, W. A., Esq., F.R.I. B. A., Inhurst House, Basingstoke. Bouverie, Edward Pleydell, Esq., Manor House, Market Lavington, Wilts. Boyer, Mr. George, Newbury. Boyer, Mr. William, Brimpton, Reading. Bradshaw, Rev. S. Y. B., South Shore Vicarage, Blackpool. Brent, Cecil, Esq., F.S.A., 37 Palace Grove, Bromley, Kent. Brewster, Wm. H., Jun., Esq., Boston, U.S.A. Brown, Alfred D., Esq., Newburyport, Mass., U.S.A. Brown, John Coffin Jones, Esq., Boston, U.S.A. Brown, Rev. J. T., St. Paul's Rectory, Wokingham. Bruton, E. G., Esq., Diocesan Surveyor, F.S.A., Oxford. Bruxner, Mrs. H., Holmesland, Botley, Hants. Bulkley, Rev. E., Kingsclere- Woodlands Vicarage, Brimpton, Reading. Bunbury, The late H. M., Esq., Marlstone House, Newbury. Bunny, J. Brice, Esq., Newbury. Burdett, Sir Francis, Bart., Ramsbury Manor, Hungerford. Burridge, Rev. T. W., Eastbury Vicarage, Lamborne. Burrough, The Misses, Donnington Square, Newbury. Burrows, Professor Montagu, All Souls College, Oxford. Bute, The Most Hon. the Marquis of, per J. G. Godwin, Esq., 83 Eccleston Square, London. Campbell-Gill, Rev. Dugald, The Cottage, Midgham, Reading. Carnarvon, the Earl of, Highclere Castle, Newbury (6 copies). Cary, Mr. Alphonse, Newbury. Chappelow, John S., Esq., 10 Lincoln's Inn Fields. Chatteris, W. P. B., Esq., Sandleford Priory, Newbury. Chatteris, Mrs., Sandleford Priory, Newbury. Cherry, Geo. C, Esq., Denford, Hungerford. Child-Dampier, Mrs. Pitthouse, Brimpton, Reading. Chute, Chalmer W., Esq., The Vyne, Basingstoke. Clothworkers, The Worshipful Company of, London, per Owen Roberts' Esq., M.A., F.S.A. ' Clutterbuck, Rev. R. H., Knight's Enham Rectory, Andover. Cole, W. H., Esq., West Woodhay House, Newbury. Coles, Rev. Einier T., Ashmansworth, Newbury. Coldicutt, F. J., Esq., Porchester Villas, Newbury, pallier. Rev. Canon, F.S.A., the Vicarage, Andover. /ColUns, J. Churton, Esq., 61 Torrington Square, London. Cooper, Mrs., 15 Stanley Crescent, Notting Hill, W. Cosburn, Mr. G. J., Newbury. Cowper, W. J., Esq., Donnington Square, Newbury. Cowslade, Frederick, Esq., Erleigh, Reading. Cox, Mr. E., Cheap-street, Newbury. Cox, Richard, Esq., M.D., Theale, Reading. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. xi Craven, The Countess of, Ashdown Park, Shrivenham. Cunnington and Fitch, Messrs., Newbury. Dasent, Arthur Irwin, Esq., Tower Hill, Ascot (2 copies). Davenport, T. M., Esq., County Hall, Oxford. Davies, Rev. J. Sylvester, Vicarage, Enfield Highway, Middlesex. Davies, Mr. P. E., Newbury. Davis, Lt.-Col., F.S.A., 3rd Batt. Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment, Greenhills, Tilford, Farnham. Davis, Alexander, Esq., Highwood Villa, Shaw, Newbury. Davis, R. Archer, Esq., Abbey Wells, East Woodhay, Newbury. Dawson, Hon. Anthony, Forberry Grove, Hungerford. Day, The late W. Ansell, Esq., Lyndhurst, Hendon, Middlesex. Dewe, William, Parsonage, Hampstead Norreys, Newbury. Dowdeswell, Geo. Morley, Esq., Q.C., Recorder of Newbury, i Har- court Buildings, Temple. Drew, Rev. Joseph, 10 Cecil Square, Margate. Dreweatt, T., Esq., Newbury. Edmonds, Mr. W., Northbrook-street, Newbury. Edwards, Rev. R. C, Speen Vicarage. Edwards, Septimus, Esq., Kingsclere, Newbury. Edwards, Job, Esq., Amesbury, Wilts. Elliott, E. J., Esq., Christchurch, New Zealand. Elliott, Mr. Henry, Argyle-road, Newbury. Elliott, Mr. Samuel, Newbury. Arlington, Rev. J. L., Midgham Vicarage, Reading. Erskine-Zwilchenbart, Mrs., Dean Wood, Newbury. Exeter, The Very Rev. B. M. Cowie, Dean of, the Deanery, Exeter. Eyles, George C, Esq., Acre House, Andover. Eyre, The late Charles, Esq., Welford Park, Newbury. Eyston, Mrs., Hendred House, Wantage. Fellowes, T. Abdy, Esq., Donnington Priory, Newbury. Field Club, Newbury, a member of. Fielder, Frederick, Esq., Whitefield House, Ashton-on- Mersey, Cheshire. Fisher, Richard, Esq., Winterborne House, Newbury. Flint, Mr. Councillor, Nawbury. Fox, Rev. Edward, Upper Heyford Rectory, Banbury. Francklyn, Mrs., Speen Hill Lodge, Newbury. Franks, Augustus Wollaston, Esq., F.R.S., F.S.A., British Museum. Freebody, Mr. James, Newbury. Freeman, Mr. James, Stockcross, Newbury. Freeman, Mr. Benson F., Newbury. Freeman, Mr. T. J., Speenhamland, Newbury. xii LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Gardiner, Rev. E. I., Rectory, Newbury (2 copies). Garry, Rev. Canon, St. Mary's, Reading. Gibbs, Rev. J. G., St. Mary's, Speenhamland. Gibbs, Robert, Esq., Aylesbury. Gillmore, Mrs., Herborough House, Newbury (4 copies). Godding, Miss E. E., Newbury (4 copies). Godwin, H. Burke, Esq., Town Clerk, Newbury. Godwin, Miss, The Lawn, Speen Hill, Newbury. Gotley, Rev. G. Henniker, Tysoe, Warwick. Gould, Mr. Edward, Cheap-street, Newbury. Graham, Colonel Sir Lumley, Bart., Arlington Manor, Newbury. Gray, James, Esq., Hatcham Lodge, New Cross-road, S.E. Gudgeon, George, Esq., High-street, Winchester. Guilding, Rev. J. M., St. Lawrence's, Reading. Gurney, Thos., Esq., Hartwell, Aylesbury. Hall, Mr. Councillor, Speenhamland. Hamblin, Mr. Isaac, Speenhamland. Hanson, Sir Reginald, Kt., Lord Mayor, The Mansion House, London. Harnett, Rev. F. W., St. George's Vicarage, Wolverton, Bucks. Hattatt, Mr. J., Marsh Cottage, Newbury. Hawkins, T. E., Esq., Springhill, St. Mary Bourne, Andover. Hawkins, Mr. T., The Bridge, Newbury (12 copies). Hawkins-Black, E. B., Esq., The Chantry, Newbury. Hedges, Kirby Hedges, Esq., the Castle, Wallingford. Hickman, Mr. Alderman, J. P., Newbury. Hill, Alexander Tisdall, Esq., Arlington, Surbiton Hill Park, Surrey. Hill, Mr., Norman-road, Englefield, Reading. Hiscock, Mrs., Ashley House, Speenhamland. Holding, J. Carter, Esq., Elm Grove, Kingsclere. Holding, Wm., Esq., Burghclere Manor, Newbury. Holmes, Henry, Esq., 10 New Square, Lincoln's Inn. Hooper, Rev. Richard, Upton Rectory, Didcot. Hoskyns, Rev. Sir John, Bart., Aston-Tyrrold Rectory, Wallingford. Howard, The Lady Louisa, Hazelby, East Woodhay, Newbury. Howe, Mr. T. B., Newbury. " Incognitas," Newbury (6 copies). Ingram, Mr. J. B., Newbury. Jackson, Rev. Canon, F.S.A., Leigh Delamere, Chippenham. Jackson, Mr. Alderman, J. P., Newbury. Jackson, Mr. Councillor Alfred, Newbury. James, Mr. E., Pound-street, Newbury. Johnson, Rev. C. A., Enborne Rectory, Newbury. Johnson, Mrs., Enborne Rectory, Newbury. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. xiii Jones, Professor T. Rupert, F.R.S., F.G.S., lo Uverdale-road, King's- road, Chelsea, S.W. Jones, David Rogers, Esq., Newbury. Jones, Mr. W. Garratt, Kintbury, Hungerford. Joyce, Thomas, Esq., M.D., Cranbrook, Kent. Kelsey, John, Esq., i North Hill Terrace, Highgate. Kemm, W. Cove, Esq., Amesbury, Wilts. Kemp, Mr. J. W. H., Newbury. King, Lt.-Col. C. Cooper, Kingsclear, Camberley. King, John, Esq., Beedon House, Newbury. Kingsmill, W. Howley, Esq., Sydmonton Court, Newbury. Kintbury Working Men's Club, per Mr. W. Garratt Jones. Kirby, Rev. Thos. F., The College, Winchester. Knight, Mr. Councillor G. Mitchell, Newbury. Knight, Mr. Councillor Stephen, Newbury. Lachlan, Miss, 53 Gloucester Gardens, Hyde Park. Lake, Benjamin Greene, Esq., The Priory, Orpington, Kent. Langley, Miss E., 37 and 39 London-street, Reading (2 copies). Langshaw, Rev. T., Silchester Rectory, Reading. Lee, Rev. Frederick George, D.D., F.S.A., All Saints' Vicarage, Lambeth. Lenthall, F. Kyffin, Esq., F.S.A., Besselsleigh Manor, Abingdon. Lewendon, Mr. W. E., Speenhamland. Lincoln, The Very Rev. W. J. Butler, Dean of, the Deariery, Lincoln. Lloyd, Rev. F. LI., Aldworth Rectory, Reading. London, The Library of the Corporation of the City of. Long, Mr. Councillor, Newbury. Longmore, Rev. P. A., Hermitage Vicarage, Newbury. Louch, T. Quekett, Esq., Donnington Square, Newbury. Lovell, Mr. Councillor, Newbury. Lowsley, Luke, Esq., Manor House, Hampstead Norreys, Newbury. Lowsley, Major, R.E., Limerick. Luck, The Rev. Canon, St. Mary's, East Hendred, Wantage. Ludlow-Bruges, H. H., Esq., St. John's College, Oxford. Lyon, Frank H., Esq., M.D., Thatcham, Newbury. Magdalen College, Oxford, Library of. Mallet, Gilbert, Esq., Newbury. Martin, Charles Trice, Esq., B.A., F.S.A., Public Record Office. Martin, George, Esq., D.Mus. (St. Paul's Cathedral), 4 Amen Court, E.C. Martin, Rev. H., Thatcham House, Newbury. Mason, J. H., Esq., J.P., Newbury. ' Mason, John, jun., Esq., Newbury. Matthews, T., Esq., Uplands, Newbury. xiv LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Matthews, G. A., Esq., Ivy Villa, Beulah Hill, Norwood, Surrey. Mecey, J. W., Esq., Thatcham, Newbury. Merriman, R. W., Esq., Marlborough. Midwinter, Mr. Councillor, Newbury. Money, J. H., Esq., The Shrubbery, Newbury. Money, Miss, The Dene, Donnington, Newbury. Morgan, Rev. H. ThornhiU, Crowthorne Vicarage, Wokingham. Morrell, Geo. Herbert, Esq., Headington Hill Hall, Oxford. Morrison, Robert, Esq., Glendale Lodge, Newbury. Mount, W. G., Esq., M.P., Wasing Place, Reading. Mowbray, Sir John R., Bart., M.P., P.C, D.C.L., Warrenes Wood, Mortimer, Reading. Mulhngs, John, Esq., Cirencester. Nash, Walter L., Esq., The Ham, Wantage. Nash, Mr. J. T., Newbury. Nelson, The Hon. and Rev. J. Horatio, Shaw Rectory, Newbury. Nelson, John Eyre, Esq., Shaw Rectory, Newbury. New College, Oxford, The Rev. J. E. Sewell, D.D., The Warden of. New, Mr. George, Bartholomew-street, Newbury. Newburyport, U.S.A., The Public Library of, per E. S. Mozeley, Esq. Newton, Robert, Esq., Dunston Lodge, Thatcham, Newbury. Norfolk, His Grace The Duke of, Arundel Castle, Sussex. Nundy, J. T., Esq., Newbury. Nutley," Charles, Esq., Newbury. Osgood, Mr. John, The Bridge, Newbury. Oxford, The Lord Bishop of, Cuddesdon Palace. Oxford Architectural and Historical Society. Packer, H. W., Esq., c.o. Jno. Packer, Esq., Newbury. Padbury, Mr. G. W., Thatcham, Newbury. Palmer, Montagu, Esq., M.R.C.S., Manor House, Speenhamland. Parry-Webley, Mrs. Manariefed, Boncath, South Wales. Phillips, WiUiam, Esq., 15 Woodhurst-road, Acton, W. Pile, Mr. Thos. P., Salisbury Terrace, Newbury. Pinniger, J. Cockburn, Esq., Clerk of the Peace, Newbury. Piatt, John, Esq., High Constable, Hungerford. Plenty, E. P., Esq., Burghclere, Newbury. Plumbe, Rowland, Esq., F.R.I. B. A., 13 Fitzroy Square, London, W. Pocock, Miss Clara, Yarborough Lodge, St. Edward's-road, Southsea. Poole-Barlow, Rev. T. G., St. John's Vicarage, Newbury. Poore, Benjamin Perley, Esq., Indian Hill, near Newburyport, U.S.A. Portal, Melville, Esq., Laverstoke House, Hants. Portal, Rev. Canon, Burghclere Rectory, Newbury. Povey, Rev. R., Central Falls, Rhode Island, U.S.A. LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. XV Powell, George, Esq., 30 Moorgate-st., London, E.C. Powis, The Earl of, 45 Berkeley Square, London. Queen's College, Oxford, Library of. Randall, The Ven. Archdeacon, Birchfield House, Langley, Slough. Ravenor, Mr. Councillor, Speenhamland. Reid, Herbert J., Esq., F.S.A., Donnington, Newbury. Ricardo, Capt. G. Craven, Donnington Castle House, Newbury. Ridley, Rev. N. J., HoUington House, Newbury. Riley, Rev. Canon, St. Joseph's, Speenhamland. Roake, Mr. C, Bartholomew-street, Newbury. Robertson, Mrs., Hollingbourne, Kent. Robinson, Rev. J. H., Woolton Hill Rectory, Newbury Rogerson, Edward, Esq., Kingsdown, Newbury. Rolfe, Mr. R. W., Arundel, Sussex. Royston, J. C, Esq., 3 Vere-road, Ditchling-road, Brighton. Russell, Sir George, M.P., Swallowfield Park, Reading. Rutland, James, Esq., The Gables, Taplow, Maidenhead. Ryott, F. E., Esq., M.D., F.R.C.S., J. P., Newbury. Salisbury, The Lord Bishop of, The Palace, Salisbury. Selby, Walford D., Esq., Public Record Office, London. Sewell, Edward, Esq., Cirencester. Seymour, Henry, Esq., Speenhamland. Silver, S. W., Esq., The Benhams, Letcombe Regis, Wantage. Sim, Col. Edw. Coysgarne, R.E., 32 James-street, Buckingham Gate, S.W. Skinner, William, Esq., East Leigh, Greenham. Slocock, Charles, Esq., Donnington Lodge, Newbury. Slocock, Rev. O. E., Greenham Vicarage, Newbury. Smith, George Plumer, Esq., 231 South Sixth-street, Philadelphia, U.S.A. (12 copies). Smith, Mrs. Walter, Gloucester Villas, Richmond, Surrey. Smith, Mrs. King, 12 Lambridge, Bath. Smith, Mr. W., 97 London-street, Reading (2 copies). Smithers, Maj.-Gen., The Mount, Newbury. Somerset, F. P., Esq., Greenham House, Newbury. Somerset, H., Esq., Newbury. Southby, Arthur, Esq., Springhurst, Greenham. Staples, Mr. John, Newbury. Stevens, Joseph, Esq., M.D., 128 Oxford-road, Reading. Steward-Falcon, Rev. R. S., Sulhampstead Rectory, Reading. St. John, Lt.-Col. E. J., Slinfold, Horsham, Sussex. Stone, Mr. Councillor, Beaconsfield, Newbury. Stradling, Mr. Alfred, Newbury. xvi LIST OF SUBSCRIBERS. Strange, Wm. Jeffrys, Esq., Mile House, Sulhampstead, Reading. Strawson, G. F., Esq., The Cedars, London-road, Newbury. Stuart-Crichton, Col., Woolton House, Newbury. Surrey, S. A., Esq., London and County Bank, Newbury. Sutton, Sir Richard F., Bart., Benham Park, Newbury. Swayne, H. F., Esq., The Island, Wilton, Salisbury. Sydney, the Free Public Library, per Messrs. Triibner and Co., 57 Ludgate Hill, London. Taylor, John Okey, Esq., J. P., Reading. Ternan, Maj.-Gen. Battle, Speen Hill, Newbury. Terry, Rev. Thomas R., M.A., F.R.A.S., East Ilsley Rectory, Newbury. Teissier, The Rev. Baron de. Bourne House, Newbury. Thomas, J. Blount, Esq., J.P., Southampton. Thurlow, Major, Shaw House, Newbury. Tinkler, John E., Esq., Ghetham's Library, Manchester. Trott, Rev. T., Woodspeen House, Newbury. TuU, A. R., Esq., Crookham House, Newbury. Valpy, R. H., Esq., F.G.S., Enborne Lodge, Newbury. Vincent, Miss, The Dene, Donnington, Newbury. Wallis, Rev. W. M., Roselands, Bucklebury, Reading. Walter, John, Esq., Bearwood, Wokingham. Wantage, Lord, V.C, K.C.B., Lord-Lieutenant of Berks, Lockinge Park, Wantage. Ward, Capt., R.N., Round Oak, Greenham. Watson, Henry, Esq., M.D., J.P., Borough Coroner, Newbury. Webb, Doran, Esq., Slough. Webster, Thomas, Esq., Killamarsh, Chesterfield. Westminster, The Very Rev. G. G. Bradley, Dean of, the Deanery, Westminster. Whitehurst, The late Rev. J., Farnborough Rectory, Wantage. Wickham, William, Esq., Binsted-wyck, Alton, Hants. Wilder, Frederick, Esq., Purley Court, Reading. Willis, Mr. T., Bartholomew-street, Newbury. Wilson, Mr. Alderman, J. P., Newbury. Windsor Castle, The Royal Library. Wintle, Mr. Councillor, Newbury. Witherington, Duncan H., Esq., i Friar-street, Reading. Woodyer, Henry, Esq., Graffam, Guildford. Wroughton, Philip, Esq., M.P., Woolley Park, Wantage. Wyld, Miss, Knotmead, Mortimer. CONTENTS. PART I. — The History of the Town OF Newbury. CHAPTER I. The Roman and English Settlement on the River Kennet. The Roman station Spina of the Antonine Itinerary. — Lines of the Roman Roads. — The beorgh or hill-fortress in the neighbourhood.— Description of the supposed locality of the Roman station. — Roman remains in and near Newbury. — The Saxon Settlement on the River Kennet. — Traces of original names. — The names of places in the neighbourhood.- — The Lot Mead. — The Saxon Coins. — The evidence of the ford. — References to the name Speen. — The natural advan- tages of the position. — The new i5«^rg- .... pp.3 — 19 CHAPTER II. The Gift of the Church of Speen to Aufay, in Normandy, c. 1079. The first mention of the name of Newbury. — The Church at Aufay on the river Scie. — Bernard, son of Geoffrey of Neuf Marche, grants the Church of Speen, the tithes held by Everard the Priest, besides twenty shillings from the revenues of Newbury. — The corroborative evidence of the statements made in the charter which is copied by Orderic Vital. — The connection between the families of Heugleville and Neuf Marche. — In 1086 Humphrey Vis-de-Lew is tenant in capite of Speen. — Bernard signs the King's charter of gifts to Battle Abbey. — Speen afterwards held of the Honour of Brecknock. — The light the previous notes throw on the early history of New- bury pp. 20—29 CHAPTER III. Grant of the Church and Tithes of Newbury to the Abbey of Preaux in Normandy, c. 1085. The charter of William the Conqueror from the Cartulary of Notre Dame de Prdaux. — Confirmation charters existing. — Extracts from the Taxation of Pope Nicholas referring to property held by the Abbey of Prdaux in England. — An account of the Abbey of Prdaux b xviii Contents. and its endowments.— The great benefactor to Newbury, Ernulf OF Hesding.— His early history.— His connection with England and the manors held by him.— His benefactions to churches.— Various incidents in Ernulf 's life PP- 30—48 CHAPTER IV. The Domesday Survey, a.d. 1086. Berkshire in the Domesday Survey.— Table of the Manors in the Hundred of Thatcham. — Newbury not named, but Ulvritone finds no modern representative, and is in the hands of Ernulf OF Hesding. — The neighbouring Manors of Speen, Bagnor, and Benham. — Notes on the Manor of Ulvritone, and the derivation of its name, pp. 49-57 CHAPTER V. The Gift of Mills at Newbury to Sandleford Priory, c. 1200. Sandleford, adjoining Newbury, founded by Geoffrey, the fourth Count of Perche, and the Countess Matilda. — The Charter of Con- firmation. — Pedigree of the family. — The boundaries of the land of Sandleford. — The Mills at Newbury from which the grant was made. — Various circumstances connected with the history of the Priory. — Present condition of the remains of the Priory. — The evidence derived from the above as to the extent and status of the borough of Newbury at this time pp. 58 — 70 CHAPTER VI. Newbury in the Twelfth Century. The Manorial History.— The evidence from the Pipe Rolls.— The descent of the property of Ernulf de Hesding. — The family of Patrick de Cadurcis or Chaworth. Incidents connected with Newbury. — The Siege of Newbury in II 52. — The circumstances preceding the siege. — The account of the siege in the chronicles. — The thirteenth-century poem on the Siege of Newbury from the Collection of Sir Thomas Phillips. — The story of William Marshal, the boy-hostage. — The probable site of the Castle of Newbury. — King Henry II. at Newbury in 1155. — New- bury in the reign of Richard I. — Grant of land to the Knights Hospitallers pp. 71— loi CHAPTER VII. Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. The Manorial History. — The Manor of Newbury bestowed by King John on Robert Fitz-Roger. — The Countess of Perche disseized of the Manor. — The Manor of Newbury granted to Geoffrey Fitz-Roy natural son of King John.— The Manor of Newbury given to William Contents. xix Earl of Salisbury, c. 1217. — Connection of the Earl Marshal and his family with Newbury. — Pedigree of the Marshal family. — The mar- riage of Simon de Montfort and the Princess Eleanor, widow of William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, whereby he acquired an interest in the Manor of Newbury. — Testa de Nevill, 1236 — 1246. — Newbury as described in the Hundred Rolls, circa 1265. — Death of Simon de Montfort. — A miracle at Newbury attributed to his corpse. — The con- nection of William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, with Newbury. — The Dictum de Kenilworth. — Family of Simon de Montfort. — The interest of the Mohun family in Newbury, with pedigree. — Roger Bigot, Earl of Norfolk, with pedigree of the family. — The Mortimers, and their connection with Newbury. — The family of de Fortibus, or de Vivonia, with pedigree. — Rentals, &c., in Newbury at close of the thirteenth century. Incidents connected with Newbury. — King John at New- bury, and other places in the neighbourhood, 1200 — 1214. — Grant of a Fair at Newbury to St. Bartholomews Hospital, 121 5. — The King's dogs at Newbury. — Henry III. at Newbury. — The repair of the King's hostelry. — William de Valence and other nobles engaged in a great tournament at Newbury, a.d. 1248 .... pp. 102 — 134 CHAPTER VIII. Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. The Manorial History. — Matilda Mortimer holds Tenements and Rents in Newbury, a.d. 1301. — Genealogy of the family of Braose, shewing their connection with that of William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke. — Property held by Edmund Mortimer, and his son Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, in Newbury. — Properties held by Gilbert de Clare and the Countess Joan, a.d. 1307 ; by Henry de Lacy, A.D. 1310 ; and by Ailmer of Arcy, a.d. 131 3. — Lands and tene- ments held by John le Farou in Newbury, 1335. — Tenements in New- bury held by William de Hastings, 1349. — The deadly pestilence, a.d. 1348 — 1357. — An account of the property at Newbury assigned to the Priory of Sandleford, a.d. 1349. — The Manor of Newbury assigned by Roger Mortimer, second Earl of March, to the Bishop of Winches- ter and others. — Tenements and Messuages held in Newbury by Sir Richard Abberbury, Thomas de Rous, and John de Estbury. — Edmund Mortimer, third Earl of March, acquires the Manor of Newbury in 1360. — The manor granted to Sir John Lovel for life by Edmund Mortimer. — Lands and Tenements in Newbury held by the Earls of Pembroke, the la Zouches, and Richard Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel. Incidents connected with Newbury. — Edward II. at New- bury, Sandleford Priory, Highclere, and other places in the neigh- bourhood.— Further grants to St, Bartholomew's Hospital.— Priors XX Contents, or Wardens of the Hospital.— The "Troyte de Neubury" in the Fourteenth Century pp. 135—166 CHAPTER IX. Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. The Manorial History. — Property in Newbury held by Fulke Arches and WiUiam la Zouche of Haryngworth. — Edmund Mortimer, the fifth Earl of March, holds Newbury. — Pedigree of Mortimer of Wigmore. — The Lordship of Newbury granted by Letters Patent to Cecily, Duchess of Yorlc, mother of King Edward IV., A.D. 1461. — Later references to tenements held in fee of the Duchess of York.— Property in Newbury granted to Sir Thomas Herbert in 1466 ; which on the death of his son reverted to the Crown. Incidents connected with Newbury. — The Bailiffs of the Town of Newbury, 1400 — 1470. — Priors of St. Bartholomew's Hos- pital. — John Chelry's gift to the Church of Newbury, 1438. — A hostelry established by Winchester College at Newbury in 1444. — 'The Rising at Newbury, 1460. — The Insurrection of the Duke of Buckingham, 1483 pp. 167 — 188 CHAPTER X. Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. The Manorial History.— The Manor of Newbury bestowed by Henry Vlll. upon Lady Jane Seymour, and thence on the Princess Elizabeth, afterwards Queen. — Grant of the Tolls of the Markets, &c. Incidents connected with Newbury.— Edward, Duke of Buckingham, at Newbury, 1507. — The History of John Winchcombe, otherwise called "Jack of Newbury." — " The Newberrie Archers." — Winchcombe entertains Henry VIII. and Queen Catharine at his house in Newbury. — His death in 1519, and burial in Newbury Church. — The remains of his house in Newbury. — The Dolmans. — Visits of the Protector Somerset to Newbury in 1537, and of Edward VI. to Newbury in 1551. — Constables of the town, 1522 — 1553. — Reli- gious Prosecutions at Newbury in Queen Mary's reign. — The Gram- mar School, 1548 — 1559. — Queen Elizabeth visits Newbury, 1568. — Muster Roll of Inhabitants of Newbury able to bear arms, 1569. — Depositions of witnesses concerning St. Bartholomew's Hospital, 1577-78.- List of Priors or Wardens of the Hospital in the sixteenth century.— The property of the Hospital vested in the Mayor and Corporation of Newbury. — Charter granted to the borough of New- bury by Queen Elizabeth in 1 596 .... pp.189 — 229 CHAPTER XI. Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. The Manorial and Civic History.— The Tolls of the Markets and Fairs. — Grant of the lordship to Anne, Queen of James I. — Contents. xxi Survey of the Manor. — Grants to Sir Henry Hobart, and others. — Grant of the Manor to the Mayor and Corporation by Charles I., 1627. — Petition to Parliament by Inhabitants of Newbury. — The New Charters granted by Charles II., 1664, by James II., in 1685. — The Municipal Records of the Town. Incidents connected with Newbury.— The Weavers' Com- pany, i6oi. — King James I. and Queen Anne of Denmark at Newbury, 1603.— St. Mary's Charity, 1604, &c.— The Plague of 1602-5.— The Earl of Salisbury at Newbury, 161 2. — Queen Anne of Denmark again at Newbury, 1613. — The Wooden Bridge over the Kennet, 1623. — Kendrick's Charity, 1624. — The Subsidy Roll, 1629. — The Grammar School, 1634, &c. — Presentments of the Court Leet, 1640-43. — The Civil Wars, and the Battles of Newbury, 1643-44. — Presentments of the Court Leet, 1644-49. — Cromwell visits Newbury, 1649. — Newbury Tokens, 1652-57. — Dutch Prisoners sent to Newbury, 1653. — The Rising in the West, 1655. — The Tumbrel, or Ducking Stool, 1660, &c. — Visits of Charles II., James II., and William III., to Newbury. — Extracts from the Municipal and other Records. — The Charitable Foundations, &c pp. 230 — 325 CHAPTER XII. Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. Incidents connected with Newbury. — Dissenting places of worship, 1700-2. — Queen Anne at Newbury, 1703. — The Newbury Skirmish, 1706. — The Corporation Maces, 1707. — Minor events, 1713- 50. — The Newbury Coach started, 1752. — Minor events, 1752-54. — The Corporation Maces, 1758. — Minor Events, 1759-65. — Residents in Newbury in 1765. — Bread riot at Newbury, 1766. — Minor events, 1769-94. — The Kennet and Avon Canal projected, 1794. — Volunteer Association, 1794-99. — Minor events, 1796-99 . . pp. 326 — 376 CHAPTER XIII. Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. Incidents connected with Newbury. — The Local Volunteer Cavalry and Infantry Corps, 1800. — Allowance to the Mayor, 1800. — Peace rejoicings, 1801. — The Theatre built, 1802. — Yeomanry and Volunteers, 1804-5. — Funeral of the Margrave of Anspach, 1806. — Volunteers and Local MiHtia, 1808. — The National Jubilee, 1809. — The Newbury Coat, 181 1. — Minor events, 1812-14. — Celebration of Peace, 1814. — Minor events, 1815-16. — Education of the poor, 1818. — Minor events, 1820-30. — The Machine Riots, 1830.- Minor events, 1832-47. — The New Grammar School, 1848. — Minor events, 1850-3. — Celebration of Peace, 1856. — Minor events, 1857-70.— The Autumn Manoeuvres, 1872. — Minor events, 1873-77. — Extension of the Borough Boundaries, 1878.— The new Municipal Buildings, 1878.— The Falk- xxii Contents. land Memorial, 1878.— Newbury and Didcot Railway, first sod turned, 1879.— St. Bartholomew's Hospital and Grammar School Foundation, 1880.— Clock Tower of the new Municipal Buildings, 1881.— Opening of the Didcot and Newbury Railway, 1882.— Recovery of the Borough Charters, 1883.— The Parish Room erected, 1884.— Opening of the Didcot, Newbury, and Southampton Railway to Winchester, 1885. —Opening of the new Grammar School buildings, 1885.— Opening of the Newbury District Hospital, i885.-The National Jubilee, 1887 pp. 377-430 PART II.— The Ecclesiastical History OF Newbury. CHAPTER I. The Advowson of the Rectory. The Church dedicated to St. Nicholas.— The dispute respecting the Church at Newbury between the Parson of the Church and the Abbot of Prdaux, c. 1220.— The question as to the extent of the parish of Thatcham.— The Taxation of Pope Nicholas, c. 1290.— The Inqui- sition of the Ninths, 1341. — Transfer of the advowson from the Abbey of Preaux to Sir Lewis Clifford in 1394. — Afterwards to Sir Thomas Erpingham, to Witham, and to Sir John Brydges. — The assessment of Newbury in the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1534. — The later history of the advowson pp. 433—442 CHAPTER II. The Chantries, Obits, and Church Goods. Bullock's or St. Mary's Chantry, 1330. — Warmington's Chantry, 1367. — John Chelry's bequest for an Obit in Newbury Church, 1438. — Wormestall's Chantry, 1466. — The Church Goods, 1552, pp. 443 — 454 CHAPTER HI. History and Description of the present Parish Church. The evidence of date from the architecture. — The Will of Jack of Newbury. — Date on the tower. — Size of the Church. — Chief architec- tural features. — Work of restoration, 1858-67. — The Stained-glass Windows. — The Communion Plate. — The Bells. — The Clock and Chimes. — The Monumental Inscriptions . . . pp. 455 — 496 CHAPTER IV. The Rectors and Officers of the Church. A List of the Rectors, with Biographical Notes.— A List of the Churchwardens.— The Organists of the Church . . pp. 497—5 1 7 Contents. xxiii CHAPTER V. The Church Records. The Parish Registers. — Collections by Briefs in Newbury Parish Church. — Churchwardens' Presentments. — Extracts from the Church- wardens' Accounts. — The Church Charities. The Parishes of St. John the Evangelist, Newbury, and St. Mary, Speenhamland. — St. John's Church. — St. Mary's Church . . pp. 518 — 546 APPENDICES. The Mayors, High Stewards, Recorders, and Town Clerks of Newbury. — Persons of Note connected with Newbury, &c. PP- 547—572 Addenda et Corrigenda pp. 573—580 General Index pp. 581 — 595 DIRECTIONS TO BINDER. A Plan of the Town of Newbury and Speenhamland, 1768. To face Title-page. Map to illustrate the Roman Roads in the Neighbourhood of New- bury To face p. 6 A Plan to illustrate the Position of the Domesday Manor of Ulvritone, &c To face p. 54 PART I. • tibe Ibistof? of tbe JCown of IHewbur?. CHAPTER I. Ubc IRoman an& Englisb Settlement on tbe IRivec Ikennet. The Roman station Spimz of the Antonine Itinerary. — Lines of the Roman Roads. — The beorgh or hill-foptress in the neighbourhood. — Description of the supposed locality of the Roman station. — Roman remains in and near Newbury. — The Saxon Settlement on the River Kennet. — Traces of original names. — References to the name Spene. — The names of places in the neighbourhood. — The Saxon coins. — The evidence of the ford, — The Lot Mead. — The natural advantages of the position. — The new bourg. IT is an oft-repeated truism, to state that probably there is no corner in England which is entirely without relics or memorials connecting it with the general stream of our National History, and which has not had an influence more or less in directing the destinies of our common country. In an especial manner this applies to the town of Newbury, which from its geographical position on the line of the great highway from London to the West, and lying midway on the north and south track between the important cities of Oxford and Winchester, has been the scene of actions and events at least as interesting and prominent as those associated with the past history of many other towns with a far larger population and more extended celebrity. Its site, on the banks of the Kennet, is precisely such as was chosen by all Celtic races for their settlements, and the existence of numerous hill-forts and pre-historic earth- works in its immediate neighbourhood are of themselves sufficient to indicate that this locality was extensively occupied by the inhabitants of Britain before the coming of the Roman conquerors. In dealing with the many circumstances in the early history of Newbury, so well worth the examination of the historian or the antiquary, it may be well briefly to recall B 2 4 The Roman and English Settlement the information which has been already published illus- trative of the subject, together with the results of later observation and research. The great facts of the Invasion and Conquest of Britain by the Romans have long been before the world ; but our knowledge of this introductory portion of our National Annals, in detail, is meagre and unsatisfactory. There is but little contemporary literature to enlighten us as to the relative position of places nampd in the few reliable docu- ments relating to this period, and represented by existing towns and villages. The only authority giving the names and distances of British towns and stations on the principal military roads under the Romans which throws any light on this district is the great Itinerarium of the Roman Empire which is known as that of Antoninus, but is believed not to have been compiled before A.D. 320 *. The difficulty of applying the Roman geography of the Itinerary to existing roads and remains must be apparent to any one having a knowledge of the variations of local topography. Alterations in our old highways, and the diversion and often almost complete obliteration of many of the roads given in the Itinerary, especially during the great road-making period of the eighteenth century neces- sary for the stage-coach system of traffic, have much altered the arteries of communication, and some of the natural physical features of the country. Therefore an attempt to absolutely determine the situation of the stations named on the routes is often very hazardous. Two routes, namely Iter XIII. and Iter XIV. of the Antonine Itinerary, starting from the West and leading to London, mention S'pinse (" Spinis " in the Latin com- position) as a station, the name of which we have good reasons for believing is preserved in the modern village of Speen. • The Itinerary compiled by Bertram of Copenhagen, and published in 1759 as the work of Richard of Cirencester, a monk of Westminster in the fourteenth century, was accepted by Dr. Stukeley, and continued to be received as a genuine composition of the fourteenth century, amongst antiquaries, but it has been shewn to be an absohite forgery. on the River Kennet. The Iters now to be discussed are as follows : — Iter XIII. Ab Isca Calleva, Mille Passum CIX. Ancient names of Roman stations in '\ Antonine Itinerary." Mille Passum, or Roman miles. Presumed Sites. Actual distance in English statute miles. Isca Burrio . . . Blestio . . . Ariconio . . . Glevo. . . . Durocomorio, 1 or Corinium J Spinis . . . CaUeva . . . IX. XI. XI. XV. XIV. XV. XV. XC. Caerleon Usk Monmouth. . . . Weston, near Ross. Gloucester. . . . Cirencester. . . . Speen Silchester. . . . 7 II lO II IS 36 IS 10s The traces of the road between Cirencester and Speen are clear, and where the modern road-makers have made a variation from the old beaten track the original Via is distinctly visible. Compact layers of flint underlie the green sward, which here and there fringes the wide part of the road ; and where the present track has been lowered by the centuries of traffic passing over it, the ancient Via is displayed in section, shewing the construction charac- teristic of Roman roads in this country. One of these windings may be noticed near " The Hare and Hounds," in Lamborne- Woodlands, with the trace of the old road in the field adjoining, pursuing its direct course. Another, but less definite, instance may be seen at Wickham ; and again at Baydon, where considerable Roman remains have been found, the line of the ancient way is clearly recognised. The course of this road from Cirencester to Cricklade is well known, and from the latter place it follows an ab- solutely straight line till it reaches Totterdown, where it turns abruptly and descends into the valley. From here it continues in a south-easterly direction, but with several slight curves, via Baydon, Wickham, Stockcross, to Speen Hill, where it joins the London and Bath road near the 58th milestone. It will be seen that there is a differ- ence of nineteen' miles between the sum total at the 6 The Roman and English Settlement heading and the subordinate distances ; and that there is a further variation of fifteen miles between -the total of the Roman numerals in this Iter, and the actual dis- tance in English statute miles, if the stations are cor- rectly placed, without taking into calculation the slight difference between the English and Roman miles. We can only account for this latter discrepancy by supposing that the name of an intermediate station between Duro- cornorium and Spinas has been omitted either in the Itine- rary, or by a transcriber. It has been pointed out by Mr. Gordon Hills "^ that if Spinis and Speen are correctly identified <=, this lost place was fifteen miles from it in the direction of Cirencester. The point on the Roman road at this distance falls on North Farm, about mid-way be- tween the villages of Baydon and Wanborough, where Roman remains have been abundantly found, including coins of Antoninus Pius, Alexander Severus, Gallena, and Salonica his wife, Constantine, Helena, sister of Con- stantine, Magnentius, Julian, and others. Iter XIV. Alio Itinere Ab Isca, Calleva, Mille passum cm. Another route from Caerleon. Ancient names of Roman stations in '_' Antonine Itinerary." Mille Passnm, or Roman miles. Presumed Sites. Actual distance in English statute miles. Isca .... Venta Silurutn Abone . . . Trajectus . . Aquis Solis Verlucione . . Cunetione . . Spinis Calleva . . . IX. IX. IX. VI. XV. XX. XV. XV. Caerleon .... Caerwent .... Sea Mills .... Bitton Ferry . . . Bath Bewley (SpyePark). Folly Farm, near' Marlborough . Speen , , . . . Silchester. . . . 9 9 9 6 IS 20 i8 IS loi XCVIII. '' Jour. Brit. Arch. Assoc, vol. xxxiv. p. 313. ■• There can be no doubt as to the identification, as independently of the evidence derived from its being twice mentioned in connection with the JBiceiTe\ MAP TO ILLUSTBATE THE ROMAN ROADS IN THE NEIGHBOUBHOOD OF NEWBURY. To face p^ 6, PAHK«B * CO., LJTHO. OXFOnD. on the River Kennet. j In this Iter the sum of the items is short of the sum total given by five miles, which Stukeley endeavours to account for by substituting XX. for XV. opposite Speen, an addition he did not, however, suggest when deaHng with the same place in the last Iter. The slight differ- ence between the total mileage prefixed to this route and the actual distance may. be reasonably reconciled by sup- posing that the modern road does not entirely follow the direct route which the Romans no doubt adopted. This was the high road from Bath to London, which, in crossing Wiltshire, passed through Spye Park, then over Roundway Hill, Devizes, and skirting the base of Silbury Hill, crossed the Kennet at Marlborough, then to Cunetio, or Folly Farm, near Mildenhall, Rudge Farm *, Froxfield, and so on to Speen and Silchester. It will thus be seen that the two main western roads, coming from Gloucester and Bath respectively, meet at Spince, the station before Calleva, where both of the routes end. Without positively asserting that this Calleva must be Silchester, it may be truly said that no other im- portant site of Roman occupation so exactly fits the line of these roads. Quite apart from this observation, an ex- amination of the Ordnance Survey Map shews that the two lines of road from the West towards London would Certainly unite at Speen before reaching Calleva, and join this latter where a southern road takes its departure for Venta-Belgarum (Winchester). The continuation of the Roman road from Speen to Silchester, or Calleva, can- not be traced with sufficient accuracy to allow of any de- finite route being adopted, but at Woodspeen (about n mile E. of Speen, and a mile N.E. of Newbury) remains Roman roads, we have an example of the name Spinse being applied in a charter of the tenth century, as will be seen at p. i6. ■ '' Roman pavements have been found here, and the famous "Rudge Cup," having the names of five stations on the western portion of the Roman Wall, occurring in the following order, from east to west, Maiee, Amboglana, Banna, Abaliava, Uxelodunum, was discovered in a rubbish pit at this place more than a century ago. It is described and engraved in Horsley's Britannia Roniana, p. 49, and also in Gough's Camden, vol. i. p. 113, and in Sir Richard Colt Hoare's Wiltshire, vol. ii. p. 121. . 8 The Roman and English Settlement of a roadway very compactly cemented together, as such Roman work usually was, and trending from N.W. to S.E., have been unearthed ; and another on Mr. Baxen- dale's estate, nearer Greenham, which were probably parts of the road from Spinse to Silchester. Another Roman road connects Streatley with Speen on the Thames. From Streatley this road passes over Streat- ley- Warren to Westridge and Aldworth, thence to Turville Farm, over Waylay Hill, by the Folly e, where there are tumuli, to Hampstead-Norris. From the village of Hamp- stead-Norris two roads lead to Speen. One (not used since the common lands of Hampstead-Norris were en- closed) crossed the St. Abbes brook, known by the country-people as "Tabs;" thence to Grimsbury Camp in Fence Wood, and down the hill to Hermitage, where it joined the other road, now used from Newbury to Streatley ; thence it passed, via Long Lane, to Shaw and Speen. A branch-road termed the Old Street, which is one of the most distinctly marked Roman roads existing in this country, also connected Speen with the well-known Ridgeway on the Berkshire Hills, via Shaw, Hermitage, Sandy Lane, Beedon Common, Stanmore, and Farn- borough. It should be added that while the greater part of the town of Newbury stands on the peaty land of the valley- bottom, on either side of the Kennet, the main street stands on a compact stratum of gravel, several feet thick, which may well have been brought there to form the basis of a Roman Via. It is true that a straight line from Speen Hill to Silchester would not cross the river at right angles, but obliquely; yet, direct as Roman roadways usually were, such a slight deflection is not rare. The same road continuing further east from Calleva (Silchester) to Pontes " There are certain words which are constantly observed along the lines of Roman Ways, and among them is " Folly. " The well-known Folly Farm, near Marlborough ; another Folly Farm near Dorking, actually stand- ing on the northern branch of the Stane-street, and many other instances might be mentioned. on the River Kennet. 9 (Staines), though straight- enough east and west of the Loddon, is shewn by a careful survey to have crossed that river by a bend ruled by the ford. Speen, as mentioned above, is even now close to a great meeting-point of roads, just as SpinjE is represented in the Itinerary to have been ; and its relative distance from other points according to the Itinerary, and the similarity of the name, all supply good arguments for the hypothesis that Speen occupies the site of the ancient Spinae. We also remark that at the hill-foot, where the supposed British trackway passed the present church of Speen, old thorn -trees and wild -briars, such as those from which it is conjectured Spinae took its name, still grow in abundance. Our modern railways in this part of England may be referred to in illustration of the relative position of the routes and places. Thus we may suppose Spinae rela- tively to represent Swindon on the Great Western line, where the roads from Gloucester and Bath unite, — and ■Calleva to correspond with Reading, where the Great Western, on its way to London, is joined by a line from the south, connecting it with Winchester. Naturally the points chosen for the earliest Roman stations or encampments were those that were capable of defence ; and, where defensive positions already existed, they were adapted to the new order of things. Thus often enough defensive works of the British were utilized by the Romans where necessary. The advantage of these fortified posts, constructed sometimes on precipitous emi- nences, is obvious. They had been selected because of their commanding situation, whence a country could be overlooked, or because of their local value for the defence of some special point, such as a ford. Valuable for these purposes to the Celt, they were equally useful to the Roman, but the latter trusted rather to discipline and palisades than to heavy outworks ; hence the traces of their military posts are but slight, often unnoticed, and disappear before the plough. The summit of the hill of Speen forms a bold rounded io The Roman and English Settlement spar, projecting eastward from the plateau, and narrowed at its western end by two valleys on the north and south side. The London and Bath road, which probably follows the Hne.of the Roman road, passes over the "Col" so formed, and proceeds straight towards Newbury. On the south side of this road the face of the hill, as far as the " Col," has evidently been scarped ; but only very faint remains of any rampart are visible. Between the two valleys marking the " Col " are traces of broken ground with close turf and such irregularities as may fairly be taken to be the remnants of the vallum. But from this point along the natural curve of the crest-line which terminates on the north side of the road, opposite the encampment above mentioned, the indications are weak and faint. The scarping of the hill on the south may really have been continuous with a vallum. This land, has long been under cultivation, and therefore the ob- literation is not to be wondered at ; nor is it more com- plete and remarkable than in other camps where the vallum has been thrown down without a trace of its former' position to be seen. Furthermore, on the southern slopes are the remains of old wells, supplied by a still existing spring : and close at the foot of the hill, near this, is the ancient church of Speen, by which runs a winding road- way along the hill-side to the ford-way of Newbury. All these facts point but to the conclusion that, whether essentially occupied by the Romans or not, this rising ground was, in early times, the site of some hill-fortress or camp. Situated on a lofty eminence between the valley of the Lamborne on the north, and that of the Kennet on the south, and on the " Col," narrowed by two lateral depres- sions, thus presenting a small level frontage to the plateau on the north, and overlooking the neighbouring hollows, as well as the wider Kennet valley, an earthwork would be well placed by some early people. Simple in outline for military purposes, following the contour of the ground, within the reach of water, and with an ancient road of ap- proach, it_ would have all the characteristics and require- on the River Kennet. 1 1 ments of a defensive work, without fear of surprise from an enemy. Though its site is now intersected by the high road, its diameter can be estimated at about 1,250 feet. On the south, as above mentioned, it may have been protected by an escarpment of the hill-side ; whilst defensive earthworks may have followed along the rest of its outline. That few, if any, chipped flints or British relics have been found within the lines of this probable camp, or in its suburbs, goes for very little. Such traces are by no means frequent in these small enclosures ; and are not even common in camps of refuge to which the inhabitants of the unprotected neighbourhood and their flocks could take shelter during times of raid or danger. That Celtic people inhabited this neighbourhood is evident from the discovery of bronze spear-heads in Speen Moor. As it by no means follows there were permanent build- ings on such sites, it is very probable that the settled dwellings of this locality were down below, near the ford- way of the Kennet, and that only hut-sljelter was used on the hill-top itself. At first the name may have been attached to the hill-fort, and subsequently to the Romano- British village. That Romans held it, and may have had a guard sta- tioned here, is both possible and probable. It would be a useful stage or safe halting-place for travellers, such as the small stations, mansiones and mutationes, said to have been common all along the great Roman highways were. In- deed, the use of a station for the troops at this point would no doubt immediately arise, and we can well conceive that the large amount of traffic concentrated here by the great roads which converged at Speen soon caused the formation of a settled population '. Although no foundations of Roman buildings have been disclosed, nor any definite outline of a Roman camp can be traced, yet Roman relics have been discovered both ' Hence it is thought that the station of the Roman Itinerary called Spinse was on this hill-top, and may be referred to' as an example of what these ' stations were. 12 The Roman and English Settlement in the village of Church Speen and at Newbury, the distance between the two being rather more than a mile. Roman pottery and tiles were thrown up some years since in excavating the foundations of houses a short distance from the church at Speen. An unguentarium was dug out of the peat on Speen moor; and in 1839 a bronze steelyard is mentioned as having been discovered in New- bury s. In 1830 a coin of the Emperor Galba was found in Newbury, 10 feet below the surface, in excellent preser- vation ; many other Roman coins were met with during the drainage operations in 1855, and in excavating for the erec- tion of the Grammar-school buildings in the city a few years previously; and Roman fragments of fictile ware have been found in moving soil for buildings in the market- place and in other parts of the town. In a gravel-pit near where the Roman road from Cirencester joins the modern turnpike-road on old Speen Hill an urn containing Roman coins was discovered ; and coins of Faustina, Trajan, and other reigns have been found in the same locality. Near the Goods Station of the Great Western Railway in Newbury there appears to have been a Romano-British cemetery, for urns, bottles, amphorae, and Samian pottery were discovered there in considerable quantities ^ together with a number of human skeletons, probably a hundred. Coins of Diocletian and Probus are also recorded as having been found on the opposite side of the line, on the pro- perty of Capt. Ward, R.N. In the preceding pages it has been shewn that there are reasonable grounds for the assumption,— first, that a British settlement existed in early days on the defensible and well-watered spur of the Speen plateau ; and secondly, that this site and that occupied by the more ancient portions of the present town of Newbury were colonized by the Rom.ans. History and the Romans left Britain together ; and during the long and confused struggle between the.Romano- B This interesting object was afterwards in the possession of a Mr. Billin? of Bradley Farm, Chievely. ■■ See the "Newbury District Field Club's Proceedings," vol. ii. p. 126. on the River Kennet. 1 3 British population and the Saxon invaders, for supremacy in . the province of Britain, it is probable that the " new burg'" on the banks of the Kennet was not of sufficient importance to attract much attention '. Unfortunately we have no Saxon charters or history to assist us in our investigation; neither have we evidence in existing remains or in recorded discoveries to remind us of the presence of these early settlers. Many local names, however, preserve the traces of the Teutonic 'immigrants and the kindred tribes, who, establishing their homes on the soil, bequeathed to us the nomenclature of their farms and villages ; for instance, in such names as Wickham, Benham, Crookham, Thatcham, Midgham, Greenham, Woolhampton, Ham, Hampstead, Leckhampstead, Speen- hamland — all of which convey the notion of something hedged, walled in, or protected, a house or dwelling, " ham " and " home " being English forms of " heim," which we meet with in many German names. Differing little in meaning is " ton," the commonest termination of English local names, which we find in Avington, Brimpton, Bright-Walton, Compton, Donnington, Easton, Weston, &c. Burn — a brook — is represented in Winterburn and Enburn. Ford — a ford — in Boxford, Welford, Sandleford, &c. Croft — a croft or field — in Northcroft, &c. Holt — a wood — in Holt, near Kintbury. Comb — a depression qn the side of a hill, a valley without a running stream — in Tidcombe, Coombe, Watcombe, &c. Straet — a road, the Via Strata of the Romans — in High-street-lane at Boxford, Enburne- street, West-street at Burghclere, &c. These well- accustomed and characteristic local names recall for us the settlements of the Anglo-Saxons, and attest the wide extent of ground once occupied by one or other of the great divisions of the Saxon race. We also see how the Saxon names have retained their ground ' This locality, with its streams, its woods, and its meadows, would be what Tacitus tells us the Saxons preferred. He says they lived separate and apart even in their villages, just as a wood, a spring, or a meadow might attract them. Each apart in a piece of ground ; this being also a precaution in case of fire, their houses being built partly of wood. — C. Cornehi Taciti Germania, cap. xvi. p. 545. 14 The Roman and English Settlement through successive eras of civilization, and that from the few rude huts of these primitive settlers have sprung up homesteads and villages, which have preserved with in- destructible vitality the story of the early colonization of this district. It was an established principle of the Anglo-Saxon government that the state or community should take possession of a certain tract, proportioned in extent to the number of its inhabitants, and divide it by lot to indi- viduals according to their rank or dignity, a sufficient quantity being reserved and appropriated as the common property of the township. On the north-west side of the Lammas-land in Northcroft, where the inhabitants of Newbury have the right of pasturage for a certain period of the year, for cattle levant and couchant (which is so many as the land will maintain), there is a field called " Lot Mead," probably, as in other cases where the name occurs, representing a portion of the original partition of lands, which, when cleared, were divided by lot. Aubrey, the Wiltshire antiquary, in Ijis Topographical Collections for North Wilts, under Wanborough, says : — " Here is a Lott-Mead celebrated yearly with great ceremony. The Lord weareth a garland of flowers ; the mowers at one house have always a pound of beefe and a head of garlick every man, according to* that of Horace, 'O dura tnessoru7n iliaP with many other old customs still retayned. It is now sufficiently known to the neighbouring gentry for revelling and horse-racing''." There is no record or tradition of any similar festival being held at Newbury, nor do we find any other refer- ence to a like custom prevailing elsewhere. The " Lott- Mead " referred to by Aubrey may have been a survival of the ancient Lammas Festival, which was practised in some parts of the kingdom so late as about the middle part of the last century. Again, Anglo-Saxon coins of various dates have been discovered in the town of Newbury; and only quite re- "■ Aubrey's North Wilts, edited by Canon Jackson, F.S.A., p. 198. on the River Kennet. 15 cently a silver penny of Egbert was found in Chepe Street, i.e. the Market Street, a name which at once proclaims its Saxon source. That Kintbury, six miles further up the Kennet, was a Saxon settlement of prolonged duration is quite evident from the numerous coins of the reigns of Edmund, Edred, and Edwy found there ', and the fact of the existence of an extensive Anglo-Saxon cemetery on the chalk cliff above the Kennet is of significance, if not of importance. Thus we see that the West-Saxon settlers at this period occupied the banks "of the Kennet, which here was crossed by a ford at a broad shal- low just above (west of) the present bridge. The oldest bridge (wooden) was probably thrown over the narrower part of the river below the ford ; and subsequently, when the river was made navigable, a portion only of the ford was left, banked off from the other half of the stream, which was deepened, and an old timber bridge replaced by the structure now standing. Newbury, however, in a true sense, cannot be said to have as yet existed. The few nameless Romano-British habitations, in time, may have been displaced by the followers of Cerdic and Cynric. It was probably not until some years after the Conquest that, the country being settled, there grew up on the other (south) side of the river a number of houses, which came to be called the New-Bourg. The time when these houses were sufficient in number to claim a name is practically proved by the name itself. The word " burh " had not until the eleventh or twelfth century completely lost the meaning of a fortress, and come to signify that of a "town ;" and the Latin burgus seems to have gone through much the same stages. On the Continent, however, the meaning of the " bourg" seems to have come in very soon, and to have acquired a special signification, that is, the bourg of a town was the bourg outside a town, the " for- bourg " or faubourg, as it is called. This was the special meaning of the " borough,'' i.e. the other side of the river ' Gough's "Camden," vol. i. p. 159. 1 6 The Roman and Jinglistt Settlement from London, and the New-borough, Neuf-bourg ; but we only get it in the Latinized form of Nubiria, or Nuburia. The town thus sprung up during the close of the eleventh century, when it had its name. Of Speen, however, or Spins, though all trace is for a time lost, we find a wood called " Spene " in a Saxon Charter of the date A.D. 821, and no more than this dim and uncertain light is thrown on this period of our his- tory by documents. The Charter "is in the name of Kenulf, King of Mercia, granting to Abingdon Abbey, at the request of Bishop Rethunus, lands at Leckhampstead, Boxford, Welford, Wooley (Wohanla'h), Trinley, near Shefford (Trindla'h), Wickham, Easton, and other places in this locality, these words occur, " cum ilia silva integra quae dicitur Spetie ™." This doubtlessly means the wooded slopes of the hills on the north and north-west of Newbury, now comprised within the extensive parish of Speen. Again, in a charter of a date anterior to the year 1079, which will be quoted hereafter more at length, is to be found the name Spene, nearly as now written ; it is also worthy of notice that, as will be seen in a later chapter, the charter quoted by Orderic Vital in the eleventh cen- tury adopts the form de Spenis, which so materially helps .the hypothesis that this place is the Spinis of the Itine- rary. It also points to the fact that the Spone of " Domes- day " is a scribe's error for Spene, as the entry given under that name must be undoubtedly ascribed to this same place. We may reasonably conclude, therefore, that the Romans, occujlying the British hill-station with Spinae, had already extended it to the holding of the ford-way over the Kennet. The Saxons burnt and plundered both ; knd held the pas- sage over the river by the " New-Bourg " only. If the sup- planted Spinse was really, deserted when the hamlet again ^ " Lechamstede, Boxora, Uueliford, cum appenditiis suis. Uuicham cum suis campis sicut Ceaduu£»lla rex perdonavit, cum ilia silva integra quK dici- tur Spene, Pohanlech et Trinlech ; Eatun cum omnibus agellulis ad prajfata loca pertinentibus, concedens perdonabo sicut prEediximus perpetuam liber- tatem." — Kemble's Codex Diplomaticus, i. ccxiv. on the River Kennet. 17 rose can never be determined ; and it is not surprising that historical evidence of its having again risen into notice should not be forthcoming until a much later date. The Romano-British people attached to the statio probably settled on the site afterwards occupied by the town of Newbury ; and on the south side, near the railway-station, there is sufficient evidence, which has already been shewn, to regard that spot as a small cemetery". The absence of Roman remains to any extent on the north side, where the actual statio must have been on account of the roads, is more remarkable, perhaps, than the presence of the few local remains on the south side. But in consequence of mediaeval occupation all traces not only of wooden but of stone and brick structures above ground, or even earthworks, would on this side have been swept away. The fact has been noticed that the Saxon did not adopt as his home the site of Roman settlements, since every colonist .would anxiously strive to secure that by which he could feed himself and his family, in preference to continuing in a place which no longer afforded any advan- tages beyond those of temporary defence and shelter. The inhabitants they enslaved, or expelled as a mere necessary precaution and preliminary to their own peace- able occupation of the land ; but they neither took pos- session of the towns, nor did they give themselves the trouble to destroy them. They had not the motive, the means, or perhaps the patience to unbuild what we know to have been so solidly constructed. Where it suited their purpose to save the old Roman work, they used it for their own advantage ; where it did not suit their views of convenience or policy to establish themselves on or near the old sites, they quietly left them to decay. In many respects Newbury possessed natural advantages which would not be overlooked by these early settlers, and contributed materially to its development. Situated in a fruitful and well-watered valley, its river teemed with fish, and its woods, which extended from the royal forest " The local instances of Reading and East Garston may be mentioned, where the term " Forbury " is still in use. C 1(3 i lie rLoman ana ungnsn deniemeni, of Windsor to Hungerford ", afforded every variety of game. The roebuck, the red-deer, the boar, the gigantic bull, the badger, the wolf, and other wild animals which roamed along the banks of the swift- flowing Kennet, were hunted in the chase, and furnished food for their pursuers. The otter and the beaver p were abundant in the marshes by the river, where also might be seen the swan, the goose, the duck, and snipe, all ministering to material wants, imperatively required for the subsistence of an increasing population. Nor were its natural defences and facilities of communi- cation less important and valuable. On the south the lofty hills of Hampshire reared, as now, their defensive line of British fortresses, from east to west. On the north are the Berkshire Downs, traversed by the great highway known as the Icknield-way (in some places called the Ridge-way), extending its communication from the Norfolk coast on the one hand, and into Wales on the other. Thus the situation, as a defensible position, is almost unequalled. The New-Bourg, with its water-supply and water com- munication, situated on a ford-way of the Kennet, where the neighbouring roads must always have converged, had in it the elements of commercial prosperity, such as the smaller villages of Speen and the like could never possess. If Spinae was originally important as occupying the com- manding hill-land of Speen at a time when the defensive capabilities of a site were all important, its direct descen- dant Newbury, on the banks of the river-highway, took its position of importance from its suitability for the put- poses of commerce and of peace. Thus the settlement of the "New-bourg'' prospered and increased amidst surrounding manors, but maintaining its rights and privileges free from the interference of the neighbouring lords ; expanding, too, in civilization as the light of the Gospel, first brought here by St. Birinus and " The Kennet vale was not disafforested until the reign of King John. 1' In the river Kennet v\fas an island called "Beaver Island." — Chron. Mon. Ab. Rolls Series, vol. i. p. Ii8. on the River Kennet. 19 other early Christian missionaries, extended its beneficent influence over the land. Under these influences the settled town and its sur- roundings, more and more amenable to law, as derived from Briton, Roman, and Teuton, and perfected by Chris- tianity, received and valued those principles of municipal freedom which form the basis of that modern enlightened political constitution it is our privilege to possess. c 2 CHAPTER II. Ube (Bift Of tbe Cburcb of Speen to Bufas, in IRormanOs, c. 1079. The first mention of the name of Newbury. -The Church at Aufay on the river Scie.-Bernard, son of Geoffrey of Neuf Marche, grants the Church of Speen, the tithes held by Everard the Priest, besides twenty shillings from the revenues oi Newbury.— 1\i^ corroborative evidence of the state- ments made in the charter which is copied by Orderic Vital.— The con- nection between the families of Heugleville and Neuf Marche.— In 1086 Humphrey Vis-de-Lew is tenant in capite of Speen.— Bernard signs the King's charter of gifts to Battle Abbey.— Speen afterwards held of the Honour of Brecknock.— The light the previous notes throw on the early history of Newbury. THE curtain first rises and discloses NEWBURY to our view about the year 1079, when there appears a dis- tinct historical reference to the names of Speen and New- bury. In his "Ecclesiastical History of England and Nor- mandy," Ordericus Vitalis, the Norman-English chronicler, who entered as a monk at St. Evroult in 1085, and died in 1 141, recounts the founding of the priory of Aufay (a small place on the Scie, a rivulet which discharges itself on the coast a little to the west of Dieppe), from the docu- ments which were handed over to his monastery when the property bestowed on this priory or dependency was transferred to St. Evroult. From these Orderic learnt that Gilbert, son of Richard de Heugleville (the place whence he derived his title is close by), founded this priory at the instigation of his wife, about the year 1079, on his patrimonial domains, and endowed it with several churches and much land, all of which were of course duly recorded in the documents. Geoffrey of Heugleville, one of Sir Richard's knights, and Robert, also a knight, were considerable benefactors to the newl3'--established monastery. Lastly, Bernard, son TJte Gift of the Church of Speen to A ufay. 2 1 of Geoffrey of Neufmarch^, gave to St. Mary of Aufay the Church of Speen (" de Speinis"), with the land belong- ing to it, and with all the tithes which Everard the Priest held ; and he gave twenty shillings of the revenue of Newbury (" de censu Neobtirice ") to be paid yearly, at Michaelmas, in exchange for the churches of Burghill and Brinsop, two parishes in Herefordshire ^ After recounting one or two more gifts, Orderic Vital continues : — " And so in the year of our Lord 1079, the second indiction, that is in the fourteenth year of William the Great, King of England and Duke of Normandy, the aforesaid Gilbert and Beatrice his wife deposited the donation of the possessions before mentioned on the altar of St, Mary, in the presence of the follow- ing witnesses : Gilbert, Ralph, Walter, and John, the four canons of that chyrch ; Bernard of Neuf-Marche, Geoffrey of St. Denys, Osbern Capes, and Osbern Buflo, Eustace of Carcuit, and Eustace of Torci, Robert of Heugleville, Roger of Pare, and many others." The names of these witnesses throw no light upon the general question, but their transcription shews that Orderic was writing of his own monastery, not from hearsay, and copying actual documents drawn up in legal form and lying before him. Therefore we have contemporary testi- mony of the circumstances related. It appears that Gilbert died immediately after his gift to the monastery, i.e. on the 15th August, 1079 ; and further benefactions to Aufay were made after his death. The whole of these grants to the monks of St. Evroult were ratified by the confirma- tion of William I., William Rufus, and again by King Henry I., according to the custom of the time. From these writings it is certainly evident that "New- bury" was at that time in existence as a " vill," and known ° The original runs, — "Bemardus Goesfredi de novo Mercato filius. Eccle- siam de Speinis et totam terrain ad ipsam pertinentum cum tota decima, quam Edwardus Presbyter tenebat, Sanctse Marise dedit, et pro mutatione eccle- siarium de Eurcherra et de Brineshopa, 20 solidos de censu Neoburiffi ad fes- tivitatem Sancti Michaelis concessit." — Ordericus Vitalis, Hist. Keel., lib. vi. cap. 5. 22 The Gift Of the Cfturch Of i>peen by its present name ; though, not being a separate Manor, the name does not occur in Domesday Book. In considering the charter handed down in the pages of Orderic Vital it will be well to test, so far as can be done by independent evidence, the consistency of the statement as regards the exchange of the two churches in Hereford- shire for the church and tithes of Speen, and a portion of the revenues of Newbury, with the general circumstances of the time and place. That Gilbert of Heugleville, a little village some fifteen miles above Dieppe, should found a monastery at Aufay, which is on the same river, and a mile still higher up, is not remarkable, nor is there any improbability in the statement of the historian that he did so at the. instigation of his wife, Beatrix. It will be observed, however, that he himself endowed it with lands only in its immediate neigh- bourhood, or at least not beyond the bounds of Nor- mandy. As already stated, Bernard, son of Geoffrey of Neuf- march^, gave Gilbert of Heugleville, towards this endow- ment of Aufay, the following: — i. The Church of Speen with lands belonging to the same; and 2. The tithes which Evrard the Priest held. He also gave twenty shillings yearly from the revenue (^'census") of Newbury in exchange for Burghill and Brinsop, two churches in Herefordshire. Several questions suggest themselves : — Why should Ber- nard of Neufmarche, a place some twenty miles or more away, help to endow Aufay ? How had he become pos- sessed of either the Church and tithe of Speen, or the revenues of Newbury? Finally, why should he prefer two churches in Herefordshire, and so come to get them by exchange ? The first question is, perhaps, the most satisfactorily answered. From Orderic Vital and other sources we obtain some information respecting the family of Richard de Heugleville ; and the following table will shew exactly how they became connected by marriage with the family of Neufmarche ^ : — ■> For this pedigree see Ord. Vital., bk. vi. cap.- v. to Aufay, in Normandy. 23 Richard of = Ada, widow Heuerleville. I of Herluin. .1 I I ■ Gilbert of = Beatrix. Ada. = Geoffrey, son Another =Hugh, son of Heugleville, Founder of Aufay. Walter of Hugo, Heugle- turned ville. Monk. ofTurchetel daughter. of Neuf- marchS. Turchetel of NeufmarchS (killed at Ar- ques). I I Bernard, Drogo, of Neuf- turned marchfi. Monk. From this it will be seen that Bernard of Neufmarche was nephew to Gilbert of Heugleville (or of Aufay, as he was afterwards called, because of his being practically its founder), his mother, Ada, being sister of Gilbert. Now, though Bernard's name does not appear in the Domesday Survey as holding any manors in capita in England in 1086, and although, so far as has been ob- served, his name does not appear in any of the lists sup- posed to represent those who accompanied the Conqueror when he came into England, still from independent sources we obtain sufficient information to shew that he was a man of considerable wealth and of some power in this country. His father's fortress, one of great importance on the river Epte, was the centre of frequent intestine disturbances ; and it would appear that his father had failed in the defence of this territory ; for Duke William, when the people of Beauvais were making inroads into this district, thought it well to depose Geoffrey, and put in his place other barons, almong whom was notably Hugh de Grentmesnil. This was before the conquest of England. That he was not in serious disgrace, however, is shewn by the fact that Orderic, when speaking of him subsequently, says that Geoffrey, and his son Drogo (who afterwards joined the abbey of St. Evroult as a monk), did great ser- vice to his monastery through their " influence at Court." Bernard, the elder son, is not here mentioned, probably be- cause he was then away in England. There appears to have been a marked contrast between the two brothers. 24 I ne Lrtji oj me u/iurcn oj jjiiiiin one being devoted to a quiet and peaceable life, the other to the more stirring role of arms. Orderic's words are : — "Bernard adhered to his miUtary career till he was an old man, and vigorously took part in battle under three successive Kings of England \ His greatest achievement was under William Rufus, when he fought against and slew Rhys, King of Wales ; after that he erected the castle of Brecon, and possessed for many years that part of the kingdom of Wales of which Talgarth was the capital." As Orderic always recounts deeds of piety as well as bravery he adds : — " He founded the Priory of St. John the EvangeHst, in the town of Brecon, appointing monks, and endowing it with tythes of all his property *." We have an insight here into his military career and into his private character ; and, though we have not found any independent mention of his having possessed lands in Berkshire, beyond the one passage already quoted in the pages of Orderic, it is not unreasonable to suppose that what in former years he had done for Speen in after years he did for Brecon. Some few only of the charters respecting this church of Brecon or Brecknock are extant ; but though, as or- dinarily is the case, they are somewhat imperfect, still an examination tends strongly to substantiate in one or two details Orderic's general statements. In one of the charters purporting to be granted by Bernard himself, by which he makes over^the foundation at Brecknock to Battle Abbey (to which the smaller one of Brecknock remained a cell till the time of the Dissolu- tion), he recapitulates many of his early gifts. The charter runs : — " Know all that I, Bernard of Neufmarche, with the consent of my King Henry [i.e. Hen. I.], have given to the Church of St. Martin de Bello [i.e. Battle Abbey] a certain church which "^ Ord. Vital., bk. vi. cap. v. ^ This Priory he subsequently made a dependency of Battle Abbey. to Aufay, in Normandy. 25 is within my castle in Wales, at Brecknock, which I have had dedicated in honour of St. John the Evangelist, for the salvation both of the soul of my Lord King Henry, and that of his father King William, and of his mother, as well as of my own soul and that of my wife and my son and daughter. These are the gifts which I have made to the Church. [Here follow gifts of pro- perty, &c., in Wales, chiefly in the neighbourhood of Brecknock.] But in England I have given four churches with lands and all tythes belonging to them, that is the Church of Pattingham, of Boden- '\x'3xa.,ol Burghill , of Hardington, and the tythes oi Brimskoppe,&iC." Other benefactions are mentioned, but the chief reason of qupting the charter so far is to shew that he had be- stowed upon his new foundation of Brecknock the church of Burghill and the tithes of Brinsop, the two churches, it will be remembered, which he received in exchange for the annual 20s. from the dues of Newbury, which he settled upon Aufay. The church of Brinsop, it may be added, remained in the gift of the Abbey to the time of the Dissolution, being duly entered, as to its revenues, in the Minister's accounts then presented. The tythes of Burghill seem meanwhile to have been sold or lost. The date of the gift of the churches to Brecknock cannot be ascertained. Probably it was on the first foundation ; and as, according to Dugdale, the first prior was appointed in 1096, an earlier date cannot at present be given. There are no grounds, therefore, for supposing that when he made the exchange, previous to 1079 (and it has been shewn that this date must be assigned to the grant to Aufay by Gil- bert, if not a little earlier), he had the foundation of his Welsh church in contemplation. Nor does the entry re- specting the two manors of Burghill and Brinsop in the Domesday census throw any light upon the transaction. Both manors are entered as belonging to a wealthy Eng- lishman, Alfred of Marlborough, and they are both re- corded as having in the taxation of King Edward the Confessor been entered as belonging to Harold ^ • Domesday, i86 a. 25 1 lie Litjl uj me t^nun-ie. uj ^^cmi^ The Domesday Book unfortunately seldom takes any note of owners during the period between Edward the Confessor and 1086. In the case of another manor held by Alfred of Marlborough (near Ewyas) it will be seen there is an undoubted reference to Ralph de Bernai having held it, or rather part of it, during the interval ; but there is no reason to suppose that the other manor held by him had passed through the same vicissitude of owners. It is just these missing links which render it so difficult to discover the history of the manors during the early Norman period. On the whole, however, there is no reason to be urged against Bernard having, at an earlier period than the reign of William Rufus, acquired property in the West of Eng- land ; and there is one place incidentally named in the charters of Roger, Earl of Hereford (the grandson of Bernard by Bernard's daughter, Sibyl), in which is con- firmed the property which had been given at the original foundation, or had been added since. These charters, like the others, are obtained by "In- speximus," and in one of these occurs a reference to " ter- ram illam quae fuit Walkelini Vis de Lu ', scilicet de Penta- navel usque ad Wemardi Castellum s." Humphrey Vis-de-Lew was returned as the tenant in capite of Speen, the same manor from which Bernard had helped to endow Aufay ^, and of three other manors in Berkshire, but in no other county. It may be a mere coincidence, but the statement that a member of this ' Given in Latin as Ualkelinus Visus-Lupi : see Chron. Monast. Abingd. , 1858, vol. ii. p. 122. B Cart. 15 Edw. II. No. 8. *■ Humphrey Vis-de-Levf held in Berks, in addition to the manor of Speen, the adjoining manors of Benham and Boxford, and the manor of Moreton. Ralph Vis-de-lew, his brother, held lands in Norfolk. From the Berkshire line descended Walkelin Vis-de-lew, who returned his barony in Berks, 1 165, as held by the service of one knight, and Sir William Vis-de-lew, of Berks, who circa 1300 bore three wolves' heads. Of the Norfolk line, descended from Ralph, William Vis-de-lou was Lord of " Visdelieus" in Shelfhanger in 1 1 70. In 1300 William Vis-de-lou was living, and about this time the manor of Shottesbroke, Berks, passed to his family by a female heir. His son, Sir Thomas, left two daughters, his heirs. A branch was seated for seven gener- ations at Shotley, Suffolk, and bore three wolves' heads. In the thirteenth century Winemar Vis-de-lou held Stotel, Suffolk, and Walchelin Vis-de-lou a fief at Shotley. In 1329 Sir William Vis-de-lew presented to the Rectory of Santon, Norfolk, and in 1374 John Jernagan married the daughter of Sir to Aufay, in Normandy. 27 family, probably the son (in Domesday it was Hum- phrey, but in this inspeximus charter it is Walkelin), who helped Bernard in after years in the endowment of another church, seems to point to some family connec- tion ; and, if it could be verified, it might throw light upon the circumstance of Speen being held in . 1086 by one of the Vis-de-Lu, or Vis-de-Lew, family instead of by Bernard of Neufmarche. It has been supposed that Bernard had been in England before he made the grant to Aufay, and that probably he was amongst those who first accompanied the Con- queror. That he should have transferred, just before his death, his church of Brecknock to Battle Abbey seems amongst other things to point to the latter circumstance. Indeed the Abbey, reared on the spot where the Standard had been fixed, in consequence of the vow made by Wil- liam, and as a thank-offering for success, though chiefly founded by William, was enriched with grants by many others who had passed safely through the fearful havoc of that day. The chronicle of Battle Abbey relates that it was through the importunity of a certain monk, Roger, that Bernard was prevailed upon to make the gift. But, be this as it may, it is one link which connects Bernard with the story of the Conquest. There is another and more essential point to be ob- served. In looking over some of the charters of this Abbey it is noticeable that in one ', and perhaps the most important, i.e. in which the King grants liberties and free- dom over the lan'ds which had been assigned to his foun- Thomas Vis-de-low. The modem names of Fidler and Vidler are armorially identified with this family of Vis-de-lou. The name of Humphry Vis-de-Lew is found in the list of knights in the honour of Wallingford in 1228 who paid a fine rather than serve abroad with the army of Henry III. , as will be seen by the following acquittance : — ' ' For Humphry Vis-de-Lew, who paid a fine of ten marks, that he might be quit of the voyage, and to have his scutage for a knight's fee, which he holds of the King o£ the same honour." — Fine Roll, 13 Hen. HI. m. 4. ' Pat. 2 Edw. IV. part 3, m. 15 ; Chronicon Mona«sterii de Belle. Anglia Christiana Society, 1846, p. 34. 26 The Utjt of the tHurch oj :^peen dation, amongst the signatures of the witnesses Bernard's name appears. The signatures are as follows : — Peter, Bishop of Chester [1072 — 1086], Herman, Bishop of Salisbury [1045—1078], William, Earl of Warren, Bernard of Neufmarche, and Gambart, Abbot of the same place [appointed 1076]. The place of signing the charter is Winchester ; and as the signatures limit the date between 1076 and 1078, we may be sure that Bernard was already in England at this time. Moreover the occasion suggests, though it does not prove, his having played some part in the event which they were commemorating ; and if so, his services would not have been unrewarded. It must not be forgotten that in 1079 the gift of Aufay, and all that belonged to it, was laid on the altar of St. Mary, at the monastery of St. Evroult ; and that some few years afterwards Bernard's name is found amongst the above list of signatures. In all probability he had re- turned for a short time to Normandy within a few months of his uncle's death, who was an alien, and on that occa- sion, at his uncle's request, he made the gift which con- nects his name with Speen and Newbury. Another incidental confirmation of what Orderic says, and what we find in Domesday, is the fact that Bernard had originally held lands which at the taking of the Domesday Survey were held by Humphrey Vis-de-Lu. Bernard, being undoubtedly a turbulent warrior, had been engaged in some outbreak in Normandy, perhaps support- ing Robert, the Conqueror's son, and his lands in England had therefore been taken from him, and given to Vis-de- Lu. Afterwards, when Bernard was restored to the favour of Rufus, he recovered Speen, giving lands in Brecon to Vis-de-Lu in exchange. This would help to account for what we learn in the "Testa de Neville" (p. 123 b), that Walter Marshall, Earl of Pembroke, held Speen of the Honour of Brecknock. That the family of Vis-de-Lu retained some of the lands to Aufay, in Normandy. 29 they had held at the taking of Domesday is shewn by the "Chronicle of Abingdon" (vol. ii. p. 122), which speaks of Walkelin Vis-de-Lu holding Boxford (Boxora), near Newbury, about 11 15. -The Vis-de-Lu family held the manor of Shottesbroke near the year 1300, as mentioned in a note on a previous page, and soon afterwards we lose sight of their name in the records of this county. Summarizing the history contained in the foregoing pages, it appears that an intimate manorial connection at first existed between the ancient settlement of Speen with its more important offspring Newbury. The town was originally in the manor of Speen ; and the first docu- mentary evidence therefore deals with the connection be- tween the borough and its parent village. That is to say, the revenue or tithes of a portion of the town which had grown up within the ancient manor were, with the church of Speen, first appropriated by the Lord of the Manor, Bernard of Neufmarche, to Aufay. The manor itself ap- pears afterwards to have been taken from Bernard of Neufmarche's control and bestowed on Vis-de-Lu. Finally, when Bernard of Neufmarche regained the favour of his Sovereign, William IL, he recovered the manor of Speen, and with it his part of the revenue arising from the town of Newbury. For by the time when Orderic wrote, the scattered buildings must have been so far multiplied as to have become a "burg," and about the middle of the eleventh century must have acquired the name of the " New Bourg," whence, as previously suggested, the modern name has been derived. But it does not follow that the ancient site at Speen was altogether abandoned when New- bury first became a distinct settlement, and when the Anglo-Saxon colonists founded a community within their "New Bourg." The village of Speen, with its Church, existed then as it exists now ; but it has as regards local conditions remained a village, while its offshoot Newbury, with greater advantages, has become a town, absorbing in its history that of Speen. CHAPTER III. (Brant of tbe Cburcb anb mtbes of IKlewburi? to tbe Hbbes of preauj in iRorman&s, c. 10S5. • The charter of William the Conqueror from the Cartulary of Notre Dame de Preaux. — Confirmation charters existing. — An account of Preaux audits two churches. — The great benefactor to Newbury, Ernulf of Hesding. — His early history. — His connection with England and the manors held by him. — His benefactions to churches. — Various incidents in Ernulf 's life. WE have seen in the previous chapter that a portion of the revenue of the town of Newbury had already- been granted to the monastery of Aufay, we now come to a more important grant, namely that of the church of Newbury, which was given in the same manner to a newly-founded abbey in Normandy, namely St. Pierre de Preaux. The material at our command consists of one charter in the Cartulary of Preaux preserved among the archives of Evreux ", and two charters of Inspeximus on the charter- rolls of Edward the First's reign in our own Public Record Office. The first of these runs as follows : — "From the gift of William, King 'of England, the land of Anselni "^ and Wlluric de Watintona in pure and perpetual alms, which now we have not. " William, King of the English [1066 — 1087], to Remigius the Bishop [1067 — 1092], and Robert De Odi and the rest of his lieges greeting. " Know ye that I wish that Saint Peter de Pratellis may hold the alms which I give to him, namely the land of Anselm " and " Charter of 'William the Conqueror, circa 1085, granted to the Abbey of Notre Dame de Preaux. — From the Archives of the Department of the Eure, at Evreux, folio 145, v°. Charte, No. 468. •• MS. Anselmi. ' MS. Alfelmi. Grant of the Church mid Tithes of Newbury. 3 1 of Wlurlc de Watintona, as quietly and peacefully as other Saints who have and enjoy alms of me. And if any one claim any- thing in it, let him come to me and shew me his claim. " Likewise from his^ift the church of EstofiA " I give also five hides of land in the vill which is called Eston together with the church and the burial [rights] of the whole vill. For I have received the vill which is called Saint Clere ^ from the abbey of Saint Peter Pratellis, and have given it to Robert my brother Count of Mori ton, and this in exchange I return to it [the Abbey]. The truth is this land formerly belonged to Chorix the Dane. " I grant also other five hides of land in the vill which is called Orlayescoth ', which Roger de Beaumont gave to Saint Peter de Pratellis. " I have given also the tithe of the vill which is called Stur- minster and four tithes which his sons have added, Robert, Count of Mellent, and [the] Count of Warwick, that is Henry of Moritona and of Nortona and of Vincecera \sic'\ and of Her- borbeia [sic\ s. " I grant also for the redemption of my soul and [the soul] of my wife Queen Mathilda and of my children these things which Arnulf de Hesdinch gave to Saint Peter Pratellis for his soul, viz. the Church of Newberi and the tithe of the whole rent or issue of the vill, that is of mills, and toll and moreover of every thing which can issue from the vill from which a tithe can be made. He appointed also one hide of land and a priest's house free from every tax or custom or service. " I grant also the tithe of Straphelh ^, and of Sagas ' which ^ Aston Tirrold or Turold, the Estone of Domesday, a village about five miles south-west of Wallingford. ' Probably Bradfield St. Clare, in Suffolk. This was the chief seat of the family of St. Cleer, or Sancto Claro. Hamo de St. Clare is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls, in the first year of King John, and likewise in the Register of the Abbey of Colchester. ' Wolfhamcote, Warwickshire. " These names are probably a misreading by the French transcriber, who furnished the Author with a copy of the original charter. "Vincecera" and " Herborbeia" [? Herfordeia] may be intended for Winchester and Hereford. This charter is undated ; but, as Remigius, Bishop of Dorchester, succeeded Wulfius, who died at Winchester in 1067, the date is contained within the years 1067 — 1087, when William I. died. ^ The "Stradfeld" of Domesday, i.e. Stratfield-Mortimer, a village seven miles south-west of Reading. ' Shaw, near Newbury. 32 Grant of the Church and Tithes of Newbury Hugh son of Baldric, Sherifif of Evrohic (Warwick) gave for the fellowship and prayers of the monks at Pratellis." It will be observed that while the Abbey is called Notre Dame de Preaux at the head of the charter, it is else- where described as being dedicated in honour of St. Peter ; the explanation is that the Abbey of St. Peter at Preaux (de Pratellis) is comprised within the parish of Notre Dame de Preaux, which is the usual designation. The result of the preceding grant or confirmation of William I. was to give to the Abbey of Preaux land and burial rights in a viU in Berkshire, namely Aston Tirrold, in exchange for land in Suffolk; a portion of land in Wolfhamcote, Warwickshire, the tithe of a vill-in Dorset named Sturminster, besides four other tithes not detailed. Next the church of Newbury, and the whole tithe of the vill. Also the tithe of Stratfield Mortimer, and Shaw, at no great distance from Newbury. The next document relating to Newbury is a Charter of Inspeximus by which King Henry II. confirms to the Abbey of Preaux, or Pratellis, the Priory of Toftes in Norfolk (a cell to Preaux), to which the manor and church were given by Robert, Earl of Mellent and Leicester, temp. Hen. I., and other benefactions. It will be seen that in the main details it corresponds with the previous charter. Inspeximus Charter, 13 Edw. i. [1285], in 26, No. 69. Circa, a.d. 1187. " Henry, by the grace of God King of England and duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, and Count of Anjou, to the arch- bishops, bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justiciars, sheriffs, and all his bailiffs and lieges, greeting. "Know ye that I have granted and by this my present charter have confirmed to God and to the abbey of Saint Peter de Pratellis and to the monks there serving God, all the underwritten reason- able gifts made to them,, and, by the charters of the donors, confirmed. Both by the gift of Roger de Bello Monte and of his sons, with the consent of King WilHam the son of Robert the Marquis, five hides of land in Orlavescote. "And by the gift of the aforesaid King William, the land of to the Abbey of Preaux in Normandy. 33 Anselm and Ulveric of Watinton five hides of land in Eston together with the church and the burial [rights] of the whole vill, and in exchange for the vill of Saint Clair which he had received from the abbey of Saint Peter and had given to Robert Count of Moreton, his brother. "And by the gift of Arnulf of Hesdinch, the church of Newbiri and tithes of the whole vill or issues of the vill, of the mill, of the toll and of everything which can be tithed, arid one hide of land and a priest's house free from all tax and custom and service, King William granting it. " And by the gift of Robert Count of Mellent the church and tithe of Cherlenton ^ and the manor of Toftes ' with its appur- tenances : To have and to hold freely, with all its liberties and free customs as well and freely as ever King William himself and the Count held it. " Likewise from the gift of the same count. King Henry per- mitting and confirming, the manor of Postebiri™, to hold as freely as is aforesaid. Likewise from the gift and grant of King Henry himself that the foresaid monks De Pratellis may have and may hold all their [possessions] well and in peace and honourably and freely just as well as they ever held them in the time of his father, and that all the demesne of the same monks which they had been able to shew to be theirs may be quit from every toll and custom and passage, as the demesne property of the monks of Fecamp and of Caen and of the other abbots. And by the gift of Henry, earl of Warwick, the vill of Warminton °, free, with all its customs, just as he had it in demesne except the depen- dencies which were attached to that manor. " Wherefore I will and firmly enjoin that the aforesaid abbey of Saint Peter de Pratellis and the monks in it serving God may have and may hold all the aforesaid, in free and perpetual alms, well and in peace, freely and quietly, entirely and fully and honourably in churches and tithes and rents and lands, in wood and plain, in meadows and pastures, in waters and mills, in fish- stews and ponds and fisheries and turf-diggings and marshes and roads and pathways and in all other places, and other things ^ Charlton, Dorset. 1 Monk's Toft, Norfolk. ^ Possibly Postbury, or Postlebury, near Cloford, Somerset. ° Warmington, d parish in the county of Warwick, five miles (north-west by north) from Banbury. D 34 Grant of the Church and Tithes of Newbury pertaining to these, together with all their liberties and free, customs as the charters of the donors testify. " Witnesses. "Walter, Archbishop of Rouen [1183—1197]- " H[ugh], Bishop of Durham [i 153— "95]- " H[enricu^, Bishop of Bayeux [1165—1205]. " H[ugh], Bishop elect of Coventry [1188— 1198]. "Robert fitz-WilHam, Archdeacon of Nottingham [ti86 — 1.187]. "John de Constancia, Archdeacon of Oxford, \c. 1186— 1189]. "Count William de Mandeville, Earl of Essex [1166— 1 189]. "WilHam, Earl of Salisbury [11 68— 11 96]. "WiUiam de Humez, Constable of Normandy [1180— H89]. "WilHam fitz-Ralph, Seneschal of Normandy [1178— 1 189]. " William de la Mara [1183 — 1189]. "Alfred de Sancto Martino [1166— ii88]-. " Gilbert fitz-Reinfrid [i 180— 1189]. At Caen." The dates expressed within the brackets are those established by the occurrence of the names of the indi- vidual in charters and other official documents ; and, as the Bishop-elect to Coventry was consecrated in 1188, we may put the date of this charter at about 1187. The other signatures agree with this time. Summarizing the contents of the above charter it will be seen that it conveys to Pr^aux five hides of land in Wolfhamcote, the land (not specified) of Anselm and Ulveric, five hides of land in Aston Tirrold in exchange for the vill of St. Clair in Suffolk, the advowson of the church of Newbury, and the tithes of the vill, the church of Charlton, in Dorsetshire, the manor of Toftes, in Nor- folk, the manor of Postebury in Somerset, and the vill of Warmington in Warwickshire. to the Abbey of Preaux in Normandy. 35 The next Charter of Inspeximus is in the same series of Rolls, but in the following year. Inspeximus Charter, 14 Edw. I. [1286], No. 26. Circa a.d. 1187. "The King to his archbishops, &c., greeting. We have in- spected the charter which Robert, formerly earl of Mellent and Leicester, made to God and the church of the holy apostles Peter and Paul de Pratellis, and to the monks serving God there, in these words. To all sons of Holy Mother Church, English, French and Norman, Robert, Earl of Mellent and Leicester, greeting in the true Saviour our Lord Jesus Christ. " Know all ye that I for the welfare of my soul and [the souls] of my beloved lord King William and of my ancestors, have given and granted and by my present charter have confirmed to God and to the church of the holy apostles Peter and Paul de Pratellis, and to the monks there serving- God, the manor of Thoftes with all its appurtenances, viz. : — lands, woods, marshes, meadows, diggings of turf, men, rents, pastures, commons, and other things whatsoever belonging to the said manor as freely as my most dear lord the illustrious King William gave it to me, who before me possessed it for a little space. To hold and to possess to the said monks and their successors, in free, pure and perpetual alms, well, peacefully, honourably and justly, free and quit from shires, and suits from hundreds, pleas, complaints, customs and all royal demands, with sac", socage?, thoH, thif', infongenthef, and hutfongenethef ', and with free warren in the parishes of Thoftes and of Haddescho' and Thorp '^, with all other liberties. " I have added also to this gift the right of patronage of the church of Saint Michael of Eston, the right of patronage of the church of Saint Leonard of Wyley ", the right of patronage of " The power of hearing and deciding causes, levying fines, executing laws, and administering justice within certain precincts. p A tenure of land by inferior services in husbandry, to be performed to the lord of the fee. 1 The liberty of buying and selling, or keeping a market ; the customary dues or rents paid to a lord of a manor for his profits of the fair or market. A tribute or custom for passage. ■■ The punishment of theft. ■ Infangentheof and hutfangentheof are respectively the power of judging a thief caught within or without their jurisdiction. ' Haddiscoe, a parish in Norfolk, about five miles from Beccles. " Thorpe-next-Haddiscoe. • Willey, Warwickshire. D 2 36 Grant of the Church and Tithes of Newbury the church of Saint Michael of Cherlinton, the right of patronage of the church of Saint Nicholas of Newburi, together with the tithes, rents, offerings, pensions to the said churches pertaining. " Likewise in the vill of Nyuburi the tithe of the whole rent or issue of the vill, that is of mills, of toll, and of everything which can be tithed or might be in the future, together with one hide of land free from every tax, suit of court, and custom, and every secular service, all of which ' Arnulph del Hesdinck, count del Perche,' lord of Newburi, gave to me to the use of the alms of the foresaid monks. "I have given moreover to my aforesaid monks the village which is called Orlaveschote y and five hides of land pertaining to it, free and absolved from shires, from hundreds, pleas, com- • plaints, aids, customs, secular services, all demands and all ex- actions which the human mind knows or shall know, can or could in the future think of. I have given also to the monks aforesaid another manor by name Spedeburi ^, together with the whole vill, lands, woods, meadows, pastures, river banks, mills, men, their services, capitations [? capitagid], rents and all things to the said manor and vill belonging, free and absolved from shires, from suits, from hundreds, pleas, complaints, aids, cus- toms, secular services and every royal forced service \angaria'\ with socage, sac, thol, thif, infongenethif, with all other liberties. All these aforewritten I Robert the aforesaid earl have given to God and to the church and monks aforesaid to hold, possess and have as freely, tranquilly and honourably as any alms in the Kingdom of England can be given or held. "And lest any one in future with rash daring may dare to go against my gifts made with the intention of charity, I have given the present charter to the aforesaid monks, fortified with the impression of my seal in the presence of — " The lord Archbishop of Canterbury. " The lord Archbishop of York. "The lords bishops of Salisbury, Norwich, [and] Coventry. " The earls of Gloucester, Salisbury, del Perche, Moritone, Warwick, and many others, barons, knights, clerks, nobles, and free men. " We moreover the gift, &c. confirm, &c. "Given with our hand at Westminster, the 27th day of April [1286]." ^ Wolfhamcote, Warwickshire. » Spetisbury, Dorset. to the Abbey of Preaux in Nonnandy. 37 This last charter gives to Preaux the manor of Tofts, with liberties there and at Haddiscoe and Thorp, in Nor- folk, the advowsons of the churches of St. Michael, Aston Tirrold, St. Leonard, Willey, Warwickshire, and St. Nicho- las, Newbury, and the tithe of the vill of Wolfhamcote, Warwickshire, with five hides of land, and the manor of Spettisbury, Dorsetshire ". It may be here mentioned that Preaux is a parish in the diocese of Lisieux, about five miles south of Pont Au- demer, and in 1 879 it contained 390 inhabitants. " In the record known as the Taxation of- Pope Nicholas IV., circa A.D. 1291, granting the tenths of all ecclesiastical benefices to King Edward the First for six years, towards defraying the expense of an expedition to the Holy Land, we find the particulars of the property of the Abbey of Preaux in England given as follows : — Page. Arch- deaconry. Rural Deanery. Property. Taxation. 43 t>. Oxon. Aston. Prior de Pratellis ultra mare "j habet in Watlington de > redd". j 8 d. 103 ""Norwich. 1 Broke. A de Pratell cum priore del Toftes de t'r and cons. / 3 14 I 114 b. )j >j In Toft de tr'a redd' mo-\ lend' et fetur animal'. J 40 16 lOJ 177 Dorset. Shaftesbury. Porcio Abb'isse de P'tein in Eccl'ia de Sture > P'tell. J 2 184 b. " Whitchurch. Abbas de P'tell Sp'ttes-\ bury and Cherlton. J 12 185 b. Sarum. Chalk. Abb'isse de P'tell. 3 187 b. Berks. Newbury. Pensio Prioris de PratelH in eadem. j 13 4 191 " Abingdon. Prior de Pratellis (in' Estone). ,j' 7 192 >j Newbury. Prior de Pratellis in New- " bury. ; 2 195 b. )j Abingdon. Videl't in sp'ual De porc'oe") Prior de Pratell' in Eston \ in Decanatu Abingdon. ) I )? jj De porc'oe ejusdem in' Ecc'a de Newbury. j ' 6 8 It' in temp'al' de Eston' in \ Decanatu porc'oe de > Abend. J Neubur'. 3 10 38 Grant of the Church and Tithes of Newbury There were two monasteries there — the abbey for monks called St. Pierre de Preaux, and the convent of St. Leo- degar, or St. Leger de Preaux. Both were founded by- Humphrey de Vieilles, or de Vetulis, son of Turold of Pont Audemer, and father of Roger de Bellomont; — the abbey shortly before the departure of Robert I. for the Holy Land in 103S, and the convent soon afterwards. The story told in the Records ^ is that Ansegisus, Abbot of Fontanelle, bequeathed fifteen solidi in the reign of Louis the Pious to this monastery, which was levelled with the ground, as were nearly all others in these parts, by the inroads of the Danes. A .noble knight, Humphrey de Vetulis, son of Turold, began to rebuild it from the foun- dations, with the assistance of his wife Albereda, on an estate of his called Pratelli, in honour of St. Peter, and liberally endowed it. With the advice of his friend Gra- dulfus. Abbot of Fontanelle, he arranged the buildings of the new monastery, and committed the rule thereof to him. Monks were brought thither from Fontanelle, and Gradulfus appointed' Ansfridus abbot in his stead. Hum- phrey's charter is granted with the assent of "Robert, Duke of Normandy, and William his son. The date must be before 1035, when Robert died on his way to Jerusalem. Roger de Bellomont, Earl of Mellent, eldest son of Hum- phrey by his wife Adelina, finished the abbey with the assent of his brother, the Great Steward of Normandy, who is praised by Ordericus as the second founder. Roger granted thereto a tenth of the revenues of Pont Audemer with other lands and tithes. Robert, Earl of Leicester and Mellent, son of Roger, and his brother Henry, Earl of Warwick, added to the grants. Thirty-six parish churches were at one time subject to the monastery, but the number was ultimately reduced. . Such was the authority that in Pont Audemer no priests, nor religious persons, nor nuns, were allowed to reside, and no churches nor chapels to be built, without leave from the abbey. '' See Gallia Christiana, vol. xi. p. 834. to the Abbey of Preaux in Normandy. 39 It will have been observed from the first charter given above that among certain confirmations made by William I. of grants to the abbey of St. Pierre de Preaux is one by Ernulf of Hesding. The question which naturally arises is — what was his interest or connection with Preaux that he should make this grant to that monastery ? As regards the gifts of Robert de Beaumont, they are easily understood, as he was a direct descendant of the founder, Humphrey de Vetulis. But in the absence of any contemporary evidence, after a long and scrupulous investigation, which throws any light on the general inci- dents in the life and history of Ernulf of Hesding, we have no positive knowledge which will explain the circumstance of his connection with the abbey of Preaux. There is, however, nothing exceptional in the fact that he should devote a portion of his great wealth, acquired in a foreign land, to a religidus house in his own country, which does not necessarily imply any special interest in that foun- dation, as we find that he made gifts to the great abbey of Bee and many other Norman monasteries. The Con- queror's followers, as Orderic Vitalis tells us, were only too ready to heap benefactions upon these monastic estab- lishments, which were nobly enriched with, the splendid endowments thus bestowed upon them. Moreover, they in thus manifesting their love for the King supreme, com- mended themselves at the same time to the prayers of the Church. The connection of the Mellent family with this part of Berkshire, and at this period, is illustrated by two charters preserved to us in the Abingdon Chronicle ". There is no year given in the charters, but the editor of the Chronicle dates them both about 11 11. The first of these is a writ of Henry I., addressed to the thanes of the Earl of Mellent, requiring them to see that the abbey of Abingdon shall have quiet possession of its lands at Welgrave [Wargrave .?], and it is witnessed " Chronicon Monasterii De Abingdon, Rolls Series, vol. ii. pp. 77 and 83. 40 Grant of the Church and Tithes of Newbury by Ranulfus, the Chancellor *, and John of Bayeux, AT Newbury. ("Apud Niuueberiam.") The other charter, not dated, was also given at NEW- BURY (" apud Niweberiam "), and witnessed by the Chan- cellor. It relates to woods in the neighbourhood. It will now be well to refer somewhat in detail to Ernulf of Hesding, the donor of the church of Newbury, who may be regarded as its founder, as the grant of a church and lands to an abbey was not unfrequently at this time the actual foundation and building of such an institution set apart and dedicated to the worship of God. The name of Hesding is spelt in a variety of ways, as has been seen, and it is generally supposed that JErnulf took his name from the town in Artois called Hesdin », which lies towards the south-western extremity of the Depart- ment of the Pas de Calais. Its early history is neither more nor less remarkable than that of the average of towns, but at that stage when we should expect to learn something of Ernulf we only hear of a certain Walter of Hesdin ; and this seems to suggest that the benefactor to Newbury may have derived his name from some other place. The signature of this Walter of Hesdin as Count of Artois is annexed to a charter of the Count of Ghisne, dated as early as 1065, and we find him, or his grandson, amongst the conspirators in the story of the assassination of Charles the Good, Count of Flanders in 1127. That no ■i As Ranulf, the King's Chancellor, died in 1123, and as Hugh de Buck- land, to whom the second charter is addressed, died about liiSi both char- ters must have been executed in the first half of King Henry's reign. ' The names of the Counts of Hesdin, whose title was derived from the town of Hesdin in Artois, occur in the following succession, and wholly ex- clude the name of Ernulf de Hesding from the list of Counts : — I. Alulfe, Count of Hesdin, a monk of the monastery of St. Guingalais, or St. Saviour, at Montreuil-sur-mer, in looo. A charter of Alulfe's is in "Gal- lia Christiana," tom. x. col. 283. ' 2. Gauthier, or Walter, son and successor of Alulfe. He is mentioned in connection with the affairs of Philip I., at Corbie, in 1065 ; the same Walter to whom reference has already been made. 3. Enguerand, eldest son of Gauthier, succeeded his father. He completed the re-establishment of the Abbey d'Auchi-les-Moines in 1079, and founded the Priory of St. George near Hesdin. 4. Gautier II., nephew of Engue- rand. Was deprived of the Countship of Hesdin by Charles the Good. He died in 1126. 5. Anselm, succeeded on the deposition of Gautier II. His name occurs in a charter of H26. 6. Bernard, succeeded as Count d'Hesdin in 1 148. 7. Guy, son of Bernard. to the Abhey of Preaux in Normandy. 41 other Hesdin was in existence at that time is but sorry evidence that there was no other place of that name, or similar to this name. Indeed as an illustration of the total loss of a name, as well as a possible suggestion, it may be noted that William of Jumieges speaks of the ancient name of Arques, near Dieppe, being ' Hasdans,' i.e. 'Statio Navium apud Hasdans, quse Archas dicitur.' (Gul. Gemmel. apud Bouquet, vol. xi. p. 81.) Few of the presumed followers of the Conqueror in his campaign appear as tenants in capite of so many estates in England at the time of the Domesday Sur- vey as Ernulf de Hesding, and an idea of the vast extent of the property held by him in England under the Crown may be formed from the fact that he was lord of 48 manors consisting of 251 hides, and yield- ing an annual return of .^348 2s. 8d. of money of the time. The Domesday Survey thus gives us an insight into the wealth of Ernulf de Hesding, and further, the Cartulary of St. Peter's of Gloucester, which has been preserved and printed, enables us to add some other details as to the disposition of his property in one or two cases, and helps us to fill up the sketch of the man who gave the church of Newbury to Preaux. Following alphabetical order we come first to Ha- therop : — "Emulph ol Hesdyng gave the Church of Heythrop, Lynk- holt, and one mill, with the lands of the Presbyter and the Church of Kynemerford [Kempsford] with the lands of the Priest ; more- over the lands and pastures, and liberties, which we possess there. Patrick de Cadurcis ^, and Mathilda his wife testify to the same, and the confirmation of their heirs confirm the same by their charter in all four charters. Now in the fourth Pagan the son * Patrick de Cadurcis took his name from the town of Cahors, or Cadurcee, in Gwienne. As Cahors, or Chaurz, was Latinized Cadurcse, so was the dis- trict afterwards called the Quercy, known at one period as the /'agus Cadur- cinus. The much later rendering of the generic term " De Cadurcis " by the name "Chaworth" was a mere Anglicanism, the gradual result of the sever- ance of its continental dependencies from the English Crown. There is no authentic mention of the form "Chaworth " within the time contemplated by this enquiry. 42 Grant of the Church and Tithes of Newbury of Patrick de Cadurcis, of his own gift, grants that he and his heirs by their own people and at their own cost shall cause to be measured out and enclose the tenth of his domain of Kemps- ford. "King Henry the elder confirms the same. Bishop Johns [1151-58] confirms the same, and of his gift grants us four marks annually in the Church of Kempsford, in the time of Abbot Serlo [i.e. 1072 — 1104]^" Again, somewhat later in the series, under the heading of Lynkeholt, he mentions the gift and fortunately gives the date of its presentation. " Ernulf of Hesdyng (sic) gave to God and to St. Peter of Gloucester, Lynkeholte [i.e. Linkenholt'] on the day of the Puri- fication of the Virgin Mary (February 2), in the year of our Lord 1 08 1, at Salisbury, King William the Elder consenting to and confirming the same. In the time of the Abbot Serlo [1072 — II04]k." We then come to the abstracts of the charters ; and, though these amount to the large number of 908, there are very few which are original charters giving the dates when the land was first granted, but nearly all are Confirmation Charters of Kings, Bishops, &c., reciting the gifts in a shorter form. Taking first of all the gifts of the churches of Hatherop and of Kempsford, the first document transcribed is the Charter of Confirmation by King William the Conqueror. It begins : — "In the year of our Lord 1086, I, WilHam, King of the Eng- lish, on the petition of Serlo, Abbot of Gloucester, &c., grant to God and the Church of St. Peter the lands, &c. (here follows other benefactions). The Church also of Hadrop with the tythe and the land of the Priest, and one mill there with the land belonging to it. Another Church also, that of Kynemereford, B There was no John Bishop of Worcester till John of Pagean, 1151. The charters are therefore placed in wrong order. i" Cart. Monast. St. Petri, Glouc, Rolls Series, vol. i. p. 89. Linkenholt is about ten miles south-west of Newbury. It is Hampshire, but close to the borders of Berkshire on the north, and Wiltshire on the west. '' Cart. Monast. Glouc, p. 93. to the Abbey of Preaux in Normandy. 43 with the tithe and the land : these Ernulf of Hesding had given to the Church >." The Confirmation does not mention Linkenholty though, as seen by the scribe's summary, it had already been granted as early as 108 1. Moreover, elsewhere in the Cartulary he gives what can scarcely be called a charter, but a note referring to the original grant. It runs : — " In the year following (but being separated from the original context this tells nothing) Arnulph of Hesdinge gave to the Church of the same St. Peter's the land which is called Linkeholte by the concession of William, King of England. Which was done at Salisbury on the Feast of the Purification.'' He, however, gives all the witnesses : — " King William (1066-87), his Queen Matilda (1053-83), Count Robert his son (ob. 1 135), Archbishop Lanfranc (1070-93), Arch- bishop Thomas of York (1070-96), Bishop Osmund of Salisbury (1078 — 1107), and Bishop Walkelin of Winchester (1070 — 1107), agreeing with the date loSi, as they limit it to between 1078- 83 °i." Later on in the Gloucester Cartulary we have an ori- ginal copied, which runs as follows : — " Let all present and future know that I, Emmelina, wife of Emulph of Hestink (sic), for the salvation of my lord,. and my own, and of my father and mother, have given to St. Peter's, &c., the Church of Norton. These are the witnesses, Roger the son of Dodo"." There is given in another place a Confirmation of this gift which Emelina, wife of Ernulf of Hesdine gave to St. Peter's by Robert, Bishop of Lincoln, (i.e. 1093 — 1123)°, ' Cart. Monast. Glouc, i. p. 334. ■" Ibid., p. 386. It should be observed that in the Domesday Survey Ernulf does not appear as a tenant in capite of Linkenholt, but undpr the holding of the land of the church of Gloucester. In Hampshire (fol. 47) occurs the foUovidng : ' ' The Abbot holds Linchehor, Ernulf of Hesdine gave it to the Church by concession of King William." ° Ibid., ii. p. 45. The signatures break oif suddenly, and no means are given of ascertaining the date. As the gift is not confirmed by William the Conqueror it may have been later than 1086. It may be added that in the MS. some later hand has put Chipping Norton to this, to distinguish the place from Cold Norton and Hook Norton. " Ibid., ii. p. 46. 44 Grant of the Church and Tithes of Newbury King Stephen's charter, dated 1138, confirms "Linke- holth of the gift of Ernulf of Hesdich \sic\, and also the Churches of Ethrop and Kynemereford, &c.," and the gift of the Church at Norton " by Ernulf of Hesding and Erne- line his wife." In the same words, and about the same time probably, is the Confirmation Charter of Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1139 — 1148P, There are two sets of Confirrnation Charters of Henry II. (1154-89), almost the same throughout"*, and one of Roger, Bishop of Worcester (1164 — 1179), as regards the church of Hatherop ^, which do not throw any fresh light on the matter. But incidentally Patrick de Cadurcis and Matilda his wife =, in a grant, mention Ernulf de Hesding's gift of the churches of Hatherop, Linkenholt, and Kemps- ford to the abbey of Gloucester. There remains but one more charter to note, which runs as follows : — "I R(otrou), Count of Perche, grant to the monks of the Church of St. Peter at Gloucester those things which I have heard have been given in the vill of Kempsford, by Ernulf of Hesdinge and Patrick de Cadurcis, free and quiet as they had them when they were living'." The scribe has unfortunately neither copied the dates, nor given the names of the witnesses from which the date might approximately be ascertained. The question may be asked, perhaps, what Earl of Perche it was who granted lands at Kempsford, or rather confirmed them, because he had heard "CasX Ernulf and Patrick de Cadurcis had so granted them? The letter "R" is all that helps to any identification. At the time of Ernulf de Hesding's death, circa 1095, Geoffrey, the third of that name, was Lord of Perche. He had succeeded his father, Rotrou II., in 1079, ^""^ ^^^ married Beatrix de Roucy. His son, Rotrou III., suc- ceeded in 1 100, and continued Earl of Perche up to his p Cart. Monast. Glouc, i. pp. 226, 227. 1 Ibid., i. pp. 35t), 351 ; and ii. pp. 126, 127. ' Ibid., i. p. 327. ^ Ibid., i. p. 340. ' Ibid., i. p. 343. to the A bbey of Priaux in Normandy. 45 death in 1143. He it was who married the ill-fated Matilda, who was drowned at sea in the Blanche Nef. His second wife was Hawise, daughter of Walter, Earl of Salisbury, son of Edward of Salisbury. She was sister of Earl Patrick, whose mother is considered to have been Sibil de Hesding, sister of Matilda, the presumed wife of Patrick de Cadurcis, and this marriage of Rotrou with Hawise may probably account for the interest which the Earls of Perche acquired in Ernulf de Hesding's pos- sessions. Elsewhere we have further documentary evidence re- specting Ernulf of Hesding, notably in the Hyde Abbey Chronicle, which was compiled about 1121. The writer, who was thus a contemporary with Ernulf, describes the conspiracy of Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumber- land, against his King in the year 109S. How he was captured, and how William of Eu also was taken, and by the King's orders deprived of sight, and how William de Aldriato, William Rufus' steward, was also condemned to .be hung. He then proceeds : — ^'■YxwAi oi Hednith (sic), tall of stature, of remarkable energy, and abounding in wealth, was accused before the King, unjustly, and out of envy. At length when by wager of battle, undertaken by one of his own men, against one of the King's men, he ha'd defended himself and became victorious, he was moved by such great sorrow and anger [at the unjust charge] that he gave up everything which belonged to the King in England, and, though the King was unwilling and opposed him, he departed : Having taken a number of Christians with him for companions, he tra- velled as far as Antioch and there died. And when he was ill, and the chief physician attempted to cure him, he is said to have replied, ' It is the Lord who conquers, wherefore let no physician touch me excepting He for Whose love I have undertaken this pilgrimage °.' " So far the anonymous chronicler and his story bear all the mark of plain honest truth. The wager of battle was the usual resort in such cases, the combatants employed their attorneys, so to speak, to battle for them. We may " Liber Monast. de Hyda (Rolls Series), p. 301. 46 Grant of the Church and Tithes of Newbury add that the pilgrimage of 1096 was in fact the beginning of the series of Crusades. Another incident in Ernulf s life we glean from William of Malmesbury, who in his " Gesta Pontificum," which he compiled in A.D. 1125, tells certain miraculous stories attendant on visits to St. Aldhelm's tomb at Malmesbury, and in the course of them refers to Ernulf. He has been narrating recorded miracles ; he now relates what he had seen himself. " Let Ernulf da Hesding (he says) be brought forward as a witness. A man amongst the nobles of England, the wealthiest (inter optimates Anglise optimatissimus). Admirable for his attention to all that belonged to agriculture, admirable for boun- tifully alleviating the wants of the poor, so punctilious was he in payment of tythes, that if one of his barns which had not paid tythes was still untaxed, he ordered everything to be taken out and immediately to be tythed. He made it not more his business to see that his land produce was for his own advantage, by the divine favour, than to take care that there was no fraud in the tything of it. He was afflicted with such a grievous disease of the hands, that, besides the running ulcers, the nerves were affected with a tremulous action. He could not use his hands for any purpose whatever, and at his meals had to be assisted by others. Wherefore he took counsel that he should go to Malmesbury, and there test the ability of a certain Gregory, a famous physician there. And when this physician had tried all the resources of his art in vain, he declared at length that the disease was incurable and must be left to fate. But the abbot thought that some of the saint's miracles should be at- tempted, and so ordered that some balsam which had been found in the tomb should be brought and rubbed on his hands. How beautiful was it ! Immediately that a drop of the precious liquor touched the hand the tremor of the nerves ceased, the ulcerous matter dried up, and in a yery few days afterwards he was healed ^" And it is sufficiently clear that it was in consequence of this miracle that the devotion of this illustrious man * W. Malmesburiensis— Gesta Pontificum. Edit. Hamilton (Rolls Series), P- 437- to the Abbey of Preaux in Normandy. 47 was increased so that, despising both the necessaries of life and the accumulation of wealth, he set out for Jerusa- lem with little hope of return. Again in this case the chronicler, writing of events with which he was a contemporary, may be relied on. His being at Malmesbury, the scene of the cure, adds additional value to his evidence. We may disbelieve or otherwise interpret the miracle, but so far as the fact of Ernulf de Hesding's trouble, and his subsequent journey to the Holy Land, we have here good history. These details, when put together, though trifling, per- haps, in themselves, help to enable us to realise the man of fine stature and industrious of habit, as the chronicler tells us (and there is no reason to suppose any spurious adulation) ; rich and powerful as the Domesday Survey shews ; in favour with King William H., as he had been no doubt with his father, as his presence at Winchester as a witness to the Foundation Charter granting the abbey of St. Peter's, Bath, in augmentation of the Bishopric of Somerset, also shews ; pious and generous as the Glouces- ter Cartulary proves ; — but, on the other hand, afflicted with a painful disease, which seems to have affected his hands, while allowance may be made for the chronicler's exaggeration of the malady, his depreciation of the phy- sician's skill, and his pious belief in the efficacy of the balsam from Aldhelm's tomb. This account is of more value to us than a mere story. It tells us that Ernulf of Hesding left the country never to return to it, and resigned all the lands he held of the King into his hands, and it fixes the date of such depar- ture. It also offers a key to some of the difficulties which otherwise might meet us. We do not hear of his name afterwards, and we find other names associated with the lands with which he is identified in the Domesday Survey. There are some special points to be borne in mind. First, we have seen that Ernulf, after having been sus- pected by William Rufus of treason, and put to the " wager of battle," left the country in disgust, throwing up all his numerous holdings. This was in or just after 1095, at the 48 Grant of the Church and Tithes of Newbury. time when he was possessed of the forty or fifty manors ascribed to him in Domesday. To whom did these manors pass? It is incidentally mentioned in the Gloucester charters ^ that he had a wife, Emelina by name, and that she gave Norton to St. Peter's. In the absence of the dates we are left in the dark as to when she gave it ; but, as the charter refers to "her lord," it must have been before Ernulfs departure and death. And we have no reason to suppose that on his giving up his estates, and after his death in the Holy Land on the way to Jerusalem, that Emelina had succeeded to his property. It has, however, been shewn by the late Mr. Eyton, with a con- siderable amount of perspicacity, considering the involved nature of the subject, that the lands of Ernulf de Hesding, as recorded in Domesday, or the chief portion of them, were subsequently held in three parts. The family of Cadurcis or Chaworth held those in Gloucestershire, which were nearly half the whole. The Earls of Perche those in Berks and Beds. The FitzAlans, Earls of Arundel, those in Oxon and Wilts. These conclusions, we may add, are borne out by our own investigation of the descent of the various manors held by Ernulf. But whether they were held by them as heirs of Ernulf, or whether they were simply a re-grant of the confiscated lands by King William to three other families, there is nothing definite to shew, y See ante, p. 43. CHAPTER IV. Ube 2)omes&ai? Survei?, H.D. 1086. Berkshire in the Domesday Survey. — Table of the Manors in the Hundred of Thatcham. — Newbury not named, but Ulvritone finds no modem re- presentative, and is in the hands of Ernulf OF HtsDiNG. — The neigh- bouring Manor of Spene. — Brief notes on the ManoV boundaries. BERKSHIRE is the fifth county of the Domesday Book, immediately succeeding Hampshire, and preceding Wiltshire. Its matter occupies sixteen pages, a larger space, considering its area, than its neighbours, Hants, Wilts, and Surrey, respectively enjoy ; and consequently -its en- tries are proportionably more numerous and satisfactorily accounted for. At the period of the Survey (about 1086) Berkshire was divided into 22 hundreds ; and there are about 250 entries concerning manors or holdings ; but, as occasionally several notices relate to the same manor, the manors did not in reality exceed 200. In these notices we have mention of 3 1 churches ; the mills within the county appear to have been 65, and the fisheries belonging to it 43. In the hundred of Thatcham (in which we have rea- sons to believe that Newbury was comprised), consisting of 16 manors, there were only 5 churches, but 14 mills. The latter shew the nature of the district, — most of the parishes lying either on the Kennet or the Lamborne ; and water- mills are still to be found, with one exception, in the places specified in the Domesday Survey. These mills were sources of considerable profit to the landowners, inasmuch as the tenants were permitted to grind their corn only at the lord's mill ; and in some of the larger estates mills seem to have been used exclusively for the corn grown on the demesne lands, that is, on the portion of the manor held by the lord for his own use. Frequently mills had more than one owner, and were sometimes divided into E o ; S ^ ^ < ■5 &> , X u < 1 1 s O ^ a s H ^1 o 1 i « r5 1 a e3 ^ o - - rt " c S IS 1-— .1 M 00 1 o " IB .9 . ^ i ^.S « a , . 1"^ >^ . ^ Hct . (ftlii . Pi OJ -^ . .HiHi . . . t:S ^ -s*. 1 < 2 ^3 1^ M CO « M M N .2 c N CJ "■ i . r+l Hc^ . . . . r*l 0) -a s M •§ CO ■^ m M i>, M IH M lOlOO COU^C^ 13 o H i^ S Q 2 C ■ > yi ^_: bi , 13 W ■1 . 8 'o QJ ^•" fO w CI ^ M C^ fO"-" M rOf^'-'^O (S CO vo vo ^ COvO u-l vO'OvO'OvO'O'O m \o^o The Domesday Survey. 5 1 several shares. This was the case at Newbury, as will be seen in a tabulated list of the manqrs in the hundred of Thatcham given on the opposite page. Contrary to what might have been expected, we find no allusion made to the name of Newbury in the Domes- day Survey of Berkshire : nor are Bernard of Neufmarche, nor Geoffrey, Count of Perche, nor Robert, Earl of Mellent, returned as holding any of the manors in the neighbour- hood, although these landowners were noted in documents earlier than Domesday. The absence of the name of the town is no more unaccountable than the omission of several equally important places in other parts of England, which for several reasons were doubtlessly of sufficient considera- tion to be entitled to a separate and distinct notice. Many reasons have been assigned for what may appear to be a discrepancy in the Domesday Record. In some in- stances the omission implies that it is a subordinate manor, or member of a manor, which is accounted for under the principal estate ; it is probably included under some generic appellation, or is simply described as a manor which had been previously held by some Englishman in the time of the Confessor. None of these explanations, however, will exactly apply to Newbury, which, although not specifically mentioned in Domesday, appears to have been represented by the "new burg" which grew up, partly within the' manor of Speen, and partly within the manor of Ulvritone, on the south side of the Kennet, which is described as being in the hundred of Thatcham (Taceham) . It will be observed that out of 16 manors at the -time of Domesday we have only to deal with 13 names; and out of these 11 are satisfactorily identified, and survive more or less in modern place-names, making allowance for the difficulties the surveyors had in their rendering of the native designations. Singularly enough, as already pointed out, the place of all others in this district which has not been clearly accounted for is that regarded as corresponding with a portion of the modern parish of Newbury, namely Ulvritone, the only manor in the Berk- shire Survey belonging to Ernulf de Hesding. This is K 2 52 The Domesday Survey. also the only place in the hundred of Thatcham, besides Thatcham itself, which, from its character and extent, would indicate the existence of a considerable and settled population at this period. We have, indeed, shewn in a preceding chapter that Newbury was known by its present name a few years before the date of the Survey. Domesday Ulvritone is thus described : — "Ernulf de Hesding holds Ulvritone. Uluuard held it of King Edward as a free manor. It was then assessed at ten hides, now at two and a half. There is there land for twelve ploughs (carucates). There is one plough in demesne, and eleven villans and four bordars have seven ploughs. There are two mills, pay- ing fifty shillings. Twenty-seven acres of meadow. Also woods which furnish pannage for fifty hogs; and there are fifty-one houses (hagse), of twenty shillings and seven pence. In the time of King Edward it was worth ^^9, afterwards ;£'8, and is now worth ^£24." There are certain noticeable points in this entry of the Ulvritone Manor which it is difficult to account for, shew- ing, as it does, a considerable difference in the value of the property at the time of Edward the Confessor and the date of the Norman Survey. ' For instance — in Edward's reign the land was assessed at 10 hides, and at the latter period at the lower rate of 2\. Again, there were 12 caru- cates of arable land, T. R. W., or sufficient to employ 12 ploughs, but only 8 ploughs were there. The 51 hagae, too, only paid 20J. 7^. tax, or quit-rent, to the lord of the manor, while 12 hagae at Thatcham paid 55.y. It is pos- sible-, however, that the hagse were in ruins, or had been depreciated from some other cause; but the increasing prosperity of the whole manor is shewn by the advance in what we should now call its rateable value. The difficulty lies in specifying the exact position of the manor of Ulvritone, which is hypothetically assumed to include the site of the present town of Newbury. But before we proceed further it will be well to give the entries in the Domesday Survey relating to the adjoining parish of Speen, and the neighbouring manors, which have been referred to in a previous chapter. The Domesday Survey. S 3 " Taceham Hundred. " Humfrey Vis-de-Lew holds of the King Spone. Carlo held it of King Edward as a free manor (in alodio). It was then assessed at ten hides, now at five hides. There is there land for nine ploughs. In the demesne are three ploughs, and nine vil- lans, and ten bordars have six ploughs. There is a Church, and seven serfs, a mill paying twenty-two shillings, and sixty acres of meadow, and Wood for three hogs. It was worth ^^8 ; it is now worth £,\o. To the Church pertains half a hide of this land. " Taceham Hundred. " Humfrid Camerarius holds of the King Bagenor, Ulueva held it of King Edward as a free manor (in alodio). It was then assessed at three hides, now at one hide. There is there land for three ploughs. In the demesne there is one plough, and three villans, and three bordars have two ploughs. There is one serf, a mill paying twenty shillings, and twenty-two acres of meadow, and Wood for four hogs. It was, and is, worth ^^4. " Cheneteberie Hundred. " Humfrey Vis-de-Lew holds of the King Benham. Three Thanes held it as a free manor (in alodio). It was then as- sessed at five hides, now at four hides. There is there land for three ploughs. In the demesne there is one plough, and six villans, and eight bordars have five ploughs. There are two serfs, and one hundred and twenty acres of meadow. " Of this manor Anschitil holds two hides, and William two hides, and there is there land for two ploughs. The whole was worth in the time of King Edward, afterwards, and is now, worth j£6. " Cheneteberie Hundred. "The King's Thane Wigar holds of the King two hides in Benham. Ormar held it as a free manor (in alodio). It was then assessed at two hides, now at half-a-hide. There is there land for one plough, and in the demesne there is also one plough, with two bordars, and sixty acres of meadow. It was worth, and it is now worth, 4oj-." According to the existing boundaries of the parishes of Speen and Greenham, each of them partly includes an area comprised within which the modern municipal borough of Newbury stands, and there is good reason to assume that the position of the manor of Ulvritone, which had been be- 54 The Domesday Survey. stowed on Ernulf de Hesding, was enclosed within the limits indicated on the accompanying map. The mention of two mills b in the Domesday Record as existing in the manor of Ulvritone is almost of itself sufficient evidence that the portion of the present parish of Newbury in which the Town Mills and West Mills stand (the only mills in the town), and the church, on the south bank of the Kennet, must be considered as constituting the early germ from which the modern town has been developed. There is also collateral evidence of the relationship be- tween Ulvritone and Newbury in the circumstance (already alluded to) that the Domesday owner of Ulvritone, Ernulf de Hesding, gave to the abbey of St. Peter of Preaux " the Church of Newbury, and the tithe of the whole rent or issue of the vill, that is of the mills, of toll, and more- over of everything from which a tithe can be made. He appointed also one hide of land, and a priest's house free from any toll, or custom, or service." This gift was made previous to the date of the completion of the Domesday Survey (1086), as we have already stated in a previous chapter, and may be ascribed to about the year 1085. We have frequent examples shewing how the smaller holdings at the time of Domesday, have in the course of centuries^ become absorbed into the larger estates ; and on the othe'r hand we see how manors were sometimes di- minished in area, as in the case of Sandleford, assumed to have been originally within that of Ulvritone. For Sandle- ford, where Geoffrey, the fourth Count of Perche, founded his Priory, was taken from the manor of Ulvritone, if we may assume that to be co-extensive with the south part of the parish of Newbury, and became a separate ecclesiastical dis- trict, receiving from Newbury a part of the dues of the town, and a certain revenue from its mills, which were given by the Earl of Perche on establishing that religious institution. In the absence of material for the exact definition of the precise area of the manor of Ulvritone, it is probable, as we have already pointed out, that the portion lying be- tween Enborne and Greenham, and occupying part of the '' The borough boundaries now include a third Mill, namely, the Greenham Mill of Domesday. To face p. 54- A PLAN TO ILLUSTRATE THE POSITION OF THE DOMESDAY MANOR ULVRITONE, Etc. Reference. ULVRITOME W///yi./////A Boundary. ) NEWBUaY \ SANDLEFORDi Boundary -,j «SlTE OF THEn Do^Crj NEW BOURq J °Q^ ^ PARKER & CO., UTHC-. OxFOSI The Domesday Survey. 5 5 present parish of Newbury (so far as it lies on the southern bank of the Kennet), was the Ulvritone which Ernulf de Hesding possessed some time after the Conquest ; and that the parish of Newbury, as it now stands, is half in the old Ulvritone manor, and half in that of Speen. Of that part . of Newbury lying, on the north bank of the Kennet, the tithes were appropriated by the lord of Speen ; and that is why Bernard de Neufmarche, or his successor, Vis-de- Lew (the Domesday owner), could give them to the mo- nastery of Aufay, or to any other place or person, without asking the consent of any of the then existing authorities, not even that of the priest of the church of Newbury, nor that of the lord of the manor in which the other half of Newbury was situated. The 20 shillings from the reve- nues of Newbury, previously mentioned as being paid to the Speen lord, doubtless was in proportion to what the south part of Newbury paid to the Hesding lord. Certain it is that Ulvritone was a manor with a consider- able population when the Domesday Record was compiled, and by way of comparison it may be stated that referring to other towns in Berkshire, Domesday assigns to Windsor (which must have been the town of Old Windsor) 100 hagse or dwellings, and to the town of Reading not more than 28, while in Ulvritone there were 51. Probably, however, the small number of hagse in Reading is to be accounted for by the town having been attacked by the Danes in 1006, on the invasion of Sweyn, King of Denmark, when the place was almost entirely destroyed. At all events, at the period of Domesday, Ulvritone appears to have been a more important place as regards population than its neighbour Reading. On the other hand, although it had decreased, so far as the extent of its rateable basis was concerned, it must be borne in mind that the rating of the hide was an assessment dependent on the quality rather than the quantity of the land. And it will be seen that the value of the land paying geld had actually increased ; for, whereas the 10 hides in the time of King Edward was worth £g, and afterwards £Z, we find at the period of Domesday 2\ hides, or one fourth part only, valued at ;^24 ! This difference is only intelligible if we assume the 56 The Domesday Survey. quality of the property, and not space, to have been the basis of calculation. We can, therefore, hardly doubt that the improved value was created by the erection of hagae or dwellings on the manor, which constituted the nucleus if not the actual town of Newbury, thereby making these 2\ hides nearly three times as valuable as the whole ten were in the days of the Confessor, and precisely three times the value that the same acreage represented in the reign of King Harold. Taking all these matters into consideration, there is good evidence hnking the manor of Ulvritone with the southern portion of the parish of Newbury. That there was a con- siderable community here is evidently implied, and there are topographical reasons for assuming that the manor included the present site of that town. Whatever may have been the original source of the derivation of the name of Ulvritone, there is reason to sup- pose that the Saxon Thane who owned the manor in the days of Edward the Confessor was called Ulward ; and we obtain further examples of Ulward's name occurring in con- nection with that of Ernulf de Hesding from the Domesday Survey of Middlesex. It appears by this record that Albold held a manor in Chingesberie (Kingsbury) of Ernulf de Hesding, which in the time of King Edward the Confessor was the property of Ulward the King's Thane. Ernulf also held the manor of Ruislip, which is described in Domesday as having been the property of Ulward Wit, the King's Thane, who might dispose of it to whom he pleased. Again, as somewhat corroborative of the probability that this Saxon Thane, Ulward, was the possessor of Domesday manors afterwards belonging to Ernulf de Hesding, we find that one Alward held three hides at Potterne, in Wiltshire, which in the time of the Confessor belonged to Uhvard, he having purchased a life-interest in the same from Bishop Herman. Over the name Ulward in the original record is written, in very small letters, " albus " (= White) ; in fact his English name was Ulward White, a very interesting instance of a surname, in those days very uncommon ; though wherever there were two persons of the same name in one place, there was neces- The Domesday Survey. 57 sarily some sobriquet or designation given to each, in order to distinguish them. Surnames in this sense were far more common than is generally supposed. The name of Ulward Wit, besides being found in the Domesday for Middlesex, is found also in Dorset. From the fact that several of the manors which were held by Ernulf de Hesding were possessed by Ulward in the time of Edward the Confessor, it is probable that the estates held by the Saxon Thane had been forfeited, and bestowed on Ernulf by the Conqueror in acknowledg- ment of services evidently held in considerable estimation. At the some time, although the name seems tq be iden- tified with Ulward, the form Ulvritone points more directly to the name of Ulric. The natural contraction of Ulward's- town would be Wolverton, and it may be noted that a place of this name occurs a few miles from Newbury, on the other side of the county border. The name of Ulric or Wulfric is not uncommon, and by charters in the Abing- don Chronicle we learn that in the tenth century a Thane of considerable importance held property in these parts, of the name of Wulfric. It appears that he had a grant of land at Stanmore in A.D. 948 ; at Welford, A.D. 949 ; at Chieveley, A.D. 95 1 ; at Boxford, A.D. 958 ; and in A.D. 960 we find a charter of King Edgar restoring to Wulfric cer- tain lands which had been forfeited by him in consequence of misconduct, and among the places specified are Chieve- ley, Boxford, Chaddleworth, and Benham, all in the im- mediate vicinity of Newbury =. It is not, therefore, improbable that this Thane gave his name to the tun which we find in the Domesday Survey. By a singular coincidence it will be observed from the Preaux Charter * that about a century later land belonging to a certain Wluric, of Watintona, was conferred at the same time as the gift of the Church of Newbury. But whatever be the derivation, the name Ulvritone seems not to have survived, and indeed no trace of it is found after the time of Domesday. ' Chron. Mon. Ab., Rolls Series, vol. i. pp. 131, 145, 151, I59y 289. ' See ante, p. 30. CHAPTER V. tlbe 6ift of mils at IRewbury to SanMeforb prfors, c. 1200. Sandleford, adjoining Newbury, founded by Geoffrey, the fourth Count of Perche, and the Countess Matilda.— The Charter of Confirmation.— Pedigree of the family.— The boundaries of the land of Sandleford. — The Mills at Newbury from which the grant was made.— Various circum- stances connected with the history of the Priory.— Present condition of the remains of the Priory. — The evidence dei-ived from above as to the extent and status of the borough of Newbury at this time. SOME time between the years 1193 and 1202, but the material is not sufficient to fix the exact date, Geofifrey, the fourth Count of Perche, and Matilda of Saxony, his wife, founded, on some land about a mile south of the Kennet, and between that and the Enborne, a Priory at a place already called Sandleford. We know but little of the early history of the monastery, except that it was dedicated to SS. Mary and John Baptist, and put in charge of Austin Canons *. In a previous chapter it has been shewn how the Nor- man owner of Speen church (and by implication of Speen manor) had assisted in the endowment of the church of Aufay with part of the revenue of the town of Newbury. Similarly in this case we find Geoff"rey of Perche grant- ing certain revenues from the mills in Newbury to his newly-founded church of Sandleford. The two circum- stances thus connected with Newbury allow us to surmise that the part of the " vill " on the north bank or Speen side of the Kennet belonged to the then lord of the manor of Speen, that is to Bernard of Neufmarch^ ; while that " It is possible that prior to the foundation of Sandleford by Geoffrey of Perche and Matilda his wife, for Monks or Regular Canons of the Order of St. Augustin, a small community of Secular Canons, or Recluses, dwelt here, as the "Recluses of Sandleford" are referred to in the Pipe Roll, 26 Henry II., 1180. The Gift of Mills at Newbury. 59 on the south bank ox Greenham side was the property of Geoffrey, Count of Perche. The chief document bearing on the question is Dug- dale's copy of a charter of confirmation by Stephen, Arch- bishop of Canterbury, which seems to have been in the Cottonian collection of MSS. in 1644, but cannot now be found, and possibly perished in the fire of 1731 *. We obtain from it some details as to the foundation, which, as will be seen hereafter, are corroborated from other sources. The document referred to is the charter of Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, reciting or confirming the charter of foundation by Geoffrey, Count of Perche, and Matilda his wife, and runs as follows : — " Stephen, by the grace of God, Archbishop of Canterbury [1207 — 1 2 19], Primate of all England, and Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, to all to whom this present writing shall come, greeting in the Lord. " We will that all of you should know that we have inspected the authoritative documents of our predecessor of pious memory, which were in these words : — " H[ubert], by the Grace of God Archbishop of Canterbury [1193 — 1207], Primate of all England, to all faithful Christians to whom this present writing shall come greeting in the Lord. " Let all of you know that we haye inspected the charter of Geoffrey, the noble Count of Perche, and of the Countess Matilda, which is in these words : — " To all .sons of Holy Mother Church, Geoffrey, Count of Perche, and Matilda the Countess greeting in the Lord. " We make known to all of you that for the love of God and for our own salvation and for that of the souls of our an- cestors and successors, that we have given and granted in pure and perpetual alms to God and S. John the Baptist the House of Sandelford, and to the Canons serving God there, the Church and all the lands of Sandelford, as it is bounded by hedges and by ditches, with all its appurtenances. " And the whole of the wood which is called Bradmore. '' And the whole of the land on each side of the wood, as '■ In this fire the original number of 958 volumes was reduced to 851, and over 100 parcels much damaged. 6o ' The Gift of Mills at Newbury it is bounded on one side by the water which is called the Aleburne from the Bridge of Sandelford up to the Ale- bume-gate, and on the other side as far as it is bounded by the road which reaches from Aleburne-gate towards New- bury as far as the croft of William the Hunter, and on the third side so far as the road is carried, thence to the croft of Robert the son of Renbald, — that is the road which leads to Newbury, and on the fourth side as it is bounded by the same road as far as the bridge of Sandelford. " We have also granted to the aforesaid Canons that on this aforesaid land upon the aforesaid water, where they shall select an open place they may construct a mill and peace- ably possess it without molestation or interference. "Besides this we have given and granted to the said monks 13 marks sterling, annually to be taken from the Mills of Newbury, so that the aforesaid Canons every four weeks shall receive from our Bailiffs this revenue from the Mills. " We have also granted to the Canons here all the above things free and quit of all secular service and demand, to be had and held for ever from us and from our heirs in free, pure and perpetual alms. " We also will and grant that when the Prior shall have departed one of the remaining Canons shall be chosen Prior. " But that this our gift may remain secure we confirm it by the present charter signed with our seals. " These being witnesses. "Hubert, Archbishop of Canterbury [1193 — 1207]. " Hubert, Bishop of Sarum [1194 — 1215]. "Stephen of Perche [ob. 1205], who has placed his seal to the present charter for testimony. "William of Perche [ob. 1226]. " Hugo de Tabaria. " Odo of Normandy. " Griffio of Vere-neuil. " Gervase de Tabaria, and many others. " Therefore in order that the pious donation and gift of the aforesaid Count and Countess shall obtain lasting security, we have thought well to strengthen and confirm these as reasonably as they can by the apposition of our seal. to Sandlef or d Priory. 6i " These being witnesses. " Master Simon of Sewell, Treasurer of Lichfield. " Master John of Tjmemouth. " Master William of Savenoaks. " Roger of Basingham. " Master Edward of Hampton. " Robert of Bristol. " William de Bosco. " John of Kent. " David of Reading. " Adam of Kent, and many others. " Willing therefore that when to these things which have been piously and reasonably done we should add the strength of our authority, we adjoin our confirmation and testifying to the present writing by the affixing of our seal. " These being witnesses. " Master Simon of Langton our Brother. " Master William of Bardney. " Master Thomas of Tresham. " Master Robert of Bristol. " Master Walter of Evesham. " Master John of Waltham, and others. It will be observed that we have here an " inspeximus " of an "inspeximus," i.e. Archbishop Langton simply gives his approval to the charter of Archbishop Hubert. But it is Archbishop Hubert who is supposed to have "in- spected" and vouched for the accuracy of the Charters of Count Geoffrey and the Countess Matilda, the founders of the Priory at Sandleford, and the donors to it of the revenue from the mills of Newbury. Before, however, we proceed further it will be desirable, in illustration of the subject, to give the genealogy of the Counts of Perche so far as it applies to our investigations, and the following table will shew the position of those connections with which we have to deal: 62 The Gift of Mills at Newbury Rotrou II., Count of Perche and Mortagne, = . d. 1079. I Geoffrey III., Count of = Beatrix, dau. Perche and Mortagne, accompanied William the Conqueror to Eng- land, d. 1 100. of Hilduin, Count de Roucy. .1 I II Hugh, ances- Rotrou, Fulk. Hel- tor of the Count vise. Seigneurs de ofMont- Chateaudun. fort Le Maine. Juliana, ux. Gilbert de Acquila, or L'Aigle. Margaret, ux. Henry de Beaumont, Earl of War- wick. Hawise,daU. ■ of Walter, Earl of Sa- lisbury. • Rotrou Count of Perche, slain at siege of Rouen, 1143. III. , = Matilda, natural dau. ofHenryI.,Kingof England. Perished in the shipwreck of the Blanche Nef., H19. RotrouIV.,= Count of Perche, slain at siege of Acrejiigi. Matilda, dau. of Theobald 'IV., Count Palatin de Brie, Champagne, Chartres, &c. d. U84. I I Stephen, Philippa, wife of Elias Archbishop d'Anjou, brother of of Paleimo. Geoffrey Plantagenet. Henry, Geoffrey d. IV. Count young, of Perche and Mor- tagne, at siege of Acre with his father, d. 1202, in France- Founder of Sandleford Priory. Matilda of Sax- ony, the grand- daughter of K. Henry II., and niece of K. Rich- ard Land K. John. Rotrou, Bishop of Cha- lons- sur- Mame, 1 1 90. Stephen, slain at the siege of Adri- anople, April, 1205. William, also Bishop of Chalons-sur- Marne, suc- ceeded his nephew, Thomas, in the Countship of Perche in 1217. d. in 1226, when this line of the Counts of Perche be- came extinct. I Bea- = Renault trix. HI., Seig- neur de Chateau Gon- tier. Thomas, Count of Perche, slain at the battle of Lin- coln, 1217. Geoffrey IV., the founder (with Matilda his wife) of Sandleford Priory, was engaged in the Crusades against the Saracens in the Holy Land, and on the death of his father, Rotrou IV., he returned to France with the inten- tion of raising the necessary means to carry on the military service in which he and his relatives had borne so con- siderable a part. Calling to mind the great gifts his family had from time to time made to the monastery of St. Denis at Nogent, the Count besought the aid of to Sandleford Priory. 63 the Prior of the House, Hubert, who made known to his brethren how Geoffrey's cause was delayed from want of the necessary funds to equip his expedition. Hubert, with the approval of his brethren, bestowed upon Geoffrey two hundred pounds — a considerable sum for the time — as an earnest of their good intentions. Geoffrey, " whose soul," says the chronicler, " was naturally grand and mag- nanimous," would not accept this gift without some return, and therefore gave the monastery of St. Denis at Nogent a charter exonerating them from all feudal dues and charges, excepting jurisdiction in all criminal matters. In 1 194 Geoffrey caused the Chapel of St. John Baptist in the Castle of Nogent to be rebuilt. He confirmed to the Hospital, or Hotel Dieu, for Lepers at Carthage in Mortagne, founded in 1090 by his ancestor, Geoffrey IH., Counte of Perche, and Beatrix, his wife, all the privileges granted by his predecessors. In 119S, Geoffrey, " whose sole happiness was to consecrate his fortune in fostering religion and relieving suffering humanity,'' in conjunction with "his noble and pious wife Matilda," rebuilt the hospital which had been burnt during the civil war be- tween Robert de Belesme and Rotrou III., Count of Perche. The chapel in this hospital, dedicated to St, Nicholas, was also rebuilt by Geoffrey, who instituted " the Confraternity des Cordonniers de Mortagne," en- gaged to succour any of the infirm or destitute presenting themselves in this chapel on St. Nicholas' Day. He also gave the poor the privilege of collecting fire-wood in the forest of Belesme. This pious Count also founded the Priory of St. Laurent-de-Moulins-Ia-Marche, to which he acciorded considerable revenues. He gave this Priory, which was commenced in 1194 and completed in 1198, to the monks of St. Evroult-en-Ouche. The Count had also planned the foundation of the Cistercian Abbey of Clairets near Nogent, which he enjoined his wife and son to complete, an injunction which was strictly obeyed. He was also a benefactor to the Monastery of Notre-Dame- de-Chene-Gallon, and other religious houses. Geoffrey, who had acquired great honour in Palestine, was in chief 64 The Gift of Mills at Newbury command of the army of Philip, King of France, engaged against the English forces at the seige of Rouen ; and shortly before his death he had undertaken to lead another Crusade, but he was seized with illness, and dying at the Chateau of Nogent at the beginning of the season of Lent in 1 202, he was buried at St. Denis at Nogent with his father Rotrou. Geoffrey married, in 1189, Matilda, natural daughter of Henry, Duke of Saxony, whose wife Matilda, daughter of Henry II., by Eleanor of Guienne, was therefore sister to Richard Coeur de Leon, King of England. It is noticeable that the land is carefully indicated in the charters by exact boundaries. But the question arises, are these the original boundaries allotted to the original charter of Geoffrey IV., or are they boundaries added to some later charter } There is nothing to determine the truth one way or the other. The stream was called the Aleburne in 'boundaries mentioned in charters as early as the tenth century, so that the name itself is of no actual value. But whether eleventh or twelfth-century landmarks they can be traced now pretty accurately, as the two roads to Newbury at that time no doubt occupied much the same position as do the two present roads, and the' river Enborne (frequently written "Auburne" in old maps) is of course the same as the river " Aleburn " of the charter, which forms for many miles the boundary between the counties of Berkshire and Hampshire. There is also every reason to believe that the bridge at Sandleford was in the same position when the boundaries were taken as at the present time. The river is forded at this spot ; the bridge being used only for foot-passengers, but in times of flood it can be made available for the passage of vehicles. The " Aleburn-gate " of the charter corresponds with what is now called " Aldern-bridge," evidently a corruption of Aleburn-bridge. The term " gate " in this case was prob- ably the north-country word '"gait," from the Danish "gata," a road, or path, or way, hence "Aleburn-gate" would be the road leading to or from the ford of the Aleburn river. to Sandleford Priory. 65 There is some evidence to shew that the monks of Sandleford took advantage of the concession permitting them to build a mill on the Aleburn or Enborne stream ; as in a map of the Sandleford estate, the particulars of which were taken by Mr. James Hore, Surveyor, of Newbury, in the year 171 7, a mill is marked on or near the site of " Sandleford Lodge," and the adjoining enclosures are re- spectively denoted on the map as " Mill Mead," " Upper Mill Mead," and " Lower Mill Mead.' That a mill once stood on this spot is also indicated by the fact that a "cut" or channel made from the river near the house was apparently intended to carry off the tail-water, which re- enters the river near the bridge ; and it is not im- probable that the existing weir may be the survival of the dam to provide a sufficient head to drive the mill- wheel. The wood referred to as Bradmore in the charter of confirmation is still known as " Broadmore," and is so named in the map of the estate above referred to. We now come to the " Mills of Newbury," from which 13 marks, or .^8 13J. 4^., annually was granted to the monastery of Preaux, and we find corroboration of this gift amongst the records of the Court of Chancery, on a Roll entitled " A Roll of the value of the Lands of the Normans begun in the 6th year of the reign of King John'=," i.e. 1205, ^"d so only a few years after the pre- vious grant of Ernulf de Hesding to Preaux, which was confirmed by charter of William I. In the particulars of the manor of Newbury ,»which are given in full on the next page, it will be observed that the sum of £Z 13J. \d. appears as due to the Priory of Sandleford, in addition to the 5^ marks, or £■^, \os., due to Preaux as tithe on the profits and advantages arising from the manor which had been granted to that religious foundation by Geoffrey, the fourth Count of Perche, and the Countess Matilda. = Rotuli Normannise, No. 35. F 66 The Gift of Mills at Newbury NUBIRY. David the Reeve. Osebert the Forester. Richeman. WilHam de Plebiri. Nigell Gandi. WilHam the Huntsman. Roger the Welchman. Ralf fitz Peter AseHne. Richard Curneis. Richard Cake. Ralf fitz Gowin. ' NuBiRY. The land there is worth from Rents of Assize and Burgage Tenure From the Rents in the Fields From a Fulling Mill"' . From those serving for the Bailiffs in their hundreds . From another MilP which is reckoned at £,\i> . From the market of the Town which is reck- oned at ^8 £ 20 5 I s. o S 6 d. 6^ 16 Sum total ;£S2 2 Payments. Out of these [is paid] in alms, viz. To the Abbot of Preaux 3 o To the Priory of San- delford . 8A Endorsed. 13 4 Answered by the hands of the Farm- ers and not at the Exchequer. Besides this the Town is at farm for ^60, with all issues and profits. Neubiry. The land of the Earl of Perche is delivered to Simon de Pateshill by Writ of the Lord the King. It will be seen from the above account that neither Sandleford or Preaux had the whole of the revenue of the mills either separately or together. The total of the two " The Fulling Mill mentioned shews that the clothing industry was estab- lished in Newbury at this early period. This mill is no doubt to he. identified with that known as West Mills, being described in a terrier temp. Queen Eli- zabeth as "afullinge myll, lying at West Mylls." The other mill we may reasonably conjecture to have been the Town Mill, near the church, which has always been used as a corn mill, and hence its higher value. to Sandleford Priory. ^7 mills was £iy l6s. M., the sum received by the two houses was ^12 3 J. /\d. As in the case of many more important houses, the later history of Sandleford Priory is remarkably scanty, but in the particulars appended to the cause between the Attorney-General and Thomas Coldwell (the then Rector of Newbury), heard in the Court of King's Bench, 12 James I., 161 5, respecting Tenths and First Fruits due to the King, as a perpetual pension of eight pounds pay- able to an Incumbent in the church or chapel of Sandle- ford, parcel of the possessions of His Majesty's free chapel of St. George-the-Martyr, within the castle of Windsor, and which said church or chapel of Sandleford, together with the tithes thereof, the defendant claimed as appertain- ing to the church of Newbury, the following details are recited : — That the Priory of Sandleford was founded before time of memory by Geoffrey, Earl of Perche, and Maud his wife, and the church of Sandleford being then the church of St. John Baptist, was, with the land belonging thereto, assigned and given by them to the perpetual service of God, and of the Blessed Virgin Mary and All Saints, to hold in free alms as by the deed of the same foundation and gift appeareth. Which gift was confirmed by King Henry the Third in the seventeenth year of his reign, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of England. It fur- ther appeared that by an ancient Papal Bull % the Prior and Canons of Sandleford had divers privileges granted unto them, and amongst others, was one that no person should build a chapel or oratory within the limits of their parish without the consent of themselves and of the Bishop of the Diocese. The Court held that Sandleford was not within the parish of Newbury, but was a parish of itself. That the tithe of the demesne land there was anciently due to the Priors and Canons who had the charge of the « This Bull has the date of 1 130 given to it, in the Pontificate of " Gregory the Sixth," but this is evidently an error both in date and name, as Gregory the Sixth obtained the Holy See in 1044, and Innocent II. in 1 1 30. Such blunders are constantly found in documents of the seventeenth century. F 2 68 The Gift of Mills at Newbury church or chapel, and were bound by their Orders to say divine service in the said church. But that as the church or chapel had been allowed to fall into decay by the farmers of the Priory, and the seats, bells, and other furniture being all taken away, the Court ordered and decreed that eight pounds a year which had been for- merly employed in maintaining a priest to serve the cure at Sandleford, should in future be paid by the Dean and Canons of St. George's Chapel, Windsor, and their suc- cessors, to the Rectors of Newbury for the time being, who, if they be required, should four times every year (the church or chapel being put into proper repair), say divine service or preach in the said church or chapel. And further, that the inhabitants of the said Priory house should have a seat assigned to them and their servants in Newbury church, and have all the privileges of parishioners ; but should not stand charged with payment of any tithes in kind or other payments, but remain as a parish of itself according to the ancient rights and privileges thereof. As concerning tenths, it appeared that there never was any Incumbent presented or instituted to the church or chapel of Sandleford, but the Prior and Canons, being parson and parsonate thereof without any endowment of vicar, the said priory and all the possessions thereof were united, annexed, and appropriated to the said Dean and Canons of the King's Free Chapel of St. George within the Castle of Windsor, about the seventeenth year of King Edward the Fourth, as the deed of appropriation and union shewed. From which time the said Dean and Canons placed a stipendiary priest to say divine service in the said church or chapel of Sandleford, and allowed him a stipend of eight pounds a year, as by accounts produced of the time of Richard the Third, Henry the Seventh, and Henry the Eighth appeared. By reason whereof the Commissioners for Valuations of Ecclesiastical Livings in the twenty-sixth year of the said King Henry the Eighth, finding a priest there with a stipend of eight pounds a year, certified the same to be an Incumbency of a Free Chapel with a perpetual pension of eight pounds to Sandleford Priory. 69 a year, whereupon the tenths thereof were rated at sixteen shillings. But forasmuch as it appeared there was never any Incumbent, but only a stipendiary priest at will, serving for wages allowed to him from time to time by the said Dean and Canons, and if there had been a chan- try or free chapel with a perpetual Incumbent, yet such chantry being part of the possessions of the said Dean and Canons, there is a special provision in the statute of first of King Edward the Sixth exempting chantries from the general law of being given to the Crown. And also there is another special provision in the Statute of first of Queen Elizabeth, whereby first fruits and tenths are restored to the Crown, that the said Dean and Canons shall pay no tenths or first fruits to the Crown. It was therefore ordered by the Court that no more tenths should be charged upon the said church or chapel of Sandleford, or upon the said Dean and Canons or their tenants for the same, but that they and their successors should be for ever freed and discharged thereof. The £Z a year is still paid to the Rector of Newbury by the present owner of Sandleford, who has purchased the fee simple of the estate; and a pew in Newbury church is allotted to the Priory. It is shewn by sundry records that in addition to the property at Sandleford the Priory had possessions at East and West Enborne, West Ilsley, Kingsclere-Woodlands, and other places in this neighbourhood. The chapel of the monastery is mentioned in Ashmole's " History and Antiquities of Berkshire," as containing " Upon the first ascent of steps, towards the High Altar, a free-stone tomb of a Knight in mail, cross-legged, with a deep shield on his left arm, and seeming to draw his sword, his feet resting on a dragon." Ashmole considered this effigy as probably representing the Count of Perche, founder of the monastery. This Geoffrey, how- ever, was buried in the church of St. Denis at Nogent. The effigy more probably represented Thomas, son of the founder and last Count of Perche, of this family, who was killed at Lincoln in 12 17. The chapel was converted 70 The Gift of Mills at Newbury. into a dining-room in the last century, when the property- belonged to Mrs. Elizabeth Montagu, the famous " blue stocking," widow of Edward Montagu, grandson of the first Earl of Sandwich. The original walls are still standing, and the ancient original roof exists behind the modern flat plaster ceiling. From the number of human remains discovered, it appears that the burial-ground of the monastery was on the north side of the chapel. In a previous chapter evidence was adduced to shew that the old borough of Newbury was dependent on the manor of Speen on the north bank of the Kennet, and that a portion of its revenues were applied to the mo- nastery at Aufay. In this chapter the existence of a manor south of the river, also forming part of the modern parish, has been demonstrated, and also that from this portion certain grants were made to the neighbouring Priory of Sandleford. The borough of Newbury, therefore, in those days at least, must have had but a slightly inde- pendent and separate standing. Whatever importance it possessed was still no doubt mainly dependent on Speen, though it had risen with sufficient wealth and substance to be able to furnish additional aid to two monastic insti- tutions of the church. It had not yet reached a position of independence, for its revenues were appropriated to other channels than its own individual development and prosperity. CHAPTER VI. mewburs in tbe trwelftb Centuri?. The Manorial History. — The evidence from the Pipe Rolls. — The descent of the property of Emulf de Hesding. — The family of Patrick de Cadurcis or Chaworth. Incidents connected with Newbury. — The Siege of Newbury in 1152. ■ — The circumstances preceding the siege. — The account of the siege in the chronicles. — The thirteenth-century poem on the Siege of Newbury from the Collection of Sir Thomas Phillips.— The story of William Mar- shal, the boy-hostage. — The probable site of the Castle of Newbury. — King Henry H. at Newbury in 1155. — Newbury in the reign of Richard I. — Grant of land to the Knights Hospitallers. FOR an interval of nearly half a century immediately succeeding the date of the Domesday Survey there is a continuous blank in our Public Records ; and the link in the chain connecting the owners of estates enumerated in the Conqueror's comprehensive Terrier with those who possessed them in the interval is not easily constructed, until we are again assisted by contemporaneous official documents. The earliest information after " Domesday " is derived from the Great Rolls of the Exchequer, or, as they are commonly designated, the " Pipe Rolls." These are the most important of the Records of the Court of Ex- chequer. They furnish us with considerable materials for estimating the extent of the King's revenue, year by year, as made up by the King's officers appointed to that ser- vice, by the Sheriffs of the counties who acted as the King's bailiffs, and who were entrusted with the " ferm "," custody, or wardenry of boroughs, or of vacant ecclesias- tical fiefs, or what were more generally termed the King's Demesnes and Escheats. * Firma, ferm or farm ; a fixed sum or rent payable by way of composition j the profits of the county jurisdictions let at fixed sums to the sheriffs. 72 Newbury in the Twelfth Century. 1 This notice mentioning Newbury is assigned to 31 Henry I., 1 130-31, and is as follows : — " Berchescira, &c. "Aldwin of Niwebery (Niweb'ia) owes ten marks of silver for a plea of the Treasury. " Peisson, a man of Patrick de Chaworth, owes ten marks of silver, of the plea of Geoffi-ey de Clint[on] ^, while he had the keeping of the land of Patrick °." The connection between Patrick of Chaworth and Er- nulf de Hesding has already been discussed, and it has been suggested by Mr. Eyton that Matilda, the presumed third daughter of Ernulf de Hesding and his wife Emme- lina, succeeded to the third and smallest portion of the Domesday fief of Ernulf ; also that she became the wife of Patrick de Chaworth (or Cadurcis), and Newbury being a portion of this smaller Hesding fief will account for the above entry on the Pipe Roll. The earliest member of the family mentioned in the records is a Patrick de Chaworth (de Cadurcis), born in Brittany, who had the manor of Kempsford, Gloucester- shire, conveyed to him by Ernulf de Hesding towards the end of the reign of William I., and this same Patrick gave three water-mills in Kempsford (20 Will. I., 1086) to the Abbey of Gloucester, which grant was confirmed by William Rufus. Patrick n., the son of Patrick de Chaworth I., succeeded his father, but whether before 1 130-31, the date of the Pipe Roll, or after is uncertain. He gave to the same abbey a water-mill called Horcote, when William was abbot, with the lands adjoining, and the tithes of the meadows of the said village. The grant was confirmed by King Henry I. This Patrick (6 Ric. I. = 1195) paid £6 when the scutage was levied for ransom of the king. The next entry on the Pipe Rolls referring to Newbury i" Geoffrey de Clinton, the King's (Henry I.) Chancellor and Treasurer. " Magn. Rot. Pipe, 31 Hen. I., Oxon and Berks. Newbury in the Twelfth Century. J}, is the account rendered by Adam de Catmera (Catmore), the Sheriff, 9 Hen. II., 1163d "The same Sheriff [Adam de Catmera] renders account of ten marks for murder in Niweberi. In pardon by the king's writ to Pagan de Mundublel 10 marks. And he is quit." Anciently the power of pardoning offences was insepar- able from the Crown ; but in certain districts the right was claimed by the lords of the manors who had jura regalia, by ancient grants from the Crown, or by pre- scription. The amount above recorded appears to have been a fine or pecuniary punishment of an offender who had committed a murder in Newbury ; and as such it was part of the proceeds of criminal law due to the king. The same series of records has the following item in the account of the Sheriff of Berkshire, Adam de Catmore " (12 Hen II., 1 166), for the farm of the shire: — "William de Niwebery owes 60 marks for an appeal of falsi- fying coins [" Falsonarius "]. Sureties [are] Richard son of Turstun, and Richard de Limesi, and Nicholas, Steward of Pagan de Mundublel." There is some doubt about the word "Falsonarius." According to Ducange it seems to mean one who issues false money, or debases the coinage. In 1 180 (26 Henry II.) Hugh de St. Germain, Sheriff of Berks, rendered the following account of the Fee-Farm of the township of Newbury, in which we again find men- tion of the name of the Counts of Perche in connection with the manor ' . Thus : — " The same Sheriff [Hugh de St. Germain] renders account of 40J. from the township of Niwebery, for concealing a mare stolen. " Niwebery, Michaelmas, 26 H. II. and Easter following, when this account was written. ^ Magn. Rot. Pipe, 9 Hen. II. (Oxon and Berks, m. 5). ' It seems that anciently, and before the statute 9 Edw. II. , Sheriffs were elected by the freeholders of the county, as the Coroners are at this day, and consequently that their offices did not determine by the death of the king. Adam of Catmore held the office of Sheriff of Berks for eight years. ' Magn. Rot. Pipe, 26 Hen. II., m. 3. 74 Newbury in the Twelfth Century. "Godfrey and Richard de Niwebery (or Niweberi) render account of ;^49 for the farm of Niwebery for the entire year. £ s. d. In money 9 5 i Helye (? Eli) de Crapunt, Steward in Hfe- time of Geoffrey de Perche as they say and said Steward testifies . . . 24 5 o In works of a mill by order of Geoffrey . i 18 i Monks of Praels [Pratellis or Pr^aux] . 320 Recluses of Sandleford . . . 044 Quit-rent of land of Richard Orbi . . 006- Wm., son of Geoffrey, Steward of Hum- phrey de Bohun b, by order of Ranulf de Glanville " (as it is said). . . . 10 5 o ;^49' o o Here it will be convenient to refer more fully to the descent of the manors held by Ernulf de Hesding. Speaking generally, and for the occasion hypothetically, the late Mr. Eyton' suggests that eighty years after the Domesday Survey, that is in 1 166 (the date of the Black Book of the Exchequer), Hesding's Domesday fief can be traced as divided into three nearly equal portions, and between three great houses. I. The first of these portions is that held by Patrick, Earl of Sarum. It consisted of fifteen knights' fees of old feofifment, and one knight's fee of new feoffment, six- teen fees in all. The tenants are classified under Wiltshire ; and the Earl, who makes the return himself, expressly states that these sixteen fees were part of his mother's marriage-portion (" de maritagio matris meae," and " de « Matilda, one of the daughters of Edward of Salisbury, was given in mar- riage, with several manors, to the second Humphrey de Bohun, surnamed the Great, Steward-of-the-Household to William Rufus, and son of Humphrey cum Barba, a kinsman of the Conqueror. It was this Humphrey de Bohun, the husband of Matilda of Salisbury, who founded the Priory of Farley, Wilts, in the year 1125, according to the Register of Lewes Abbey. ■■ Ranulph de Glanville was appointed Chief Justiciary in 1 180, and con- tinued in the office during the remainder of Henry II. 's reign. ' " Herald and Genealogist," vol. vi. pp. 241 — 253. Newbury in the Tzvelfth Century. 75 dominlo maritagii matris mese"). 'Liber Niger' (Hearne), I. 108. In another portion of the same record, under Glouces- tershire, it is stated that Earl Patrick's fief, "de matrimo- nio matris suae," consisted of twenty knights' fees, and of three manors of £60 (annual value), besides a manor of ;£'20 (annual value) held by Nigel de Albini, which Mr. Eyton conceives to belong to the same category, and moreover a knight's fee held by Alured of Lincoln, which Earl Patrick is said to have occupied by force ("quod Comes Patricius cepit per guerram"). ('Liber Niger,' p. 171.) Mr. Eyton concludes that Earl Patrick's Barony of Cettre, i.e. Chittern, co. Wilts, consisted, in 11 66, either of six- teen, or of more than twenty, knights' fees, according as he or others estimated its constitution. 2. The second (under Gloucestershire in the record), presumedly consisting of \2\ knights' fees, was afterwards known as the Barony of Kempsford. 3. The third of these portions is, by a mere accident of the time, treated of in the " Liber Niger " in two sub- divisions. The first subdivision comes in the record immediately after the Barony of Pagan de Mondublel ^, and is entitled " De eodem tenemento divisio," that is, a section of the same original Domesday fief as that in which Pagan de Mon- dublel held I2f fees. This section consisted of seven knights' fees (of old feoffment), which were held, by their respective tenants, of Geoffrey de Ver. And it said or rather implied (for the MS. is faulty) that this fief was part of the same holding as that of which " Patrick de Chaurcis," the grandfather of Pagan de Mondublel, held another part on the day Henry the First died (Dec. i, 113S). "Liber Niger" (Hearne), I, 171. The second subdivision of the third portion of Hesding's Domesday fief is entered in the "Liber Niger" under ^ Montdoubleau is in the arrondissement of Vendome, formerly belonging to Maine. "jQ Newbury in the Twelfth Century. Shropshire, but is evidently a Wiltshire fief. It consists of Sj knights' fees (of old feoffment apparently) held by the respective tenants " of the fee of William Fitz-Alan of Wiltshire ;" and, in a note about services to the Crown, the record states that this holding had formerly been Ernulf de Hesding's. "Liber Niger" (Hearne), I., 145. It may be noted that three tenants of Geoffrey de Ver's list are identical v^^ith three in Fitz-Alan's list, — that the two subdivisions, when united, constitute a Barony of 15^ knights' fees, afterwards reconsolidated in Fitz-Alan, — and that the division was made because Isabel de Say, widow of the first, and mother of the then living William Fitz-Alan, had received the aforesaid seven fees in dower, and had carried them to her second husband, Geoffrey de Ver. Where a Domesday fief, like Ernulf de Hesding's, is found in 1166 to be thus divided between three principal and nearly equal participants ', we may presume (con- tinues the same authority) that during the interval of eighty years the Domesday inheritance had lapsed to three sisters and co-heiresses. It follows from a consider- ation of all the circumstances that the earliest co-heiress of Hesding was, in 1166, represented by the Earl of Salis- bury, the second by Fitz-Alan, the third by De Monte Dubleau, or, according to the style more commonly adopted by the family, De Cadurcis. Any one instance in which we can trace the descent from Ernulf de Hesding to any of the three inheritors of 1 1 66 will be a key to the two others. Mr. Eyton traces the descent from Ernulf de Hesding (1086) to the second William Fitz-Alan (1166), in the following pedigree, and other proofs are demonstrable of connection subsisting between the families of Hesding and Fitz-Alan. Mr. Eyton points out certain exceptions to this statement : — namely, Pevesei (Wilts), Cumbe (Hants), Escetingstone or Estchalindon (Wilts), and Rislepe or RuUepe (Middlesex). Newbury in the Twelfth Century. 77 1st wife, or other wife, = Ernulf de Hesding. Occurs = 2nd wife, Emme- 1066, 1086, 1091. I Una. Emulf de Hesding. Occurs in 1 130. Put to death by King Stephen in 1 138. Avelina, Adeliza, or^ Adelina de Hes- ding. Occurs 1 126. 1st. Alan Fitz-Flaald. Occurs lioi — 1 109. Dead 1 114. 2ndly. Robert Fitz- Walter, Occurs 1 126. I and husband, Geof- = 2nd wife, Isabel, = William Fitz- = lst wife, Con- frey de Vere, ob. 1 170. 3rd husband, William Botterel. sole dau. and heir of Helias de Say, Baron of Clun ; dead 1199. Alan I., born circ. 1 105, died 1 160. stantia, niece of Robert de Caen, Earl of Gloucester. A s. p. m. I = William Fitz- Alan II. I 1115, died 1210. A born circ. The third (smallest) portion of the Domesday fief be- longing to Ernulf de Hesding, Mr. Eyton believes to have gone to Matilda, whom he presumes to have been third daughter of Ernulf and his wife Emmelina. This Matilda he regards as the wife of Patrick de Cadurcis, as previ- ously mentioned. Mr. Eyton fully explains his data for the following pedigree of Mondublel from Hesding : — Ernulf de Hesding I., 1066 — 1091. =Emmelina. I I . Patrick de Cadurcis I. Occurs be- = Matilda de Hesding, presumed co- fore 1 100. Deceased 1130. I heir of her mother. Patrick de Cadurcis II. Occurs 1130. =Wilburga. Pagan de Montdublel, alias de = Beatrix. = Hugh de Cadurcis. (Hugh de Chaurcis occurs 1171.) Cadurcis. Patrick de Cadurcis. Occurs 1171. and concludes that the largest portion of the three into which, within a generation, the Domesday fief of Ernulf de Hesding was divided, went to Walter de Salisbury, whose wife, the mother of Earl Patrick of Sarum, was ;8 Newbury in the Twelfth Century. Sibil de Hesding, though called " Sibilla de Chaworth " by genealogists. The following corrected table shews the pedigree of the Salisbury and Perche families as connected with that of Hesding : — Emme- = Emulf de Hes- lina. ding (I.), 1066, 1086, 1091. Edward de Salis- = bury,io82 — 1119, Dead 1 130. Humphrey de = Bohun" (L), 1086. Sibil de Hesding, = Walter de Salisbury. Matilda de = Humphrey de Bohun (I.), presumed co-heir of her mother. Occurs 1 136, Dead 1 147. 1 142. Salisbury. Married between 1087 and noo. Died about 1129. I 1st =Rotrou =2nd wife, Bea- trix de Roucy. in., Comte de Perche, 1 100 — "43- wife, Ha- wise de 1st wife, Ma- tilda = Patrick de Salis- bury ; attests a charter of the Empress inter Sails- 1 142 and 1147, bury. as Patrick de Sa- rum, Constable. Created Earl of Sahs- bury by the Em- press before 1153, when he attests as such. Slain in Acqui- taine. Mar. 27, 1 168. :2nd wife, Ela, dau. of Will. Talrace, Comte of Ponthieu, and widow of Will., Earl War- ren, who died 1 148. She died Dec. 4. II74- Hum- phrey de Bo- hun (HI.) Pays his re- lief 1 130. Dead 1165. = Mar- gery, dau. and co- heir of Milo, Earl of Here- ford. Died April 6,1187. I I Rotrou = Matilda, William, = Alianor,dau.of Humphrey = Margaret.sister IV., Comte de Perche, "43— 1 191. Died at Acre, 1191. r daughter of Thibault IV., Count Palatin de Brie, &c. Earl of Salisbury. Occurs 1173— 1 1 94. Dead 1 1 96. Robert de Vi- tre, and widow of William Paynel, who died 1 1 84. She was living in 1227. de Bohun (IV.) Oc- curs in 1 1 66. Mar. ante 1175, ob. circa 1185. of William, King of Scots, and widow of Conan le Petit, Earl of Bre- tagne ; qui ob. c. iiyi. Geoffrey IV. , Comte de Perche, 1 191, 1202 ; mar. in 1 189 to Matilda of Saxony. — I A Ela de Salisbury, eldest dau. and heir; mar. and conveyed the Earldom to William Longespee, natural son of King Henry II., who died March 7, 1226. The Countess Ela died in 1261. — I A I Henry de Bo- = Matilda, dau. hun, natus 1 176; ob. 1220. and heir of Geoffrey Fitz- Piers. "He had somehow acquired a feoffment of two Knights' fees in the Hes- famfl "^^'^^y ^^^' "^™^'y °f *at portion that went to the Cadurcis Newbury in the Twelfth Century. 79 There is thus some reason to suppose that the Berkshire property of Ernulf de Hesding, the Domesday lord, was acquired by the Chaworths and the Perches. The Patrick de Chaworth mentioned in the Pipe Roll above recited was the presumed son of the first Patrick de Chaworth, or de Cadurcis, who married Matilda, who we conclude was the third daughter of Ernulf de Hesding and his wife Emmelina, thereby acquiring an interest in Ernulf's fief. The Earls of Perche acquired their interest in Newbury by the marriage of Rotrou of Perche with Hawise de Salisbury, grand-daughter of Ernulf de Hesding. It has been thought well to give the deductions of the principal writer on the question bearing on the genealogy of Ernulf de Hesding and the disposition of his extensive property, but we are still left in doubt and uncertainty on many points which cannot be satisfactorily reconciled. The Siege of the Castle of Newbury in 1152. Henry of Huntingdon states that King Stephen gained the castle of Newbury by assault in 1152, in the following passage in his chronicles : — "The King in the same year (11 5 2) made an attack on the Castle of Newbury, which is not far from Winchester, and at length carried it by storm. He then laid siege to the Castle of Wallingford. He erected a fort at the head of the bridge, which made it impossible for the troops that defended the castle either to go out for provisions, or to receive any in °." The event is also alluded to in the chronicle of Gervase of Canterbury, which, from the year iioo to 1 141, is princi- pally derived from Henry of Huntingdon and the con- tinuation of Florence of Worcester. Gervase also continues to use Henry of Huntingdon to A.D. 1154, which embraces the period of Stephen's operations before Newbury, which he thus summarises : — " The King then besieged the Castle of Newbury, and having erected a fort there [at WaUingford] deprived the besieged of every opportunity for going out °." " Chron. Hen. Hunt., Rolls Series, p. 284. ° Chron. Gervase of Canterbury, Rolls Series, vol. i. p. 151. 8o Newbury in the Twelfth Century. It will be seen that the omission of the intermediate passages by Gervase has led to his making the fort erected at Newbury instead of at Wallingford. Another reliable allusion to the siege of the castle, or at least concurrent evidence that such a transaction oc- curred at the time the chroniclers state, is to be found in the Cartulary of Bermondsey Abbey?, where the names of witnesses to a charter are given (but not the charter itself), as being present at the siege of Newbury : — " William, Earl of Chichester, Richard de Lucy, William Mar- tel, Richard de Camvil, Roger de Fraxino, Jordan de Pod, wit- nesses of King Stephen's charter at the siege of Newbury." William Martel and Richard de Lucy are mentioned by Henry of Huntingdon, Gervase, and the other historians, as among those who took part with Stephen against the Empress Matilda ; and the names " William, Earl of Chichester, Richard de Luce, William Martel (Seneschal), and Richard de Camavilla" occur as witnesses to the treaty of Wallingford concluded at the end of November, 1153, between King Stephen and Henry, son of the Empress Matilda, by which Stephen was recognised as king, and in turn he acknowledged Henry as his heir. "Robertus Prior Bermondeseye" was also a witness to this convention. It is probable, for we have no authentic history, that the castle at Newbury was erected early in the reign of Stephen, one of whose first acts on coming to the throne being to give licence to all lords who chose to build castles on their own lands. Or it may have been one of those small castles or fortified outposts hastily erected by the partisans of the Empress Matilda on the breaking out of the warfare with Stephen, and probably consisted of a square tower only. But above and beyond this incidental reference we have a contemporary account of the siege in "L'Histoire de Guillaume Le Marechal," which constitutes the most interesting historical episode in connection with the town p Cottonian MSS. Claudius A. viii. fol. no. In Dugdale (Monasticon, vol. V. p. 98) are notes of three charters of Stephen to Bermondsey Abbey, but there is nothing to shew to which the signatures belong. Newbury in the Twelfth Century. ■ 8i at this obscure period that has recently been acquired. There is, however, to be set against this supposition the fact that the fortress sustained a siege of several weeks' duration, which infers that it could not have been of such a temporary character as hasty construction would imply. This MS., which is so rich in new facts throwing fresh light upon the siege of the castle of Newbury, consists of a poem in French of the thirteenth century, of 19,214 octosyllabic lines, giving the detailed history of William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, Marshal of England, who in his old age was Regent of England during the first three years of the boy-king Henry III.1 M. Meyer, President of the French Ecole des Chartes, is of opinion that the poem was drawn up at the expense and by order of the second William Marshal, eldest son of the Protector Marshal, who gave money to John of Erlie (Earley, co. Berks), one of the Marshal's most trusted servants and companions, to have this done. The bulk of the matter M. Meyer conjectures to have been sup- plied, most probably in prose, by John of Erlie as an eye- witness, the actual author being a poet by profession, a court poet, who supplemented John of Erlie's information from other sources, he, too, possibly having been an eye- witness of many of the scenes he describes. The family of Erlegh, or de Erlega, so called from a lordship at Earley, near Reading, had large possessions in the counties of Somerset and Berks. The first of the name that occurs in the records of Somerset is John de Erlegh, who was possessed of several manors in this county, one of which still bears his name, Somerton Erie ; this John died 11 Hen. H., 1165. He was succeeded by William de Erlegh, his son. This William, lord of the manor of Durston, was the founder of a priory at Mynchin Buckland, co. Somerset, to which, amongst divers other 1 It was purchased at the sale of the Savile collection in London, Feb. 6, 1861, by the late Sir Thomas Phillips of Cheltenham, for;^38o, and was found in 1880 amongst the remarkable collection of MSS. at Middle Hill by M. Paul Meyer, who remembered having seen the volume when he at- tended the Savile sale twenty-one years previously, on behalf of the Imperial Library at Paris. G 82 Newbury in the Twelfth Century. property, he gave the church of Beckington. John de Erlegh, son and heir of William, 6 Rich. I., 1195, paid scutage for his lands in Somerset and Berks. William de Erlegh, his eldest son, paid scutage for lands in Berks and Somerset in his father's lifetime. He left two sons, John and Henry, of whom the former died without issue, 1228, whereof Henry his brother became his heir, and was Sheriff of Somerset and of Dorset that same year. In the isth year .of Hen. HI., 1231, this Henry de Erlegh paid 20 marks for the scutage of the lands which John had held of the King as tenant in capite at Erlegh, or Earley, in Berks. It is therefore evident that, as William Marshal died in 1219, and John de Erlegh in 1228, or at all events before 1231, the poem must have been com- posed in the interval comprising these dates. An explanation as to the constructiori of the poetical biography of William Marshal being undertaken by John de Erlegh is afforded by the Close Roll >■, wherein John de Erlegh is shewn to have been one of the executors of William Marshal, who probably instructed him to prepare a chronicle of the chief incidents in his remarkable and eventful career. Be this as it may, we can fairly assume that John de Erlegh was, both from his being a companion in arms with William Marshal, and also as his legally- appointed executor, the person most suitable and qualified to perform such a friendly service. In the poem we have a fair summary of the events of Stephen's reign to the struggle for the throne between the King and the Empress Matilda. The poet recounts how, no sooner was Henry dead than Stephen, Count of Bou- logne and Mortagne, — third son of Stephen, Count of Blois, and Adela, fourth daughter of William the Con- queror, who was married to Matilda, daughter of Eustace, Count of Boulogne, — hastened over to England, an^ by an expedient equally dishonourable with the other steps by which this revolution was effected, was crowned king by William of Corbeuil, Archbishop of Canterbury, Dec. 22, II3S- ' Vol. i. p. 602. Newbury in the Twelfth Century. 83 Matilda and her husband Geoffrey were as unfortunate in Normandy as they had been in England. The Norman nobility, influenced by hearing that Stephen had obtained the English crown, transferred to him their allegiance, and put him in possession of their own government. Robert, Earl of Gloucester, natural brother to Matilda, whose in- terests were committed to his care by her father, was not, however, of a disposition to submit to Stephen's usurpation without making some effort for the recovery of the royal authority. The Empress also had another defender and supporter in her uncle David, King of Scotland, and in the year 1138 he completely routed Stephen at the famous battle of the Standard, which, after the immediate events of the Conquest, was the first contest in which the English encountered the Scots. Stephen having embroiled himself with the clergy the following year, on the subject of the fortresses of certain prelates which he had appropriated, the Bishop of Winchester, Henry de Blois, the' papal legate and the king's brother, placed himself at the head of the malcontents. Matilda upon this came also to England, and profiting by the division which existed, excited her partisans to take arms in her defence, and war was soon spread in every quarter. The poem describes how, after several fruitless negotiations and treaties of peace, which never interrupted the hostilities, Ranulf, Earl of Chester, and his half-brother William de Roraara, partisans of Matilda, surprised the castle of Lincoln, when the citi- zens, being favourable to Stephen, urged him 'to come to their aid. The Earl of Gloucester meanwhile hastened with an army to the relief of his friends, and on Feb. 2, 1 141, he succeeded in defeating Stephen, whom he cap- tured and sent to Matilda, by whose orders the King was conveyed to Bristol castle, and kept a close prisoner. Matilda, after this, made great progress. Nearly all the towns excepting London recognised her, and the fol- lowing March she was crowned Queen at Winchester. But she spoilt all her victories, says the chroniclers, by her great haiiteur. The Bishop of Winchester, to whom she was indebted for her progress or success, left her, G 2 84 Newbury in the Twelfth Century. and marshalled himself on the side of his brother, the King. The poet describes many details in connection with the siege of Winchester, in 1141 (though in one or two points wanting in accuracy), which had been carried on for some two months. The Earl of Gloucester, finding there was no possibility of holding out any longer, and seeing for- tune inclining towards the opposite party, deemed it expedient to secure the Empress's safety, and to retire from the castle. Having sent the Empress, his half-sister, in advance towards Ludgershall with an escort consisting of the King of Scotland, Reginald de Dunstanville = (half- brother to the Empress), Brien Fitz-Count, and a few other trusty followers, he gradually withdrew his forces from the castle. He was immediately pursued by a de- tachment of the King's troops, who considerably harassed his rear, in order to retard his march while the rest of the army were advancing to surround him. In a narrow lane, near Wherwell Priory', a considerable engagement took place, in which the Earl of Gloucester, who would insist, say the historians, in marching last through the narrow defile, was taken prisoner, and forthwith placed in confinement in Rochester castle, the Empress and her escort meanwhile succeeding in escaping, to Ludgershall castle, and thence to Devizes. On the following ist of November he was exchanged for Stephen. The King, re- gaining his liberty, laid siege to the castle of Oxford, to which fortress his rival and cousin the Empress had retired in 1 142. The story of the escape of the Empress from the blockaded castle at Oxford to Wallingford is too well known to need repetition. Robert, Earl of Gloucester, " Reginald de Dunstanville, a natural son of Henry I. , by a daughter and co-heir of Robert Corbet of Alcester, in the county of Warwick, created Earl of Cornwall by Stephen in the fifth year of his reign, a.d. i 140. He died in 1 1 76, at Chertsey , and was buried at Reading Abbey. ' In the course of constructing a new line from Hurstbourne Siding to FuUerton Junction by the South- Western Railway Co. in the autumn of 1883, eight human skeletons were unearthed at Wherwell, near the spot indicated. They were found very close together — about two feet below the surface — and were probably the remains of soldiers who fell in this encounter between the troops of Stephen and Matilda. Newbury in the Twelfth Century. 85 died at Bristol Oct. 31, 1147; and the Empress Matilda soon after retired to Normandy. In 1148 the weakness of both sides, rather than any decrease of mutual animosity, produced a cessation of arms in England ; but in 11 50 the young Prince Henry, son of the Empress, became a for- midable rival to Stephen, who was desirous to insure the crown to his son Eustace, Count of Boulogne. Upon the death of his father, Geoffrey, in 1151, Prince Henry suc- ceeded to the Earldom of Anjou and Maine, and further added to' the extent of his dominions by his marriage in 1 152 with Eleanor, the daughter and heiress of William, Duke of Guienne or Acquitaine, and Earl of Poitou, the divorced wife of Louis VH., King of France. Henry, informed of the intentions of Stephen, after an absence of two years and four months in Normandy, landed in England with an auxiliary force in January, 1152, and in order to draw off the King's forces from Wallingford, a place of consider- able importance, which Stephen had for some time been besieging, laid siege to Malmesbury, and then hastened to the relief of the former garrison. A decisive action was every day expected, when a truce was agreed on between Stephen and Prince Henry, one of the conditions being that the King should dismantle the forts at Wallingford, and raise the blockade of the town. But instead of carrying out this stipulation Stephen left Wallingford and laid siege this year to the castle of Newbury. The earlier part of the poem, verses 23 — 119 and 370 — 398, recites the life of John Marshal, and his two mar- riages; verses 120 — 369, John the Marshal fighting for the Empress, the siege of Winchester, retreat of the Empress on Ludgershall, battle with Stephen's troops, struggle against Patrick, Earl of Salisbury; verses 399 — 714, the siege of Newbury. Taking the poem in the above sections, it primarily furnishes us with the information that John Marshal was twice married. The circumstances attending his second marriage are quite historical. Patrick, Earl of Salisbury, was a staunch supporter of Stephen, and fought against John Marshal (v. 147). He was at one time the van- 86 Newbury ijt the Twelfth Century. quished (v. 34'4), but later on it was John who had "le pire jeu partie" (v. 369). He (John Marshal) left his own wife and married Sybil, sister of Count Patrick, and mother of William Marshal, about 1141. He did it to put an end to discord, and afterwards peace existed be- tween the families for the remainder of their lives (v. 375 — 377)- John Marshal was one of the most valiant champions of Matilda. The unknown author of " Gesta Stephani," who holds for the Prince in whose interests he writes, shews him as occupying Marlborough, — carrying trouble into the country without consideration to the ecclesiastical cen- sures which were levelled at him, and expresses his opinion of him by describing him as stipes inferni. Although there are several manifest errors in the poem, there is much informution which is new and authentic to extract from it, notably the narrative, so animated and dramatic, of the retreat of the Empress on Ludgershall, in which John Marshal occupied a most prominent part, which has hitherto been ignored. It was he who advised the Empress to beat a retreat on Ludgershall (v. 199), confiding her to the guidance of Brien of Wallingford (v. 228), and who, to facilitate her escape, asked her with- out ceremony to disguise herself as a man, and ride on horseback "jambe de ca, jambe de la" (v. 213 — 224). It was he also who withstood an attack from the enemy between Winchester and Ludgershall, nea.r Wherwell, and secured the retreat of the Empress. John Marshal, having escaped" the pursuit of the Royalists, notwithstanding his wounds — having been shot in the eye — struggled on foot to Marlborough, where he was received with great joy. According to the "Gesta Stephani" John Marshal had a residence in Marlborough ". " Probably at Rockley, near Marlborough. The Domesday owner of this manor was Edward of Salisbury, Sheriff of Wilts, grandfather of Patrick of Salisbury, the brother of Sybil, second wife of John Marshal, and this John le Marshal gave a hide of land at Rockley to the Knights Templars, 2 Hen. II., who sent some of their fraternity hither, and made it a preceptory. It came afterwards to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, and was assigned toward the maintenance of their house at Saunford in Oxfordshire. —Tanner, Not. Mon., ed. Nasmyth, Wiltsh. xxx. Newbury in the Twelfth Century. %J Later on we find John Marshal at Ludgershall, where the royalists hoped to surround him, but he succeeded in surprising Stephen's army on its march, and inflicted on them a great check, the Earl Patrick of Salisbury in this affair losing his most valued companions. This occurrence is not rrientioned by other historians. The poet now goes on to recount the siege of Newbury (v. 399 — 714), of which a translation is given below. John Marshal, father of William Marshal, who plays the prin- cipal role in the poem, holding the castle fqr the Empress, and where his young son, William, first appears as a hostage given to obtain a truce, and the circumstances surrounding this event are given with graphic and vivacious detail. The History of Guillaume le Marechal. After this it was clear truth 399 that the king besieged Newbury with a great host and many mighty men ; but this was so suddenly, that those within the castle kept no guard against it 404 until they saw their spearmen, their archers and their light-horse ; and all the host who came down pitched pavilions and tents. 408 When those within saw them then they knew well they were taken by surprise. Much did the surprise distress them for they had little provision. 412 The king by proper message -enquired of the constable whether he would give up the castle ■ or whether he would defend it. 416 Upon this it was soon resolved, " We are not so caught " that we will not defend ourselves well. " We have no wish to give up the castle, " since we are determined 42 1 " that there shall be many a one struck, " many stunned and many wounded " with iron either of glaive or sword 424 88 Newbury in the Twelfth Century, " and many a one paid in sucli a way " that he will not need anything but a coffin. The king hardened himself against them. [By] the birth of God he swore it 428 " Well will I avenge myself on the villains, " all of them shall pay for it at my hands. " Now to arms good esquire " and good soldier and good archer ! 432 " We will take them spite 0' their teeth. " Who first shall enter within " I will give him so much goods " he shall never be poor in his life." 436 Who then saw these esquires make for the ditches and trenches to attack very bravely ! And those within with prowess 440 and with great fierceness defend themselves.: bolts and sharp pikes they aim and great beams to fell them ; severely they make them pay for the attack they have made upon them ; if they can, it will be defeated. Many a one one sees turn back and stagger and fall 448 and many a wounded man and many fallen fainting. Those of the castle are not to blame if they defend themselves, for they expect no near succour. Those without had the worst (?). 453 then he gave up the assault, which had been very perilous. The king was much put out at this , 456 and swore it should be otherwise, nor would he ever go thence . until he should have taken the tower and done justice on those within. 460 Those of the castle thought like good people, that they should ask a truce and in the-interval should send 464 to their lord and master all [about] their affair and their position. The truce they requested, and had it, and, as soon as they could they informed their lord 469 that they had no truce beyond one day Newbury in the Twelfth Century. 89 and, if he can, that he should deliver them for they have with them nothing to live on. 472 Le Mar^chal took up the case ; • sent his letters to the king, that, if he pleased, he should give him truce till he had spoken 476 to his lady the Empress. This he did very unwillingly by plain word nor by agreement for he had no distrust of him ; he took for it neither pledge nor gage, 481 but if they would give him hostages such as he should demand he would do what they ask. . 484 Then was the spit cut that so was the matter adjusted that he had one of his sons in hostage to whom should happen great harm, 488 not the first son but the next, William of whom hereafter he who will attend to it shall hear many a fine adventure. 492 This was done in such manner that the siege was postponed, and he re-furnished his castle which he had found too much out of provisions and put in good knights and good soldiers and good archers ; and well they think to defend themselves 499 because they have no wish to surrender the castle, nor had he any care for peace. The child was in danger ; well had the king perceived that he had been deceived ; 504 but the term was waited for when the castle ought to be given up to him, there was nothing about giving up ; with what he has he must take it. Then came forward flatterers 509 who are felons and rascals for they advise to hang the child. Well was the father informed of it, 512 but he told them he heeded not the child, for still he had the anvils and the hammers with which he would forge finer ; 516 90 Newbury in the Twelfth Century. and when the king heard this he had great rage and anger at it. Then he commanded to take the boy and lead him to the gallows to be hung ; 520 towards the gallows he had him carried but he did not wish to carry him out without going himself with many men : he much doubted an ambush. 524 And the child whom they carried, who suspected nothing of his death, saw the earl of Arundel bearing a very handsome lance ; 528 he said to him with simplicity " Sire give me that lance.'' When the king heard this childish speech, ■ for all the gold which is in France 532 he would not let him be hung that day, but with simplicity and gentleness, of which his heart was full, he took the boy in his arms 536 and said, " Of this pain I release you " certes ! you shall not die of it to-day." Then they returned back to the army, and men were winding up the " perriere ^" 540 to throw at the tower and at the walls around it. Then return the counsellors to advise and counsel the king 544 that the child should be at once taken and should be put in the sling and should be thrown to them within to frighten those within. 548 The boy who had little sense was led towards the " perriere," saw the sling of the " perriere," drew it a little backwards 552 and said, " God help us ! what a swing ! " it is very right that I should swing myself in it." He had approached the sling, and the king said, " Away I Away! 556 " Certes ! he would have a felon heart " who could suffer in any way " that he should die this martyrdom, " he knows too well how to say pretty 560 ' Machine for casting stones. Newbury in the Twelfth Century. 91 " childish things. Take stones and " perdrials ^" " throw at the walls and at the battlements " such as you can lift " for you could never do better hurt." Those were managing the "perriere ;" 565 others made a " cleier'" to make an attack on the gate. A rascal brings forward the child ; 568 he calls thus, " Lord Constable " this is your own doing truly ! " See here the boy your lord " who now shall die in great pain 572 " for now he shall be put on this " cleier." " Have you before warned me ?" cried the constable. " Aye." " By my head ! then he shall die." 576 " Such a squeeze shall he have, know this, " of which he shall be soon beaten in " like a drum. " This treachery gains you nothing : 580 " now you shall see his death and end." He caused a great mill stone to be hung from the battlements ; and the boy asked then 584 what plaything this could now be that they were hanging at the window. When the king heard him say this he began.to laugh heartily 588 and said, " William, such playthings " for you would not be good nor fine. ■ " He is a great sinner who harms you " for you have never done him wrong, 592 " from such toys I quit and release you, " you shall never die by me." The king remained at the siege. One day he sat in his pavilion 596 which was strewed with herbs and flowers of different colours. William looked at the flowers, looked out upon hill and dale ; 600 very well and willingly he went gathering the " soldiers " which grew in the grass-land which have the leaf broad and pointed. 604 ? Machine for throwing stones. " Perhaps a ram. 92 Newbury in the Twelfth Century. When he had culled enough of them and put them together in his hand he said to the king, " Dear good lord, will you play at ' soldiers ?' " 608 " Yes," said he, " sweet good friend." Straightway he put some of them before the king, 611 then said, " Which shall strike first ?" " You," said the king, " dear good friend." Then he took one of the " soldiers " and the king held his against it, but it happened in the encounter 616 that that of the king lost its head. William made great joy at it. The king held out another. While he was engaged at this [game] he happened by chance to see through a tent cover a page whom he knew well : he was of his mother's chamber. 624 He was come to spy, to listen, to try to hear what would be done to William ; they much doubted his punishment. 628 William was delighted at this • and cries out, nor heeds who may hear, " WelcomCj friend Willikin " tell me who has sent you here ? 632 " What is my mother doing now ? " What are my sisters and my brother doing ?" This noise took him (the page) much aback ; through a narrow passage 636 he fled with speed and soon hid himself behind a pillar. The king listened and heard how William was delighted. 640 Of William he thereupon demanded that he should answer his question who it is he is speaking to ; well has he heard his speech. 644 He said to him, " Make him tell my " father (.?) ; he is of my mother's chamber " who looked at me through that opening " " And why came he not by the door" said the king ; they made strict search 649 but he could nowise be found. Newbury in the Twelfth Century. 93 These child's sayings nor these events were not all in one day 652 nor in two days nor in three, but lasted more than two months. Whilst the king remained at his siege the bishop Henry of Winchester hardily interposed for peace, 656 for men could no longer endure the very cruel war, by which the land was torn 660 and the people dead and disturbed and all happiness destroyed and all gain turned to loss and all riches to poverty : for when poor people can get nothing and have not wherewith to pay their rents, it forces them to leave the land and seek their bread elsewhere ; 668 then the lords grow poor so, many have suffered, on this account the agreement was made and reason much approves it, 672 that each should hold by right what possession he had, so that there should be no rancour between them, nor any disagreement nor any reproach made for any thing which had been done. This peace and this parly was because of the taking of Lincoln where the king was taken by force. 680 It much diminished his authority nor left him [anything] except the crown. And [a] king who does not stake all nor gains nor loses I cannot see for what he serves ; for if his seal does not run, all his power dies • 688 except only insomuch that he remains king, but his laws do not run. At Shrewsbury they assembled this parliament from which this peace was to arise. The king was given in exchange for the Earl of Gloucester; so were his powers taken from him : 696 94 Newbury in the Twelfth Century. by force they deprived him of them, for he took the worse exchange. And so was this peace written and the hostages were released 700 and those who were then prisoners were set free. And William came to his father ; great joy had his mother at it, and the three brothers and the sisters who had had for him great grief because of the great tortures which they heard of, which the people often told them of, 708 from which God, to whom be great thanks, has saved him every time ; for people say in the provei'b he whom the Lord ' will aid, neither hatred nor torture nor anything can hurt him. In short time and in a few years was William grown- up and tall, and was of body so shapely that if he had been carved by art there might not be, truly, such handsome limbs, 719 for well I saw them and well I remember them, he had very beautiful feet and beautiful hands, but all this was also of the hands compared with the make of the body : Who looked at him well from without, 724 to him he seemed so well made and straight that, if he were to judge aright, he could decide that on the whole there was none more shapely in the world. He had the hair brown , and the eyes, but of his person he seemed a great enough man to be emperor of Rome. He had the chest broad and was of such stature as perhaps no [other] gentle man. Many had a good master in serving him (?). From the poem, which practically stands alone, so that its accuracy cannot be tested by reference to other au- thorities, it appears that the siege must have lasted for " Dominus Deus. Newbury in the Twelfth Century. 95 more than two months (v. 64), and was signalised by many notable exploits, of which the following is a short summary. The King summoned the Constable (v. 414) to deliver up the castle, which he refused to do ; an assault was then made on the garrison and repulsed. The royalists thereupon blockaded the town, upon which the defenders of the castle requested a truce to consult their com- mander John Marshal (v. 473). It was granted for one day only, but an extension was demanded of the King, in order that the Marshal might communicate with the Empress. Stephen then consents on the condition that one of the sons of the Marshal is surrendered' as an hostage. They therefore send the Marshal's second son William, to whom the poem chiefly relates. Henceforward the interest of the poem is centred in this youth, who becomes the hero of the story. The quarrel between Stephen and MatiHa, and the narrative of the siege of the castle of Newbury being but accessories to the circumstances surrounding this event, John Marshal having yielded his son to Stephen, hastens to make Newbury a strong garrison, and when the time of the truce expired he refused to deliver up the place, and is represented to have risked the life of his son. The Mar- shal's words on refusing to surrender can be read in the text of the poem (v. 513 — 516). Stephen decided that the boy should be hung, and for fear that some one might be tempted to save him, he accompanied the lad to the place of execution. On the way the boy, who knew nothing about the treatment they were preparing for him, seeing the Earl of Arundel hold a bright javelin in his hand, said to him, "Sire, give me that javelin!" The King, touched by the prattling innocence of the child, had him taken back to the camp. But sometime after the King was persuaded to have the child thrown from a military sling for throwing stones, when the boy's childish innocence again saved his life. " God," says he, " what a beautiful swing ; it is just my size." " Take him away," says the King, "one would have a heart of iron to see g6 Newbury in the Twelfth Century. such a child perish" (v. 560). One sees that Stephen was sensible to the graces of infancy. Further on we see him again to still better advantage, when engaged in playing a childish game aux chevaliers with his young prisoner, that is to say, with the blooms of a plant which grew in the open land around the castle, and is described as having a broad and pointed leaf. M. Meyer suggests that it was perhaps a sort of rush or spear grass, glaceul, but more probably the common plantain {plantana lanceolata), with which children still amuse themselves in the manner de- scribed in the poem ; and the gafne is called " playing at soldiers" to this day. The poem terminates with an anachronism, namely, that during the siege of Newbury the Bishop of Win- chester, who was brother to Stephen, succeeded in bringing about a cessation of hostilities. If he was the agent of the peace which was concluded in 1153, it is exactly in accord with accepted history ; but the text following {v. 679 et seq.) informs, us that the peace took place in con- sequence of the taking of Lincoln, where the King was made prisoner (v. 689 — 690) in 1141. Indeed it was by the treaty of peace which was concluded at Shrewsbury (v. 691) that the King was exchanged for the Earl of Gloucester, and young William Marshal, the hostage, was returned to his father (v. 691). In short the author has interfered with facts in placing the siege of Newbury in 1 1 5 2, anterior to the exchange which was made of Stephen and the Earl of Gloucester in 1141 ; for it was in the month of September this year, at the retreat from Win- chester, that the Earl of Gloucester fell into the hands of Matilda, wife of Stephen, and was shortly afterwards ex- changed for the King. It is very possible that this exchange was the result of an interview which took place at Shrewsbury, but the testimony of the poem on this point is somewhat vague. Possibly, M. Meyer suggests, the author having a knowledge of only certain events, without their chronological order, might have erred in not placing them en rapport one with the other. This is the more probable hypothesis. Before, however, we can de- Newbury in the Twelfth Century. 97 cide with any certainty, it is necessary to ascertain ac- curately the date of the birth of William Marshal, who, it is evident from the poem, was a young child at the time of the siege in question. We can, however, form some approximate data on this point, from the circumstance that in 1216 William Marshal excused himself from active participation in State affairs on the plea of his great age, being then over eighty years old ; according to which he must have been born before 11 36, consequently he would have been about sixteen at the time of the siege of New- bury, according to Henry of Huntingdon. But it is prob- able that William Marshal did not know his exact age ; he certainly was the second son of a marriage which could not have been concluded until after 1 141 (v. 372 — 383) ; because it must be remembered that his father married Sybil, the sister of Count Patrick (v. 375 — 377), "in the interests of peace." He was born, according to this, in 1 143, or perhaps later, and could then have been of sufficient age to have acted in the conditions of the poem at the siege of Newbury in 1152. It seems evident that the author has unduly connected the peace of 1153 with the circumstances of the exchange concluded in 1141, which is a reasonable explanation. The castle of Newbury is supposed to have stood on the south bank of the river Kennet, near the present wharf, on a spot which has been sufficiently determined to be denoted on the recent Ordnance Survey of the town. The evidence upon which this supposition is chiefly based is derived, firstly, from tradition, and secondly, from the fact that in the year 1627 the Corporation of Newbury, as trustees under the will of John Kendrick, a wealthy citizen of London, who left a considerable sum for the purpose of purchasing a workhouse and gardens, and creating a fund for the employment of the poor, acquired, by the King's license to purchase in mortmain, " a capital messuage called the Castle and one acre of meadow ground ad- joining'^." When the Kennet river was first made navig- ^ That part of the ancient buildings of "the Castle" were remaining in 1626-7 is shewn by an entry in the churchwardens' accounts of this date, when some of the old materials were used at the church. H 98 Newbury in the Twelfth Century. able, the Corporation, by their lease dated April 2, 1723, demised to Lord Forbes, and nine other persons, under- takers for making the river Kennet navigable from Reading to Newbury, "all that capital Messuage called the Castle or Hospital, and also one parcel of Meadovi^, containing by estimation one acre, called the Hospital Mead, between the River Kennet on the north and north-west, and the White-Hart Inn and a back lane on the south and south- east, and Cooke's land on the south and south-east ; and also a Messuage and Piece of Ground, formerly Meadow, and then a Garden, and an Island planted with Osier Rods, situate in Greenham, abutting on the north side of the River Kennet ; and also, two acres of Meadow Ground, by estimation, in Greenham adjoining [now a timber wharf and yard] ; and also such part of the River Kennet as the undertakers should think fit to make dry land abutting upon the Hospital Mead." All these particulars of situation which are so distinctly defined point to the wharf "on the north side of the River Kennet" as the situation of a building, or its remains, called " the Castle," in the year 1627; and further, the same property is re- ferred to in a Report on the Charities of Newbury, in the early part of the present century, as being described in ancient documents as "the Hospital, or Foregate and Castle, parcel of Queen Elizabeth's possessions, in right of the Crown of England upon the dissolution of the Hospital in the reign of Henry the Eighth." Tho.. Hospital referred to was probably the Hospital or Preceptory of the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem at Greenham, in which parish the timber-wharf and yard mentioned in the lease are situated. But whether the site of the castle be accurately defined or not, it is evident that a building bearing such a description existed near the Kennet, in the centre of the town, in the sixteenth and seventeenth cen- turies, and its supposed situation corresponds with what has always been its traditional site. As to this reputed castle being the remains or representative of the fortress which underwent a siege in King Stephen's reign there is no direct evidence, of course, to shew ; but it adds to the interest attached to the recital of the siege to which we Newbury in- the. Twelfth Century. 99 have alluded to feel certain that the castle of Newbury (commemorated by the castle with the three -domed towers, still borne by the borough of Newbury as its arms) was no fanciful inventive legend or shadowy story, but a veritable stronghold of considerable importance, which for some time held out against the besieging army of Ste- phen of Blois. The spot where this castle stood must have had a widely diiiferent look at the time wKen the warfare be- tween Stephen and Matilda was going on from that which it bears in our own day. The channel of the old river Kennet, flowing down from Hungerford and Kintbury towards its junction with the Thames at Reading, has been partly incorporated with the Kennet and Avon Canal, which was constructed in the latter part of the last century, and the depth of the stream has consequently been much increased where it passes through the town. The formation of the wharf, formerly the central dep6t of the canal, with a basin or wet dock on or near the space which the castle is supposed toiave occupied, completely obliterated all traces of the remnants of any ancient buildings which might have furnished indications of the Norman fortress so inseparably bound up with the early history of Newbury. King Henry II. at Newbury in 1155. Late in the year 1155 King Henry II. must have passed through Newbury for some reason, since the following Charter is attested by him there : — " Henry King of England, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine and Earl of Anjou, to William Bishop of Norwich [1146 — 75] to his justices, &c. greeting in the Lord. Know that I have granted and confirmed to Ralph of Hastings, the Queen's Steward, and to his heirs, the whole of the land which belongs to Ralph the •Steward of St. Edmund's, &c., &:c. " Witness Robert, Earl of Leicester ; Richard, Earl of Corn- wall ; William, Earl of Gloucester ; Richard de Lucy ; Manasses Bisset; Josceline de Bailliol; and Wido de Sanford." — From the Register of Bury St. Edmund's, quoted in the notes to Brakelond's "Chronicle" (Camden Soc), note, p. 119. H 2 100 Newbury in the Twelfth Century. Reign of Richard I. Further, an inhabitant of Newbury is mentioned in the same account during the reign of Richard I. (1189-90), viz. : — " Godwin of Newbury renders account of 4^. M. which he had received for a misericordia <'. He had only paid 3J. 4d. into the treasury, although he still owed is. 4^." Newbury is returned in the Pipe Roll of the first year of this reign as follows : — " The Burgesses of Nmeberia owe Six pounds, eighteen shil- lings, de Dono." The special point to be observed is that of 19 entries relating to the tallage of the demesnes and lands then in the King's hands, the only one in which the term Bur- genses occurs is Newbury, the others are simply Homines, e.g. Homines de Warengeford ; Homines de Windsor; Homines de Ferendon ; Homines de Schriueham ; Homines de Wanetinga. Grant of Land to the Knights Hospitallers. No other events are found recorded in connection with Newbury at this period ; but it may, however, be men- tioned that certain property in the town was confirmed to the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem at the close of this century. The Knights Hospitallers had a Preceptory in the parish of Greenham, in the vicinity of the wharf on the Kennet at Newbury, and in close proximity to the sup- posed site of the castle "i. In the "Testa de Nevill" it is stated that the master of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem held Greenham in demesne, which was of the fee of the Earl Ferrers, and given in marriage to Ralph ' Misericordia, mercy, a mulct at discretion : to be at the King's mercy was to lie in such a position that the King might either exercise the right of com- plete forfeiture or accept a fine in commutation. ^ See Notes by the author on the site of the Castle of Newbury, and the Hospital of the Knights Hospitallers, in Trans. Newbury Dist. Field Club, vol. ii. pp. 252 — 254. Newbury in the Twelfth Century. loi Paynell ; and his son, Gervase Paynel, gave it to the brethren of St. John of Jerusalem. This gift of the viU of Green- ham was confirmed by Charter of King John, in 1199, with other estates conferred on the Hospitallers by dif- ferent benefactors, and the manor of Greenham was given to the Preceptory by Matilda, Countess of Clare. Like other religious institutions of this kind the Priory or Preceptory was dissolved at the Reformation, and the estates held by the Hospitallers became vested in the Crown. In the Ministers' Accounts 31-32 Hen. Vni.« we find ■ the following account returned of property held by the Hospitallers in Newbury : — For Rents of Assize. — Wm. Hyde, 6s. Zd. issuing out of certain lands called Fysselles ; the Dean and Chapter of Windsor, 6s. %d. out of certain lands called Kylhyll, and \2d. out of one shop in Chepe Street; Roger Gunter, 8j. "jd., rent of certain land lying in Myrylhill (St. Mary's Hill) ; John Bromold (Prior of St. Bartholomew's), 2d. for a rent out of lands called Cattisbarne ; the Churchwardens of Newbury, ^s. 6d. for a free rent issuing out of certain lands formerly belonging to Wormestall's Chantry in New- bury Church ; John Tull, ■^s. for the rent of one messuage and two acres of customary land lying at Meryhill called Hodes, late in the tenure of John Hodes, and afterwards in the tenure of Stephen Feirley. The remainder of the property described is in Green- ham, and includes the manor and four water-mills, viz. two corn-mills and two fulling-mills. The manor was granted at the dissolution of the Priory to Edward Docura. The Order of the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem, which was suppressed in England in 1540, was restored by Queen Mary in 1557, when the Hospital at Greenham was not only re-established with its ancient lands at Newbury but endowed with others'. Queen Elizabeth, on her ac- cession, upset this and other of Mary's grants, and the Order was again suppressed. ' Ministers' Accounts, 31-32 Hen. VIII. No. 114, m. 3, P. R. O. ' Pat. Roll. 4 and 5, 2 Mary, pt. 14. CHAPTER VII. IRewburg In tbe 'C;birteentb Century. The Manorial History. — The Manor of Newbury bestowed by King John on Robert Fitz-Roger. — The Countess of Perche disseized of the Manor. — The Manor of Newbury granted to Geoffrey Fitz-Roy, natural son of King- John. — The Manor of Newbury given to William, Earl of Salis- bury, c. 1217. — Connection of the Earl Marshal and his family with Newbury. — Newbury as described in the Hundred Rolls, circa 1265. — Rentals, &c., in Newbury at close of the thirteenth century. Incidents connected with Newbury. — King John at Newbury, I204and 1214. — Grant of a Fair at Newbury to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, 1219. — The King's dogs at Newbury. — Henry III. at Newbury. — The repair of the King's hostelry. — William de Valence and other nobles engaged in a great tournament at Newbury, A. D. 1 248. IMMEDIATELY after King John had been expelled by Philip, King of France, from the possessions which he hel4 of the French Crown in Normandy, he retaHated on the Norman nobility by seizing their possessions in England. At this time the manor of Newbury, with the market of the town, was the property of Thomas, Earl of Perche, a Norman, and was seized by the King and con- fiscated. In 1204, in the fifth year of his reign. King John be- stowed the Manor of Newbury on Robert Fitz-Roger, the son of Roger Fitz-Richard, a grandson of Eustace Fitz- John (who held a high place in the confidence and favour of Henry I.), nephew of Serlo de Burgh, who with his brother, Pain Fitz-John, accompanied the Conqueror on his invasion of England. The Charter is as follows : — " John, by the Grace of God, &c. [king of England]. Know that we have given and granted by this present, our Charter, to our beloved and faithful Robert Fitzroger and his heirs, the Manor of Newebury with all its appurtenances, to have and to hold of us Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. 103 and our heirs in Fee and Inheritance, doing therefore the service of one knight for all service. " We have given and granted to the aforesaid Robert and his heirs, the service of Robert de Trokelawe, paying therefore to lis and our heirs annually xl shillings, that is to say, xx shillings at Easter, and xx shillings at Michaelmas for all demands. " Wherefore we will and firmly order that the aforesaid Robert and his heirs after him have and hold the aforesaid Manor and service of the aforesaid Robert of us and our heirs, well and in peace, freely and quietly, wholely, fully, and honourably as is aforesaid, in all places and things, with all liberties and free customs to the aforesaid Manor and Tenement of the aforesaid Robert, pertaining. Witness H. " of Salisbury, and Philip *■ of Durham, Bishops. Given by hand of S. "= of Chichester, Bishop Elect, at Porchester, 5th day of May, in the fifth year of our reign ''." We do not find any other record of the connection of this Robert Fitz-Roger with Newbury. King John granted him a charter of confirmation of his inheritance of thfe castle and manor of Warkworth in Northumberland, of which county he held the shrievalty from 3 to 14 John. He founded the Priory of Langley in Norfolk about the end of the reign of Richard I., and dying in 14 John, 12 12- 13, left by his widow, Margaret, daughter of William de Chesney, and widow of Hugh de Cressi, a son John, John Fitz-Robert, who was one of the. twenty-five to whom was entrusted the enforcement of Magna Charta. After three generations the family assumed the name, of Clavering, from a manor so called in Essex which belonged to this Robert. John de Clavering, who was summoned to Par- liament by the first three Edwards, died in 1332, leaving only female issue. We next find certain particulars entered on the Close Rolls by which Simon de Pateshull, the Escheator to whom the lands of the Count of Perche were consigned, was ^ Herbert Poore, called by Godwin Robert Poore. Elected April 29, 1194, ob. Feb. 6, 1 21 7. ^ Philip of Poictiers. Elected Nov., 119S, ol^- Sept. 21, 1208. ■^ Simon de Welles. Obtained this See July, 1204, ob. 1207. •^ Cart. Antiq. Z. No. 2, Pub. Rec. Off. 104 Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. directed to give the Canons of Sandleford 13 marks rent from the Mill bf Newbury, of which the King disseized the Countess of Perche, widow of Geoffrey IV., on the sever- ance of all English and Norman fealties, and the lands themselves to Geoffrey Fitz-Roy, the natural son of King John :— " 1204, 23 July. The King, &c., to Simon de Pateshill greet- ing. The Canons of Sandelford are to have 13 marks rent in the mill of Neubiri (Neubir'), which they had of the gift of the Count of Perche, as they had before the King disseized the Countess of Perche. The said Canons to have the same rent during our pleasure (^ J 1— t % < li'— o 1 'ca ^ J 1 ! < % p; CO o ^ 1 o < w •1 s o 'x> O >. W-' J in m 'a II — H h o II O 'm rt c 2 w t3 rt tij •^^, S P4 J- • w o (—1 Q 1l W u ^ ^ l« u o rf PS 2ffi •B.S rt o r S S H a £ S *0 O OJ 1^ 3 3 4) ffiffiM 4) p . 01 6 = 5 -1-3 4j rt V ■r 1- u rt - , , '^ — „-„- c-a '-i aj 4J cs .■;: OJ <; ^ o bo d n o s'SpS .so* S ,^S, IB " *wf^(2" E S S S c re "J" ° a'o'^ = "=^ ^-^E-i; ri rt aj d.£3 dCJ rt o B ■S -'§,*^ " "■ ■sou o So .5 S . -^ a >■ W 3 • oo R ■a ■K or' "B S J3 S-9 ■K o E « j^a^ 3< Is 23(5 e3 S^'o S Ig H bBO «^ o •a c . i-imM > o c ^ B-g'o.2 t», 3 >-i v < (1.S e_ -fi'S ?f<3 'i^ •r; lu a ffi - S"! -WO? fet4 ^ - .. ho 3 Td 3rC n nl O 4t _t5 b-a i ^Efe V; bOD- B ■iKi§|^^-ltiS|l"ilii Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. 1 1 1 One of the most frequent sources of litigation in medi- aeval times was the question of common of pasture, or the right of putting cattle to pasture on another man's soil, or in waste grounds usually called Commons, where the property of the soil is usually in the lord of the manor ; as in common fields it is in the particular tenants. We have the following instance of this ,kind of dispute at Newbury, in 9 Henry III., 1225, when certain inhabitants of the town being dispossessed of the right of depasturing cattle in the common fields by the chief lord, William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, Earl Marshal sought a remedy by Assize of Novel Disseizin, so called because the justices in eyre went their circuit from seven years to seven years, and no assize was allowed before them which commenced previous to the last circuit, which was called an ancient assize ; and that which was upon a disseizin since the last circuit an assize of novel disseizin. " Berks. — A mandate is sent to Martin de Pateshull and his colleagues, justices, &c., in the County of Berks, to postpone the assize of novel disseizin of a common of pasture in Newbury, which Nigel Gaudyn and others have arraigned against the Earl Marshal, who cannot be present at the taking of the said assize, being prevented by the King's business, until their return to the said county ; and they are to inform the said Marshal of the day of their return that he may then be present at the taking of the said assize. "Witness the King at Winchester 11 day of July, [1225]""." Martin de Pateshull, the justiciary, very soon after the ' accession of Henry HI., was raised to the Bench, for his name appears in 121733 a justice itinerant in York, North- umberland, and other counties. lYi 1224 he was one of the justices itinerant at Dun- stable, whom Faukes de Breaute endeavoured to capture, but he was fortunate enough to escape. The Fourth Report of the Public Records {App. ii. 161) gives an amusing testimony to his activity in performing his legal '" Close Roll, 9 Hen. III., 1225, m. 9. 112 Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. functions. In a letter to the authorities, a brother jus- ticiar, appointed to go the York Circuit with him, prays to be excused from the duty, "for," says he, "the said Martin is strong, and in his labour so sedulous and prac- tised that all his fellows, especially W. de Ralegh and the writer'' (whose name does not appear), " are overpowered by the labour of Pateshull, who works every day from sunrise until night.'' The writer, therefore, prays to be eased of his office, and allowed to go quietly to his church in the county of York, to which he had been lately pre- sented. Martin de Pateshull was appointed Archdeacon of Norfolk in 1226, and two years later he was raised to the Deanery of St. Paul's, London, of which he had pre- viously been a Canon ; but he did not long enjoy his dig- nity, as he died on November 14, 1229 ^ On the death of William Marshal, the younger. Earl of Pembroke, in 123 1, the Sheriff of Berks was ordered to give seisin of the manor of Newbury to his widow Eleanor, Countess of Pembroke and Leicester, the King's sister. The following is an abstract of the part of the Roll re- lating to the Manor of Newbury : — " 1 23 1, 22 June. Aleanir (the King's sister), Countess of Pembroke. " The Sheriff of Berkshire is ordered to give seizin to Alienor, sister of the King, of the manor of Neubiri {JVeubif'), which was late of the Count of Perch, and which the King gave by charter to William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke. Dated at Windsor, 22 June"." The Princess Eleanor, in the first anguish of her grief, had publicly taken a vow of perpetual widowhood, in the presence of two eminent prelates, both afterwards canon- ized, the Archbishop Edmund, and Richard, Bishop of Chichester. To this solemn resolution she held true for more than six years, when she married Simon de Mont- fort, and in consequence of this marriage she became connected with the manor of Newbury. °' See Foss's "Judges of England," p. 504. » Close Roll, 15 Hen. III. m. 9. Neivbury in the Thirteenth Century. 113 On January 7, 1238, this memorable marriage took place at the altar of St. Stephen's Chapel. The King himself gave away the bride, but a simple chaplain read the marriage office, and the privacy was complete. The storm which followed its disclosure certainly justified the pre- caution. That the hand of a daughter of England should be given away in secret, and without the approval of the barons, was an outrage' almost as great to the feeling of that day as if the Great Charter had been burnt by the common hangman. The whole order rose as one man. Richard, Earl of Cornwall, the King's brother, armed his retainers, and threatened, it would seem, to seize the Cinque Ports. Everything portended a civil war, and the consequences might have been disastrous had not Montfort cast himself at the feet of Richard, and allayed the extremity of his anger. It does not appear that the Countess had actually taken the veil, but the vow, whatever it may have been, was such as to teise the gravest doubts as to the validity of the second marriage ; the doubts at least were discovered to be such as no English court could solve, and a reference to Rome became indispensable : if indeed the misgivings of the Dominicans were not well founded, that it was beyond the power of Rome herself to efface a vow which had been, as it were, registered in heaven. Disgraced at court, yet envied and unpopular, Simon crossed the Channel for Rome, and on his way paid a visit to his Imperial brother-in-law, Frederick II., who had married Isabella, sister of Henry III. Frederick was then fresh from Cortenuova, and marching in the full tide of victory through the cities of Lombardy. The chroniclers inform us that Simon drew his sword for the Emperor, and won his support, then powerful with the reluctant court of Rome. Gregory, at once bribed and pressed, ratified the marriage, and in October Simon returned to England, crowned with success, to find that his wife was about to give birth to a son " to the strength and comfort of the realm." In Testa de Nevill, 1236 — 1246, which contains an I 1 14 Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. account of fees held either immediately of the King, or of others who held of the King in capite, &.C., we find the following entries relating to Newbury : — " Simon de Montfort and Alienor his wife hold Neubiri in dower of the inheritance of Walter Marshal, Earl of Pembroke. It does no scutage and was of the fee of the Count de la PercheP. Carucage assessed 5 Hen. III. on lands." Hundred of Rugheburghe. " Of Neubiri for six carucates 12 shilhngsi." Walter Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, died in 1245, and on the partition of his estates in April, 1249, the revenue from the manor of Newbury it would appear, from the following Inquisition and Extent, was divided in moieties between Roger Bigot, Earl of Norfolk, who married Matilda, the eldest daughter of William Marshal, the elder. Earl of Pembroke ; the heirs of William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby, who by his first wife, Sibil or Sybilla, had seven daughters, viz. : — 1 . Agnes, mar. to Wm. de Vescy ; 2. Isabel, mar. ist to Gilbert Basset; 2ndly to Reginald de Mohun : (de Monteminori, Moyon in Normandy, a com- mune of the canton of Tessy, arrondissement of St. Lo, and department of La Manche). 3. Matilda, mar. ist to Wm. de Kyme, zndly to Wm. de Vivo- nia ; 3rdly to Emerick or Almeric de Rochechouart (de Rupe-Cavardi) ; 4. Sibilla, mar. to Francis de Bohun of Midhurst ; 5. Joan, mar. ist to William Aiguillon, and zndly to John de Mohun, of Dunster ; 6. Agatha, mar. to Hugh de Mortimer of Chelmarsh ; 7. Eleanor, mar. ist to Wm. de Valhbus; 2ndly to Roger de Quincy, Earl of Winchester ; 3rdly to Roger de Leyburne, and the heirs of William de Braose, who married Eve, or Eva, youngest daughter of William Marshal, the elder, by whom he left issue four daughters, viz. : — I. Isabel, mar. ist to David, son of Llewellyn, Prince of Wales ; 2ndly to Peter Fitz-Herbert ; » Testa de Nevill, p. 125. 1 Ibid,, p. 132. Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. 1 1 5 2. Matilda, wife of Roger Lord Mortimer of Wigmore ; 3. Eva, wife of William de Cantilupe ; 4. Eleanor, wife of Humphey de Bohun. Berks and Oxon. "The King's (Henry III.) writ to the Sheriff, dated 28th November, in 33rd year (1248), for an Inquisition' to be taken concerning lands and tenements, &c., which Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and Alianor his wife held of the lands of Walter [William] fMarshal, Earl of Pembroke, formerly husband of the said Alianor.'' The follovi'ing April (1249) an Extent was made of the lands and knights' fees which Simon de Montfort held of the lands of Walter Marshal, in the county of Berks, which contains these particulars : — " The town of Newebire (Newebir')_ is worth per ann. to the use of Simon de Montfort as in rent of mill and other issues £fio. There is nothing there in demesne. Also Spenhamlonde is worth per ann. £,\l. Also Wodesponn' (below 'Wudespen') is worth per ann. 37^. 'j\d. " The said Simon holds no other of the lands which were of W. Marshal in County of Berks." At the quinzaine of Easter (Easter Day was 4 April in 1249), 33 Hen. III., a partition = was made at Westminster between the heirs of Walter Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, of lands and knights' fees, as under : — Share of Sir Roger le Bygod, Earl Mar- shal. (Beside manors in counties of Hertford, Bedford, and Kent.) In the manor of Newbir', io6j-. 2d., land and rent. Total ;^99 17^. sd. Share of Sir\ (Beside manors in counties of Wilts and Richard de Clare, Earl ofGlouces- ter and Hertford. , Gloucester.) •In the manor of Speen-] ^ ^ oj t j j ,^. , , ^ X12 6^. 8(/. land and rent. hamlaundnearNiwber , J Total ;^99 17^. ^d. ' Chanc. Inq. p. m., 40 Edw. III., No. 53. Close Roll, 15 Hen. III., m. 10; Dugdale, Baronage, i. p. 603. I 2 Ii6 Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. (Here follows share of Wm. de Valence and Joan his wife in co. Kent, and at Newbury, amounting together to ^^99 17J. srfi) Share of the i' (Beside a manor in co. Hertford.) heirs of^ In themanor of Newbir' £,\i, %s. \\d. in land and rent. Ferrers. I Total ;^99 i^s. sd. Share of the heirs ■ of Braose, ^Beside the manor of Crandon in Bucks.) In the manor of Newbir' ;^4o 5s. g^d. "j InthemanorofSpeenhamlaundS3J-. 8d. Viand and rent. In the manor of Wudespene37f. J^d.) From this time till his death on the fatal field of Eve- sham, August 4, 1265, the personal career of Montfort be- comes interwoven with the general history of the country. His countrymen awarded him honours not of a statesman, but of a saint and martyr. There are extant forms of prayer which were said in his honour, and the story of miracles which he was believed to have wrought ; and among these it is recorded that a woman of Newbury named Matilda Farou (transcribed as " Farun " in tlie printed Chronicle) was cured of an almost fatal dropsy by a fillet which had been measured round his corpse — "a miracle," it is added, " that can be attested by all her neighbours at Newbury '." The surname of " Farou," or, as now spelt, " Farrow," one of the oldest names which we have found, has continued its connection with Newbury to modern times. We shall have occasion to refer to this name in another place. In 1252, Roger Mortimer and Maud his wife, William^ de Cantilupe and Eve his wife, Humfrey de Bohun and Alienor his wife, agreed to a partition of a knight's fee which was held by them as co-parceners of the inheritance of Walter Marshal, formerly Earl of Pembroke °. It is worthy of notice that in all the proceedings relating to the partition, the inheritance is said to have devolved on the co-heirs on the decease, without issue, of Walter, and not of Anselm, Marshal. There is no mistake in this ; and the explanation is curiously enough to be found in an Act ' Rishanger's Chronicles, Camden Soc., p. 152. " Chanc. Inq. p. m., 36 Hen. III., No. 74. Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. 1 1 7 of Parliament of a subsequent reign, the statute De prero- gativa Regis 17 Edw. II., c. 13, in which the case is cited to point the moral of the duty, incumbent on the King's tenants in capite of doing homage for their lands, in default of which their title was not complete, " as happened," says the statute, " in the case of Matilda, the daughter of the Earl of Hereford, wife of Anselm Marshal, who, after the death of William [it should have been Walter], Earl Mar- shal of England, his brother, received seizin of the castle and manor of Strigill, and died in the same castle, before entering with the King's authority and doing homage ; and it was therefore held that she was not entitled to dower, because her husband did not enter by the King's authority but by intrusion V William de Valence (Valence, chef lieu of the Departe- ment de la Drome), whose name appears in the partition of the estates of Walter Marshal, was the third son of Hugh le Brun, Count de la Marche, by Isabella, widow of King John, and therefore half-brother to King Henry III. In 1247 he was made governor of Gooderich Castle, and married to Joan, a great heiress of the Munchensey family, granddaughter to William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, the Protector ; a title afterwards borne by himself, in virtue of the estates at Pembroke, which he held (by grant 1250) on the tenure of doing suit for them to his wife. On the death of her father, Warin de Munchensey, in 1255, who is said to have bequeathed more than 200,000 marks 0^133.333 6j. 8^.), the wardship of his son WiUiam was granted to this foreigner. The connection of William de Valence with this neigh- bourhood is still perpetuated in the name of -Benham- Valence, which was granted to him by King Henry III. in 1250. The Hundred Rolls. These Rolls contain Inquisitions taken in pursuance of a special Commission issued under the great seal, dated nth of October, 20 Edward I., to enquire into the demesne ' Marsh's "Annals of Chepstow Castle," ed. by Sir Johij Maclean, p. 112. 1 1 8 Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. rights and revenues of the Crown, which in the reign of Henry III. had been much diminished by tenants in capita alienating without licence, and by the clergy as well as the laity usurping the privilege of holding courts and other Jura Regalia. Exactions and oppressions had also been committed on the people at the hands of the Sheriffs, Escheators, and other officers of the Crown, and by false claims by the nobility and others to the rights of free chase, free warren, &c., and by demanding illegal tolls. To remedy these grievances Edward I., in 1273, ap- pointed an enquiry in every hundred, which led to the issue of Quo Warranto proceedings against persons who claimed rights, liberties, privileges, jurisdictions, or exemptions, to compel them to prove their titles to the same. The King therefore issued the Commission alluded to ; and the result produced evidence, upon the oath of a jury, of each hundred and town in every county. The jurors called before the Commissioners at Newbury report : — " That the Burgus of Newbury and the Manor of Shrivenham were in die hands of King Henry (father of the present King) in consequence of the death of the Earl of Perche, who was killed before Lincoln [in arms] against the King, and they were alien- ated (alienati) by the Earl Marshal and William Longspd "." The term " alienated," as here used, may be understood to imply that after the death of the Count of Perche at the battle of Lincoln in 12 17, and the forfeiture of his lands, the fee-simple of the manors and borough of Newbury and the manor of Shrivenham were transferred by the King's license to the Earl Marshal, William Marshal the younger, second Earl of Pembroke, and William Longespe, Earl of Salisbury, who died in 1226. The reversion in these manors appears to have been in the Counts of Perche» and the last Count, the Bishop of Chalons, no doubt sold whatever interest he may have had in these manors as heir to his nephew, slain at Lincoln, to the above grantees. " Rot. Hund., vol. i. p. 9. Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. 119 The Hundred Rolls also have the following item :— " William Cok (Cook), bailiff of Alice da la Marche of Newbury, took 5 thieves, of which two were hung, and three gave Alice and her bailiff 25 marks, and they let them go free ' ;" an instance of hovsr money could purchase even life itself in those days. This Alice de Marche was the daughter of Guy de Lusignan, Count de Angouleme, and married, in 1253, Gilbert de Clare, son aiad heir of the Earl of Gloucester, from whom she was afterwards divorced. Gilbert married, secondly, the Princess Joan, usually termed Joan of Acre, having been born at Acre during the Crusade. It will be seen from an Inquisitio post mortem 35 Edward I., 1307, that Alice, " formerly wife of the said Gilbert de Clare," held certain tenements and rents at Speenhamland by demise from him. The battle of Evesham, in 1265, and the death of Simon de Montfort was followed by a stern and ample measure of vindictive retribution by the King's party. Commis- sioners were quickly dispatched into the different counties to seize on the lands and goods of all who had been concerned in those proceedings which were now termed rebellious, though they had so recently borne the outward aspect, and exercised the influence, of King, Barons, and Commons. No order or dignity was spared during the extortion of plunder on this occasion ; some religious communities were even punished, not for their actual help or intercourse with Simon de Montfort, but for their presumed inclination towards his cause. These severities were sanctioned by a Parliament held at Winchester, September 8, 1265, to which it does not appear that any representatives of the Commons were summoned. By legalizing the confiscation of all the estates of de Montfort and the other defeated chiefs, the Royalists provided a fund for their own reward, which was profusely distributed among themselves. • Rot. Hund. , vol. i. p. 10. 120 Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. A return of all the lands of rebels was ordered to be made to the King by October 13, 1265. The King's second son, Edmund, surnamed Crouchback, profited most of all by the grants arising from the disposal of the property of the disinherited barons. His father gave him all the estates and .the office of High Steward lately belonging to "our enemy and felon, Simon de Montfort, by whom war was excited in our kingdom," and to these were added also the Earldom of Derby, and the estates of Nicholas Segrave. By the Dictum de Kenilworth, dated Oct. 15, 1266, the disinherited were permitted to obtain pardon for their treason, and restoration of their estates by payment to the Royalist grantees of fines varying from one to five years' value. But from this composition, however, the de Mont- forts were in express terms altogether excluded, and the widowed countess, Eleanor de Montfort, was sentenced by the King, her brother, to perpetual banishment from England. The remainder of her days were passed in religious retirement at the Dominican Nunnery of Mon- targis, founded by her husband's sister. An ineffectual attempt at reconciliation was made in her behalf by the ' King of France the following year ; but Henry in his reply, though he nominally accepted his proferred media- tion, pressed him urgently V) " consider the enormity of the wrong done him by the late Simon de Montfort, his sons and their mother, both before the Award of Amiens and afterwards." No alteration ensued, and it was re- served for the more generous spirit of Edward I. in 1273 to restore her dower as Countess of Pembroke, and to allude to her after her death, which occurred in 1274, in more gracious terms y. The children of Simon de Montfort and Princess Eleanor were : — I. Henry, named after his sponsor, Henry HI. ; killed at Evesham, 1265. 1 Her heart was buried in the Abbaye de S. Antoine des Champs at Paris, founded for Bernardine nuns of the Cistercian order, in consequence of the vehement preaching of Foulques de Neuilly against matrimony. Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. 1 2 1 2. Simon, prisoner at Northampton, 1264; defeated at Kenilworth, 1265 ; murdered his cousin. Prince Henry, at Viterbo, 1271. 3. Guy, wounded at Evesham, 1265, entered service of Count d'Anjou in Italy ; also engaged in the murder of Prince Henry at Viterbo. 4. Almeric, a priest, treasurer of York, 1265 ; taken prisoner by Edward I., 1273; released, 1283; became a Knight in Italy. 5. Richard, left England for Bigorre, 1265, perhaps the ancestor of the Wellesbourne Montforts. 6. Eleanor, left England for Montargis with her mother, 1265 ; taken prisoner, 1273 ; married, 1279, to Llewellyn, Prince of Wales. Following the history of the manor in its chronological order introduces us to William de Mohun, a lineal de- scendant of his namesake, who for his assistance in the invasion of England received from William the Norman fifty manors in Somersetshire, with the castle of Dunster, beside many other lordships in Devonshire, Wiltshire, and Warwickshire. The interest of the Mohun family in the estates of William .Marshal, the elder. Earl of Pembroke, was ac- quired by the marriage of Sibilla, his fourth daughter and coheiress with WiUiam de Ferrers, Earl of Derby, whose daughter Isabel married — i. Gilbert Basset, of Wycombe, CO. Bucksj who died 25 Hen. III., and 2ndly, Reginald de Mohun, the second of that name, lord of Dunster, co. Somerset, who died 41 Hen. III., 1256, leaving by her a son, William, who by Beatrix, daughter of Reginald Fitz- piers, had Reginald (who seems to have died young), Eleanor, wife to John Carru, and Mary, wife to Sir John Meriet, between whom his lands were afterwards shared. William de Mohun, at his death, 10 Edw. I., 1281, left Reginald, his son and heir, then aged seven years. Bea- trix, his wife, survived him, and had, 11 Edw. I., 1282, the manor of Sturminster-Marshal, Dorset, assigned her inter alia for her dower. Eleanor Carru seems to have died 122 Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. without issue, for, i Edw. III., John de Meryet and Mary his wife held this manor ^ According to the printed Calendar of Inquisitions (vol. i.) William de Mohun held a mill in Newbury, or some share of a mill there (Newbiry molend'). Reginald de Mohun is said to be his son and next heir, whose age, according to an Inquisition for co. Wilts, would be six years in fifteen days after Christmas (8 January) following the date of Inquisition (Oct. 8, 1282). Another Inquisition (co. Devon), taken also Oct. 8, 1282, makes Reginald de Mohun to be five years old at Christmas following. In another Inquisition for Devon we find the same ; and one mentions the widow of Wil- liam as Beatrice. On examining the several Writs attached to the In- quisition it appears that William de Mohun died before August 20, 1282. An Inquisition respecting the lands and tenements of William de Mohun was taken at Newbury, on August 3, 25 Edw. I., 1297, when the jury found that William de Mohun, on the day on which he died, held the thirteenth part of the mills of the town of Newbury, worth 2.s. per annum, and not more, because broken and in ruin (terciam decimam partem molendinorum villse de Neubury et valet per annum ijj., et non plus, quia fracta sunt et ruinosa). No mention is made of the heirs of William de Mohun, but by a Partition (m. 9.) made by Malcolm de Harley, the King's Escheator citra Trentam 25 Sept., 25 Edw. I. (1297), it appears that his lands were divided between John de Carreu and Alianor his wife, one of the daughters and heirs of said William ; and John de Meryet and Mary his wife, the other daughter and heir of said William de Mohun. By this Partition is assigned to John de Meryet and Mary his wife " qujedam tenementa in Newbur' in Com. Berk, cum pertinenciis quae ad duos solidos exten- duntur per annum V ' Hutchins, Hist. Dorset, vol. ii. p. 121. " Chanc. Inq. p. m., 25 Edw. I., No. 43. Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. 123 The connection between the Mohuns and Ferrers will be best explained by the following pedigree, which shews that the second and fifth daughters of the Earl of Derby married respectively members of the Mohun family. William Ferrers, Earl of Derby, = Sybil, or Sibilla, fourth daughter ob. 1254, 38 Hen. III. of William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke. I I 1. Agnes. = WilliamVesci, Baron of 4. Sybil. = 1. Francis de Bohun, of Alnwick. Midhurst. 2. Isabel. = 1. Gilbert Basset of Wy- 5. Joan. = 1. William Aiguillon. combe, co. Bucks, ob. 2. John de Mohun, of s. p., 25 Hen. III. Dunster. 2. Reginald de Mohun, 6. Agatha. = Hugh de Mortimer, of Baron of Dunster. Chelmarsh. 3. Matilda. = I. William de Kyme. 7. Eleanor. = i. William de Vallibus, 2. William de Vivo- or Vaux. nia. 2. Roger de Quincy, 3. Emeric, or Almeric, Earl of Winchester. de Rupe-Cavardi. 3. Roger de Leyburne. The family of Ferrers, or de Ferrariis, was of Norman extraction, and came into England at -or soon after the Conquest. They had large possessions in the counties of Stafford, Derby, Leicester, &c. The Earldom of Ferrers was given them 1139, 3 Stephen, but taken away with the best part of the estate, 50 Henry III. The connection of Roger Bigot, fourth Earl of Norfolk, with Newbury was established, as we have seen, by the marriage of his father Hugh, third earl, with Matilda, eldest daughter of William Marshal, the elder. Earl of Pembroke, who married as a second husband John de Warren, Earl of Surrey, and died in 1248. This Roger Bigot was one of the most powerful and con- stant adherents of the barons, in spite of his relationship to De Warren. His father died in 1225, 9 Henry HI., when he, being a minor, was placed under the wardship of William Longespe, Earl of Salisbury. In the following May he married Isabella, the sister of Alexander, King of Scotland, to whom, on the Earl of Salisbury's death in 1226, the guardianship of Roger Bigot was transferred. When the barons determined, in 1245, no longer to submit to the oppressive exactions made on the kingdom by the 124 Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. Pope, he headed those who addressed a remonstrance to the general council then sitting at Lyons, and joined in the dismissal of the papal nuncio from the shores of England, and he was excommunicated in consequence. By the death of the last of the four sons of William Marshal, the Protector, their inheritance devolved, as has been already stated, on their five sisters, of whom his mother Matilda was the eldest. To her share fell the Marshalship of England, which she transferred to Roger Bigot, in 1247, as her eldest son, the King soon after confirming him in the office. He was one of the prin- cipal actors in the great council held at Westminster in May, 1258, when, on the barons appearing in complete armour, the King asked of them, "Am I then your prisoner?" " No, Sir," replied Roger Bigot, "but by your partiality to foreigners, and your own prodigality, the realm is involved in misery. Whereupon we demand that the powers of government be delegated to a committee of barons and prelates, who may correct abuses and enact salutary laws." The Provisions of Oxford embodying these points were eventually enforced, and under them his brother Hugh was nominated chief Justiciary. After the battle of Lewes, where he fought in the victorious ranks of Sirhon de Montfort, he was appointed by the barons Governor of the castle of Oxford. He died in 1270, leav- ing no issue. Roger Bigot, nephew and heir, being son and heir of Hugh Bigot, chief Justiciary of England, the younger brother of Roger, fourth Earl of Norfolk, succeeded his uncle as fifth Earl and Earl Marshal. But having no issue he surrendered this Earldom and the Marshal's Rod into the King's hands, which were re-granted to him and to the heirs of his body 1302, but he died childless in 1307, leaving John his brother his next heir ; but in con- sequence of the said surrender his dignities became extinct. Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. 125 The following brief pedigree will shew more clearly the descent of the Bigot family when holding Newbury. Hugh Bigot, 3rd = Matilda, eldest daughter of Wil- = William de War- Earl of Nor- liam Marshal , the Protector, ran. Earl of Sur- folk, 1st hus- and granddaughter of Richard rey, 2nd hus- band, ob. 1225. Strongbow, ob . 1248. =Joane, d. band. Roger Bi- = Isabella, HughBi- = 1 John Warren, got, 4th sister of got, the of Ro- Earl of War- Earl of Alexander, Justi- bert ren and Sur- Norfolk, King of ciary. Burnet. rey. 0. s. p. Scotland. 1270. I I Roger Bigot, = 1st, Aliva, d. of Philip, Lord Basset, John Bigot, * 5th Earl of and widow of Hugh Despenser ; the Plu- Norfolk, 2nd, Alice, d. of John de Aveynes, ralist. o. s. p. or Anesine. ob. 1307. The manorial records next bring into association with our town's history the name of Roger Mortimer, sixth Baron Mortimer of Wigmore, one of the most uncom- promising Royalists during the troublous reign of Henry III. His line of ancestry included the distinguished names of Longespe, de Ferrers, and a Welsh Princess ; and he himself was married to Matilda, daughter and coheiress of William de Braose, by his wife Eva, one of the daughters and coheirs of William Marshal, the Pro- tector, by which marriage he became seized of a moiety of the revenues of the manor of Newbury. Roger Mortimer died Oct. 27, 1282, when his son William Mortimer acquired an interest in the manorial revenues of Newbury. He was living at Attleburgh, co. Norfolk, in 1283, and was one of the sixty persons sum- moned on June 8, 22 Edw. I., 1294, to attend the King, wherever he might be, to advise on the affairs of the realm, and again, January 26, 25 Edw. I., 1297, "but it is doubtful," observes Sir Harris Nicolas, " if either of these writs can be considered as a regular Summons to Parliament." This William Mortimer died in the twenty-fifth year of the reign of Edward I. (1297), and an Inquisition was made at Newbury of the lands and tenements which he held on the day in which he died, in the county of 126 Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. Berks, by Master Adam Marel, William de Rivers, Philip Parker, William de Ymington,. Nicholas de la Hyde, John de Potesmore, John de Martell, John Attheberne, Thomas le Meier, Nicholas Russell, John Farou, and Henry of the Mill, jurors : — " Who say upon their Oath that the aforesaid William held of Matilda de Mortimer on the day on which he died nine pounds five shillings and sixpence Rents in the Town of Newbury, and thirty-two shillings Rents in Spenehamlonde and Wodespene, and thirteen shillings from the Toll of the Market, and ten shillings from the Tanning Mills, and sixty shillings from the pleas and perquisites of Courts, by the Service of rendering yearly to the said Matilda at the Feast of Saint Michael one pair of Gilt Spurs value sixpence, of the Feoffment of the aforesaid Matilda in form following, that is to say, that if the aforesaid Wilham should die without heir of his Body lawfully begotten then all the aforesaid tenements after the death of the said William should revert to the aforesaid Matilda and her heirs. Also they say that the aforesaid William died without heir of his body lawfully begotten. Sum ;^i5 os. 6d. " Also they say that the aforesaid William held on the day on which he died forty-eight shillings from the Toll of the Market in the Town of Newbury, and six shillings from the Toll of the Mills of the Feoffment of Roger Bigot, Earl Marshal, made to the said William his heirs and assigns of the aforesaid Earl by the service of one penny. Sum 545. " Also they say that the aforesaid William and Hawisia his wife held jointly two shillings Rent of the Mills in the said Town of Denys de Crofte of the Feoffment of the said Denys made to the same William and Hawisia and to their heirs and Assigns by the Service of one penny. Sum 2^. " Also they say that Edmund Mortimer, Brother of the afore- said William, is his next heir and of the age of thirty years and upwards. In Witness whereof the aforesaid Jurors have to this Inquisition affixed their Seals ''." It will thus be seen that as William Mortimer died with- out leaving issue, whatever property he had by Matilda, his mother, reverted to her. Hawise, wife of William, was '' Chanc. , Inq. p. m., 25 Edw. I., No. 36. Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. 127 the only daughter and heir of Robert de Mucegros, and after the death of her first husband, Mortimer, she married John de Ferrers. By another Inquisitio post mortem held at Newbury on Monday before the Feast of the Nativity of St. John Bap- tist 27 Edward I. (June 22, 1299), on the death of MATILDA DE KymeS the jurors say : — " That the said Matilda {Matiir) held of the King in capite in her demesne as of fee, on the day of her death, the sixth part o a mill in Neubury, as her share of the inheritance of the Ear Marshal of England (William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke) by knight's service, doing scutage therefor; and that portion was worth in all issues 40 pence. Lady Joan de Vyvon, (Johanna de Vivonia in another Inquisition), and Lady CeciHa de Beauchamp are daughters of the said Matilda {ejusdem Matilldis), and her next heirs; Joan the eldest daughter being aged fifty, and Cecily the younger, forty years." On another membrane : — " The share (pars) of Aymer (Adomari) de Archiace (or Arches), cousin and fourth heir of Maltilda de Kyme, of all the lands and tenements which the said Matilda held of the King in chief After stating the portions allotted in Bedfordshire comes Berkshire. A fourth part of a sixth part of a mill in Nywebury, valued at 10 pence per annum." Matilda de Vivonia, or, as she is generally styled, de Kyme *, was the third daughter of William Ferrers, Earl of Derby, by his wife Sybilla, fourth daughter of Wil- liam Marshal, the Protector. Her first husband was Wil- liam de Kyme, and she married secondly, William de Fortibus^ or de Vivonia, Earl of Albemarle, who sided with Simon de Montfort and the barons throughout their defence of the constitutional liberties of England ; and his name appears as one of the twenty-four councillors in the « Chanc. Inq. p. m., 27 Edw. I., No. 35. ■• Kyme. The name of this family was assumed from a lordship in Kes- teven, in the county of Lincoln. ' The surname de Fortibus was derived from Fors, a commune of the canton of Prahecq, arrondissement of Niort, departement of Deux Sevres, in Poitou. 128 Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. Provisions of Oxford, (1258). She married thirdly Almeric de Rochechouart ' (de Rupe Cavardi). William de Fortibus died in 1263 without male heirs, but leaving four daughters, Joan, Cecilia, Sybilla, and Mabilla. Joan, the eldest daughter, married Reginald Fitz Piers or Peter; Cecilia married John Beauchamp, of Hatch, co. Somerset ; Sybilla, third daughter, married Guido de Ro- chechouart ; and Mabilla married Fulco de Archiaco s. The following pedigree will make the previous notes more clear : — de Vivonia de Poictou. = .... \ Hugh de Vivonia, or de Fortibus, of = Mabel, heir of her brother, Wil- Poictou and Acquitaine. I liam Mallet, of Cory-Mallet, who I died ante 9 Hen. HI. 1 Wdliam de Fortibus, Earl of Albe- = Matilda, third daughter of William marie, styled de Fortibus, obiit 1263. Ferrers, Earl of Derby, married — 1. William de Kyme. 2. William de Fortibus. 3. Almeric (de Rupe Cavardi), obiit 1299. 1. Joan de Vivonia. = Reginald Fitz- 3. Sybilla. = Guido de Rupe Ca- Peter, ob. 7 Ed. II. vardi. 2. Cecilia. = John Beauchamp de 4. Mabilla. = Fulco de Archiaco. Hatch, ob. 14 Ed. II. Adomar Archiaco, at his death, 7 Edward II., held a moiety of the manors of Sturminster-Marshal, Dorset, and Shepton-Mallet, Somerset : Fulco, his brother and heir, being then twenty-eight years of age. Mabel, his mother, held lands in Berks, Surrey, and Gloucestershire. INCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH NEWBURY. King John at Newbury. Incidentally, we have evidence by the following entry on the Fine Roll, 1204 or 1205 ^ that King John was at New- bury on the 30th of December, in the second year of his reign, 1200: and that he was accompanied by his natural son Geoffrey, who, on this occasion, promised to present ' a town in the Limosin (Haut- Vienna). s Latinised De Arcis, and sometimes written "of Arches.'' The surname de Archiaco was derived from Archiac in Saintonge (Charante-Inferieure). " Fine Roll, 6 John, m. 13. Neivbury in the Thirteenth Century. 129 his father with two good saddle-horses or palfreys as a service for the manor of Newbury, which had been granted to him by the King. But the gift does not appear to have been fulfilled until some time after, as the reference in the Charter Roll indicates, though the undertaking or pledge was made on December 30, 1200. " Geoffrey, son of the Lord the King, gives to the Lord the King two good palfreys to be rendered to the Lord the King at London in the Octave of St. Michael (6 Oct.). Of his gift when the Lord the King lodged at Neubiri. " Pledge, John de Stoke *." The "Itinerary" of King John, compiled almost ex- clusively from the royal attestations to charters, grants, and other documents, shews that the King was at Newbury on the 1 2th of December, 1203 ; on the 8th and 9th of Sep- tember, 1204, on his way to Freemantle Park, Kingsclere, a favourite hunting-lodge of the King's, as illustrated by the "Itinerary;" and again on the 24th and 25th of Oc- tober, 1 2 14, en route from Freemantle Park to Reading. The King was also in the neighbourhood of Newbury in August, 1207, as on the 3rd he was at Chieveley and Currage, and 'on the 5th at Woolley, from whence he pro- ceeded to Woodstock. He was likewise at Bishop's Clere, or Highclere, as it was afterwards called, on August 22, 12 1 3. The Bishops of Winchester were owners of this manor and had a house there, hence its name of Bishop's Clere, in contradistinction to King's Clere, a royal vill, and Burgh Clere. It has been suggested that the termination *' clere " may be taken as indicating a cleared space in a forest ; the word " clear " being in use now to denote a free space, but the derivation is quite an open question ; the prefix of High Clere being derived from the high table-land which it comprises ; of King's Clere, from its having been a royal residence ; and Burgh Clere, from the beorg or fortress on the adjacent hill. ' The Teste of the King at "Neubiri," Dec. 30, 2 John (1200). Charter Roll, 2 John, m. 18, dorso. K 130 Newbury in the TJiirteenth Century. A curious instance of the execution of a charter by King John " between Newbury and Abingdon " is recorded on the Patent Rolls, July 15, 1215, on the morning of which day the wandering Court had left Clarendon, near Salisbury, and arrived at Abingdon the same evening, a journey of fully fifty-six miles, an instance of the distance it was possible to travel in such early times, which, con- sidering what the roads must have been in those days, is very surprising. It was pointed out by the late Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy that with few exceptions the Court stopped at some place in which the King had an interest, as either a castle, royal manor (as Newbury was), or at some religious house, in order that he might consume the provisions due to him in lieu of rent from those places. St. Bartholomew's Hospital. In the reign of King John we have evidence that a hospital dedicated to St. Bartholomew, Apostle and Martyr, was founded, or at le^st exis.ted, in this town. The original charter of foundation is wanting, but we find in the Close Rolls the following grant of a fair, which shews that the institution was a recipient of the King's favour as early as the year 12 15 : — " The King to the Sheriff of Berkshire greeting. Know that we have granted to the Hospital of St. Bartholomew at Newbury and to the brethren serving God there, that they may have each year a fair at Newbury lasting for two days — that is to say on the day and on the morrow of St. Bartholomew's Day. Provided, however, that such fair shall not be to the injury of neighbour- ing fairs. And therefore we order you that you allow the said Hospital and the aforesaid brothers to have the aforesaid fair for two days, together with all its appurtenances and liberties and free customs belonging to fairs of this kind, as aforesaid. Wit- ness Myself at Ciren[cester] the 7th day of July, [1215]''." The only known documents of an early date relating to the endowment of this charity are three original Latin '' Rot. Litt. Claus., 17 John, m. 28. Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. 131 deeds in the possession of the author. The first ' of these is a grant by William Otuel, Rector of Shaw, which must have been executed between A.D. 1256 — 1262, the dates enclosing the years when Giles de Bridport, one of the witnesses, was Bishop of Salisbury. The following is a translation : — " Let those present and future know that I William Otuel, rector of the church of Saweys [Shaw], have given and granted, and by this my present charter have confirmed, for me and my heirs, to God and the House of the Hospital of St. Bartholomew of New- bury and to the Brethren and Sisters serving God there, and their successors, and to the poor folk resorting thither, in free and perpetual alms, all that holding with sixteen acres of arable land which I bought of Simon White in the vill of Newbury. And two acres and a half of arable land which I bought of Simon le Cur. And one acre of arable land which I bought of John Showe, and one piece of land which I bought of Thomas Showe in Que- chemede, where my grange was situated, with all their appurte- nances everywhere, for the health of my soul and the souls of my ancestors. To have and to hold freely, quietly, wholly, well and in peace, and by hereditary right for ever, in free and perpetual alms. Paying therefore yearly to Simon White and his heirs two shillings ; and to the lord of the estate for sixteen acres of land two shillings and eight pence, and to Thomas Showe six pence, and to the lord of the Estate for three acres and a half of land two shillings and three pence for all secular services, exactions and demands belonging to me and my heirs. And in order that this my gift, grant and confirmation of my charter may remain firm and stable, I have confirmed this present charter with the impression of my seal. " With these witnesses, Giles, Lord Bishop of Salisbury [1256 — 1262] then present; Sir Stephen, Prior of Sandelford ; Sir Arketill, then Steward of Sir Simon, earl of Leicester ; Richard del Frith ; Ralph Fitz-Richard ; Thomas de Sandelford ; Gervase Fiwyan ; Nicholas Godemanj John de Farendun; Thomas de Everynton; John de Bagenore "; Philipp Dyer; Walter de la Bolehuse j William Scrivener, and many others." ' The other two will be inserted in order of date. "■ The name of John de Bagenor opcurs as defendant to a Final Concord in respect to certain messuages and land in Benham-Valence, in 1261. K 2 132 Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. From the above we gather the name of one of the earliest benefactors to this hospital, and that the gift was made when Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, was possessed of the manor, his Steward being one of the wit- nesses, and one or two other local details of some in- terest. The King's Dogs at Newbury. In this year there is the following entry on the Close Rolls relating to Newbury : — " The King to the Sheriff of Berkshire, greeting. "We order you that you let Richard Broadmoor" and Richard Pincun, while staying at Newbury with our dogs, according to our order, have sixty shillings for their expenses, that is to say thirty shillings to each of them ; and it shall be accounted to you at the Exchequer. "Witness as above [i.e. at Wilton Jan. 4] in the 7th year of our reign [i.e. 1223] °." It would seem that the King's dogs were kept there while the King was hunting in the neighbourhood, but whether or not he was himself staying in Newbury at the time there is no evidence to shew. King Henry the Third at Newbury. We have good authority from original and contemporary records for supposing that in the reign of Henry III. an Hospitium, or guest-house, existed at Newbury, probably used for the lodging and entertainment of the Court when travelling or engaged in hunting expeditions in the neigh- bourhood — a favourite diversion of the early Plantagenet Kings. In the 6th of Henry III., 1222, the following account is entered on the Close Rolls p : — " The King to his Baron of the Exchequer greeting. " Account of Hubert de Burgh our justice : " Brademore, or Broadmore, is {^art of the Sandleford estate. ° Close Roll, 7 Hen. III., m. 22. p Claus. Comp., 6 Hen. III., m. I. X^ewbiiry in the Thirteenth Century. 133 " The sum of 25. 9^. which he paid by our order to Caddoco the messenger of Llewellyn the same day and the same year for his expenses towards his own parts, and £■] x^s. which he paid by our order to Peter de Orwall at Newbury on the day of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist in Christmas week in the settling of our expenses. " Witness [King] Henry at Westminster the 30th day of Oc- tober, in the sixth year of our reign [1222]." The next document is also found on the Close Rolls in the following year, 1223, when the King was also at New- bury 1 : — " The King to Brian de L'Isle greeting. , " We order that you let Richman our host (hospes) of Newbury have two ' forks' {Jurcas) and two ' pannes' {pannas) in Pamber [forest] for enlarging and repairing his house and our Hostelry. "Witness [King] Henry, &c., at Newbury, 30th March, [1223]." King Henry was also at Newbury on January 31, 1226, when his name is attached as a witness to a charter which was executed here '', and perhaps again in 1 248, as is im- plied though not stated in the next section. Tournament at Newbury, 1248. It was on a solemn occasion, we are told, that King Henry IH. conferred knighthood on his half-brother, William de Valence. The King had passed on foot through the muddy and uneven streets to Westminster Abbey, clad in the humblest dress, though following a procession of full- robed clergy. In his uplifted hands he held a crystal vase, containing what had been sent from the Holy Land by the Templars as the blood of our Saviour ; he had pre- pared himself by previous fasts and watches for this cere- mony, the fatigue of which nearly overpowered him, but which he thought so important at the time that he charged his historian, Matthew Paris, whom he invited to dinner, especially to record all the circumstances of the day. The pride of his knightly belt, thus publicly invested, led 1 Claus, Comp., 7 Hen. III., m. 15. ' Close Roll, 10 Hen. IH., m. 24. 134 Newbury in the Thirteenth Century. William de Valence to try his prowess too soon after- wards against some English nobles at a tournament at Newbury, where, being yet young and not grown to his full strength, he was very roughly treated by the tough veterans. But we will take the story as it is related by the Chronicler : — " On Ash Wednesday [4 March, 1248] a great tournament was begun at Newbury amongst the knights of England, that they might prove their knightly prowess and strength; As the King was favourable to it, it begun and ended well. At this tourna- ment William, the King's half-brother, surnamed de Valentia, a young tiro, entered with courageous presumption, to acquire a distinguished title for knighthood ; but being tender in age, and not of his full strength, he could not sustain the attack of hardy and martial knights, and falling, lost many [courses], being soundly beaten that he might learn the first steps to knight- hood =." There appears to have been another important assem- blage at Newbury at the close of the same year in which the Tournament took place (which it will be observed was held curiously enough on the first day of Lent). No de- tails are given, but the Tewkesbury Annalist merely records as follows under the year 1248 : — " On S. Silvester's day (Dec. 31) there was a very strong wind. A meeting took place between the King's Nobles and Richard, Earl of Gloucester, at Newbury *." ' Chron. Matthoei Parisiensis (Rolls Series), vol. v. p. 17. ' Annales Monastic!. Annales de Theokesberia, 1066 — 1263. Rolls Series, P- 137- CHAPTER VIII. IRewburs in tbe ffourteentb Century. The Manorial History.— Matilda de Mortimer holds Tenements and Rents in Newbury, a.d. 1301. — Properties held by Gilbert de Clare and the Countess Joan, a.d. 1307 ; by Henry de Lacy, A.D. 1310; and by Ailmer of Arcy, A.D. 1313. — The manor of Newbury assigned by Roger Mortimer, second Earl of March, to the Bishop of Winchester and others. — Tenements and Messuages held in Newbury by Sir Richard Abberbury, Thomas de Rous, and Johnde Estbury. — Edmund Mortimer, third Earl of March, acquires the manor of Newbu)^ in 1360. — The manor granted to Sir John Lovel for life by Edmund Mortimer. — Lands and Tenements in Newbury held by the Earls of Pembroke, the la Zouches, and Richard Fitz-Alan, Earl of Arundel. Incidents connected with Newbury. — Edward II. at Newbury. — The deadly pestilence, A.D. 1348.^ An account of the property at Newbury assigned to the Priory of Sandleford, A.D. 1349. — Further grants to St. Bartholomew's Hospital. — The 'f Troyte de Neubury " in the Four- teenth Century. PURSUING chronological order, we come to the twenty- ninth year of the reign of King Edward I. (1301), when an Inquisition^ was made at Newbury on Sunday on the Feast of Saint George the Martyr by the oath of John de Bonburne, Richard Henyee, Philip Ryot, Nicholas de Everynton, William le Tannur, Robert le Cour, John de Gareford, William Puppard, John Meregrate, Simon le Cour, John Puppard, and Thomas le Seler, that is to say how much land MATILDA DE MORTIMER, lately de- ceased, held of the lord the King in chief on the day on which "she died, and how much those lands may be worth yearly in all issues, and who is her next heir, and of what age. "Who say upon their Oath that the aforesaid Matilda held of the Lord the King in her demesne, as of fee on the day on which she died, ten shillings Rents of Assise to be received yearly from Thomas le Tannur for the third part of one Tanning Mill in the ■ Chanc. Inq. p. m., 29 Edw. I., No. 53. In the Inq. for co. Bucks, the finding is that Edmund de Mortimer "fuit de etate xl annos et amplius ad ft'm sc'e Marie in Marcio." [March 25, 1301.] 1 36 Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. town of Newbury ^t two Terms of the year, that is to say, at the Feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist 5^., and at the Feast of St. Andrew 5^. Sum loy. " Also they say that the aforesaid Matilda held in her demesne of Fee on the day on which she died the third part of the Pleas and Perquisites of the Court of Newbury, which said third part is worth yearly 6o.f. Sum 605. " Also they say that the said Matilda held in her demesne as of Fee on the day in which she died the sixth part of the Toll of the Market of Newbury, which said sixth part is worth yearly 13^. itd. Sum 13J. i^d. Sum of the whole Extent ^4 3^'. ^d. " Also they say that all the aforesaid Tenements together with :£g Ss. 3ii/. of Rent of Assise which Hawyse, who was wife of William de Mortimer, holds in Dower, which are to revert to Edmund de Mortimer and his heirs after the decease of the said Hawyse, the said Matilda held of the Lord the King in Chief of the Marshalsea by the fourth part of a Knight's fee, nor did she hold more in the said County of the Lord the King or of any other. " Also they say that Edmund de Mortimer is the next heir of the said Matilda, and is of the age of forty years apd upwards. In witness whereof the Seals of the Jurors aforesaid are to this Inquisition affixed. " Dated the day and year abovesaid." The Lady Matilda had some of the noblest blood in her veins, being one of the co-heiresses of William de Braose, who married Eva, the youngest daughter of the Protector Marshal. The inheritance of William de Braose, her father, being divided between herself and three sisters, viz. Isabel, wife of Llewellyn, Prince of Wales ; Eva, wife of William de Cantilupe ; and Eleanor, wife of Humphrey de Bohun. Humphrey de Bohun, the eldest son of the Earl of Hereford, was possessed of Brecknock and other lands in right of his wife Eleanor, daughter of William de Braose, whose inheritance she had shared in 1259 with her sister Matilda, wife of Roger Mortimer of Wigmore. William de Cantilupe was the eldest son of William de Cantilupe, steward to the King, who died 35th Henry HL, Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. 1^7 leaving two sons, viz. Thomas, second son, who was made Bishop of Hereford, and the 31st Edward I. was canonized for a saint ; and William above mentioned, who by his marriage with Eva, daughter and co-heir to William de Braose, lord of Brecknock and Abergavenny, became pos- sessed of that honour in her right, and died " in the flower of his youth," leaving one son, George — who died without issue — and two daughters, co-heirs to their brother ; viz. Milicent, wife first of John de Montalt, secondly of Eudo, or Ebulo, la Zouche, and Joan, wife of Henry, Lord Hastings. The following short genealogy will shew more clearly the connection of the family of Braose with that of the Earl Marshal t- :— Reginald de Braose. = I . Griselda [Graecia : Dugdale], el- dest sister and co-heir of William de'Bruwere. 2. Gladys, or Gladuse, daughter of Llewellyn, Prince of Wales, re- married Ralph Mortimer. William de Braose. =EvA, d. of William Marshal, E. of Pembroke. isL = 1. David, 1 1 Matil- ^ Roger, Eva. = Wil- 1 Elea- = Hum- bel. son of da, LordMor- liamde nor. phrey Llewellyn, oi. timer, of Canti- de Bo- Prince of 1301. Wigmore. lupe. hun. Wales. 2. Peter Fitz- Her- bert. Braose arms : cross crosslets not fitchee. On the death of her husband, Roger Mortimer, in 1282, the lands of Matilda were seized by the King, and not restored until she swore not to marry again without licence. She died, as we have seen, in 1301, the date of the Inquisition when Edmund Mortimer, her late hus- band's brother, inherited his interest in the manorial revenues of Newbury. At an Inquisition taken at Stratfield (Stratfield-Mor- timer), August 9, 32 Edw. I., 1304, on the death of Ed- mund Mortimer, he is stated to have held in fee at the time ' See ante, p. no. 138 Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. of his decease certain tenements in Newbury, co. Berks, of the King in capite, as part of the Marshalsey of England {Marescalcie -A nglie) ; namely, a piece of land worth per annum io.f., and a certain part of two water-mills", worth <\s. per annum, and a certain part of a tan-mill '^ {Molenditii tannereti), -worth. \os. per annum. Free tenants paid yearly 45i'. 4 and the property appraised or extended, before William de Spersholte, the Sheriff, when the following persons being summoned, attended to give evidence at the enquiry :— John de Crokham, John de Everyngton, John le Knyte, Nicholas the Goldsmythe, John Edward, Richard Gerveys, John le Fisshere of Hungerford, Robert de Whatecombe, and Benedict de Bathe. But John le Farou, son and heir of the debtor, and grandson of the first John, William de Hales, John Chalvesbreyn of Hun- gerford, carpenter, John atte Burche, Stephen le Cutel, Thomas Coleman, Roger atte Frithe, and John le Shu- perde, did not attend, although they were all warned by Edward le Scryveyn and Edward le Baillif to be present. The jury found that — " John, son and heir of John, son of John le Farou, held a messuage with garden in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) iSi-., and 15 acres of arable land in the fields (in campis) of Newbury and Spenamlonde, every acre worth per annum (clear) Zd. ; and 40 acres of arable land in the fields aforesaid, every acre per annum (clear) 2s. ; a moor in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) a,od. ; and rent of assize in Newbury and Spenamlonde, per annum 7^. 4d. " John de Crokham held a cottage in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) is. 6d. ; a meadow in Spenamlonde, worth per annum (clear) 6d., and one acre of arable land in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) ^d. " WiUiam de Hales held a messuage in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) 16^-. L 146 Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. " John Chalvesbreyn held six acres of arable land in New- bury, every acre worth per annum (clear) 2d. " John de Everyngton held some of the land which was of John, son of John Farou of Newbury. " John atte Burche held two stallages (stallagid) in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) \Zd. " John le Knyte held two crofts {duas croftas) in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) 40^. " Stephen le Cutel held one acre of arable land in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) %d. " Thomas de Coleman held a cottage in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) i2d. " Roger atte Frithe held an acre of arable land, worth per annum (clear) 2d. " Nicholas the Goldsmythe held a void place (imam vacuam placeani) in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) — . " John Edward held an acre of arable land in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) dd. " Richard Gerveys held a messuage with curtilage in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) 2s. ; and three acres of arable land in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) 2d. " John le Fisshere held a messuage in Hungerford, worth per annum (clear) 10s. " Robert de Whatecombe held 3 acres in the fields of Hunger- ford, Hudden™, and Odyneton", worth per annum (clear) 18^. " Richard atte Burche held a messuage in worth per annum (clear) 12s. ; and an acre and half of arable land in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) i2(/. " John le Shuperde held in Newbury rent of assize of 7 shillings per annum, and an acre of arable land in the same town, worth per annum (clear) 2d. " And the aforesaid Benedict de Bathe held an acre of arable land in Newbury, worth per annum (clear) 2d. " The sum total of the Extent was io6j-. 9^/., and in accordance with the terms of the Elegit or writ the Sheriff made delivery of half of the lands and tenements in which the defendant had any sole estate in fee or for life, until the whole debt and damages of the plaintiff were paid and satisfied °." It has been previously mentioned that the Countess " Hidden. » Eddington. ° Chanc. Inq. p. m., 9 Edw. III., No. 63. Newhtry in the Fourteenth Century. 147 Alice, daughter of Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, and Margaret, the sole heiress of William Longespe, Earl of Salisbury, took for her second husband Ebulo le Strange, a younger son of John, Baron Strange of Knockyn, who died about Michaelmas, 1335. On October 22 following, 9 Edward III. (1335) an In- quisitio post mortem was taken at Hurley respecting the property of which Ebulo le Strange and Alice his wife held at the time of the death of the former. By this we find that, — " Ebulo le Strange possessed the manor of Bustleham, or Bisham, and a messuage and a carucate of land in Avington near Hungerford, together with 2?>s. iid. rent to be received from certain free tenants in Newbury, by the gift and feoffment of John Sefoul, Knt., and John de Wadenho to them and the heirs of Ebulo. The said tenements were held of the king in capite, as parcel of the Earldom of Salisbury by the service of a fourth part of a knight's fee ; and the said messuage and carucate c f land with the rent aforesaid were worth in all issues £,\t, Zs. i k/.p" Roger, called in another Inquisition Knight {" Rogerus Lestraunge miles"), son of John le Strange, brother of Ebulo, was returned as being his cousin and next heir, and aged forty years and more, but in other Inqui- sitions he is said to have been thirty years old at this time. On April 16, 23 Edward III. (1349), an Inquisitio post mortem was taken at Benham, near Newbury, on the death of William de Hastings, who died the preceding March 1 1, when it was found that on the day of his decease he held the manor of Benham-Valence for life of the inheri- tance of John, son and heir of Lawrence de Hastings, late Earl of Pembroke, &c. The Earldom of Pembroke, as we have already seen, was conferred on William de Valence, half-brother of Henry III., on his marriage with Joan, granddaughter of, and one of the coheiresses of, William Marshal, the p Chanc. Inq. p. m., 9 Edw. III., No. 42. L 2 148 Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. great Earl of Pembroke. John de Hastings, Earl of Pem- broke, was the second earl of that family, his father, Lawrence de Hastings, having obtained the earldom and manor of Benham-Valence by his marriage with Isabel, daughter of William de Valence, and sister and heiress of Aymer de Valence, the last Earl of Pembroke of his family. The William de Hastings whose death occurred in 1349 was styled "le neveu," which probably infers that he was a nephew of Lawrence de Hastings, and base brother of John de Hastings ; he is said to have died leaving no heir, because he was illegitimate {no7i habuit heredem quia bastardus fuit). The Inquisition states that there were in Newbury certain free tenants now dead, who in their life- time used to pay at four terms (Michaelmas, St. Thomas Apostle, Annunciation Blessed Virgin Mary, and Nativity of St. John Baptist) to the said Williarh, for the term of his life, of the inheritance of John, son and heir of Lawrence de Hastings, 40 shillings ; but now their tene- ments are seized into the King's hand, saving the right of every one. Also that he held at Newbury, of the inheritance of the said heir, a sixth part of the pleas and perquisites of Court, together with a twelfth part of market-toll, and a sixth part of a tan-mill ; which used before the pestilence to be worth yearly 26s. Zd. ; but now yields nothing on account of the deadly pestilence {propter pestilenciam niortalem'^. One Inquisition (Surrey) states that John de Hastings, son of Lawrence, is heir of William, and aged one year and a half : and by another Inquisition (Suffolk) it appears that Lawrence de Hastings married Agnes, daughter of Roger de Mortimer, and that she survived him ; and by an Inquisition (Kent) it is said that Lawrence, at his marriage, was in the seventh year of his age. The deadly pestilence which is mentioned as depre- ciating the value of property in Newbury extended its desolating ravages throughout England and Ireland. Stow, 1 Chanc. Inq. p. m., 23 Edw. III., part 2, No. 37., Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. 149 in his "Annales," in describing the extensive mortality which occurred, says : — " Of the common people, together with Religious and Clerkes, there died an innumerable sort, for no man but God onely knew how many. There died from the first of Januarie to the first of July in the Citie of Norwich 57,104 persons, besides Ecclesias- tical! Mendicants and Dominikes. There was buried in the Church and Churchyard of Yarmouth, in one yeere 7,052 men and women, before which time the personage there was worth 700 markes by yeere, and afterwards was scarce worth fortie pound the yeere. . . . This great pestilence began at London about the Feast of All Saints in the yeere 1348, and continued, sometime in one place, sometime in another, untill the yeere of our Lord 1357." It is recorded that more than 50,000 persons were in- terred within the ground now forming the precincts of the Charter-house ; besides many thousands more in the dif- ferent churchyards and cemeteries within and without the city walls. In the twenty-third year of the reign of Edward III. a writ was issued to enquire whether it would be to the King's in- jury to grant to John de Estbury, Thomas Vykers, John atte Wyle, and John Aylmere, that they may give and assign to the Prior and Convent of Sandleford four messuages, 144 acres of land, 20 acres of meadow, 12 acres of wood, and ten shillings rent, with appurtenances in Newbury. To have and to hold to them and their successors for ever, in part satisfaction of lands, tenements, and rents of the value of ^^'lO, which of their own fee and other (except those held of the King in capite) the King by letters patent granted to them to acquire. An Inquisitio ad quod dam- num was accordingly held at Newbury on May 18, 1349, when the answer of the jury was that of the aforesaid tenements, two messuages and six acres of wood were held of the heir of Lawrence de Hastings, and Richard la Zouche (i.e. Richard held of him), by the service of 13.?. I \d., paid to those two yearly in equal portions ; and of the Prior of Sandleford by the service of 8 pence yearly ; and of Oliver de Bohun by the service of 6s. yearly ; and igo Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. of the Prior of St. John of Jerusalem in England by the service of 6s. yearly ; and of Thomas de Rous by the service of i ^s. 4^. yearly ; and they (the heir of Lavi^rence, Richard the Prior, Oliver the Prior, and Thomas) held the same of the King. And the said two messuages, land, meadow and wood, were of the true value yearly further of 20s. One messuage, 30 acres of land, 6 acres of meadow, and 6 acres of wood (of the before-mentioned messuage, &c.) were held of Thomas de Rous, by the service of 2s. yearly and were worth more per annum ^s.; and the same Thomas de Rous held of the Earl of Hereford ; and the Earl of the King. And the residue, viz. i messuage, 14 acres of land and 2 acres of meadow, and the said ten shillings rent, were held of Roger de Mortimer and Nicholas de Cauntelou (Cantelupe) by the service of 5J. yearly, and are worth beyond 13J. per annum, and the same Roger and Nicholas held the same of the King. The sum total of the yearly value of the said messuages, &c., being thirty-eight shillings. The jury added that, — " Beyond the aforesaid gift and assignment" to the Priory of Sandelford there remained to the said John de Estbury, Thomas Vikers, John atte Wyle, and John Aylmere 3 carucates of land and 60 shillings rent with appurtenances in Estbury, Pesemere, and Bright Walton in the said County of Berks, which were held of John de Grave and John D'arches by the service of a penny and a rose yearly for all services ; and they were worth beyond jC\o per annum. The lands and tenements so remaining being sufficient to maintain the charges due for them ; and the grantees might be put in assizes, juries, &c., as before, so that the country by their default would not be charged or aggrieved'." Roger Mortimer, second Earl of March, son of Edmund, and grandson of Roger, the first Earl of March, obtained a reversal of the attainder of his grandfather, and died at Rouvray=, in Burgundy, Feb. 26, 1360, being the com- mander of the English forces there. His body was brought ' Chanc. Inq., 23 Edw. III., pt. 2, No. 24. • The Rouvray referred to is probably the one in the Cote d'Or, and distant about fifty miles from Dijon. Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. 151 over to England, and buried in the Abbey of Wigmore with his ancestors. By Philippa his wife, daughter of William de Montacute, Earl of Salisbury, he had two sons — Roger, who died in his lifetime, and Edmund ; also two daughters, viz. Margaret, wife of Robert de Vere, Earl of Oxford, and Margery, wife of John, Lord Audley. From an Inquisitio post mortem taken at Thatcham, April 19, 34 Edw. III. (1360), we learn that Roger Mor- timer " Died seized of four knights' fees, and the third part of a knight's fee, in the county of Berks. But he held no lands or tenements in the said county at the time of his death, because long before, by the King's license, he demised the manors of Strettefelde Mortymer, Wokefelde and Neubury, to William, Bishop of Winchester, Ralph Spigurnell, Knt., John de Bisshopes- ton, clerk, John Laundels and John Gour, to have and to hold the same for the term of their natural lives." The Inquisition states that the said Earl died Feb. 28 last (1359-60); and Edmund his son, who was aged eight years at the feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary last (February 2, i3-|f), was his next heir'. One Inquisition (Stafford) says that .Roger died in partibus transmarinis, February 26. The latter day is given by Inquisition taken in Radnor Castle. Moreover, another Inquisition (Sussex) gives Wednesday, which was February 26. Again, the Inquisition taken at " Paynes- wyke," April 25, 1360, before the Escheator in cos. Glou- cester, Hereford, and March of Wales adjacent, gives February 26. Here the age of the heir is made nine years (novem written over an erasure). The next official record, in order of date, relating to Newbury introduces us to Sir Richard de Abberbury, the guardian of King Richard II. in his minority, and the founder of the Maison Dieu, or hospital, at Donnington, in 1393, and also of a House of Maturine Friars of the Order of the Holy Trinity, known as Donnington Priory, about the same time. He also built anew and crenel- ' Chanc. Inq. p. m., 34 Edw. III., No. 86. 152 Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. lated Donnington Castle, by the King's license, which is dated at Henley, June 11, 1385. On July 3, 39 Edw. III. (1365), a jury was summoned at Newbury to enquire if it would be to the detriment of the King, or of any others, if Sir Richard de Abberbury should give and assign six messuages, one carucate and a half of land, and ten shillings rent, with appurtenances in Newbury, Donyngton, and East Henrethe (East Hen- dred), to two chaplains to celebrate divine service every day " for ever," in a chapel at Donyngton to be newly built (" in quadam Capella apud Donyngton per ipsum de novo construenda") by him, for the healthy estate of the said Richard while living, and for his soul when he shall have departed this life, and for the souls of his ancestors, and of all the faithful departed. The verdict of the jury was favourable, and they stated that four of the six messuages were in Newbury, and two of them were held by the yearly rent of 2S. o\d., of John de Rous, who held them of the King in capite ; and they were worth beyond the rent aforesaid 2s. per annum. A third messuage of the four was held by 2\d. rent of Nicholas de Cantilupe, who held it of the King in capite ; and it was worth beyond the said rent 2s. per annum. The fourth messuage was held of the Earl of " Penne- broke " (Pembroke), and Wm. la Zouche by the payment yearly of I2d., and was worth beyond that rent I2d. per annum. The fifth messuage and one carucate of land were in Donyngton, and were held by knight's service of the lord of the Honour of Walyngford, who held of the King in capite, and worth per annum in all is- sues \os. The sixth messuage, consisting of land and rent, was in East Hendred, and held by \os. rent of the Bishop of Salisbury, who held of the King in chief, and they were worth beyond that rent \os. per annum. The jury add that there remained to Sir Richard Abber- bury beyond the aforesaid gift and assignment the Manor of Donyngton, which was held of the lord of the Honour of Walyngford by knight's service, and was worth per annum in all issues ten pounds ; and it was sufficient to Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. 153 sustain all charges, &c., so that the country by the said gift and assignment, in default of the said Sir Richard, would not be unduly charged or aggrieved". On October 9, 48 Edw. III. (1374), an inquisitio post mortem was taken at Newbury before Oliver de Harnham, the Escheator in the county of Berks, respecting the estate of Thomas de Rous, who died on Saturday after the Feast of St. Stephen the Martyr, in the 32nd year of the King (Dec. 29, 1358). The jury say that Thomas de Rous held no lands or tenements of the King ?« capite ; but that he held at the time of his death, in fee, £6 i^s. 4d. rent of assize in Newebury, but of whom held, or by what service, they know not. Robert de Kendall, Chivaler, and Maud his wife, have received the said rent from the time of the death of the said Thomas de Rous, and still continued to receive it, but by what title the jurors cannot say. Juliana was daughter and heir of Thomas de Rous, and aged twenty years at the date of the Inquisition ^ A small strip of parchment attached to this file of Inquisitions appears to shew that Andrew Herle was husband of the before-named Juliana. (The Inquisitions for the counties of Gloucester and Hereford are also to the same effect.) The next name we meet with is one very familiar in our county history — that of John de Estbury, who was seized at the time of his decease, about the Feast of SS. Simon and Jude (Oct. 28, 1374), of a messuage with~curtilage in Nywebery, which he held of the Earl of Pembroke and March by 2s. yearly rent. He also held, jointly with Thomas his son, then surviving, 4 messuages, 6 curtilages, and 10 acres of land in "Niwebury, Spene, and Spenham- londe," whereof 2 messuages, 3 curtilages, and 10 acres of land were held of the Earl of March and William de Rous by the service of 2s: per annum ; which were worth beyond that service 6s. 8d. per annum. The 2 other messuages and 3 curtilages were held of the Earl of Pembroke and William la Zouche by the yearly service of 20<^., and were worth beyond that service 3J-. 4d. per annum. He held » Chanc. Inq. ad q. d., 39 Edw. III., No. 29. " Ibid. p. m., 48 Edw. III., No. 59. 154 Newbury in tJie Fourteenth Century. also jointly with Thomas his son I2s. 6d. yearly rent and a ^th part of a water-mill in Newbury of the Count of Perchey by knight's service, and the said 13th part was worth per annum 3i-. John de Estbury, elder son of said John, aged 28 years, was his next heir^- An Inquisition was taken at Eastbury, co. Berks, on October 31, 49 Edw. III. (1375), on the death of Kathe- rine, widow of John de Estbury the elder, deceased, when it was found that she held in dower [inter alia) a third part of a messuage in Newbury of the Earl of March by the rent of 2s., which was worth nothing beyond the same. Katherine died on Wednesday before the Feast of St. Lawrence last past (August 8, I37S)> and John de Estbury, " senior," was her heir, and aged 29 years \ Edmund Mortimer, third Earl of March, and heir of Roger Mortimer who died in 1360, succeeded his father, and thus acquired with his other estates the manor of Newbury. He married Philippa, daughter and heir of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, third son of Edward III., by which alliance he acquired the third part of the earldom of Gloucester, together with the county of Ulster, and do- minion of Connaught in Ireland. He died Dec. 27, 1381, and left three sons and two daughters, viz. Roger, his successor ; Sir Edmund, who married the daughter of Owen Glendowr ; and Sir John, who, the 3rd of Henry VI., having been arraigned in Parliament for treasonable speeches, was sentenced to be hanged and beheaded ; which was executed accordingly. Elizabeth, the eldest daughter, married Henry Percy, surnamed Hotspur ; and Philippa, the youngest, married, first, John, Earl of Pem^ broke ; secondly, Richard, Earl of Arundel ; and thirdly, John Poynings, Lord St. John. y It is evident from the above that although the manor of Newbury passed from the Counts of Perche, of the family of Rotrbu, soon after the death of Thomas, slain at Lincoln in 1217, their successors, the Counts of Alencon and Perche, still retained an interest in the Mills of Newbury. ^ Chanc. Inq. p. m., 48 Edw. III., No. 22. The writ for this Inquisition, which was taken at Lamborne, co. Berks, is dated Nov. 10, 48 Edw. III., (1374). The lower part of this document is much faded. " Ibid., 49 Edw. III., pt. I, No. 44. Newbury in tJie Fourteenth Century. 155 On February 10, 5 Ric. II. (1381-2), an Inquisitio post ■mortem, on the death of Edmund Mortimer, was taken at Newbury, when it was proved that at the time of his decease he held no lands or tenements of the King or others in the county of Berks, because long before his death he demised by deed his lordship, lands, tenements, rents and services, with all their appurtenances in New- bury, to Sir John Lovel, knt., to hold for life of the chief lords of the fee without yielding anything to himself (the Earl) or his heirs. Mention is made of a demise of the manors of Strattefelde-Mortymer and Woghfelde (Woke- field) to Wm. Latimer, of Danby, knt., and others for lives, with reversion to himself and his heirs. Roger Mor- timer, his son, aged nine years, was his next heir^. Sir John Lovel, who was a Knight of the Garter, and to whom the manor of Newbury was assigned for life by Edmund Mortimer, served with distinction in the .wars with France ; and in the time of Richard II., when the .great discontent arose amongst the nobility, by reason of the King being so swayed by Robert de Vere, Duke of Ireland, and others, he espoused the popular party, but afterwards fell off from that side to the King, and became one of those they expelled the Court. The time of his death is uncertain, but the probate of his will bears date September 12, 1408. Roger, next Earl of March, was shortly after his father's death, in the Parhament held 9th Richard II., declared heir apparent to the Crown, by reason of his descent from Lionel, Duke of Clarence, and the 20th and 21st Richard II. was Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland. He was slain at Kenles in 1398. By Alianor, his wife, daughter of Thomas Holland, Earl of Kent, sister of Thomas, Duke of Surrey, and sister and co-heir of Edmund, Earl of Kent, he had issue, Ed- mund, his son and heir ; Roger, who died s. p. ; also two daughters, Anne, who married Richard, Earl of Cambridge, younger son to Edmund, Duke of York (fifth son of Ed- ward III.), and Alianor, who married Edward, son of Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon. >> Chanc. Inq. p. m., 5. Ric. II, , No. 2. 156 Neivbuiy iii the Fourteenth Century. An Inquisition was taken at ' Wantynge ' (Wantage) on Saturday before the Feast of St. Michael, 14 Richard II. (September 25, 1390), on the death of John de Hastings, Earl of Pembroke, the second earl of that family. The jury, among whom were — Richard Shawe, Alexander Burgeys, Henry Chadleworth, and John Sideneye, of New- bury, reported that there were no lands or tenements by the death of Anne (wife of the said John de Hastings, and daughter and heir of Walter, Baron Manny), named in the writ, of the inheritance of John, son of John de Hastings, Earl of Pembroke, but by reason of the minority of the said John, his estate came into the hands of the new King, or are now in his hands. The said John, Earl of Pem- broke, was formerly seized in fee of the manor of Benham, and of certain lands and tenements in "Nubury" and in Spene, and by his Charter gave them to Walter Amyas, John Abraham, John Donne, John Pratt, David Parkyn, clerks, Ralph Walsham, and Thomas Cryklade, their heirs and assigns, simply and without condition. By virtue of which gift the said feoffees in the lifetime of the said Earl were, seized thereof; and all the tenants of the said manor, and also of the lands and tenements aforesaid allowed to them. The said feoffees continued their estate therein long after the death of the Earl, until the above-said Walter, John, Abraham, John Donne, John Pratt, and Ralph, after the death of the said David and Thomas, assigned the said manor, lands, and tenements to the said Anne to hold in dower ; and she died seized of such estate. After her death the manor, &c., ought to have reverted to the feoffees ; instead of which the King caused them to be seized into his hands, but by what title the jurors know not. The said Anne held no other lands, &c., in the same county. The lands and tenements in " Nubury and Spene " were held of the King in capite (but by what service is not known), and are worth per annum (clear) £^. John, son of John de Hastings, died December 30 last (1389), and who is his next heir, or of what age, the jurors know not". This John de Hastings, third Earl of Pem- ' Chanc. Inq. p. m., 13 Ric. II., No. 30 (m. 13). Newbury in the Fourteentli Century. iS7 broke of this creation, did not live to obtain livery of his lands. On December 13, 1389, at the age of seventeen, while practising tilting in Woodstock Park with Sir John St. John, a young knight of his own age, at the time of the Christmas Carnivals, he received an unlucky blow in a vital part, an accident which shortly afterwards proved fatal. " The loss of this Earl," says Holinshed, " was greatly bemoaned by men of all degrees, for he was liberal, gentle, humble, and courteous to each one, above all the other young lords in the land of his time." Young as he was he left a widow, Philippa, daughter of the Earl of March, who married as her second husband Richard, Earl of Arundel. The Earl of Pembroke had no issue, and with him the earldom, for the third time, became extinct. After the lapse of four centuries, the abeyance of the ancient barony of Hastings was determined in fa- vour of Sir Jacob Astley, who was summoned to Parlia- ment by writ, as Baron HASTINGS, May 18, 1841. On June 8, 1396, being Thursday before the Feast of St. Barnabas, Apostle, 19 Ric. II., an Inquisition was taken at Nieubury, before Thomas Rothewell, Escheator, on the death of .William la Zouche of Haryngworth, in which it is stated that the deceased held no lands or tenements in the county of Berks, but Richard la Zouche held for the term of his life in the town of Nieubury divers lands and tenements by the gift of William la Zouche, father of the William named in the writ, the reversion thereof belonging to the aforesaid William and his heirs, which are worth per annum according to their true value four marks, and were held of the Earl of March, but by what service it is not known. William la Zouche died on Saturday before the Feast of St. Dunstan, viz. 13 May last (1396); and William la Zouche, aged twenty-three years, is his son and next heir '^. Elizabeth, widow of William la Zouche, held in dower of the inheritance of William la Zouche (the son) 26s. 8d. arising from divers tenements in Newbury, held of the '' Chanc. Inq. p. m., 19 Ric. II., No. 52. 158 Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. King in socage by fealty for all service. The said Eliz- abeth died on the Feast of St. Hugh, Nov. 17, 1425 «. William la Zouche, called William, Lord Zouche of Tot- neys, obtained license to crenellate his manor-house at Haryngworth, co. Northamptori, in loth Richard II. The following year he was banished the Court, as one of the evil counsellors of the King (Richard II.). By some in- quisitions he was found to be next heir of John de Has- tings, Earl of Pembroke, as descended from Eudo la Zouche, who married Milicent, widow of Robert de Montalt, and one of the sisters and coheirs of George de Cantilupe, baron of Bergavenny. The younger William la Zouche, mentioned in the Inquisition as twenty-three years of age at the date of his father's death, was much in favour with Henry IV., and for his good services had a grant of ;^ioo a year out of the Exchequer. He served in the wars of France, and was one of the ambassadors to the French King, and lieu- tenant of Calais. He had summons to Parliament from the 20th Richard II. to the 2nd Henry V., and died the following year, 1415. The next step in our manorial history brings into con- nection with Newbury the illustrious name of RICHARD Fitz-Alan, loth Earl of Arundel, and Earl of Warren and Surrey, the eldest son of Richard Fitz-Alan, the 9th earl. He was a Knight of the Garter, temp. Richard II., also Admiral and Captain-General of the Fleet ; and ob- tained a memorable sea victory over the Flemings, French, and Spaniards, and destroyed the French forts at Brest. He was a great opponent of the King's favourites, and one of a numerous body of noblemen who met and armed at Haringhay Park (now Hornsey) in Middlesex, to remove those enemies to the commonwealth ; a pacification en- sued which ended in the ruin of several of those who had misguided the King. After this, however, the Duke of Lancaster charging Arundel with a designed insurrection, and the King having conceived an implacable hatred to- wards him for his activeness against his favourites, he was ' Chanc. Inq. p. m., 4 Hen. VI., No. 7. Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. 159 decoyed into the King's power, imprisoned, tried, and con- demned to be hanged, drawn, and quartered for treason. The sentence was somewhat mitigated ; and he was only beheaded, in Cheapside, 21 Richard II. (1397), the King himself being a spectator, and Thomas de Mowbray, Earl Marshal (who had married his daughter), the executioner, who bound up his eyes, and, as some write, the person who' actually cut off his head \ His first wife was Eliza- beth, daughter to William de Bohun, Earl of North- ampton ; and he married, secondly, Philippa, daughter of Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March, and widow of John de Hastings, Earl of Pembroke, by which marriage he acquired an interest in the manor of Newbury. On December 13, 21 Ric. II., 1397, an Inquisitio post mor- tem taken at " Nieubury," before Thomas Rothewell, Es- cheator, shews that Richard, Earl of Arundel, held at the time of his death as of the dower of Philippa his wife (who was then living), of the lands, tenements, knights' fees, and advowsons of churches, which were of "John de Has- tyngges," late Earl of Pembroke (formerly husband of Phil- ippa), and fell to her, the Manor of Benham, with other lands and tenements in the said town of " Nieubury ;" which were held of the King in capite by knight's service, and worth in all issues beyond reprise £1^; whereof in rent of assize £12, and from other demesne lands and other profits £1, to be paid equally at Easter and Michael- mas. The jurors further state that Richard, Earl of Arun- del, died (beheaded) on Friday, the Feast of St. Matthew the Apostle last past (September 21, 1397), and that John Bacon has occupied and still occupies the said manor, lands, and tenements, but by what title they know not ?. The estates of the Earl of Arundel were shared among the royal favourites (two of them were his sons-in-law). The Earl was buried in the church of the Augustin Friars in London, and being a popular favourite, reports were spread of miracles being wrought at his tomb. ' This allegation is denied by Carte, and is most probably unjust, s Chanc. Inq. p. m., 21 Ric. II., No. 2. i6o Newbury in the Fourteenth Century, INCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH NEWBURY. King Edward II. at Newbury. King Edward II., surnamed "of Carnarvon," paid a visit to Newbury in 1308, and his signature to public docu- ments shews the other places where he tarried on his journeys ; thus : — 1308, June 16, Reading — Windsor. „ „ 17, Marlborough. ,, „ 18, Newbury. „ „ 19, Marlborough and Hungerford. The King was again in the neighbourhood of Newbury in 1320, as appears from the "Itinerary;" and on this occasion he visited Sandleford Priory and Highclere : — 1320, Aug. 23, Yethampstead (Easthampstead). „ 24, Windsor. „ 25, Odiham. „ 28, Polhampton. „ 29 & 30, Crookham. „ 31, Sandleford. Sept. 2, Bishop's Clere (Highclere). 132 1, Dec. 12, Windsor — Aldermaston. ,, 13, Reading — Newbury. „ 15, Chilton. Six years later, in 1327, "Edward of Carnarvon" was deposed by his subjects, and inhumanly murdered in Berkeley Castle. Further Grants to St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Already in a previous chapter the existence of St. Bartholomew's Hospital has been noted, and this, the- fourteenth century, brings us within the date of two fur- ther grants to this institution, and if they add but little to the history of the hospital itself, they furnish us with the names of two other of its benefactors, with a description of their gifts, by which we are enabled to identify certain properties still belonging to this foundation. Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. i6i The first document is a grant by John le Frankelayn circa A.D. 1302, in which year Nicolas de Everington, one of the witnesses, was a Representative in Parliament for the Borough of Newbury, and runs as follows : — " To all the Faithful of Christ who shall see or hear this present writing, John de Frankelayn greeting in the Lord. Know that I have released, granted, and quitclaimed to Sir Henry Warden of the House of St. Bartholomew of Newbury and his successors, all the right and claim that I had or in any manner could have, by reason of inheritance or any other right, in one acre and a half of arable land. Whereof half an acre lies in the field of Wodes- penes, against Spenes Mill, and the two other half acres of the same lie in the same field between Spenes Mill and the road which extends from Spenes to Bagenore Mill. Also, in the third part of one croft which lies between the croft which belonged to Alexander Pinel and the croft which is called Le Leze. So that for the future neither I, the said John, nor my heirs, nor any one by me or for me, shall be able to exact or ought to claim from the said Sir Henry any right or claim in the said land with its appurtenances, by reason of inheritance or any other succession. For this release, grant and quitclaim the said Sir Henry has given me one mark of silver before hand as a fine. In witness of which thing my seal is appended to these presents. With these witnesses, John de Schaldeford, Roger Luvekyn, John de Wobum, Henry Rioth, John at the Wite "Walle, Nicolas de Everenton '', John de Hamulle, William Tristram, John le Champ, Richard at the Drove, Robt. le Frankelan, John de Sandevil, elk., and many others." The second of these is a grant by Edmund de la Bulhuse of land in Eastfields, Newbury, circa a.d. 131 i, in which year Thomas de Sandleford, one of the witnesses, was Prior of that House. It is as follows : — " Be it known to all the faithful of Christ to whose notice the present letters may come, that I, Edmund de la Bulehuse, son and heir of Laurencia de la Bulehuse, have granted, remitted, and quitclaimed for me and my heirs or assigns for ever to Sir Henry, I" Everington, the place from which this family derived its name, is a manor in the parish of Yattendon. It vifill be observed that Nicolas de Eveiynton was one of the jurors in 1301 (see p. 135), and Thomas de Everynton signs a charter circa 1260 (see p. 131)- M 1 62 Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. Prior of S. Bartholomew of Newbury, and his successors, and the brethren of that house, my whole right and claim which I had or in any manner could have by name of inheritance or of any other right, in three acres of arable land, which lie in the fields of Newbury, which Reginald de Blubyr' held and had by gift of John de Waneting', formerly husband of Laurencia my mother. So that for the future neither I, the said Eadmund, nor my heirs, nor my assigns, nor any one by me or for me, shall be able to exact or ought to claim from the said Sir Henry and his suc- cessors, and the brothers 'of the same house any right or claim by name of inheritance or in any other manner in the said three acres of land with their appurtenances. For this grant, release, and quitclaim the foresaid Sir Henry gave me two marks of silver before hand as a fine. In witness of which thing I have placed my seal to this present. With these witnesses, Ric. de Kanne, then baihfif of Newbury, Thos. the Tanner, John de Berborne, Thes. le Selyr ', Wm. de Cham', Wm. Puperd, Nic. de Everenton, John le Cur, John de Gareford, Thos. de Sandelford, Ralph Thoky, John the Clerk, and many others." The following appointments of Priors or Masters to the Hospital in the fourteenth century are extracted from the Episcopal Registers at Salisbury : — " 13T4. May 3rd. John of Gloucester, Priest, was admitted to the custody and made Custodian of the Hospital of St. Bartho- lomew at Newbury, on the presentation of the Commonalty of that place." — Reg. Gandavo, p. 134. " 1333- Ju^y i6th. Richard Orsett, Priest, was admitted to the custody and made Custodian of the Hospital of Saint Bartho- lomew at Newbury, on the presentation of the Commonalty of that town." — Reg. Wyvill, ii. p. 22. " "^l)!)^- June 7th. John le Sone was admitted Custodian of the Hospital of Saint Bartholomew at Newbury, on the presenta- tion of the Commonalty of that town." — Reg. Wyvill, ii. p. 58. " 1348. May 22nd. Thomas, the son of Henry, the Vicar of Aldermanston, was admitted Custodian of the Hospital of Saint Bartholomew at Newbury, on the resignation of John le Sone, on Thomas le Seler, one of the jurors 1301 (see p. 135) ; as also William Puperd and Nicholas de Everyngton. John le Cur was probably a relative of Robert and Simon le Cour, in the same document. Curr is a name still to be found in Newbury. Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. 163 the presentation of the Commonalty of that town." — Reg. Wyvill, ii. p. 184. " 1354- John Hume of Ffilkyncham (? FilHngham, co. Lin- coln), was admitted to the custody of the Priory of Saint Bartho- lomew at Newbury, and instituted Custodian or Prior, on presen- tation of the Commonalty of the town." — Reg. Wyvill, ii. p. 270. " 1362. May 6th. Michael Laweles, Priest, was admitted to the custody of the Hospital of Newbury, on the presentation of the Commonalty of the town, though on Inquisition the right was found to have lapsed to the Bishop."^ — Reg. Wyvill, ii. p. 296. " 1381. June 22nd. Henry Pake, Priest, was admitted Cus- todian of the Hospital of Saint Bartholomew at Newbury, after the resignation of Stephen the last Custodian, on the presenta- tion of the Commonalty of the town." — Reg. Ergham, p. 42. The institution of Prior Stephen is not recorded. " 1384. February 25th. Thomas Whyston, Rector of Hanyng- ton in the Diocese of Lincoln, was admitted Custodian of the Hospital of Saint Bartholomew at Newbury, in exchange of Bene- fice with Henry Pake." — Reg. Ergham, p. 66. Hannington, near Wellingborough, Northampton, now in the Diocese of Peterborough, is apparently the place referred to. The Bishoprics of Peterborough and Oxford were taken out of the Diocese of Lincoln, temp. King Henry VIIL "1385. December 5th. Henry Hales, Rector of Castle- ford in the Diocese of York, was admitted Custodian of the Hos- pital of Saint Bartholomew at Newbury, on the presentation of the Commonalty of the town in exchange of Benefice with Thomas Whyston." — Reg. Ergham, p. 71. " 1391. July 14th. Roger Russell, Priest, was instituted to the Chapel of Saint Bartholomew of Newbury, on the presenta- tion of the Commonalty of the town." — Reg. Waltham, p. 45. The "Troyte de Neubury" in the Fourteenth Century. There is preserved in the Douce Collection in the Bod- leian Library a MS.^ evidently temp. Edward IL (1307 — >■ Bodl. Lib. MS. Douce, No. 98. Printed in the Gentleman's Mag., vol. ccxii., Jan., 1862. M 2 164 Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. 1327), which, besides various tables relating to the Eccle- siastical and Civil divisions of the country, and other similar matters, contains a list of over 100 towns with the affix of what they were celebrated for. We find Newbury mentioned among the following group : — Symonels da Wycombe. Wastel de Hungerford. Troyte de Neubury. Coverchef de Schaftesbury. Wymple de Lewes. The question is what was Newbury celebrated for in Edward II.'s reign .■' At first sight it might naturally be supposed that the Kennet trout'^, "pink as salmon and game as pheasants," for which Newbury is justly famous are alluded to. But it may be noted that a few lines further back the reference to places remarkable for fish are all carefully grouped together. The writer is, how- ever, not very methodical. He has given the plains of Salisbury, the Close (encloystr) of Lichfield, and then proceeds with the Yarmouth herrings, Winchelsea plaice, and Rye " merlings," &c., down to Bedford " ruffs." Then comes the Chelmsford (or possibly Kempsford) trespas ; this is quite bafiling, but Wycombe " symonels," i. e. simnels, a cake or bun made of fine or the best flour, and Hungerford "wastels," i.e. a httle cake made of the second best quality of flour, can be readily understood ". Then comes the crux of the Newbury " Troyte," the Shaftes- bury " Coverchef," and the Lewes " Wymple," followed by the Shrewsbury " Pelerine" (which is thought may be a tip- pet, the French word being still in use), and the Tilbury " Passage," which may refer to the ferry at that place. From the juxtaposition of the word "Troyte" to the " Coverchef," it was suggested by Mr. Thomas Wright that it referred to some kind of cloth ; but no word of the kind ' Diicange gives both troita and troite as used for trout in medieval documents. " The best quality of flour or bread being termed Simnel, the second best Wastelle, and the third Cocket (Cacholicon AngUcum), or, as we say now, "Firsts," "Seconds," and "Households." Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. 165 seems to have been discovered. It is just possible, however, finding as we do the particular speciality for which New- bury was then known, following the cakes of Wycombe and Hungerford, that the word may be read as signifying Trozvtt, a rustic word still in use signifying curds taken off the whey when it is boiled, in some places called trotters (Ray's Glossary). At the present day there is a favourite kind of custard made in Newbury which the country people call " Cow-pudding," which may be a survival of the trowtt or custard of the fourteenth century. Speaking of custards in connection with Newbury, in the Bagford Ballads, part iv. pp. 861—867, there is given a ditty from an Ashmolean broadside, printed for Charles Corbet, 1684, headed "Strange and Wonderful News from Newberry: concerning a youth that was choak'd by eating of Cus- tard," to the tune of Chevy Chase. It begins — " Let Totnam Court and Islington, and Paddingdon also, Attend with Lamentation unto a tale of Woe." The subject is also treated in the Bagford Collection (iii. 91), under the title of "A Ballad on the most Re- nowned Shuff of Newberry," to the same tune. There are two remarkable woodcuts, one shewing Shuff eating the custard, and the other representing the "Crowner's Crest" on him — the only picture of the sort Mr. Ebsworth (the Editor of the Bagford Ballads) says is known to him, and both evidently drawn for the purpose ; the coroner being in his academic square-cap and gown (he was " her Majesty's Almoner at Christ Church, Oxford"). The ballad runs : — " In bloody Town of Newberry There liv'd and dy'd a Blockhead, Of whom i'm sure you ne'er had heard If he had not been choakfed. The adjacent Burrough call'd him Shicff, Of State not very thriving. Since the same thing which made him dye Is that which keeps us living. 1 66 Newbury in the Fourteenth Century. He Custard on a Wager eate, And so did cram his wizand, That though he put it in, he could Not pluck it out with his hand. Innocent Meat did fatal prove Eate ready without knife ; Down on the ground he groveling fell, And Custard strove with life." There are five other verses, the last concludes : — " Now Londo7iers O pray beware. Eke Alderman and Mayor, What danger may in Capon prove If Custard prove man-slayer." The name of Shufif was well known in Newbury in the seventeenth century, and is still represented. In the parish register of burials there is the following entry under the year 1664: — " William Shuff was Buried May: the 21"'." And in 1684: — " The Widow ShufF was buried May ye 24*." Whether the custard of the Ballad was of the same kind as the " troutt," or " trotters," it is impossible to say ; but judging from the expression " Innocent Meat," the delicacy appears to have contained something more solid than milk and eggs. CHAPTER IX. IRewburs in tbe 3Fifteentb Centurg. The Manorial History. — Property in Newbury held by Fulke Arches and William la Zouche of Haryngworth in Newbury. — Edmund Mortimei the fifth Earl of March, holds Newbury. — Pedigree of Mortimer of Wig- more. — The Lordship of Newbury granted by Letters Patent to Cecily, Duchess of York, mother of King Edward IV., A.D. 1461. — Later refer- ences to tenements held in fee of the Duchess of York. — Property in New- bury granted to Sir Thomas Herbert in 1466 ; which on the death of his son reverted to the Crown. Incidents connected with Newbury. — The Bailiffs of the Town of Newbury, 1400 — 1470. — Priors of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. — John Chelry's gift to the Church of Newbury, 1428. — A hostelry established by Winchester College at Newbury in 1444. — The Rising at Newbury, 1460. — The Insurrection of the Duke of Buckingham, 1483. PASSING on to the fifteenth century, we find in the Enrolled Escheator's Accounts for various counties, 9-10 Henry IV., 1408, the account of Robert James, Escheator in the counties of Oxon and Berks, referring to certain property in Newbury belonging to Fulke Arches, the Fulco de Archiaco and D'Arches of earlier documents, whose descendants were for a considerable period settled in Berkshire and the adjoining county of Buckingham- shire. The manor of Arches in East Hendred acquired its name from this family, one of whom, William de Arches, became its owner, by his marriage with Amice, daughter of Sir Richard de Turberville. Four generations of the Arches held this manor. Ethorpe, in the parish of Wad- desdon, Bucks, was. the manor and seat of the Arches as early as the year 1309. John Arches was one of the knights of the shire for Berks in the Parliament of 3 Henry IV. (1402), and by a coincidence his colleague was Robert James, the escheator above mentioned. From this enquiry before the escheator it would appear that Fulke Arches was entitled to I2d., issues of an eighth and a twelfth part of a mill in Newbury, remaining in the 1 68 Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. King's hand, because Fulke did not set forth his right therein ; also, to y. 4^., the issues of a house built without the King's license by John Redhead, of Hungerford, in the King's highway in Newbury ; and 6s. M. from a house built in the King's highway of Newbury by Henry Smyth, to the annoyance of neighbours and passers-by". The same Robert James, Escheator, also renders account for 30J., issues of the Manor of Newbury, which John Level, Chevalier, deceased, held at the time of his death, as of the honour of Worcester by knight's service; the reversion thereof after his death going to the Earl of March, in ward to the King, by reason of minority, and which was estimated to be worth £6 per annum, as con- tained in transcript of an inquisition and extent'' thereof made and returned into Chancery, viz. from Sept. 10, 9 Hen. IV. (1408), on which day John Lovel died, the said escheator having taken the manor into the King's hand, up to November 9 following, i.e. for ninety-one days, according to the rate of the value, for the said time, as contained in the roll of particulars delivered to the Treasury ''- On May 15, 4 Hen. V., 1416, an Inquisitio post mortem was taken at Newbury before Thomas Bekyngham, Eschea- tor, concerning the estate of William la Zouche, of Haryng- worth. Chevalier, when the jurors say that the said William held 40J. rent in Newbury, received from certain lands and tenements ; which rent was held of the King, but by what services is not known. He died on the Feast of All Saints last (November i), 141 5 ; and William la Zouche, his son and next heir, was then aged fourteen years ^. Elizabeth, widow of William la Zouche, Knt., survived her husband until 1425 ; and an Inquisition taken at Abingdon, co. Berks, January 23, 4 Hen. VI. (1425-6), before John Danvers, Escheator, furnishes us with the ■ Enrolled Escheator's Accounts, 9-10 Hen. IV., m. 48. '' Extent is the estimate or value of lands, which, when put at their utmost value, are said to be to the full extent ; whence comes our extended rents, or rack-rents. ■= Enrolled Escheator's Accounts, 9-10 Hen. IV., m. 48. •^ Chanc. Inq. p. m., 3 Hen. V., No. 46. Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. 169 following information respecting property she held in Newbury. " Elizabeth, who was wife of William la Zouche, Chevalier, deceased, held in dower, of the inheritance of William la Zouche, Chevalier (the son), 26^-. 8^. going out of divers tenements in Newbury and paid at Michaelmas and Easter equall)', held of the King in socage by fealty for all service. "The said Elizabeth died'on the feast of Saint Hugh, Bishop, last past (Nov. 17th, 1425). She held no other lands or tene- ments in dower in the said county <=." We have seen from the preceding escheator's account that at the date of the death of Sir John Lovel, to whom the Manor of Newbury had been demised for life by Edmund Mortimer, third Earl of March, the manor was in the King's hand by reason of the minority of Ed- mund, eldest son and heir of Roger Mortimer, who suc- ceeded his father, and was the fifth and last Earl of March. He married Anne, daughter of Edmund, Earl of Stafford, but died s. p. January 19, 3 Hen. VI., 1424-5, being then about twenty- four years old. Whereupon, as is shewn by the following Inquisition, Richard, Duke of York, son of Anne, Countess of Cambridge, became his heir ; and here ended the male line of the family of Mortimer, Earl of March, but whose heir female car- ried all the great estates, and the best title to the throne, to the said Richard, Duke of York, whose son and heir, Edward, became afterwards King of England, by the title of Edward IV. And thus the castle of Wigmore, with the vast possessions and the honours of the house of Mortimer, merged in the Crown. "At an Inquisition taken at Reading on Wednesday next after the Feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist, in the fourth year of the reign of King Henry the Sixth, before John Danvers, Escheator of the Lord the King in the County of Berks, the jurors say upon their Oath that Edmund, late Earl of March, in the said Writ named, held on the day on which he died of the Lord the King in chief of his demesne, as of Fee by Knight's Service, ;^4 (>s. 8d. of Rents of Assize in Newebury, payable yearly at ■= Chanc. Inq. p. m., 4 Hen. VI., No. 7. 170 Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. the Feasts of Saint Michael and Easter by equal portions, with views of Frank Pledge of Newbury, which are worth yearly beyond Reprises £a„ and the Profits of the third part of the Toll of the Market there, which are worth yearly 6x. ?>d., and thereof died seized ; which said Rents and Issues and Amerciaments, Views of Frank Pledge, with the Toll in Newbury, Roger Wynter, by virtue of Letters Patent of the said Lord the King, hath received and had from the time of the death of the afore- said Edmund, late Earl of March, until the day of the taking of this Inquisition. And they say that the aforesaid Edmund, late Earl of March, in the said Writ named, died on Friday, the nineteenth day of the month of January last past. And that Richard, Duke of ^York, is his cousin and next heir, to wit, the son of Anne, the sister of the aforesaid Edmund, late Earl of March, and is of the age of fourteen years and upwards. In Witness whereof the jurors aforesaid have to this Inquisition affixed their seals. Dated the day, place, and year abovesaid '." By another Inquisition, taken in the county of Sussex, the earl's heirs are proved to be : — Richard, Duke of York, son of Anne, one of the earl's sisters, and daughter of Alianor, late Countess of March. Joan (Johanna), wife of John Grey, another sister of the earl, and daughter of the said Alianor. Joyce (Jocosa), wife of John Tiptoft, third sister of the earl, and daughter of Alianor. Richard, Duke of York, is here said to have been thirteen on the Feast of St. Matthew last (September 21, 1424); Joan Grey, now twenty- four; and Joyce, now twenty-one years old s. The Inquisition for Berkshire is not found in the Bundle of Inquisitions taken after the death of Anne, widow of Edmund, Earl of March. It seems that she held in dower (from the entry in the Calendar, vol. iv. 141) £\6s. 8d. rent of assize and profit of market-toll in Neweburye. She died on Wednesday before Michaelmas Day, 1 1 Hen. VI. (Sept. 24, 1432), leaving as her heirs : — Richard, Duke of York, aged 21; Joyce Tiptoft, aged 30; and Henry Grey, aged 13 (or 14)^ ' Chanc. Inq. p. m., 3 Hen. VI., No. 32 (1st part). e Ibid., July 6, 3 Hen. VI., 1425. " Ibid., II Hen. VI., No. 39. Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. \n PEDIGREE OF MORTIMER OF WIGMORE, So FAR AS ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE DESCENT OF THE Manor of Newbury. Ralph Mortimer, 5th Lord of Wig- = Gladeuse, da. of Llewellyn, more (by Tenure), d. Aug. 6, 1246. I Pr. of Wales. I I Roger de Morti- = Matilda, da. and coheir of William Hugh Mortimer mer, d. Oct. 27, 1282. de Braose of Brecknock, by his wife Eva, da. of William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, d. 1301. of Chelmark, d. 1273. . I I William =Havise, only da. and Edmund Mortimer, 1st = Margaret, d. Mortimer, d. 1297. heir of Robert de Mu- cegros. She after- wards married John de Ferrers. Baron Mortimer of Wigmore (by Writ), b. on or before 1255, d. 1303. of Sir Wm. de Fendles (a Span- lard). I Roger Mortimer, b. April = Joan, da. and heir of Isoida. = (l) Walter de 25, 1287, created Earl of March in 1328, executed Nov. 29, 1330. Sir Peter de Gene- ville, b. Feb. 2, 1286, d. 1356. Balun. (2) Hugh de Audley. Edmund Mortimer, = Elizabeth, da. and coheir of Bartho- d. Dec, 1331. I lomew, Lord Badlesmere. Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March, = Philippa, da. of William de b. 1328, obtained the reversal of his grandfather's Attainder in 1352, d. Feb. 26, 1360. Montacute, Earl of Salis- bury, d. Jan. 3, 1382. Roger, ob. Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl = Philippa, da. and heir of Lionel vi. pat. of March and Ulster, d. Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, Dec. 27, 1381. 3rd son of Edw. III. Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, = Alianor, da. of Thomas Holland, slain at Kenles in Ireland, 1398. I Earl of Kent. Edmund Mortimer, 5th = Anne, da. of Edmund, Anne Mor- = Richard, Earl Earl of March, Jan. 19, 1424-5. Earl of Stafford, d. 1433- timer. of Cam- bridge, be- headed 1415. Richard, Duke of York, Protectory Cecily, da. of Ralph Nevill, Earl of England, slain at Wakefield, 1460. of Westmoreland, d. 1495. Edward, who ascended the throne as 4th of the name, whereby the Manor of Newbury came to the Crown. 172 Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. Upon the death of Edmund Mortimer, the last Earl of March, the estates of the Mortimers, including the Manor of Newbury, devolved upon his nephew, Richard Planta- genet, Duke of York, as being son and heir of Richard Plantagenet, Earl of Cambridge, and Anne Mortimer his wife, daughter and sole heir of Roger Mortimer, fourth Earl of March, son and heir of Edmund Mortimer, third Earl of March, and Philippa, the sole daughter and heir of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, the second son of Edward III., and elder brother of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, father of Henry IV. Henry IV., eldest son of John of Gaunt, third son of Edward III., having deposed his cousin, Richard II., in 1399, in prejudice to the Duke of York, descended from Lionel, the second son of Edward III., this usurpation gave rise to the disastrous civil war between the Houses of York and Lancaster, familiarly known as " The Wars of the Roses," in which above 100,000 men perished, and many of the noblest families were either extinguished or ruined. Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York, Regent of France, and Protector of England, was slain at the battle of Wake- field in 1460, and left with other issue a son, Edward Plantagenet, who ascended the throne as King Edward IV., March 4, 146 1, when this dukedom and its estates became vested in the Crown. Hence from this time Newbury became a royal manor. By Letters Patent, King Edward IV. granted to his mother, Cecily, Duchess of York, for the term of her life, certain Honors, Lordships, Manors, &c., in England, to the value of five thousand marks yearly, in full recom- pense of her jointure and dower. Among these is the Manor and Lordship of Newbury, with the borough of Newbury and appurtenances. To have, hold, and receive from the last day but one of (30th) December last (1460), on which day the King's father died, for her life, with knights' fees, advowsons of churches, &c. This grant is dated at Westminster, June i, 1461*. ' Patent Roll, i Edw. IV., pt. 4, m. i, Add. MS. 6693, p. 59 (Newbury). Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. 173 On October 20, 8 Edw. IV., I46S, an Inquisition was taken at Chepynge Ildesle (East, or Market Ilsley), on the death of William Wetenhale, in which it appears that he held in fee a messuage or burgage in the town of New- bury, called the George of the hoope (le George de la hoope), of the Duchess of York, in socage or burgage, by fealty for all services, which was worth per annum in all issues beyond reprises 40 shillings. Wetenhale died June 4, 1468 ; and William Wetenhale, his son and heir, was then aged one year and not moreJ. By another Inquisition taken at the Guildhall of the City of London, August 2, 8 Edw. IV., 1468, it appears that William Wetenhale, citizen and grocer of London, was father of the William Wetenhale now deceased, whose wife was Margaret, by whom he left a son and heir, Wil- liam, then aged 38 weeks and 6 days. The father (grocer) made his will Feb. 14, 1455-6, which was enrolled in the Hustings of the City of London afterwards. In an Inquisitio post mortem taken at Windsor Dec. 5, II Edw. IV., 1471, before Thomas Fowler, Escheator, it is stated that Thomas Roger was seized in fee of eight pounds rent, five tenements, and certain lands in Newbury, which he held of Cecily, Duchess of York, mother of the then King, but by what service the jury could not say. Each of the said tenements, with land, were worth per annum (clear) twenty pence. The said Thomas Roger died Aug. 31, 1471, seized in fee of the Manor of Benham -Valence, &c., and Thomas Roger, his son and heir, was then aged 16 years and a half. On November 4, 1476, an Inquisition probatio etatis, or proof of age of Thomas, son and heir of Thomas Roger, was taken at Spene before William Rainsford, Esq., Escheator, when it was proved that he was born at Benham -Valence, in the parish of Spene, June 30^ 33 Hen. VI., 1455, and baptized in the church at Spene on the same day. i Chanc. Inq. p. m., 8 Edw. IV., No. 47. 174 Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. Among the witnesses are : — Thomas Walrond, of Newburj', clothyer, aged 46. William Hopkins, of Newbury, clothyer, aged 50. The latter bought wool of the father (Tho. Roger) for ;^30; the latter sold him cloth, &c., on the same day (June 30) of the baptism. The next document relating to the manor is a grant to Sir Thomas Herbert, on the Roll of Letters Patent of the fifth year of King Edward IV. (1466), as fol- lows : — " For Thomas Herbert the elder. " The King to all to whom, &c. Know ye that of our especial grace and in consideration of the good, gratuitous and laudable Service which our trusty and beloved Servant Thomas Herbert the elder, one of the Esquires for our body, hath many times done unto us. We have given and granted and by these presents do give and grant, to the said Thomas the Manor of Harscombe, &c., ten pounds ten shillings and eight pence of Rent with the Appurts in Nubury in the County of Berks. And also the third part of all Fines and Amerciaments of the Profits and Com- modities arising from all the Courts Baron in Neubury aforesaid from three weeks to three weeks yearly to be holden. And Also the third part of the Tolls and of all the Profits of one Fair in Neubury aforesaid, to be yearly holden on the Eve of the Feast of Corpus Christi and on the same Feast and for two days thence next following. And the third part of one other Fair to be there holden yearly on the Eve of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist and on the day of the same Feast and for two days thence next following. And also the third part of the Tolls and of all the profits of the Market to be there holden every Thursday in every week throughout the year. Which premises late were the property of William Mule, otherwise called Mill Knight, and which by reason of the forfeiture of the same William and by virtue of a certain Act of Forfeiture enacted in our Parliament holden at Westminster the fourth day of November in the first year of our reign came or ought to have come to our hands. To have and to hold all the aforesaid Premises to the said Thomas Herbert and his heirs male of his Body lawfully begotten of us and our heirs by the Services of as many Knights' Fees, and as Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. i/S many and other large Rents and Services whereby before the first day of March in the first year of our reign they were seve- rally holden of our Progenitors or any of them or of any other person or persons whomsoever, together with all Farms, Rents, Issues, Profits and Revenues renewing or encreasing from all and singular the Premises from the fourth day of March in the first year of our reign until the day of this our present Grant, and which ought in any way to pertain to us if this our present Grant had not been made. Although express mention of the true annual value or of any other value of the Premises or of any Parcel thereof, or of any other Gifts and Grants by us or any of our Progenitors or Predecessors to the said Thomas Herbert heretofore made in these presents be not made, or any Statute, Act, Ordinance or Restriction heretofore enacted or provided in any wise notwithstanding. " In Witness, &c. Witness the King at Westminster the 5th day of March. " By Writ of Privy Seal and of the Date, &c.'"' " At an Inquisition taken at Wallingford the 4th day of No- vember in the i4thyearof the reign of King Edward the 4th (1474), before Richard Chamberlain, Esquire, Escheator of the County, the Jury, after reciting the above grant to Sir Thomas Herbert, state that on his death the aforesaid Tenements with the appurts descended to Thomas Herbert the younger as Son and Heir of Thomas Herbert the elder. And the same Thomas the Son, after the death of the aforesaid Thomas his Father, entered into the aforesaid Tenements with the Appurts, and was therefore seized in his Demesne as of fee bail by form of the Gift aforesaid, and died without heir male of his Body issuing, to wit, on the seventh day of September in the said fourteenth year. And be- cause the aforesaid Thomas Herbert the elder had no issue male except the said Thomas Herbert his only Son, who died without male heir of his Body issuing as aforesaid. Therefore the afore- said tenements with the appurts aforesaid ought to revert to the said Lord the now King by form of the Gift aforesaid '." * Letters Patent, 5 Edward IV., part I. ' Chanc. Inq. p. m., 14 Edw. IV., No. 45. 1/6 Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. INCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH NEWBURY. The Bailiffs of the Town of Newbury. The municipal government of Newbury before its in- corporation appears to have been in the hands of a small body of " ballivi " or bailiffs, and constables, who were elected annually, probably on or about St. John the Bap- tist's Day. The names of many of them have been pre- served, through the circumstance of it having been a com- mon, but by no means universal, practice for them to act as attesting witnesses of the feoffments of the townspeople. The first instance among the records of Winchester Col- lege of a Charter so attested is of the year 22 Richard II. (1399)1 when the following names of BaiHffs are given : — 1399- John Southton, Reginald Champ, William Purye, William Bavell, William Attehome, and Roger Smyth. The following are the names of Bailiffs in several sub- sequent years : — 1400. John Southton, Ralph Champ, William Gay, Roger Smyth, William Home {sic), and John South. 142 1. Henry Hulle, John Takener, Thomas Wantynge, William Gay, Robert Crook, Henry Barbour. 1422. John Hurlok™, John Cocrum, Robert Hartrych, John Chadelworth, Nicholas Messager, Peter Greete, and William Brykefeld, Chadelworth and Messager being also Constables. 1423. John Hurlok, Henry Huntingdon, John Chelry, Henry Hulle, Thomas Kentebury, John Skynner, and Vincent Waldry. 1428. John Benet, Robert Crooke, John Crooke, John Haddam, Nicholas Spenser, Vincent Waldry, John Eaton, and John Swyfte. 1429. John Hurlok, John Chelry, Thomas Kentebury, John Mulward, John Lamborne, William Brykevile {sic), Peter Greete, John Grenehull, and Richard Dykyll. 1430. John Hurlok, John Benet, Henry Berksdale, ■^ W. Horlok was Rector of Shaw between 1412 and 1447. He died in 1447. ^ ^' Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. 177 Robert Crook, Nicholas Iveryngton, John Graybrok, and Nicholas Dykyll. 1432. John Hurlok, John Chelrey, John Benet, John Chadelworthe, Robert Crook, Robert Brockhampton, and John Gore. The following names of the Commonalty of the town are given in the Acts of Institution to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, Newbury, in the Episcopal Registers of Salis- bury : — 1443 (August 16). John Bennet, Thomas Cutteler, Robert Crook, John Crook, John Chyppes, John Bedford, Richard Aubrye, William Lamborne, John Farlegh, Henry Babar, John Hadham, Nicholas Spencer. 145 1 (January 21). Richard Aubrey, John Eyre, Robert Crook, John Crook, William Lamborn, John Dogett, John Chyppes, Thomas Godard, John Bedford, Henry Worme- stall, John Haddon, Nicholas Spencer. 1470 (August 4). Robert Harre, John Bedford, John Croke, sen., Thomas Grene, Roger Carpenter, Nicholas Sern, Nicholas Lamborn, Thomas Godard, Thomas Love, John Gyfford, Stephen Wyard, Robert Catelyn, William Bernard. St. Bartholomew's Hospital. This Hospital, of which the early history has been already referred to under Chapter VH. (p. 130), and again- in Chapter VHI. (p. 160), seems to have gone steadily on with its work during this century. There can be little doubt that the Hospital was a foun- dation under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of the Diocese, for the sustenance and support of certain infirm people provided for in small dwellings adjacent to the house of the prior, master, custodian, or governor, as the chief of the Hospital was variously called, with a chapel annexed, and a cemetery or burial-ground attached thereto, the chapel being quite separate and distinct from the parochial church. Yet the institution could scarcely be considered "a re- ligious house " in the strict meaning of the term. The patronage of the Hospital and appointment of the prior N 178 Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. or master, who was invariably in priest's orders, appear to have been vested in the Commonalty or governing body of the town, from the date of the earliest institution re- corded in the Diocesan registers, and probably from the time of its foundation, by whom the priest nominated was presented to the Bishop of the Diocese, who upon exam- ination admitted him to the office. We are able from the Diocesan Register preserved at Salisbury to give a list of the several Priors, Chaplains, or Wardens in this century : — " 1402. April loth. Thomas Pale, Priest, was admitted to the Hospital of St. Bartholomew of Newbury on the presentation of the Commonalty of that, town." — Reg. Medford, p. 76. " 1438. February 27th. William Baker, Chaplain, was ad- mitted to the custody of the Hospital of St. Bartholomew at Newbury, vacant by the death of Thomas Pale, on the presenta- tion of the Commonalty of the town." — Reg. Aiscough, p. 10. " 1441. August 22nd. WiUiam Hutchyns was admitted to the custody of the Priory of Saint Bartholomew at Newbury, vacant by the death of William Lee ", the last Custodian, on the presentation of the Commonalty of the town." — Reg. Aiscough, P- 39- " 1443. August 1 6th. John Bradstone was admitted to the custody of the Chapel, Priory, or Hospital of Saint Bartholomew at Newbury, on the resignation of William Hutchyns, presented by the Commonalty of the town, whose names are given." — Reg. Aiscough, p. 6r. "145 1. January 2 ist. William Mayhew was admitted to the custody of the Hospital of St. Bartholomew, at Newbury, after the resignation of John Bradstone, on the presentation of the Com- monalty of the town, whose twelve names are given." — Reg. Beauchamp, p. 2. An Institution to the Hospital occurring at this time is mentioned in the Index, but leaf 3 of the Beauchamp Register is lost. " 1459. February 9th. "William Belyngham, Priest, was collated to the Hospital of Saint Bartholomew at Newbury, the Patronage having fallen to the Bishop from the lapse of six months ° The admission of William Lee is not recorded. Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. 179 after the resignation of Robert Bryteyn, the last Custodian or Rector." — Reg. Beauchamp, p. 73. " 1470. August 4th. William Bray, Chaplain, was admitted to the custody of the Hospital of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle in Newbury, on the presentation of the Commonalty of the town, whose fourteen names are given." — Reg. Beauchamp, p. 154. John Chelry's Gift to the Church of Newbury. John Smyth of Chelry (Childrey"), commonly called John Chelry, the same, perhaps, who was one of the bailiffs of Newbury for several years, purchased of William Darell? one messuage and six acres of land in " Neughbury and Endeberne" in 6 Henry VI. (1428) at the price of ten silver marks, and a fine thereof was levied in the Octave of St. Martin in that year between the said John Smyth and wife, plaintiffs, and William Darell and wife, deforciants. Chelry made his will on May 14, 1438, which was proved on June 27 following, before the official of the Archdeacon of Berks. According to the probate copy preserved in the muniment-room of Winchester College, after giving his soul to Him who gave it, and his body to be buried in the graveyard {cimeteriam) of the parish church of Newbury, Chelry bequeathed 2>d. to the Cathedral Church of Sarum, the diocese to which Newbury at that time belonged, and then directed that all his lands and tenements in Newbury should be sold, and that out of the proceeds of the sale ° The village of Childrey lies three miles west of Wantage. The name has been spelt at different times, Celrea, Chilree, Cheldrey, Chelreth, Chelree, Chelry, Cilree, and Chilrey. The Chelrys long possessed estates in this vil- lage and in other places in Berkshire, which county more than one member of the family represented in Parliament. Henry de Chelry was Sheriff of Berks and Oxon in 1336, and Thomas Chelry was Steward of the lands of the Bishopric of Winchester, temp. William of Wykeham, and one of that pre- late's executors. ' This William Darell was a younger son of Sir William Darell of Sesay, CO. York, who, by marriage with Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Thomas Calston of Littlecote, by Joan, daughter and coheir of Thomas Chelry, be- came the ancestor of the Darells of Littlecote and of West Woodhay. He filled the office of Sub-Treasurer of England, 14 Richard II., and was Sheriff of Wilts 8 & 9 Henry V. and 6 Henry VI. A large Purbeck tomb in the Darell chapel in Ramsbury Church is attributed to this William Darell and his lady, whose effigies it once contained. The manor of Balsdon, and other estates in Kint bury, West Woodhay, &c., came to the Darells from the Chelrys, by whom they were, apparently, acquired by purchase in 38 Edward III., 1361. N 2 i8o Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. certain other endowments should be provided, the details of which will be found in a later chapter, under the ac- count of the Church. Litigation ensued, and depositions were made, of a kind which would be inadmissible at the present day, express- ing the opinions of two deponents as to what the intentions of the testator were when he was making his will. It would seem that, whereas the testator meant his widow to have his property after his death (for that is the meaning of the word ' reversyon ' in the deposition) subject to her making cer- tain payments to the churchwardens, &c., the unskilful clerk who drew the will so framed it as to exclude her. But from one of the depositions, that of John Barkesdale, of Speen, who says that the testator enfeoffed him and others of all his property in the town and fields of Newbury and Emborne upon condition of delivering possession of it to the widow (who had in the meantime became the wife of John Chyppes of Newbury, a bailiff of the town in 145 1), upon her paying the twenty marks to the testator's daugh- ters, and finding the priest or priests to sing the masses, we think we may infer that, possession being nine points at least of the law in those days, the widow got what her husband meant her to have, although he did not say so. A Hostelry established by Winchester College AT Newbury, 1444. The ancient foundation of the College of St. Mary, Winchester, acquired in the fifteenth century two small properties in the town of Newbury, probably for conveni- ence' sake, Newbury being the usual resting-place for travellers on the road between Winchester and Oxford, and the connection between the two, St. Mary's College of Winchester and Oxford (New College), being so very intimate. Relating to one of these properties, a double tenement on the west side of Bartholomew-street (now Nos. 25 and 26), the College has a series of deeds, the earliest in date being a feoffment by one Richard le Farou in 24 Edward Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. i8i ^I^' ("SSi)- This surname occurs several times in deeds of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries dealing with pro- perty at Newbury, and in its modern form of Farrow was a well-known one in Newbury not many years ago "i. In 22 Richard II. (1399) Thomas Fisshe and Maud his wife enfeoffed Robert Deneman. The property was Fisshe's own, but it was necessary that his wife should concur in order to release her dower. It is described as a messuage with a garden at Rockingham '' in West-street, situate be- tween the tenements of John Eryot on the south, and of Richard Bussard on the north, and abutting on the King's highway on the east, and on Parker's Lane on the west. The King's highway was of course the West-street, or Bar- tholomew-street as it is now called, from the Priory of St. Bartholomew that stood in it. Richard Bussard's tenement belonged to the Priory. It is now the " Tiger " beerhouse, a well-known lodging-house for travellers. After passing through a variety of hands this property was sold by one Rype, in 32 Henry VI. (1444), to Winchester College ^ The other property, consisting of a messuage on the west side of Northbrook-street (now No. 87, occupied by Mr. Packer), together with two lugo (laga, 'lug,' is still used to denote a pole or perch) of land, belonged to Roger Lovekyn, temp. Edward I. His executors, who were John Wyke, Rector of Burghclere, and John Strockon, Chaplain of Newbury, enfeoffed Roger Smyth and Ana- stasia his wife, and she, surviving her husband, enfeoffed John Sybford of Donnington, 2 Henry VI. (1414). Thomas 1 It has been seen (p. 116) that the name of Matilda Farou occurs in a chronicle of the thirteenth century as having been cured " of an almost fatal dropsy" by a fillet which had been measured round the corpse of Simon de Montfort. The name is very frequently mentioned in the records of the town, and a descendant of this ancient line, Mr. Edward Lawrence Farrow, was Mayor of Newbury in 1847. Misfortune, however, attended him in his later days, and he died a few years since in one of Kimber's almshouses. ' Rockingham : the old name of the lane leading from West Mills to West Fields, at the rear of the property described. * We have here a singular survival of the original purpose to which this house was applied, " The Tiger " time out of mind being a noted lodging- house for "travellers," but of a very different grade to those who were con- nected with Winchester and Oxford. The present proprietor informs the writer that such is the fame of " The Tiger," that it is known in all parts of the world ! 1 82 Newbury in the Fifteenth Century, Bladen, of Kingsclere, was afterwards owner, and he de- mised the house to John Bedford for twenty-one years at the rent of 26s. per annum in 3 Richard III. (1485)- Bla- den's son and heir conveyed the house to feoffees, who enfeoffed Peter, Bishop of Winchester, John, Bishop of Lincoln, Sir John Dynham, Lord High Treasurer, John Kyngesmill, William Tycheborne, John White, Thomas Assheborne, and John Jackys to the use of the College of St. Mary, Winchester. Since then it has been let on lease. A messuage in Chepyngstrete with a curtilage in Nyue- londe (Newland) belonged to Thomas le Farou in 1328, when he settled it on his daughter Alice in marriage with John Smyth. In 15 Henry VI. (1427) this property be- longed to Thomas Marshal and Agatha his wife, of Green- ham. They sold it to Stephen Wyard and others in 1455. It descended to Richard, Stephen Wyard's son, who was admitted a Scholar of Winchester College in 1460, and dying a Fellow of New College in 1478 was buried in the chapel of that foundation. By his will, dated at Oxford on August 4, 1478, he gave four pence to each light of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the chapel of New College, and devised his messuage in Northbrook-street, Newbury, with six acres in the West Field, at a spot called Barensoyle, to Walter Hyll and Gerard Mason, clerks, to the use of New College. The Rising at Newbury, 1460. During the Wars of the Roses, or the struggle between the Houses of Lancaster and York, a period of history which has found an unrivalled interpreter in our great dramatic poet Shakespeare, the town of Newbury was the scene of important transactions, and its inhabitants were conspicuous for the part they played in support of what they considered the rightful cause. At that time the Earl of March, the grandson of Lionel, was in reality the legal heir of Richard if he left no issue ; and during his life was so declared by Parliament, and as such was designated to the throne. But the great ecclesiastical and other sup- Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. 183 porters of Henry IV. succeeded in setting aside the rights of the Earl of March, and in transmitting the Crown to Henry. This violation of its legal and legitimate claims was not forgiven or forgotten by the Mortimers. It was to raise the Earl of March's son to the throne instead of Henry V., who had no hereditary title thereto, that the Earl of Cambridge entered into those plots for which he suffered. And in the beginning of Henry VI.'s reign another of the March family. Sir John Mortimer, asserting, at least in argument, its superior rights, was apprehended and executed. The Duke of York had therefore the actual right to the Crown, according to the English laws of real inheritance. But the House of Lancaster stood on the constitutional ground of parliamentary enactment. The spring of 1460 evinced to both parties that a tem- porary victory was not permanent success. The popular party in England was discovered to be unmistakably in favour of the noblemen in exile and the cause they espoused, and many friends flocking over to Calais to join them, active measures were taken by Warwick and his allies for the invasion of England. Warwick ventured to cross the Channel, to arrange with the Duke of York the plan of action, and returned to Calais, taking with him his mother, the proscribed Countess of Salisbury. These proceedings on the part of Warwick naturally gave some suspicion to the Queen and the ministers that there was some fresh design of invading England entertained by those of his party. In order to anticipate and, if possible, intimidate the authors of this enterprise, it was resolved, at a council held for the purpose, that strict search should be made in all the counties and towns in the kingdom for the ad- herents of the Duke of York, and that those who fa- voured him most, and were in a position to best serve his cause, should be immediately arrested. In pursuance of this resolution, James Butler, Earl of Wiltshire', Lord • James Butler, son and heir of James, fourth Earl of Ormond, created Earl of Wiltshire, July 8, 1449. Succeeded as fifth Earl of Ormond, in Ire- land, in 1452, Lord Treasurer, K.G. He was a staunch Lancastrian, and fought for the party at the first battle of St. Albans in 1455 ; also at the battle of Wakefield, and again at the battle of Mortimer's Cross. He ap- 1 84 Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. Scales ", and Lord Hungerford ''.were empowered by com- mission to discover and punish those that had been in arms against the King, or could be proved to be implicated in the conspiracy, but the circumstance is best explained in the words of a contemporary chronicler : — " 1460. In the mene tyme the erlle of Wylshire tresuer of Englond, the lorde Scales, and the lorde Hungreford, having the Kynges commyssyone went to the toune of Newbury, the whyche longed to the duk of York, and there made inquysycione of alle thayme that in any wyse had shewed any fauoure or benyuolence or frendshyppe to the sayde duk, or to any of hys : whereof some were found gylty, and were drawe, hanged, and quartered, and alle other inhabitantes of the forseyde toune were spoyled of alle theyxe goodes ■"." The three lords, as it will be seen, began to execute their Commission in Newbury, one of the towns which had most openly declared for the Duke, and had previously sup- ported his cause. In fact, it is very evident that the towns- people of Newbury had throughout the contest between the contending factions shewn a steady attachment to the House of York. As an indication of this, one of the quarters of Ramsey, a confederate of Jack Cade, who armed in favour of the Duke of York, " to punish evil ministers, and pro- cure a redress of grievances," was sent to Newbury, and exhibited to the public eye, as the result of treason and rebellion. But it appears to have had a contrary effect to that intended, and to have inflamed rather than to have discouraged the fiery spirits who were opposed to the obnoxious administration of the country. It is a remarkable circumstance that all the three lords who shewed such unpardonable inhumanity towards the poor inhabitants of Newbury came to an untimely end pears also to have been at the battle of Towton. After that battle he was captured by the Yorkists, and beheaded on the 1st of May, 1461, at New- castle. " Thomas, Lord Scales, above mentioned, was a commander of celeb- rity in the French wars, ob. 1460, s. p. m. Elizabeth, his sole daughter and heir, married 1st, Henry Kourchier, 2nd son of Henry, Earl of Essex ; and 2ndly, Anthony Woodville, son and heir of Richard, 1st Earl Rivers, who was summoned to Parliament as Lord Scales, ya?-^ uxoris, 2 Edw. IV., 1462. ' Robert, 3rd Baron Hungerford. Beheaded and attainted in 1463. ' "An English Chronicle from 1377 to 1461," p. 90. Cam. Soc, 1856. Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. 185 soon afterwards. The Earl of Wiltshire was taken prisoner at the battle of Towton, March 29, 1461, and beheaded. Lord Scales, having delivered up the Tower of London to the successful Yorkists, after their victory at North- ampton in July, 1460, was entering a small boat to escape to the Queen, when some watermen, part of Warwick's retainers, saw him, and inhumanly murdered him with their darts and daggers. " I saw him," says William of Worcester, " lying naked near the church porch, in the burying ground of St. Mary Overy, Southwark. He had been stripped of his clothes, but was buried honourably the same day by Edward and Warwick." Lord Hunger- ford was found in a wood the day after the battle of Hex- ham, May 8, 1464, in which the Yorkists were victorious, and being taken prisoner was beheaded the next day. The Insurrection of the Duke of Buckingham, 1483. Some twenty-three years after the rigorous proceedings of the Lancastrian Commissioners at Newbury the town was the scene of an armed insurrection, the object of its leaders being to bring, about the deposition of King Richard HL and the adoption of Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond, as their king. The usurpation of Richard by acts of bloodshed and violence was most repugnant to every principle of justice and public interest ; and it was inevitable that when he had attained the crown, feelings of antagonism should begin to shew themselves. His title was never acknow- ledged by any national assembly ; and to endure such a ruler was considered by all parties to bring discredit, if not disgrace, upon the nation. In London and the southern counties people began to be uneasy about the King's conduct to the two young princes, his nephews, with whose protection he had been intrusted, and who since the coronation had been withdrawn from public sight ; it being presumed that this would have prevented the public sympathy or recollection about them. 1 86 Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. At length it was announced that even the Duke of Buckingham, who had been so strong a friend and sup- porter of Richard, had renounced his allegiance, and would put himself at the head of a confederacy for their release from the Tower. But scarcely had the news got abroad when it was made known that the object of the proposed rising was hopeless, for the princes were no more. No one could tell how or when they had been put to death ; but that they had been murdered was the cur- rent rumour of the time, and it was not contradicted. The news of the murder excited throughout the country the utmost grief and detestation. But to those implicated in the conspiracy it was more especially alarming. The rebellion having been carefully planned, it was secretly communicated to the principal persons of both parties in all the counties of England, that a number of simultaneous risings were to take place on October i8, (1483), in the south and west of England ; and that the Earl of Richmond was expected at the same time to land on the southern coast and head the movement in person. But it was impossible that a conspiracy of so formidable a character could be conducted in so secret a manner as to entirely escape the vigilant eye of Richard, and he soon received intelligence that his enemies were taking mea- sures to overthrow him. He immediately put himself in a posture of defence by levying troops in the North ; and he summoned Buckingham to appear at court, in such terms as seemed to promise a renewal of their former friendship. But the Duke, well acquainted with the treachery of Richard, replied only by taking arms in Wales, and giving the signal to his accomplices to raise the standard of revolt in all parts of England. Those in Kent met at Maidstone and Rochester, and afterwards at Gravesend, while those of Surrey met at Guildford. The Berkshire men, with other supporters of Bucking- ham, assembled at Newbury on October 18, 1483, and proclaimed Richmond King of England ; and further West there were musters at Salisbury and at Exeter. The following names of the gentlemen of Berkshire Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. 187 and others who headed the rising at Newbury are ob- tained from an Act of Attainder, which was subsequently passed against those who had been concerned as leaders in the revolt : — Sir William Norris, of Yattendon, knt. " ; William Berkeley, late of Beverston, knt. ^ ; Sir Roger Tocotes, late of Bromeham, knt. ; Richard Beauchamp, Lord St. Amandy, Sir William Stonor, late of Stonor, knt.'; Thomas de la Mare, late of Aldermaston^; Sir Richard Woodville, late of London, knt.*" ; John Harcourt, late of Stanton, esq.'^, William Ovedale, late of Wykeham, esq. ; Roger Kelsall, late of Southampton, yeoman ''; Ed- mund Hampden, late of Fisherton, gent., son to Thomas Hampden ; Walter Williams, late of Southampton, mer- chant^; Sir William Overy, late of Southampton, knt.^; Amias Paulet, son and heir to Sir William Paulet^. So much of the plan as depended on the confederates in England was promptly executed. All the insurgents rose on St. Luke's day, October 18, and the same day Buckingham unfurled his standard at Brecknock. But " Sir Wm. Norris, of Yattendon, Berks, was one of the knights of the body to Edward IV., and 2nd Henry VII. (1487) had a command in the King's army at the battle of Stoke, near Newark-on-Trent. ' Sir Wm. Berkeley, created Earl of Nottingham, June 28, 1483 ; created Marquess of Berkeley in 1488; created Marshal of England, 1485; ob. 1492, s. p., when the Viscountcy and Marquisate of Berkeley and Earldom of Not- tingham became extinct. 1 Richard de Beauchamp, Lord St. Amand, being attainted I Ric. Ill,, his honours became forfeited, but he was fully restored I Hen. VII., ob. 1508. The Barons of St. Amand's were proprietors of the manor of West Woodhay. ' The manor of Buscot, near Faringdon, was in the ancient family of Stonor, of Oxfordshire, in the year 1479. • The manor of Aldermaston passed by marriage from the Achards to the De la Mares about the year 1358. '' Sir Richard Woodville, of Wymington, brother of the queen dowager. He received a pardon in March, 1485. ' Of Stanton-Harcourt, Oxfordshire. '' Roger Kelsall was M.P. for Southampton in the Parliaments 1477-78, 17 Edw. IV., and 1482-83, 22 Edw. IV. He was attainted 11 Ric. III., 1483-84, but a reversal of this attainder was granted i Hen. VII., 1485. ' Walter Williams, Mayor of Southampton in 1482 and 1483, the year of Buckingham's rebellion. A reversal of his attainder was granted with the . preceding. ' Sir William Overy was Mayor of Southampton 1474-75, '4 Edw. IV. His attainder was also subsequently reversed. e Amias Paulet, knighted for his gallant behaviour at the battle of Stoke in 1487, when the Earl of Lincoln and Lambert Simnel were defeated. He re-edified the gate of the Middle Temple, of which he was Treasurer, and died in 1538. 1 88 Newbury in the Fifteenth Century. the elements ministered to the defeat of the rebeUion. The Duke, driven to bye -roads and unguarded points, marched with his half-unwilling followers through the Forest of Dean, towards Gloucester ; meaning there to cross the Severn and join the English insurrectionists. But a continual rain of ten days, remembered long after by the name of the " Great Water," had so swollen the river that it was then overflowing the country, and neither he could pass to his confederated friends, nor they advance to join him. His Welsh followers, wearied and disap- pointed, and being, perhaps, intimidated by Richard's pro- clamation, which was issued from Leicester on October 23, gradually deserted him, and Buckingham fled in despair to the house of one Ralph Banaster at Shrewsbury, an old servant of his family. But the proclamation, promising a large pecuniary reward, pursued him ; and either tempted by this, or apprehending his own danger in sheltering a rebel, Banaster betrayed his master to the Sheriff of Shropshire. Buckingham, after helping Richard to his crown, " To buckle fortune on his back," became his first victim, and was beheaded at Salisbury in the yard of the " Blue Boar" Inn, which stood on the site of the present " Saracen's Head," November 2, 1483. Near the spot where the execution is supposed to have taken place, a headless skeleton, without the right hand, was exhumed in 1838, and is thought to have been that of the unfortunate Stafford. CHAPTER X. Bewburs in tbe Sljteentb Century The Manorial History. — The Manor of Newbury iDestowed by Henry VIII. upon Lady Jane Seymour, and thence to the Princess Elizabeth, afterwards Queen. — Grant of the Tolls of the Markets, &;c. Incidents connected with Newbury. — Edward, Duke of Buckingham, at Newbury, 1507. — The History of John Winchcombe, otherwise called "Jack of Newbury." — "The Newberrie Archers. " — Winchcombe enter- tains Henry VIII. and Queen Catharine at his house in Newbury. — His death in 1519, and burial in Newbury Church. — The remains of his house in Newbury. — The Dolmans. — Visits of the Protector Somerset to Newbury in 1537, and of Edward VI. to Newbury in 1551. — Constables of the town, 1522 — ^1533. — Religious Prosecutions at Newbury in Queen Mary's reign. — The Grammar School, 1559. — Queen Elizabeth visits Newbury, 1568 — Muster Roll of Inhabitants of Newbury able to bear arms, 1569. — ^St. Bartholomew's Hospital, 1577-99. — Charter granted to the borough of Newbury by Queen Elizabeth in 1596. THE Manor of Newbury having become vested in the Crown was assigned by Henry VHI. to his consort Lady Jane, Queen of England, mother of Edward VI., for her j'ointure. Upon the death of Henry VHI., in 1547, the manor passed to his son Edward VI., who in the fourth year of his reign, 1550, in fulfilment of the will of his father, the late king, and with the advice of his Council, granted it with all appurtenances to his sister the Lady Elizabeth, afterwards Queen : together with vari- ous lands in several counties, including the lordship and manor of Donnington, " with all the deer and beasts in the park," the Castle of Donnington, the manor of Hamp- stead-Marshal, &c., the whole being of the yearly value of ;£'3,io6 I3J. i^d., and formerly parcel of the lands and possessions of the jointure of Lady Jane Seymour, Queen of England. To be held by a yearly rent of ;^io6 os. i^d., to be paid to the Court of Augmentations, or until the xgo Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. Councillors named by King Henry should arrange a mar- riage for her, in accordance with the said will °. The above-mentioned Letters Patent were surrendered on April 23 of the following year (1551), by the Lady Elizabeth personally appearing before the King in his Court of Chancery ; and the enrolment was accordingly cancelled. On this surrender another grant of the Manor of Newbury was made to the Princess in substitution of the former grant, together with a great number of other manors and lordships, the annual value of the whole being estimated at ;^3,o64 i/j. ?>\d. ; to be held at an annual rent of £\0() IJJ. "jd., for life, or until marriage as be- fore ^ Queen Elizabeth, by Letters Patent of July i, 1554, demised to Gabriel Cox, John More, Bartholomew Yate, and Henry Cox, for the Use of all the Inhabitants of the Town of Newbury — " All our Stallage and all our Stalls in the Town of Newbury aforesaid, which said Stallage and Stalls amount together to the annual Rent of 36J. Zd., and all profits, &c. "And all Tolls, Piccage, and other Profits yearly and from time to time coming, growing, happening, or arising from the Markets and Fairs holden and to be holden in the Town of Newbury aforesaid, all which premises were parcel of the posses- sions lately assigned to us before our Accession to the Crown of this our Realm of England. " To hold to the said Gabriel Cox and others their executors and assigns to the Use of the Inhabitants of the Town of New- bury for 2 1 years, rendering to the Queen and her Heirs for the said Stallage 36^-. 8^. yearly, and for the said Toll and Piccage 3x. 4^." INCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH NEWBURY. Edward, Duke of Buckingham, at Newbury, 1507. Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, Lord High Con- stable of England, son of Henry Stafford, executed at ■ Pat., 4 Edw. VI., pt. 3, m. 25. " Pat., 5 Edw. VI., pt. 4, m. 11. Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. 191 Salisbury in 1483, by Katherine Woodville, sister to the queen of Edward IV. " Bounteous Buckingham, the mirrour of all courtesy," was at Newbury in the year 1507, on his way from Thorn- bury Castle to Richmond. The Duke and his retainers slept the first night at Chippenham (February 28), the second at Newbury, the third at Reading, the fourth at Brentford, and reached Richmond on the fifth. He tra- velled attended by 20 gentry, 14 valets, and 29 grooms ; and had 59 horses used by his household, and 28 by himself'^. In 1521 the Duke was accused of high treason "for certain words spoken," which were taken as evidence of disloyal views, and the principal witness against him was his cousin and steward, Charles Knyvett. The Duke fell by the hand of the executioner, on Tower Hill, May 17, 1 52 1, and was the fourth of his family in succession who had met with a violent death. The Duke is made by Shakespeare to say, after his arraignment — " I had my-trial, And must needs say a noble one ; which makes me Happier than my wretched father. Yet thus far we are one in fortunes, — Both Fell by our servants, by those men we lov'd most ; A most unnatural and faithless service ! " John Winchcombe, or "Jack of Newbury." In the sixteenth century the town of Newbury was one of the most flourishing seats of the cloth trade, and sent two burgesses to Parliament in Edward I.'s time, and three members or representatives to the great council convened at Westminster by Edward III., " concerning trade and manufactures.'' It was the cloth trade of this town which produced its popular hero, the prosperous clothier, who, for three centuries, if not for a longer period, has been distinguished by the familiar appellation of " Jack of Newbury." From Winchcombe's will we find that Jack's surname ' Stafford Household Book, Archseologia, vol. xxv. 192 Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. was Smallwoode, and it is probable that on his becoming a person of importance he dropped, as was frequently done, his proper patronymic, and assumed the name of his birthplace, Winchcombe, in Gloucestershire, a place also known for its extensive clothing trade ^. Respecting Jack's parentage and early days we have no information ; but there is a tradition current at Winchcombe that Jack was a novitiate in the monastery there, and becoming wearied of the seclusion and restrictions of the cloister, escaped from his confinement, and made his way to New- bury. Here he entered the service of the clothier whose widow he afterwards married, and became not only pos- sessed of a wife but also of a flourishing business ; from which time his life seems to have been one of uninter- rupted success. Deloney's humorous old black-letter pamphlet, en- titled The most Pleasant and delectable Historie of John Winchcombe, otherwise called Jacke of Newberie, was licensed to T. Myllington on March 7, 1596, and it was undoubtedly published soon after that period ; but no copy of so early a date is now known to exist, the earliest one to be met with being the ninth edition, printed by Robert Young, and published by Cuthbert Wright, London, 1633. This complete version was several times republished, but in the last century abridged editions of it were sometimes issued, and the modern chap book copies are generally mere fragments of the original. " This romance," says Mr. Halliwell Phillips, in a paper read at the Congress of the British Archaeological Association, held at Newbury in 1859, "although highly illustrative of old manners and customs, is of very small literary merit. It chiefly con- sists of a number of desultory stories, some of which have no relation to the subject of the history, and ends, like ' Rasselas,' with a conclusion in which nothing is con- cluded." '' In the parish register of Winchcombe are the following entries : — " Anno Dni. 1539. Junii 28. Robertus filius Johannes Smallwode, sepult. " "Anno Dni. 1541. Novembris 27. Margareta Smawlwode, purific.'' Newbury in the Sixteenth Century.. 193 Deloney's work opens with the following description of " Jack of Newbury:" — " In the dayes of King Henry the Eighth, that most noble and victorious Prince, in the beginning of his reigne, John Winch combe, a broadcloth Weaver, dwelt in Newberie, a towne in Barkshire : who, for that he was a man of merrie disposition, and honest conversation, was wondrous well beloved of rich and poore, especially because in every place where hee came, he would spend his money with the best, and was not any time found a churl of his purse. Wherefore beeing so good a companion he was called of old and young Jacke of Newberie : a man so gen- erally well knowne in all his Countrye for his good fellowship, that he could goe in no place but he found acquaintance ; by meanes whereof Jack could no sooner get a Crowne, but straight hee found meanes to spend it ; yet had he ever this care, that hee would alwayes keepe himselfe in comely and decent apparel, neither at any time would hee be overcome in drinke, but so discreetly behave himselfe with honest mirth, and pleasant con- ceits, that he was every Gentleman's companion." Whilst Jack had long led this pleasant life his master died, and his widow entertained a strong affection for him, observing his orderly habits and attention to business. Being well assured of his mistress's affection, and, as the author quaintly observes, " guessing by the yarne it would prove a good web," Jack received her addresses very coolly, and even recommended her to accept the hand of either of the several other suitors, speaking in praise of each. The first suitor was a Tanner, " a man of good wealth " and a widower, dwelling at Wallingford ; the second a bachelor, " by occupation a Taylor, dwelling at Hungerford ;" the third "the Parson of Spinhomeland." The widow, however, gave plain reasons for rejecting all ; but thinking to induce an offer on the part of Jack she invites them to dinner — a banquet which is thus amusingly described by Deloney : — " Against Thursday she dressed her house fine and brave, and set herself in her best apparel. The tailor, nothing forgetting his promise, sent to the widow a good fat pig and a goose ; the parson, being as mindful as he, sent to her house a couple of fat O 194 Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. rabbits and a capon ; and the tanner came himself, and brought a good shoulder of mutton and half-a-dozen chickens — besides, he brought a good gallon of sack and half-a-pound of the best sugar. The widow received this good meat, set her maid to dress it, and when dinner time drew near the table was covered, and every other thing provided in convenient and comely sort. At length, the guests being come, the widow bade them all heartily welcome. The priest and the tanner, seeing the tailor, mused what he did there. The tailor, on the other side, mar- velled as much at their presence, thus looking strangely one at another. At length the widow came out of the kitchen in a fair train gown, stuck full of silver pins, a fine white cap on her head, with cuts of curious needlework under the same, and an apron before her as white as the driven snow. Then, very modestly, making courtesy to them all, she requested them to sit down; but they straining courtesy the one with the other, the widow, with a smiling countenance, took the parson by the hand, saying — ' Sir, as you stand highest in the Church, so is it meet you should sit highest at the table, and therefore, I pray you, sit down there on the bench side.' ' And sir,' said she to the tanner, ' as age is to be honoured before youth for their experience, so are they to sit above bachelors for their gravity ;' and so she sat him down on this side the table, over against the parson. Then, coming to the tailor, she said — ' Bachelor, though your lot be the last, your welcome is equal with the first ; and seeing your place points out itself, I pray you take a cushion and sit down.' And now, quoth she, ' to make the board equal, and because it hath been an old saying that three things are to small purpose if the fourth be away, if so it may stand with your favour, I will call in a gossip of mine to supply this void place.' ' With a good will,' quoth they. With that she brought in an old woman, with scant ever a good tooth in her head, and placed her right against the bachelor. Then was the meat brought to the board in due order by the widow's servants, her man John being chiefest servitor. The widow sat down at the table's end between the parson and the tanner, who, in very good sort, carved meat for them all, her man John waiting on the table. After tliey had sitten awhile, and well refreshed themselves, the widow, taking a crystal glass filled with claret wine, drunk unto the whole company, and bade them welcome. The parson pledged her, and so did all the rest in due order ; but still in their company the cup passed over the poor Newbury in tite Sixteenth Century. 195 old woman's nose, insomuch that at length the old woman, in a merry vein, spake thus unto the company: 'I have had much good meat among you, but, as for the drink, I can nothing recommend it.' 'Alas! good gossip,' quoth the widow, ' I perceive that no man hath drunk to thee yet.' ' No, truly,' quoth the old woman, ' for old men have such joy in young chickens, and bachelors in pig's flesh take such delight, that an old sow, a tough hen, or a grey rabbit, are not accepted; and so it is seen by me, else I should have been better remembered.' ' Well, old woman,' quoth the parson, ' take here the leg of a capon to stay thy mouth.' ' Now, by St. Anne, I dare not,' quoth she. ' No ! wherefore ?' said the parson. ' Marry, for fear lest you should go home with a crutch,' quoth she. The tailor said, ' Then taste here a piece of goose.' ' Nay,' said the old woman, ' let goose go to his kind ; you have a young appetite, eat it yourself, and much good may it do your heart, sweet young man.' ' The old woman lacks most of her teeth,' quoth the tanner, ' and therefore a piece of tender chick is fittest for her.' ' If I did lack as many of my teeth,' quoth the old woman, '.as you lack points of good husbandry, I doubt I should starve before it were long.' At this the widow laughed heartily, and the men were stricken into such a dump, that they had not a word to say. Dinner being ended, the widow with the rest rose from the table, and after they had sitten a pretty while merrily talking, the widow called her man John to bring her a bowl of fresh ale, which he did. Then said the widow : ' My masters, now for your courtesy and cost I heartily thank you all ; and in requital of all your favour, love, and good will, I drink to you, giving you free liberty when you please to depart.' At these words her suitors looked so sourly upon one another, as if they had been newly champing of crabs ; which, when the tailor heard, shaking up himself in his new russett jerkin, and setting his hat on one side, he began to speak thus : — ' I trust, sweet widow,' quoth he, ' you remember to what end my coming was hither to-day \ I have long time been a suitor unto you, and this day you promised to give me a direct answer.' "Tis true,' quoth she, 'and so I have; for your love I give you thanks, and when you please you may depart.' ' Shall I not have you?' quoth the tailor. 'Alas!' quoth the widow, 'you come too late.' ' Good friend,' quoth the tanner, ' it is manners for young men to let their elders be served before them ; to what end should I be here if the widow had bade thee? a flat denial O 2 igS Newbiiry'in the Sixteenth Century. is fit for a saucy suitor ; but what sayest thou to me, fair widow ?' quoth the tanner. ' Sir,' said she, ' because you are so sharp set, I would wish you as soon as you can to wed.' ' Appoint the time yourself,' quoth the tanner. ' Even as soon,' quoth she, ' as you can get a wife, and hope not after me, for I am already promised.' ' Now, tanner, you may take your place with the tailor,' quoth the parson ; ' for indeed the widow is for no man but myself.' ' Master parson,' quoth she, ' many have run near the goal, and yet lost the game, and I cannot help it, though your hope be in vain ; besides, parsons are but newly suifered to have wives, and for my part I will have none of the first head.' ' What,' quoth the tailor, ' is your merriment grown to this reckoning ? I never spent a pig and a goose to so bad a purpose before. I promise you, when I came in, I verily thought that you were invited by the widow to make her and me sure together, and that the jolly tanner was brought to be a witness to the contract, and the old woman fetched in for the same purpose; else I would never have put up so many dry bobs at her hands.' 'And surely,' quoth the tanner, ' I knowing thee to be a ta,ilor, did assuredly think that thou wast appointed to come and take measure for our wedding apparel.' ' But now we are all deceived,' quoth the parson, ' and therefore, as we came fools, so we may depart hence like asses.' ' That is as you interpret the matter,' said the widow, 'for I, ever doubting that a concluding answer would breed a farce in the end among you every one, thought it better to be done at one instant, and in mine own house, than at sundry times, and in common taverns; and as for the meat you sent, as it was unrequested of me, so had you your part thereof, and if you think good to take home the remainder, prepare your wallets, and you shall have it.' ' Nay, widow,' quoth they, ' al- though we have lost our labours, we have not altogether lost our manners ; that which you have keep, and God send to us better luck, and to you your heart's desire,' and with that they de- parted ^" The author's intention in all this, and much more dis- cursive virriting of a similar character, is to shew that the widows is determined to marry John Winchcombe. At length she carries her point by a stratagem, marrying him almost against his will at the chapel attached to the Hos- • The text of the pamphlet in the above summary has been slightly modernised. Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. 197 pital of St. Bartholomew. This union, according to the novelist, was not a very happy one. His wife is given to gadding about, and staying out late at night— a practice which gives the author the opportunity of introducing the following anecdote : — " Thus the time passed on, till on a certain day she had been abroad in her wonted manner, and staying forth very late, he shut the doors and went to bed. About midnight she comes to the door, and knocks to come in, to whom he, looking out of the window, answered in this sort, ' What ! is it you that keeps such a knocking? I pray you get hence, and request the constable to provide you a bed, for this night you shall have no lodging here.' *I hope,' quoth she, 'you will not shut me out of doors like a dog.' ' All is one to me,' quoth he, ' knowing no reason but that as you have stayed out all day for your delight, so you may lie forth all night for my pleasure.' The woman, hearing this, made piteous moans, and in very humble sort entreated him to let her in, and to pardon this offence, and while she lived vowed never to do the like. Her husband at length being moved with pity towards her, slipped on his shoes, and came down in his shirt. The door being opened, in she went quaking, and as he was about to lock it again, in a very sorrowful manner she said, , ' Alack, husband, what hap have I ? My wedding-ring was even now in my hand, and I have let it fall about the door ; good, sweet John, come forth with the candle, and help me to seek it.' The man did so, and while he sought for that which was not there to be found, she whipped into the house, and quickly clapping to the door, she locked her husband out, and treated him in the sarne manner in which she had herself been served." John Winchcombe was not, however, long troubled with these kinds of adventures, his wife dying, leaving him " wondrous wealthie." Jack, being a widower and well-to- do, " had the choice of many wives, men's daughters of good credit and widowes of great wealth ; notwithstanding he bent his onely like to one of his own servants," the daughter of a poor man living at Aylesbury. Her father, joyful at the news of his daughter's good fortune, speedily made his way to Newbury, and was received in the most friendly manner by Jack, who " after he had made him , igS Newiury in the Sixteenth Century. good cheere," shewed him over his house ; and then over his factory while his people were at work. Deloney gives a description of the busy scene, which has frequently been printed. Deloney also gives the following account of Jack's second wedding : — " The Bride being attyred in a Gowne of sheepes russet, and a Kirtle of fine woosted, her head attyred with a billiment of gold, and her hair as yellow as gold hanging downe behinde her, which was curiously combed and pleated, according to the manner in those dayes. Shee was led to Church betweene two sweete boys with Bride laces and Rosemary tied about their silken sleeves, the one of them was sonne to Sir Thomas Parry, the other to Sir Francis Hungerford : then was there a faire Bride cup of silver and gilt carried before her, wherein was a goodly braunch of Rosemary gilded very faire, hung about with silken Ribonds of all colours : Next was there a noyse of musicians that played all the way before her ; after her came all the chiefest maydens of the Countrie, some bearing great Bride Cakes, and some garlands of wheat finely gilded, and so she passed unto the Church." The bridegroom's friends included " divers Merchant strangers of the Stilyard " from London. The ceremony over, the wedding festival was continued for ten days " to the great reliefe of the poore ;" Rhenish wine was as plen- tiful as beer, for the merchants had sent ten tuns of their best from the Stilyard. Jack did not forget the humble parents of the bride. On their departure after the wed- ding he presented his father-in-law with ;^20, and broad- cloth enough to make him a coat; and to his mother-in-law sufficient for a holiday gown, with injunction that " when this is worne out, come to me and fetch more." Not long after Jack's second marriage Henry VIII., having been induced by the Emperor Maximilian and Pope Julius II. to join them against France, invaded that kingdom, where he gained some conquests, but did not turn them to his advantage as he might have done, and. finally concluded peace with the French King, Louis XII. About the same time James IV. of Scotland, who had given assistance to Louis, invaded England. Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. 199 " Whereupon," says Deloney, " on the sodaine every man was appointed according to his abilitie to be readie with his men and furniture, at an houres warning on paine of death. Jack of New^ berie was commanded by the Justice to set out sixe men, foure armed with Pikes, and two Calivers, and to meet the Queene in Buckinghamshire, who was there raising a great power to goe against the faithlesse King of Scots. When Jack had received this charge, he came home in all haste, and cut out a whole broadcloth for horsemen's coates, and so much more as would make up coates for the number of a hundred men. In a short time he had made readie fiftie tall men, well mounted in white coates, and red caps with yellow feathers. Demilances in their hands ; and fiftie armed men on foot with Pikes, also in white coates ; every man so expert in the handling of his weapon as few better were found in the field. Hiniself likewise in compleat armour on a goodly Barbed horse, and foremost in the company with a lance in his hand, and a faire plume of yellow feathers in his creste, and in this sort he came before the Justices : who at the first approach did not a little wonder what he should be. At length when they had discovered who he was, the Justices and most of the gentlemen gave him great commendations for this his good and forward minde shewed in this action." It wrjll be seen that, according to this historical romance, "Jack of Newbury" furnished 100 men (50 horsemen and 50 men on foot) fully equipped for the King's service, instead of the six which he was ordered to supply. The rendesvouz appointed for the assembly of the levies raised by the counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, and Wiltshire, was at Stony Stratford, where Queen Catharine was en- gaged in collecting forces to march to the front if required. Hither Jack and his gallant band proceeded with the other Berkshire men under the command of Sir Henry Engle- field, and came into the presence of the Queen, who, seeing the hundred' white-coated soldiers, inquired who they were and who led them. Sir Henry Englefield replied that their leader was Jack of Newbury, and that his followers were his own servants. " Good Sir Henry," said the Queen, "bring the man to me that I may see him !" This was done. Jack, with all his men, alighted, and fell on 200 Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. their knees before the Queen. Her Majesty said, " Gen- tlemen, arise !" and putting forth her hand gave it Jack to kiss. " Most gracious Queen," said he, " gentleman I am none, nor the son of a gentleman, but a poor clothier, whose lands are his looms, having no other rents but what I can get from the backs of little sheep, nor can I claim any other cognizance but a wooden shuttle. Nevertheless, most gracious Queen, these my poor servants and myself, with life and goods, are ready at your Majesty's command, not only to spend our blood, but to lose our lives in defence of our king and country." Her Majesty replied — "Would to God that the King had many such clothiers." The Queen having reviewed her gallant troops, the army was " set in order, and in warlike manner began their march towards Flodden, where King James had pitcht his field ; but as they passed along with Drum and Trumpet, there came a Post from the valiant Earl of Surrey, with tydings to her Grace that now she might dismisse her Army, for that it had pleased God to grant the noble Earle victorie over the Scots, whom he had by his wisdome and valiancie vanquisht in fight, and slayne their King in Battel." Whereupon the Queen dismissed her forces, and joyfully proceeded to London. But before doing so she is described as placing " a riche chaine of gold " about the neck of "Jack of Newbury," who, with the rest of the would-be warriors, " gave a great shout saying, God save Katherine, the noble Queene of England," and then returned to their own homes. Although we have no actual evidence to shew that any Newbury men did special service in the celebrated contest on the battle-field of Flodden in 15 13, there is some reason to suppose that certain levies raised in the town may have so distinguished themselves. The following old and probably contemporary historical ballad, entitled " Flodden Field, or The Newberrie Archers," describes the prowess of " The Laddes of Newberrie " in glowing terms and cir-' cumstantial detail. Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. 201. "Flodden Field. The Newberrie Archers. An Old Historical Song^. " Come Archers leame the News I telle To the Honoure of your Arte, The Scottyshe Kinge at Flodden felle Bye the poynte of an Englyshe Darte. Thoughe Fyre and Pyke dyd Wond'rous thynges More wonders stylle dyd wee, And ev'ry Tongue with rapture syngs Of the Laddes of Newberrie. " The Bonnie Laddes of Westmorelande And the Chesshyre Laddes were there, With Glee theye took theyre Bows in Haude And wythe shoutes disturb'd the Ayre. Awaye they sent the Grey Goose Wynge, Eche kylle'd his two or three, Yet none soe loude wythe fame dyd rynge As the Laddes of Newberrie. " They swore to scayle the Mountayne bolde. Where some in vayne hadde try'de ; That theyre Toes myghte take the better holde Theyre Bootes theye caste asyde. Barefooted soone theye reach'd the hyghte, Twas a gudelie syghte to see Howe faste the Scottes were putte to flyghte By the Laddes of Newberrie. " Lord Stanlie sawe wythe muche delyghte. And loude was heard to saye, Eche oughte by Jove to be a Knyghte, For to theme wee owe the Daye. The Chesshyre Laddes began the route, And the Kendall Boys soe free, But none of theme all have foughte more stoute Than the Laddes of Newberrie. "Now God pres'rve our Lord the Kynge, Who travaill's farre in France, And let us all of Bowmen synge Whyle rounde our Cuppes wee Daunce. Printed in the Hist, and Antiq. of Newbury and its Environs, 1839. 202 Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. The Chesshyre Laddes were bryske and brave, And the Kendall Laddes as free, But none surpass'd, or I'm a Knave, The Laddes of Newberrie." ••Deloney states that " about the tenth year of the reign of Henry the Eighth " (1518) Jack had the honour of enter- taining the King and Queen Catharine at Newbury, who were accompanied by Cardinal Wolsey and a large number of the nobility s. The Court lodged at the jolly clothier's house in Northbrook-street, who appears, if we may rely on Deloney's description, to have exhibited the most un- bounded hospitality on the occasion. We are told that " all the floore where the King sate was covered with broad- cloths instead of greene rushes ; these were choice pieces of the finest wooll, of an Azure colour, valued at a hundred pound a cloath, which was afterwards given to his Ma- jestie." After a sumptuous banquet, "the description whereof were too long for me to write and you to reade," Jack escorted the King and Queen, with the ladies and gentle- men of their suite, over his factory, with which the King appears to have been highly pleased, as also with the reception he met with from the workpeople, who enter- tained the visitors with a series of allegorical represen- tations, or masques. For this hearty greeting the King gave the weavers permission to take four bucks out of Donnington Park for their annual feast, which latter is still continued, but the gift of venison, if it ever existed, has become obsolete. The time having arrived for the King's departure, " after great thanks and giftes given to Jacke of Newberie, his majestic would have made him knight, but he meekely refused it saying, ' I beseech your Grace let me live a poore B There is some reason for supposing that the visit of the King to New- bury was in September, 1516, as among the State Papers there is a letter from Sir Richard Jerningham to Wolsey mentioning that he had received the Cardinal's letter, dated Newbury, September 10, commanding the writer to repair to Calais. The King again made a progress into Berkshire in August, 1520, the year after the death of "Jack of Newbury," and on the 17th was at Sir John Norris's house at Yattendon, and on Saturday the l8th lodged at ' ' Mr. Darell's place, " at Littlecote. Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. 203 Clothier among my people, in whose maintenance I take more felicitie than in all the vaine titles of Gentilitie.'" The only other noteworthy circumstance related by the diffuse pamphleteer in the life of Winchcombe is his quarrel with the all-powerful Wolsey, concerning the wool trade, in which he came off victorious, and gave the Lord Cardinal " as good as he brought." The spirited conduct of Jack in this transaction, which resulted in a commercial treaty with France and the Low Countries, " so that in a short space Cloathing againe was very good, and poore men as well set on work as before," no doubt greatly added to the credit and renown of the famous clothier. John Winchcombe died at an advanced age six years after the battle of Flodden. In his will, dated January, 1 5 19, the year in which he died, he is described asj" John Smalwoode the elder, alias John Wynchcombe, of the parisshe of Seynt Nicholas, in Newbery." He gives " to the parisshe churche of Newbery, towards the buylding and edifying of the same £ap" besides donations to the various altars. He directs that he should be buried "in our Lady Chauncell, within the parisshe church of New- bery aforesaid, by Alice, my wif, and a stone to be leyde upon us boothe." His wife Alice had been long dead at the date of this will, as he had again married, and left a widow, named Joan, the daughter of the " poor man at Aylesbury," who is mentioned and liberally provided for. There are, also legacies to numerous individuals, and to every one of his servants. Winchcombe died within a few weeks of, the date of this will, as appears from the inscription on his monument in Newbury Church. The ancient brick and timber residence of " Jack of Newbury," which Fuller, writing in the seventeenth cen- tury, says "now make sixteen clothiers' houses," com- prised the block of buildings on the east side of North- brook-street, now partly occupied by the " Jack of New- bury " Inn, and bounded by two lanes, each leading into the "Marsh," to which place Winchcombe's factory and stores no doubt extended. A fifteenth-century gable, with an oriel window and carved verge-board at the north-west 204 Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. end of the block still remains ; and in the premises be- longing to Messrs. Glover and Ingram, adjoining the inn on the north side, where a part of the original house sur- vives, a massive stone chimney-piece, seven feet wide, was discovered in 1 882; and the rooms were found to have been originally lined with oak wainscotting, considerable portions of which remained behind the modern canvas and papering. Upon taking down one of the contiguous buildings some years since several ancient oak carvings were discovered, which undoubtedly belonged to the Winchcombe family. On one of these, apparently the frontispiece over a fire- place, carved in bas-relief, and divided into ten panels, is represented what is thought to be a portrait of "Jack of Newbury" within a raised circle, accompanied by the floriated initials "J. W." The two panels on either side have the linen pattern ornament. In the middle panel of the lower compartments is a raised shield, suspended by strap and buckle, with a monogram I. S., presumed to be for John Smalwoode ; the panels on each side have por- trait busts, supposed to be those of his two wives, Alice and Joan ''. The outer panels bear eaglets, one carrying in its beak the Tudor rose, and with wings closed ; the other holding in its mouth a berry, and with wings erect. Another carving represents the Trinity, under the figure of a single head with three faces, within a wreath of oak leaves, with floriated spandrels ; an artistic " confusion of substance " which was prohibited by a Bull of Pope Urban VIII. The Dolmans. Another local eminent clothier was Thomas Dolman, whose factory was in Northbrook-street. His retiring from business and building Shaw House gave rise to the well-known distich — " Lord have mercy upon us miserable sinners, Thomas Dolman has built a new house and tumed away all his spinners.'' *■ The name of " Mrs. Joan Winchcombe" occurs in the Register of Burials, Dec. 26, 1549. .Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. 205 The Dolmans are said to have migrated from Pockling- ton, in Yorkshire, and the first of the family thought to have been connected with Newbury was William Dolman, manager to " Jack of Newbury," whose story has just been told, and who bequeathed him a legacy oi £\o. The will of Thomas Dolman of Newbury, clothier, most probably son of William Dolman, was made January 8, 1571, and proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury by his son, Thomas Dolman, jun., the Executor, December 3, 1576. Thomas Dolman the elder had a grant of the Manor of Shaw in ^5S3> which is described as "late parcel of the possessions of Winchester College." Shaw House was completed by his son Thomas in 15 81. A modern writer thus refers to this Dolman : — " Newbury supplied another manufacturer of wool, Doleman by name, so rich and so little inclined to thrift, that he laid out the enormous sum of ten thousand pounds on building a vast and strong house near his native place. Fearful of the lashes which he expected to receive from the envy of his neighbours, he inscribed more than one apposite sentence, both in Greek and Latin, above his superb stone porch, as spells against those ill- wishers whose peculiar malice he dreaded. The house is named Shaw, and will again stand forward in history, when the fields round Newbury are doomed to be stained with the blood of brethren in arms against each other '." Sir Thomas Dolman, Knt., one of the Clerks of the Privy Council, and M.P. for Reading in 1661, certified his pedigree (now in the College of Arms) on October 18, 1682. It commences with his great-grandfather, the Thomas Dolman the grantee of the Manor of Shaw ; and it also states that the burial-place of the early Dolmans was for a long period at Newbury. The Sir Thomas Dolman, Clerk of the Privy Council, was owner of Shaw House when it was garrisoned for Charles I., before the last battle of Newbury. He was honoured by a visit of Charles H. and his Queen, the ' Continuation of Henry's History of Great Britain, by J. P. Andrews F.S.A. ed. 1796, p. 424. ' 2o6 Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. Duke of York, and many of the nobility, in September, 1663. He died in 1697, and was succeeded in his estates by Thomas Dolman, his son, who entertained Queen Anne at his house at Shaw in October, 1703 ; and was knighted at St. James's the following November. This gentleman died in 171 1, and was buried near his father in Shaw Church, where there are some memorials of the family. The Dolmans intermarried with the families of the Brays, Forsters, Blagraves, Quarles, Rupas (Baron), Hookes or Hoorkes, Westons, Hobdays, Coynes, Chadwicks, Wal- ronds, Rudstones, Henshaws, and L'Estrange of Hun- stanton, Norfolk. Among the Ashmolean MSS. now transferred to the Bodleian Library may be found the pedigree of Dolman of Shaw, and there are several pedigrees of the family in the British Museum Library. The Dolmans bore for their Arms — Quarterly, i and 4, Azure, seven garbs, four, two, one. Or, 2 and 3, Vert, a f ess dancettee Ermine between three eagles close Or. Crest — A demi eagle displayed Vert gorged Or. Another well-known family of clothiers flourished at Newbury of the name of Blandy. William Blandy, the son of one of this family, was educated at Winchester Col- lege, elected Probationer-Fellow of New College, Oxford, in 1563, and afterwards became a member of the Middle Temple. He translated from Latin into English "The Five Books of Hieronimus Osorius, containing a Discourse of Civil and Christian Nobility." (Lond. 1576, qu.) Visits of the Protector Somerset to Newbury IN 1537, AND of Edward VL in 15 51. The Protector Somerset, Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford, brother of Lady Jane Seymour, and uncle to Edward VI., created Viscount Beauchamp and Duke of Somerset, paid a visit to Newbury in 1537,, and lodged at the house of John Winchcombe, son of the celebrated clothier. His travelling expenses are highly illustrative Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. 207 of domestic life, prices, &c., of the period. For instance, when he lay at Newbury we find the following items in his Steward's Account Books : — " For hay, litter, and provender for 24 horses of my lord's own for 2 nights, 7 & 8 Oct., standing at Newbury, in my lord's journey from Wulfhall to London . . . . . . o 20 o For 20 horses of my lord's servants 2 nights . . o 13 4 To Master Winchcombe's carders when my lord lay there 19 Sept. . . . • .0176 The Protector, as is well known, was accused of abusing his high trust by the Earl of Warwick and other courtiers, and was beheaded in 1552. There is every reason to believe that Queen Jane Seymour, and her brothers — Edward Seymour the Protector, and Thomas Seymour, Lord Sudeley, who married Queen Katharine Parr, widow of Henry VIII. — were born at Wulfhall, but the Registers of the parish of Great Bedwyn are not old enough to tell us. Lady Jane Seymour, the daughter of Sir John Sey- mour of Wulfhall, was married there to Henry VIII. in 1536^ The young King Edward VI., as we learn from his Journal, visited Newbury in September, 1551. He had been at Winchester on the sth ; on the 7th he removed to Basing, and from thence, on the loth, became to Newbury and Donnington Castle. Constables of the Town, 1522 — 1533. In addition to the Bailiffs of the town. Constables were annually elected from the inhabitant householders by the Court Leet Jury, whose duty it was to make present- ments at the Assizes and Quarter Sessions of anything that was amiss within their jurisdiction, their authority being practically the same as that which the High Constable had within his hundred. They had also to see that night •' See "Wulfhall and the Seymours," by the Rev. Canon Jackson, F.S.A. Wilts Arch. Mag., vol. xv. pp. 140 — 207. Wulfhall is on the south bank of the Kennet and Avon Canal, between Great Bedwyn and Savemake stations. '208 Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. watches were kept from sun-setting to sun -rising, and to perform all other duties necessary for the conservation of the peace, and the security of the inhabitants. The names of those who filled this office previous to 1640; the date of the commencement of the Court Leet re- cords, are not met with in the few remaining Borough documents, but , the following names are found in the Episcopal- Registers of Salisbury, and in the Newbury Parish Register : — 1522. Thomas Bennet and Matthew Childe. 1540. Richard Bridges, Esq., John Winchcombe, gent., John Goldwyer, and Walter Collins. 1553. John Lychpole. Religious Prosecutions in Newbury in Queen Mary's Reign. In the early part of 1539-40 Miles Coverdale, after- wards Bishop of Exeter, was actively engaged in the pro- motion of the Reformed Doctrines in the neighbourhood of Newbury. Several letters written from Newbury by Coverdale to Thomas Cromwell are printed in the Parker Society's volume, " Remains of Bishop Coverdale ;" and in one of these Coverdale says — " I have under your lordship's favourable correction required the curate of Newbury to call for all such books as were either incorrect or against the King's most lawful act concerning Thomas k Becket, or the Bishop of Rome ; by the means of which request there are brought unto me in these two or three days a great number of such books." In a subsequent letter he requests to be informed what he is to do " with these popish books ;" whether he is to burn them at the market-cross or no. He also states in another letter that " He thinks a great number of the priests of this realm are run in pr(zmu7iire unto the King, inasmuch as they have not utterly extinct such ecclesiastical service, as is against his grace's most lawful supremity and prerogative. For in the feast called Cathedra S. Petri a great part of their matins is plainly a main- tenance of the Bishop of Rome's usurped power. This is evident Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. 209 in all the great matin-books of the church of Newbury, and I doubt not but it is so likewise in many churches more. I found, it [so] the seventh day of this month [Feb. 1539-40], and I wonder at it, considering it is so long since the Act was made for abolishing all such usurped authority." We do not hear of any other proceedings as to matters of faith and discipline at Newbury until the year ISS^, when Josceline, or JuHns, Palmer, Master of Reading School, and with him John Gwin and Thomas Askew, were arraigned for denying the Papal supremacy, and other charges pertaining to religion. Josceline, or Julins ^, Palmer was a native of Coventry, where his father had served the office of mayor, and " occupied merchandise, albeit he was an upholster by his mysterie." He had received his education at the school of Magdalen College, Oxford, under Harley, afterwards Bishop of Hereford; and, after obtaining a Fellowship, he was in 1550 admitted to the office of Reader of Logic at Magdalen. So strong at that period were his views in favour of Roman Doctrine, that he was expelled the col- lege before the death of King Edward, and became a tutor in the house of Sir Francis Knollys. After Mary's accession he was restored to his Fellowship ; but his sen- timents then underwent a change, which led to further trouble. This is attributed in a great measure to his horror in witnessing the treatment of Ridley and Latimer at Oxford, when a sympathy in their sufferings led to an examination of the principles and the faith which sus- tained them. Thereupon Palmer finally quitted his Fel- lowship, and purchased the appointment, originally granted by letters patent to Leonard Coxe, of the Mastership of the Grammar School at Reading ; but there he did not stay long, for, on his study being searched, there were found in it " Certain godly books and writings, amongst the which was his replication to Morwine's verses touching Winchester's epitaph, and other arguments both in Latin and English, written by him '' yulins appears to have been the colloquial pronunciation of Josceline. P 210 Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. against the Popish proceedings, and specially against their un- naturall and brutish tyrannic executed towards the martyrs of GodV The name of Gwyn, one of Palmer's companions at the stake, frequently occurs" in the Newbury Parish Registers, and in the list of burials during October, 1557, is the fol- lowing : — " Deanys Gwyn the 8 day." The name of the other sufferer. Askew, is also found in the Registers of the period, and in January, 1556 — 1557, a few months after the execution of the sentence, there is this entry:—" Elizabeth Askew was buryed the 30 daye of January." It is prob- able that this was a branch of the same family to which the celebrated Protestant martyr Anne Askew belonged ; but this conjecture is not based upon any actual evi- dence. The trial took place on July 15 and 16, 1556, in the choir of the parish church of Newbury. William Geffrey, or Jeffrey, D.C.L., Chancellor of Salisbury, who was then holding a visitation for the Bishop of Salisbury at New- bury, was the President ''. The other commissioners pre- sent were :— Sir Richard Brydges, Knt, Sheriffs, Sir Wil- liam Rainsford, Knt."", John Winchcombe, Esq.", and " "Narratives of the Reformation," p. 84. Camden Soc, 1859. f William Geffrey, or Jeffrey, D.C.L., 1540, sometime Principal of St. Ed- ward's Hall, and afterwards of Broadgate's Hall, Oxford, Archdeacon of Northampton, 1549, Chancellor of Salisbury, 1552-3; died ISS^- E Sir Richard Brydges, Knt., was M.P. for the county of Berks in 1554, and represented the borough of Ludgershall in the Parliaments of 1553 and 1557. Members of the Brydges' family served the office of Sheriff of Berk- shire and Oxfordshire, 31 Hen. VHI. , 2 & 4 Mary; and of Sheriff of Berkshire alone, 17 Elizabeth. Till the ninth year of Queen Elizabeth the Shrievalty of Berkshire and Oxfordshire was united, excepting at a very early period, when occasionally different Sheriffs were appointed for each. The manor of Great, or West Shefford formerly belonged for a considerable time to the Brydges' family, the last heir male of which, Anthony Brydges, Esq. , died in 1613. ^ Sir William Rainsford was one of the gentlemen ushers who represented the Dukes of Normandy and Guienne at the coronation of Edward VI., and Sheriff of Berkshire and Oxfordshire, 1549. The Rainsfords were of Great Tew, Oxon, and were connected by marriage with the Danvers' family of Chamberhouse, in the parish of Thatcham, Dorothy, daughter of Sir William Rainsford of Great Tew, having married John Danvers, grandson of Sir John Danvers, Knt. A farm near Chamberhouse is still called " Ransford's," or " Rainsford's.'' There is, however, no mention in the Inquisition taken on the death of Sir William Rainsford of property in Berks. ' John Winchcombe, Esq., M.P. for Reading in 1552-3. It appears by information drawn from an Inquisitio post mortem^ on the death of John Winchcombe, son of "Jack of Newbury," taken April 21, 4 & 5 Philip and Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. 211 Clement Burdett, Rector of Englefield and Official Prin- cipal to the Bishop of Salisbury J. On the termination of the second day's examination Dr. Jeffrey proceeded to deliver sentence of condemnation, and Palmer, with his two " silly brethren V' were delivered • over to the secular authorities. About five o'clock in the evening of the same day Sir Richard Brydges, and the bailiffs of the town, with a great company of harnessed and weaponed men, conducted Palmer and his brethren to the fire : — " They put off their raiment and went to the stake and kissed it ; and when they were bound to the post Palmer said, ' Good people, pray for us that we may persevere unto the end, and for Christ his sake beware of Popish teachers, for they deceive you.' As he spake this, a servant of one of the bailiffs threw a faggot at his face, that the blood gushed out in divers places. For the which fact the sheriff reviled him, calling him cruel tormentor ', and with his walking-stick brake his head, that the blood likewise Mary, 1557, that he died on Dec. 2 previously, soon after the trial of the martyrs. He wills an obit, or anniversary service, to be performed in New- bury Church, where he was buried, for twenty years after his death, for the repose of his soul and of the souls of all the faithful, &c. He also provides that for the relief of poor people they are to be "refreshed with bread," and for that purpose bequeathed two rents of the annual value of 2as. and 33J-. 4i/. respectively. At the date of taking the Inquisition there were living John, his son and heir, aged 38, Thomas and Henry, sons, John, son of Henry, Ann, his daughter, and Ann, daughter of John the son. Helena, wife of his son John, was daughter of Thomas Taylor. His burial is thus entered in the Newbury parish register : — "December, I557> John Smalwood alyas Wynchcombe viii day." Whether it was the elder or younger John Winchcombe who sat in judg- ment on Palmer and his fellows cannot be satisfactorily ascertained, but it was most probably the former, whose "portrait hangs in the Council Chamber. ' Clement Burdett was the second son of Thomas Burdett, Esq. , of Bram- cote, CO. Warwick, by Mary, daughter of Sir Robert Throckmorton, of Coughton in the same county. He was cousin-german to Sir Francis Engle- field, whose mother was Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Robert Throckmorton. Foxe, in his story of John Bolton, speaks of "Sir Francis Englefield with his bloody brother the parson of Englefield." At Palmer's examination Burdett held a long altercation with him on the doctrine of transubstantiation, which is detailed in Foxe. ^ The word ' ' silly '' as here used appears to denote pious persons, because such are usually considered to be ingenuous and simple-hearted. ' A remarkable tradition is still preserved in Newbury to the effect that the bailiff's officer who threw the faggot at Palmer's face, and which pierced his eyes, was shortly afterwards struck with blindness, and that an affection of the eyes has continued in his descendants to this day, some of whom are still living in Newbury. P 3 213 Nezvbury in the Sixteenth Century. ran about his ears. When the fire was kindled and began to take hold upon their bodies, they lift their hands towards heaven, and quietly and cheerfully, as though they felt no smart, they cried, ' Lord Jesu, strengthen us ; Lord Jesu, assist us ; Lord Jesu, receive our souls." And so they continued, without any struggling, holding up their hands and knocking their hearts, and calling upon Jesu until they had ended their mortal lives ""." The place where they were burnt was called the " Sand- pits," in the Enbourn road. Near this spot a charred oak stake, to which was affixed a long iron chain, was found some years since, and seen by several persons now living. It was preserved for some time, but the chain, ultimately, found its way to a marine-store dealer's heap ! As relating to this subject, it may be here mentioned that in Foxe's " Acts and Monuments " there is a repre- sentation of a Dr. Oking, or Ockham, standing in the pil- lory at Newbury, and of Dr. London riding about the Market-place in the manner described below. This Dr. Robert Oking, D.C.L. of Cambridge, 1534, Chan- cellor first of Bangor and afterwards of Sarum, Arch- deacon of Salisbury, 1547, was born at Newbury. He was convicted of perjury committed at the trial of Marbeck and the other Windsor martyrs in 1543, and was pilloried at Newbury. Dr. John London, one of the most active of the commissioners to enquire into the state of religious houses was also " exhibited " at Newbury at the same time with his face to a horse's tail, and then pilloried ; having been previously through the same ignominious pun- ishment at Windsor and Reading. Oking was presented to the rectory of Collingbourne Ducis, co. Wilts, by Ed- ward, Earl of Hertford, in 1545, and held it until 1554. The Grammar School, 1559. Notwithstanding that the Grammar School was not part of the original foundation of St. Bartholomew's Hospital, it is evident that a portion of the endowment was applied for educational purposes in the sixteenth century. " Foxe's "Acts and Monuments of the Church," ed. 1838, book xi. p. 926. Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. 213 It will be seen by the evidence of William Blandye, presently to be adduced, that the chapel had been con- verted into a school-house in King Edward VI.'s time. We may therefore fairly date the establishment of the Newbury Grammar School from the reign of this King, the reputed founder of a number of schools throughout the country which are still connected with his name. In the report of a Commission, dated February 14, 2 Edw. VI., 1548-9, it is stated that Henry Wormestall devised lands of the yearly value of .^13 gj. %d. to certain persons, which was subject to the following payment : — " For teaching the Grammar School, £,12 2S, 4^d." The sum of ;£'i2 was continued to be paid by the Cor- poration to the Master of the Free Grammar School until the death of the Rev. Thomas Best, in 18 14; but no ac- count is found of any money received by the Corporation from the Exchequer. The property of the Hospital having been alienated for the long period of 61 years, by the lease granted i & 2 Philip and Mary, 1554, the Master and Brethren ceased to exist as a distinct Corporation ; but the school was, apparently, continued, as we find the name of the Rev. William Ford, B.C.L., of New College, Oxford, appointed Rector of Newbury, 1559, referred to as "teaching the grammer schole ther"." Queen Elizabeth visits Newbury, 1568. Queen Elizabeth visited the town in September, 1568, accompanied by a considerable retinue of courtiers and attendants ; and the loyalty of the " good people of New- berrie " seems to have highly gratified her Majesty, " The Paye Book" of the progress" furnishes some curious items of expenditure. Carpenters were employed to fit up presses for the robes and other necessaries, at is. a day. Sand for sprinkling over the streets is charged lod. ° "Narratives of the Reformation,'' p. 31. Camden Society, 1859. ° Rawl. MS. A. 195% fol. 273. Bodl. Lib. 214 Newbury in the Sixteenth Century. the load ; 3^. <^d. for the carriage of the tent and the court baggage from Wallingford to Newbury. Mr. Gilbert Pol- sone, ironmonger of Newbury, was paid i8j. for 18 white bolts 2s. for 1 2 staples ; 9J. for 9 white handles ; qj. 4^. for 14 " dowble howped stockloke keys ;" \gs. lod. for various other items, the total charges amounting to £4. igj. 5d. yearly. Also a rent of 4^. yearly payable by William Millet, Fishmonger, for a piece of waste soil near the river for the building of a stone wall for the defence of the water from his house. The quit rents for encroach- ments and other issues amounting to ;^3 is. i\d. yearly." The manor with the appurtenances being of the clear annual value of ^^13 IQJ. 9\d., and with other premises granted and assigned amounting in the whole to the sum of £2.\ 2s. \^d., and one pound of pepper. The fee-farm rent reserved in the above Grant is now paid by the Corporation of Newbury to Richard Benyon, Esq., who acquired the interest of the Crown in the manor by purchase. Charters granted by Charles II., 1664, AND James II., 1685. We have already seen that the burgesses and inhab- itants of the Borough of Newbury were incorporated by Charter of the 38th year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, 1596, and that Charles I., in the third year of his reign, 1627, granted to the Corporation and their successors the reversion (being then under lease) of the town and manor of Newbury. On the restoration of Charles II. the statute passed for the correction of the Corporations afforded ready means for an attack on the rights and privileges of corporate bodies, and was also made a pretext for raising money and every species of usurpation. Extreme use was taken of the opportunity ; the old members and officers of the Corporations were displaced, and no Corporation had any chance of continuing its existence without compliance with the wishes of the King. The object of the Crown being to obtain a direct control over all municipal elec- tions. The town of Newbury was also thought to have justly called down judgment on itself, having been ren- dered obnoxious to the King by the side it took during 238 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. the Civil War ; and the occasion was therefore taken to call upon the Corporation to shew by what authority they claimed to be a body corporate, and to exercise their pri- vileges and authority specified in the Information. After the issue of the writ of Quo Warranto, the King sent his offi- cers to all parts of the kingdom to terrify the Corporations by the threat of legal proceedings to give up their Charters. The Corporation of Newbury voluntarily surrendered those it possessed, on the promise of having new, and possibly more favourable grants from the Crown, and submitted entirely to the King. The new Charter was granted in 1664-5 (16 Car. II.). James II. pursued the plan of his brother, taking the Corporations under his control, and therefore in the grant of charters in the place of those which had been surrendered, introduced, as Charles II. had done, in all those he granted the clauses which gave the whole power to the select bodies, and made them re- movable at the will of the Crown. The Corporation of Newbury, as they had done in the preceding reign, again surrendered their charters, and a new one was granted in the first year of the reign of James II. (1685), and is considered by the Corporation to be their governing char- ter, under which their title is " The Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of the Borough of Newbury." The validity of this Charter of James II. is thought to be extremely doubtful, as it does not recite or refer to any surrender of previous charters^ nor can any mention of such a sur- render be found at the Record Office, or elsewhere. But the contents of the charter and its date render it prob- able that it was granted in common with most charters of that time, on the surrender of former liberties, and if so, it is conceived that this Charter of James II. is void, as the previous surrender was not enrolled. The fact that the Corporation immediately returned to the usage of the Charter of Elizabeth upon the issuing of the celebrated Proclamation of October 17, 1688, annulling all the sur- renders which had been made, and reviving the ancient charters, tends to confirm the opinion. It appears that previously to proceedings upon a Quo Warranto in the Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 239 year 1829, the Corporation acted upon the 38th Elizabeth as their governing charter ; in consequence, however, of a defective election of Mayor under that charter, upon which the Quo Warrafito proceeded, they recurred to the Charter of James II., which they contended was still valid, and under which the election in question was regular. This Charter of James II. is very inaccurately penned, and gives contradictory directions respecting the election of officers and members of the Corporation, &c. It reserves to the King the power of removing the High Steward, Mayor, Recorder, or any of the Aldermen, Justices, or Burgesses by an Order in Council, and declares that upon the receipt of such Order the officers to whom it refers shall be ipso facto removed without any further process. Under this charter the number of the aldermen is in- creased, but the number of capital burgesses in diminished. It also provides that there should be thirteen members of the Court present on the election of Mayor. From this period the direct interference of the Crown altogether ceased ; the indirect interference became gradually les- sened, till in modern times it has become almost extinct, and no influence can be less exercised .than that which belongs to the Crown in regard to Corporation privi- leges. The Municipal Records. The principal Records of the town which have been preserved consist of the Corporation Charters from Queen Elizabeth to James II. ; the Court Leet Journals, which are extant from the year 1640, with a slight gap here and there, up to recent years ; the Corporation Jour- nals, which commence in 1676; and the Records of the Court of Quarter Sessions, which commence in the early part of the reign of Charles II. ; finally the Chamberlain's Accounts, which commence in 1672. The Corporation Charters have already been given in abstract, and require no further notice except to say that they are now carefully preserved in the Council Chamber. The duties of the Court Leet were very important ones, 240 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. being a court of record, and having jurisdiction of such crimes as are punishable by common law ; and taking cognizance of all offences against the Crown, under high treason, crimes of assault, arson, burglary, larceny, man- slaughter, and murder ; but for the greater number of mat- ters brought before the Court Leet the remedy was by fine and amercement ; the former assessed by the deputy- steward or recorder, and the latter by the jury ; for both of which the lord may have an action of debt, or take a distress, &c. The Court also appointed the Constables, Bailiffs, Tythingmen, Bread and Butter weighers, and Ale Tasters, Flesh and Fish Tasters, Overseers for East and West Fields, Northcroft, and the Marsh, and for the town ditch in Northbrook-street, Haywards for the Common fields and the Wash, for the Market-place, Marsh, and Northcroft, Scavenger for the streets. Bellman, Crier, &c. A Court Baron of the Mayor and Corporation of New- bury, as lords of the manor, was also held with the Court Leet. This was, i. a customary court, appertaining to copyholders, in which their estates were transferred by sur- render or admittance, and other matters transacted relating to copyhold property : 2. A court of enquiry into the state of the lord's property, and respecting the freeholders and their holdings ; and it was also a court of common law, for determining controversies touching the right of lands within the manor, and for personal actings (for recovery of debt or damage), where the debt or damage did not amount to 40i'. The Court Leet Journals contain little matter of inter- est after the middle of the eighteenth century, being mere repetitions of presentments for not attending the Leet Court, infringements on the borough boundaries, neglect of sanitary regulations, and other offences against the pub- lic health, and the social well-being of the town. The Leet Jury is not now summoned in Newbury, and gra- dually all the uses and privileges of this useful institution of our ancestors wear away as the Courts have fallen into desuetude. The inhabitants for many years past, con- ceiving that they were not bound to attend on the Court Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 241 Leet Jury, and the fines leviable for non-attendance being both inadequate in amount and not worth the distraining for, these venerable Courts from disuse and neglect, rather than decrepitude and insuiRciency, have virtually ceased to exist. The Corporation Journals, anterior to the year 1676, have been either lost or destroyed. It has been stated that these and other muniments of the Corporation were demanded and obtained by Cromwell's Commissioners, and never returned, which is not at all improbable, as the Par- liamentary Party were in the possession of the town for some years. From the Records of the Court of Quarter Sessions we gain considerable authentic information that is gener- ally illustrative of the state of affairs in the town from the time of Charles the Second, although the cases adjudicated upon are to a great extent of an unimportant character. The few extracts given which bear directly on the history of the town will best shew the nature of the material which has been derived from this source. The Chamberlains' Accounts do not commence until after the period of the Civil War, consequently the record of many interesting circumstances connected with this period is lost to us. It will, however, be seen by the en- tries which have been extracted, that these accounts are a considerable aid in building up the story of the history of Newbury at the time over which they extend. It has not been thought necessary as a rule to group the extracts made from these records under the special court or department to which they belong, but as they appertain to matters of great interest, it has been thought best to arrange them in their proper chronological order, together with the extracts from other sources which throw light upon the history and progress of the town. 242 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. INCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH NEWBURY. The Weavers' Company, 1601. The only remaining institution which at the present day connects Newbury with the palmy days of the clothing trade is the Weavers' Company, which was founded in the reign of Henry VIII., and incorporated by Royal Charter in the, 44th year of Queen Elizabeth (1601), under the management of two wardens and four assistants. The existing members of the Company have little, if any, con- nection with the objects of its foundation. Their property consists of the "Weaver's Arms," in Cheap-street, and the adjoining house, devised by Dixon and Deale, two mem- bers of the fraternity. The income from this charity is expended in providing an annual feast, and in supplying certain articles of clothing for the members. The church- wardens of Newbury are entitled to select the recipients of one moiety of the rent of the " Weaver's Arms," but do not appear to have ever interfered. The eldest son of a freeman of the Company can claim his freedom by patriniony, which is otherwise obtained by an apprenticeship of seven years to a freeman. A few items of Corporate insignia are still possessed by the Company, namely, the beadle's silver-mounted staff of ofifice, with the inscription " Robert Layle, Richard Canins, Wardens, 1706 ;" a belt with the Company's arms well executed on a silver shield, worn by the beadle on state occasions. It appears to have been customary for every new member to provide a silver spoon on his ad- mittance ; but the plate thus acquired by this ancient body has disappeared. In 1792, when the clothing industry was rapidly being extinguished in Newbury, the Weavers' Company, in order, if possible, to revive the manufacture, issued an advertise- ment setting forth that they had agreed to disannul their powers and right of settling the price which any person in the trade should give for making any kind of goods, and giving free liberty for strangers to come into the town and to manufacture silks, muslins, cottons, linen, Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 243 worsted, &c., without any interference from the Company of Weavers. The announcement concludes with the fol- lowing paragraph : — " Newbury is a town well supplied with water, and an extra- ordinary good market to supply its inhabitants with every ac- commodation that can make Ufe comfortable, and it is well situated to carry on an extensive trade, having an easy convey- ance to and from London by the River Kennet. Thomas Hobson,),,, , „ ^ Wardens." Samuel Higgs, ) King James I. and his Queen at Newbury, 1603. King James I. and his queen, Anne of Denmark, were at Newbury in 1603, and in a letter from the unfortunate Arabella Stuart, the king's cousin, and the early love and stolen bride of the 2nd Duke of Somerset, to her uncle the Earl of Shrewsbury, she thus refers to the queen while at Newbury : — " If ever thear wear such a vertu as curtesy at the Court, I marvell what has become of it, for I protest I see little or none of it, but in the Queene, who, ever since her coming to Newbury, hathe spoken to the people as she passeth, and receiveith theyr prayers wt. thanckes, and thankful countenance, barefaced, to the great contentment of natif and foreign people." St. Mary's Charity, 1604, &c. This Charity appears to be an ancient foundation, and we find from the recitals of a deed bearing date 2 James I. that it was then in existence and under the control of the Corporation of Newbury. It consists of an almshouse, divided into six apartments for the reception of as many poor women, situate in St. Mary's Hill, and certain lands, houses, and rent-charges for the maintenance of the same. The revenue of this Charity is as follows, namely, about ;^i8s from land and houses in Newbury, and about £\<) annually from dividends on £6\o consols. R 2 244 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. The Plague, 1604. Between the years 1602-5 the plague, or, as it was then called, the pest, made great ravages in England, and pre- vailed at Newbury, Thatcham, and other places in the neighbourhood. The mortality consequently was much increased in Newbury, and in the parish register for 1604 the word pest is written in the margin as applying to one or more burials of persons who died from this deadly pestilence. It was a common practice at this time to bury persons who died of the pest or plague in lone or unfrequented spots, to prevent contagion, which may in some measure account for human remains being so fre- quently found in such places. The Earl of Salisbury at Newbury, 1612. The eminent Lord Treasurer, Sir Robert Cecil, created Viscount Cranbourne and Earl of Salisbury, passed through Newbury on his last journey to Bath to try the waters in 1612. His chaplain, Bowles, mentions in a letter to James Montague, Bishop of Bath and Wells, that on April 30 the Earl arrived at Newbury, " being very weary, faint, and ill." On the following day. May i, he "left for Marl- borough, and on the 23rd reached that town on his return journey. He was now sinking fast, and died on Sunday, May 24, at the Monastery of St. Margaret's in Marl- borough, then occupied by Mr. Daniel — an interesting old house, which is still standing. After being embalmed, the Earl's body was conveyed to his seat at Hatfield, Herts, where it was interred with a national demonstration of respect. Queen Anne of Denmark again at Newbury, 1613. Queen Anne of Denmark was also at Newbury in 1613, while on a progress from Oatlands to Lord Hertford's at Marlborough ; on September 2 halting at Burghfield, and the next day at Aldermaston House ; on the 4th her Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 245 Majesty dined with Sir Nicholas Fuller at Chamberhouse Castle, Crookham, in the parish of Thatcham, then a noble moated and embattled house, surrounded with a park of about 350 acres. The same night she slept at Mr. Dol- man's, at Shaw, where the Court remained over Sunday. On the Monday following the Queen dined at Mr. Choke's at Avington, and thence proceeded to Sir Francis Pop- ham's at Littlecote, where she stayed two days, and then left for Marlborough. Cross and other Charities, 1613-20, &c. Margaret Cross, by deed dated August 9, 161 3, gave to Thomas Coldwell, and six others, the sum of ;^5o, upon trust, that the same might be lent to little tradespeople, in sums not exceeding ;^io each, at five per cent, interest per annum ; and that the trustees should dispose of the income thencefrom arising as follows : — 30J. to the poor of Newbury, in money, bread, or clothing ; \os. for a sermon to be preached in the parish church on St. Mar- garet's Day ; and the remaining \os. to be spent by the trustees for a drinking. Peter Wybrowe, by deed dated January 6, 1620, gave the sum of ;£'30 to the same trustees for the like purpose ; and directed that the income should likewise be disposed of in money, clothing, or otherwise, at their discretion. By an order of the Mayor, Sec, of Newbury, dated August 15, 1699, it was directed that the trustees of Mar- garet Cross's money should be intrusted with the manage- ment of the ;^20 given by Mr. Stampe, also of the ;^20 given by William Tolfrey, and of the £\o given by Elizabeth Blackbery. The Wooden Bridge over the Kennet, 1623. In the year 1623, the ancient wooden bridge which spanned the river Kennet, and which appears from a Survey of the manor in the reign of James I. to have had shops on either side of it, fell into the river, to the great consternation and inconvenience of the inhabitants. The 246 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. occurrence is fully described in the following letter, which is in the Bodleian Library ", and without endorsement ; but that diligent antiquary, Anthony Wood, has added a MS. note to the effect that it was addressed " To Thos. Bond, Esq., at his lodging in Durham house, in the Strand, neare London. (Of Ogbourne in Wilts ^)." "Sir, — Wee have thought good to lett you vnderstand, how that vpon Sundaye, beinge the v"" daye of ffebruarie last, a greate parte of our Towne bridge beinge about 30 foote in length & 20 foote in bredth fell downe into the river so that no carts can passe over yt, to the greate hinderau'ce of our Towne, specially vpon y" market dayes, it beinge a bridge in y* middle of the Towne, as you knowe, whereby only, and by no other waye, one parte of the Towne can come to thother, & the country cominge in at the West and North endes of the Towne with carts can come no other waye to the markett vnlesse they goe a myle about; And it was the greate blessinge of God that it fell not either as people were goinge to or cominge from churche, which yf it had, it had cost many a man's life, and yet it fell shortly after dinner, ffor the repayringe of this bridge wee haue vsed tyme out minde of man to take trees as occasion hath bin out of the Wash now his highnes wast parcell of the manor of Newbery, which was heretofore well stored, but now there is not, neither hath bin of late, scarce one Tree seruiceable for that vse, so that wee shalbe putt to 40 or 50' chardge in repayringe of yt, to our greate hinderau'ce, wee havinge many poore people amongst vs to relieve, in these harde tymes, when as clothinge, the chiefe keye of tradinge in our towne for reliefe of the poore, is so much decayed. Whereof wee heartely intreate your considerac'on, & yf you shall thinke it fitt to acquaynt some of his hignes Counsell with this accident that is befallen vs, humbly intreatinge theyr honors to take Considerac'on of it, as they in theyr wisedomes shall thinke fitt. And so wee take our leaves, cravinge pardon for beinge so troublesome to you & rest " Your very lovinge freinds, " Newbery, " March i, 1623. « Tanner MS. 314, fo. 214, Bodl. Lib. "• Probably Clerk- of the Council to the Prince of Wales, afterwards Charles I. Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 247 " John Barksdale, ivnior. Richard Waller, Mayor. John Hunte. Jo. Barksdale. John Hooghton. William Howes. Edward Longman. Gabriell Cox, the younger. Richard Avery. Roger Lynche. Hugh Hawkins. William Linche. Wylliam Hunte. Thomas Gyles." William Wilson. Kendrick's Charity, 1624. This Charity comprises the " School " Charity, the " Morning Prayer " Charity, and the " Loan Fund " Charity, all of which were endowed with funds bequeathed for charitable purposes by the will of John Kendrick, dated December 29, 1624. The approximate income of this Charity is ;^28o, de- rived from real property. The Kendrick School Charity and Kendrick's Loan Charity are now administered in accordance with a scheme for the management of St. Bartholomew's Grammar School, dated February 14, 1883. The revenue of the Morning Prayer Charity is derived from freehold land, part of Wash Farm, in the parish of Newbury, and ;^500 Consols, the net proceeds being paid to the Rector of Newbury, as directed by the will of the founder, " for the maintenance of Divine Service in the Parish Church of Newbury, to be said every morning of the week by the parson or his curate at six o'clock." The prayers are now said in the church at nine o'clock instead of six o'clock. Dixon and Deale's Charities, 1624, &c, Richard Dixon, by Will, dated April 9, 1624, devised to certain trustees therein named (being members of the Weavers' Company), a messuage situate at Newbury^ on the west side of Cheap-street, a publichouse called the " Weaver's Arms," upon trust, to pay, during the life of his brother John, the sum of 6s. 8d. per annum to the Rector, 248 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. for preaching a sermon upon the day on which the weavers kept their feast, and the further sum of 6j. %d. towards the said feast ; and, after the decease of his brother, upon trust, to bestow one moiety of the rent of the said messuage towards the relief of poor weavers or weavers' widows, to be paid to them half-yearly, and to apply the remaining moiety to the relief of such poor aged people of Newbury, as his said trustees, during their lives, and, after their de- cease, the parson and the churchwardens of Newbury, should think most fit to receive the same. About the same time William Deale, by Will, gave a messuage in Cheap-street, adjoining the above, to the Weavers' Company of Newbury, aiad their successors for ever, upon trust, to supply poor weavers, yearly, with a gown each and 4J. in money. The churchwardens who, by Dixon's Will, are entitled to select the recipients of one moiety of the rent of the " Weaver's Arms," do not appear ever to have exercised this right. But there is no doubt that they could find some more useful method of disposing of the income than in providing a feast for the members of the Company, 6s. 8d. only being allowed for that purpose by the will. For many years the Rector also does not appear to have claimed his payment of 6s. 8d., nor was the sermon preached, but both conditions are now regularly fulfilled. The Subsidy Roll, 1629. Berks, Villa de Newbury and Hund. DE Faircross'. Persons chargeable to the payment of the subsidies granted by parliament 3 and 4 Car. I. Signed by Sir Francis Knollys and Thos. Vachell, Commissioners. John Headd of Beedon, Jli^h Collector. 25 April, 1629. Fair Cross Hund., Newbury town. Lands. Goods. Thos. Giles, gen. . . . jg^ Gabriel Coxe, gen. . . , ^^3 « Subsidy Roll, Berks, /jV. Pub. Rec. Off. Nnvbury m the Seventeei ith Century. 249 Lands. Goods. William House, gen. £5 Mrs. Sara Fullar 6 Mrs. Agnes Weston S Eliz. Goddard . 2 Dorothie Mason I John Barkesdale, gen. . 2 Wm. Wilson 2 Gilbert Johnson, elk. . 2 Stephen Sparrowe I Alex. Gilman . I Edw. Weeks . 1 Thos. Chokk, gen. I Wm. Walridge . 2 Thos. Merryman I Robt. Daunce . I Thos. Morris, esq. 5 Edw. Wilier £3 Thos. Milton . I Thos. Millington, gen. . 3 Geo. Jeninges . I Wm. Lynch I Widow Tayler . 2 Ric. Bushnell . I Widow CoUyns . I Bryant Maskell . 3 Robt. Bacon 3 Wm. Pearce 3 Geo. Flower • I Wm. Nashe 3 John Cooke, Haberdasher 4 Widow Sanderson I Timothy Averie 3 Jone Saunders, widow . 2 Wm. Goddin, jun. 3 Thos. Graye . . . . I Edw. Longman, gen. 4 Ric. Folwell I Thos. Hellier . . . . 1 Griffin Foster . I Wm. Weston . . . . 2 2SO Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Lands. I Ric. Laurance . John Birche Thos. Dooe Wm. Goddin, sen. Benjamin Houghton Wm. Bew Nic. Nashe "Wm. Eastgate Ric. Cooke Ric. Fanner Joseph Reader John Barkesdale, esq. Ric. Averie John Edmonds John Rede Bryant Lynche Ric. Farant Ric. Gardiner, j Leonard Pratt John Rider Wm. Grove Sam. Iremonger, gen. John Deane Hen. Houghton Thos. White Thos. Houghton, gen. Martin Brookes Widow Hird John of West Mills Simon Goddard Thos. Taylor . Ric. Willis, gen. Hugh Hawkins, gen, John Houghton Wm. H John Assessment 45. a pound on land. 2s. Sd. „ „ goods, Goods. £\ 3 4 4 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 251 The Grammar School, 1634, &c. From the date of the expiring of the lease of the pro- perty belonging to the Hospital, in 161 5, until the year 1686, little information can be obtained as to the Hospital and the Grammar School, the Corporation books being either seized by Cromwell's Commissioners, during the Interregnum, or lost. But we have notice from various sources of some of the Masters of the School. The famous Puritan divine, the Rev. Thomas Parker, in whose honour the town of Newbury, in New England, was so called, taught for some time previous to the year 1634 "the free school in Newberry;" and John Wood- bridge, brother of Benjamin, appointed Rector of New- bury by the Parliament during the Great Rebellion, is mentioned by Dr. Calamy as being "cast out of the school at Newbury, by the Bartholomew-Act" of 1662. The same authority also states that the Rev. Samuel Sprint, of Trinity College, Cambridge, son of the author of Cassander Anglicanus, was chosen Master of the Free School at New- bury, on leaving the University. He is said to have con- tinued at Newbury several years, until he was appointed to the living of Tedworth, and is described as being an intimate friend of Mr. Woodbridge's, the Rector, and " of the same pacific, healing, catholic spirit, a complete scholar, a very useful preacher, and one of strict piety." From an entry in the Corporation books it appears that on October 23, 1686, Richard Simeon, clerk, surrendered up his right as Master of the Free Grammar School at Newbury, and Daniel Bevan, clerk, was elected and chosen by the Corporation to be Master of the School, who exe- cuted an agreement {inter alia) to teach gratis six poor children of the borough of Newbury, to be sent to him by the Churchwardens and others, the Overseers of the poor of Newbury for the time being, such as shall be first ap- proved of by the said Mayor, Aldermen, and chief Bur- gesses of the said borough or the major part of them. In 1692, on the resignation of Mr. Bevan, the Rev. Benjamin Tassell, M.A., of Goring, Oxon, was elected 252 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Schoolmaster of the Free Grammar School, and entered into a similar agreement. Presentments of the Court Leet and Court Baron Defaulters, 1640. In the Manor Records for this year the seventeen jurors and homage present a large number of the resiants within the precincts of the manor as making default in not ap- pearing at the " View of Frank Pledge," and fined each of the absentees two pence. The jury also presented that the Dean and Canons of Windsor, who were owners of property at Sandleford within the borough, the Wardens, Fellows, and Scholars of Winchester College, Humphrey Dolman, Esq. J John Winchcombe, Esq., Francis Barkesdale, Esq., and other free suitors within the manor, had not appeared at the Court Baron, therefore each of them was amerced four pence. They likewise presented several Innholders and Victuallers within the Borough as having since the last Leet broken the Assize of Ale and Beer, for which offence they were respectively amerced four pence. In the same year we have r — " Item they present Mr. Dunch, Esq., and William Howes, gent, for that they have expressively done spoyle to the Marsh Comon by riding their horses there, and therefore either of them are amerced 12^/. And wee order that if they shall hereafter offend againe in that kinde either of them shall forfeite los. " Item they present George Flower, gent, Briant Reives, Edward "Waker, Daniel Gimlett, William Shakshafte, William Holloway, Edward Brownjohn, Thomas Baylie, gent, Paule Wheeler, Widdow Martin, Widdow Vokins, John Snow, sen., Henry Gerle, Thomas Hill, Widdow Rodway, Thos. Stratton, William Vertue, Widdow Love, Bryant Mascoll, William Weston, Samuel Bjoadhead, John Milton, and John Hunt, clothier, for that they refuse to pay the Bellman's wages, and therefore doe finde the payne of every of them ...... . . , , d. "Item they present Edward Greene, Gardner, John Dibley, Luke Gubbard, and John Feild that they and every of them hath comitted a severall bloodshedd, and that therefore every of them hath forfeited 2>^. ^d. "Item they order that John Cooke, gent, Richard Sadler, Alice Smith, widd., John Greene, and the occupiers of the landes of John Guillum shall skower the Watercourse called Old Streame in Northcrofte, makeing it tenn foote wide before St. Thomas's Day next, or els every of them shall forfeite . . . 5//. " Item they order that Thomas Stockwell, and the Hayward for the ffeildes for the yeare being shall drive the said fFeildes three times betwixt Micheltyde and Our Lady Day, and those sheep that are found to be agistmts ^ and not Comons found for them (that is to say three sheepe for an acre according to the order), they shall forfeite ffoure pence for every sheepe so often as they shall so offend. And wee further order that William Bew and William Barnard shall have the oversight thereof to see that it bee well and duly performed by them. And that every of them shall have the money so gotten equally divided amongst them for their paines." The borough officers elected at this Court vi^ere as follows : — Constables Elected. Shuffe Pinfall, Joseph Lawrence, jjur.s Constables in Election. John Seely, Samuel Smith. ' Agistments signifies cattle belonging to strangers taken in to feed on a common, &c., and to take money for the same. » jfuratus, sworn. 254 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Bayleifes Elected. William Cotman, David Hoell. Bayleifes in Election. Nicholas Clowds, John Nightingale, Jur. TlTHINGMEN. ffor the East side of Bartholomew streete, Jeronomy Clarke, Jur. fFor the West side of Bartholomew streete, Henry Linch, Jur. ffor the East side of Cheape streete, James Hawkins, jur. ffor the West side of Cheape streete, Thomas Church, Jur. ffor the East side of Northbrooke streete, Thomas Peirce, Jur. ffor the West side of Northbrooke streete, William Iremonger, Jur. Bread and Butter Weighers and Ale f Thomas Griffin, | Tasters (Edward Blandy, I •* r^ , -, rr- 1 f John Nightingale, scn. ) fflesh and ffish tasters . . ■ IL-m- au ^ fJ"'^- ' WiUiam Shufife, sen. ) Overseers for the Marsh . . i . , , ^ , ^' ( Richard Johnson. Overseers for the ditch in North- ( Thomas Paradise, brooke streete .... (Humphry Buttris. Hayward for the ffeilds . . Thomas Page, Jur. Hayward for the Marsh and Market-) „ , Tobias Allen, Jur. T)1^C6 > • ■ . , ' Presentments at the Court Leet, 1641. At the next Court Leet the jury say : — " Wee present Thomas Manning for suffring his hoggs to digge up and spoile the Northcroft, being a free Common to the In- habitants, and therefore we amerce him . . . i]s. \']d. " And wee order that if he suffer his hoggs at any time to doe soe againe he shall forfeit . . . . . . xj." Several persons were also fined for selling unwholesome meat, and for exposing fish for sale out of season. Presentments at the Court Leet, 1643. It seems scarcely possible to realise in these quiet-going times that in the very heat of the Civil War, and within a few days after the fiercely contested battle on the Wash, Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 255 and when all within the old town was at the disposal of an excited soldiery, the Court Leet jury gravely sat in their Council Chamber, and administered justice in the midst of violence, and the law was still reverenced by the partisans on either side. On October 9, 1643, the Court met as usual at the Guildhall, in the very room where a short time before the bodies of Falkland, Sunderland, Carnarvon, and many another gallant supporter of King Charles had been laid out so that they might be recognised by friends, and then borne away to burial. It may be of interest in connection with the personal history of old Newbury families if some of the proceedings of the Court at this memorable era are given in extenso, the presentments of the jury furnishing us with the names of many of the chief residents in the town at that time : — " Manerium de Newberie in Com. Berk. Visus Franci Pleg. Domini Regis cum Curia Baron Maior Aldermen et Burgi de Newberie prsedicti Domino eiusdem Manerii ibidem tentus in Guilhalda eiusdem Burgi nono die Octobris ; Anno regni Domini nostri Caroli Dei gratia Anglie Scotie Frauncie et Hibernie Regis, fidei Defensor etc. Decimo nono Coram Johanne Barks- dale, gen. Seneschal ibidem praedicto 1643. JUR. ET HOMAG. JUR. Richard Allen, gen. Thorn. Barksdale. Amos Averie. John Brownjohn. John Giles. William Barnard. Richard Holwell. Henry Linch. William Waller. William Tubb. Sam. Smith. George White. Robt. Wilson. Christ. Bachiler. Robt. Cooke. George Cowslade. "Presentments and Orders made by the same Jury as fol- loweth (vizt.)." " Imprimis wee present George Garden, Walter Wooder, Robt. Wilkins, Benjamin Godwyn, John Edsall, John Hedges, jun., Henry Turner, Shuif Pinfall, Richard Cooke, John Cooke, Richard Gough, Wm. Hunt, John Greenaway, sen, et jun., Adrian Ladd, 256 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Leonard Heath, Bryant Webb, Bartholomew ffortie, John Big- wood, John Charlock, Daniel Gimlett, George Barker, John Wallin, Richard Chapman, Thomas White, Leonard Butler, George Hobbs, John Chalke, Thom. WilHs, William Stiles, James Bond, Nicholas Skinner, William ffeilde, Edw. Brownjohn, John Joseph Michell, William Wrenn, Richard Ely, Thomas Marsh, Edward Browne, Levy Smith, Nathaniell Collins, Briant Mascell, Mr. Pearse, James Purdy, George Mosse, Robert Armsteede, William fFoster, Thomas Pearse, Stephen Fisher, James ffrancklin, John Watts, Richard Lardner, Robt. flfaithful, John Hunt, Robert Gubbard, John Tyler, John Randall, William Hatt, sen. et jun., fifulke Harbert, Mr. Richard Laurence, Joseph Sealy, William Bew, Thomas fforster, Humfry Sealy, Christopher Twisse, John Brice, John Butler, John Hawkins, John Jemmett, Giles Goddard, John ffrancklin, John Basford, Edward Caton, John Griffett, Tho. Hampton, Adam Read, William Grove, John Englefield, William Morrell, Stephen Morrell, ffrancis Norris, Joseph Laurence, Abraham Cox, Bawnfeilde, Jasper Baker, Raph Bower, John Walter, Mr. Timothy Avery, Thomas Allen, jun., Stephen Camber, William Millett, Tho. Wilson, Thomas Watts, John Armsteede, Richard Goddard, Tho. Harris, Clement Mills, Edward Willett, sen. et jun., Walter Gough, Anthony Smith, Henry Dickenson, James Litle, Walter Skinny Israel Hatt, James Vertue, Thomas Manning, sen. et jun., Peter Martyn, John Tranter, Dennis Po- cocke, Richard Feilde, John Cox, Richard Brice, Benjiman Timberland, Thomas Hayes, Thomas Newman, Thomas Walter, Henry Moris, Richard Adams, Joseph Hayes, WilKam Jackson, Thomas Hidden, Robert Smith, Richard Mosdell, Christopher Pratt, Simon Roach, jun., Alexander Gilman, jun., Joseph Gil- man, John Attfeild, Humfrey Sandie, Michell White, Thomas Stedman, Benjamin Wilson, William Whittington, Anthony Martyn, Thomas Hatt, Thomas Blanchard, John ffarrow, William ffarrow, Laurence ffarrow, Richard Knight, Edward Arrowsmith, Richard Huntmill, Abraham Hardinge, Roger Jackson, Richard Allin, William Curtis, Joseph Wilson, John Bushell, William Pares, Edward West, William Grove, Wm. Goldbourne, John Jennings, Hugh Kittle, Richard Weston, Ben. Weston, Chr. Weston, John Pearse, Nicholas Roberts, John Whiting, John Burch, Richard Briskett, William ffortie, Richard James, John Hutchins, Tho. Mayne, Morris Warren, ffrancis Cooper, Thomas Cooper, John Blanchard, Thomas Woodnett, Thomas Vinson, John Raw- Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 257 lins, Abraham Stockwell, Briant Linch, Robert Blunt, Joseph Godwin, John Hedges, Robert Willis, Nicholas Shaw, Mathew Hill, Thomas Tomson, Nath. Russell, William Aden, jun., John Browne, Thomas Plant, jun., William Shaw, John Clarke, Amos Avery, jun., Benjamin ffoster, Joseph Nalder, John Kerby, John Walter, William Mottlee, Hugh Baker, Robert Baker, Richard Scallopp, Thomas Allen, Richard Adams, Ed- ward Winslow, John Garland, Jeffrey Newe, John Clarke, sen. et jun., John Child, William Smith, Robert Hasell, Charles Kidgell, WilUam Kidgell, Wm. West, Timothy Kent, Richard Younge, Gabriel Granger, Rich. Trassell, John Merriman, William Shelton, Valerius Wimbolt, Thomas Taylor, John Collins, Thomas Ben- nett, John Snow, Henry Girle, Thomas Puckmore, Thomas Hill, William Burchall, William Waterman, John Edmands, gent., George flfeilde, Richard Smith, Thomas Cooper, Rowland Griffin, John Rodway, Thorn. Halcupp, Robert ffrome, Richard Wallen, Jeronimo Clark, Leonard Cox, William Nash, Joseph Poore, Raph Simson, Christopher ffeild, Thomas Pinchard, Raph Houghton, John ffoster, Joseph Crooke, Robert James, Walter Wright, Thomas Linch, William Sadler, Nicho. Mason, Chr. Salter, George Seymor, Henry James, Thomas Goldborne, Rich. Smart, William Sadler, jun., are resiants within the precinct of the Manno' aforesaid, and hath this day made default in not ap- pearinge Ideo quilibet eorum est in mi'a [and therefore each of them is in misericordia, i.e. amerced] .... \]d. " Item, wee present the Deanes and Cannons of Windsor, the Wardens, ffellows, and schollars of Winton, Humfry Dolman, Esq., Jo. Winchcombe, Esq., Tho. Brickenden, Esq., ffrancis Barksdale, Esq., Gabriel Cox, gent., WilUam Howes, gent., the heirs of John Hunt, gent., Samuel Iremonger, gent., the heirs of Humfry Taylor, gent., Tho. Holmes, gent., John Houghton, gent., John Watts, dark, the ffeoffees for the use of the poore of Thatcham, Richard Poore, Robert White, Richard Cooke, John Cooke, gent., Wm. Riche, Thomas Osgood, the Mr. and War- dens of the Weavers, John Giles, Henry Norcroft, the heirs of Nicholas Fuller, Esq., William Webb, the heirs of Robert Taylor, the heirs of Henry Roberts, the heirs of Richard Ball, ffra. Dove, Martyn Brooker, the heirs of Symm Johnson, Tho. Martyn, ffrancis Draycott, James Tull, the heirs of John Avenill, the heirs of Richard Rowland, the heirs of Widdow Joyce, the heirs of Widdqw ffroom, the heirs of Alexander Yates, the heirs of Wilham S 258 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Allen, the heirs of Thomas Houghton, and William Godwyn are ffree sutors within the Manner afores'', and have this day made default in not appearing at the Court Baron, therefore every of them is amerced . iiija'. " Item, wee present John Hoare, Susan Linch, widdow, Shuff Pinfall, Alice Smith, widd., Widdow Weekes, Richard Edmands, John Hedges, Richard Cooke, ffrancis Bushnell, Edmund Knowles, Jo. Greenaway, George Calcott, John Sealy, Richard Dorum, William Merriman, Widdow Attfield, Widdow Milton, Thos. Bew, Thos. Nash, John Camber, Edw. Weston, John Lever, Thos. ffeild, John Warren, Chris. Barnes, Widdow Greene, Wil- liam Virgin, "Valerius Wimbolt, Tho. Carden, Daniel Wheeler, Thomas Younge, Widdow Vokins, Widdow Merriman, and Paul Wheeler, being Innholders and Victuallers within this Borough, and have since the last Court broken the Assize of Ale and Beere, Therefore every of them is by us amerced . . . y]d. " Item, wee present that John Edmands, gent., Tho. Martyn, gent, and Thomas Manning, being Beere brewers, have since the last O. taken excessive gaines in selling of beere and Ale, Therefore every of them is by us amerced . . . xs. " Item, wee present Widdow Merriman, Susan Linch, widdow, Alice Smith, widdow, Edw. Weekes, Jo. Greenaway, John Homes, Widdow Greene, John Hedges, jun., Tho. Nash, Richard Ed- mands, and Shufif Pinfall for keeping of Comon Estrays, and have since the last Court taken excessive gaine in hay and oats, therefore every of them is by us amerced . . . iiij(/. " Item, wee present Simon ffarant, Clarke, that he hath not according to our previous order taken away his intrusion before his house att Bartholomews, and wee find his paine to bee xk. "And wee further order that he shall take it away before St. Thomas's Day next, or else to forfeit . . . xh. more. " Item, wee present James May for stopping the free and full passage of the water in the ditch in Northbrooke Streete, There- fore we do amerce him vjj. vjtt. " And wee further order for every offence he shall comitt in that kind he shall forfeite xj. " Item, wee present William Virgin, ffrancis Cooper, Thos. Woodnot, Widdow Greene, William Shelton, Widdow Wilson, Widdow Kerbie, Christopher Salter, and Tho. Hulings and Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 259 Charles Kistel, for not pitchinge of their doores, therefore every of them is by us amerced * * Constables Elected. Jur. Affer. John Hore,)^^j. JohnSeelyJ-' ' * * Sam. Smith, Wm. Bernard, Constables in Election, Sam. Smith, Tho. Gearing. Bailiffs Elected. Bailiffs in Election. Richard Shaw, ) ^ Nichs. Clouds, Hur. Wm. Merryman, ) John Nightingale. Tythingmen. Humfry Seeley for the East side of Northbrooke streete, Jur. Simon Roach for the West side of Northbrooke streete, Jur. Richard Willis for the East side of Cheap streete, Jur. Sam. Gardner for the West side of Cheap streete, Jur. John Rodaway for the East side of Barthol. streete, Jur. John Attefeild for the West side of Barthol. streete, Jur. (• Peter Goodale, ] Bread and Butter weighers fflesh and ffish tasters Overseers for the Marsh . Overseers for the ditch in North- brooke streete . Hayward for the ffeilds . Hayward for the Marsh, North- croft and Markett place (John Nalder, /■William Crabb, I John Willis, j William Waller, (Thos. Pearse. I Wm. Waller, (Thos. Pearse. John Hunt, Jur. Tobias Allen, Jur. The Civil Wars and the Battles of Newbury, 1643-44. The chief historical interest of Newbury arises from its having been the scene of Jwo important battles betw^een the armies of Charles I. and the Parliament. When hostilities broke out the chief part of the townspeople, after failing by petitions and other means to impress upon the King and his advisers the impolicy of the course they were pur- s 2 26o Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. suing at so critical a juncture, believing that it was pos- sible to change the obnoxious system of government with- out disturbing the throne, openly declared their resolution to stand by the Parliament : and it is evident that their warmest sympathies were on that side throughout the w^r ^ A very detailed history of the two battles of Newbury, and the concurrent military operations which were carried on in this neighbourhood in the course of the first war, .has already been presented to the public'. It will there- fore only be necessary to give a brief sketch of this event- ful period in our local annals. In April, 1643, and on the very day on which the peace propositions expired, which required the King to abolish Episcopacy, and resign the command of the militia and other executive powers to Parliament, Essex advanced to besiege Reading. His army, the finest that had yet been seen, consisted of 16,000 foot and 3,000 horse, all well armed, and abundantly supplied with everything necessary for the siege. For a week little progress was made, but then a cannon-shot beat down a brick or tile on the head of the governor. Sir Arthur Aston, and so stunned him " that he was disabled from executing anything in his own person, and his senses were so impaired, that he was even unfit for counsel or direction." Colonel Richard Feilding succeeded to the command ; the King tried to relieve the place, but was driven back, and Feilding surrendered on honourable terms. He was tried by a council of war for the surrender, and condemned to death, which sentence was ultimately commuted. Still he never recovered the •■ As an illustration of the state of public feeling in this neighbourhood, Dean Bradley mentioned, when the Field Club visited Westminster in 1885, that the late Mr. Baverstock Merriman, of Marlborough, related to him that one of his ancestors (the Merrimans were an old Newbury family) had it handed down to him, that at the time of the Civil War Newbury was a hot- bed of Presbyterianism, while the' villages round were loyal to the King's party ; and as a singular survival of this feeling, long after the war, a certain farmer, when he had taken freely at the market ordinary, would ride up and down Newbury streets crying, "Come out you * • « • • Presbyterians, come out!" This is important also as shewing the word Presbyterian in con- nection with the Roundheads at the time. ' " The First and Second Battles of Newbury and the Siege of Donnington Castle, by Walter Money, F.S.A." 1881— 1884, (i and 2 Ed. : Newbury: W. J. Blacket.) Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 261 disgrace, although he afterwards served as a volunteer with great spirit and courage at Newbury, and other engagements. Then came the battles of Lansdown and Roundway Down, Devizes, the surrender of Bristol to the King, and other Royalist successes, which induced Charles to march to Gloucester, and endeavour to make his conquest com- plete by besieging this, the only place of importance in the west, which was in the hands of his opponents. But the war-party in the Parliament were in no way discouraged in their belief in the ultimate triumph of their cause, and immense exertions were made to relieve the beleagured garrison. Essex undertook to raise the siege, and with wonderful alacrity the London trained-bands volunteered for the service. An army of 10,000 men left London for Gloucester on the 24th of August, and were joined on the march by other contingents, which raised Essex's force to about 14,000 horse and foot, including a train of artillery. On September 4, when the siege had lasted twenty- six days, the thunder of the Parliamentary cannon from the Prestbury hills announced to the besieged that the day of their deliverance had arrived. The next morn- ing the King's forces engaged in the siege, which had been grossly mismanaged by Prince Rupert, withdrew in haste and in some confusion, and Essex soon after entered and re-victualled the city. Astonished at his easy triumph, and anxious to avoid an attack that he could not with prudence encounter, the object of his mission too being fulfilled, Essex was desirous to return to London with all speed. With a view to circum- vent and divide the King's forces, the Parliamentary gene- ral suddenly departed from Gloucester, and made dispo- sition of his troops as if he had intended to proceed north- ward to Worcester, but cautiously changing his route, he marched to Tewkesbury ; from whence, with the advan- tage of a dark night, he reached Cirencester, and suc- ceeded in surprising the Royalist garrison there, and se- curing a convoy of provisions before pursuit commenced. Informed of the flight of Essex, the Royalists were un- 262 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. certain which road he had taken, but Prince Rupert hear- ing of the surprise of Cirencester, immediately projected a movement to intercept the retreat of their antagonists, namely, with a strong body of cavalry to move with celerity across country and overtake Essex, while the King with the infantry pressed on by forced marches to- wards Newbury, to which place he had been informed by Rupert, Essex was on his way. The possession of the town of Newbury was the object chiefly aimed at by the Parliamentarians, who were assured of a good reception — in fact the townspeople so soon as they knew of Essex's route, had been making every endeavour to furnish ade- quate supplies for his starving troops. With a force of about 3,000 cavalry Rupert and Colonel Hurry moved rapidly by way of Lechlade and Faringdon in pursuit of Essex, and hearing that he was crossing Aldbourne Chase, came suddenly upon his rearguard as the Parliamentary army were passing through the deep lanes near the Lodge Farm, or Pearce's Lodge, about two miles north-west of the village of Aldbourne. With dashing energy Rupert and his cavalry bore down upon their unprepared oppo- nents, who were moving with wide intervals "between their divisions" — the cavalry being nearly a mile in the rear of the infantry. Essex, after the first shock, quickly rallied his men on the higher ground, when the skir- mish became fierce and general, and was continued with great slaughter till the main body of the Parliamenta- rians reached Hungerford. In this action the Marquis de Vieuville, a volunteer in the royal army, was taken prisoner, and in endeavouring to escape was slain — his last words, according to the accounts given of this affair, were, "Vous voyez un grand Marquis mourant." Con- siderable traces of this fight were discovered in May, 18 1 5, when the workmen, in widening the turnpike-road from Swindon to Hungerford, exhumed sixty skeletons on partially removing a bank at Preston; at the spot where the parishes of Aldbourne and Ramsbury join, and a few yards from the turning leading to the latter place. The next day Essex arrived within two miles of New- bury, where he had intended to quarter, but found to his Newbury in the Seventeenth Centurj'. 263 dismay that the road to London was barred against him. Prince Rupert, after the action at Aldbourne, with promp- titude and soldierly judgment pushed on with his cavalry, and arrived in Newbury to find some of Essex's advanced guard engaged in arranging billets for the anxiously- expected troops of the Parliament. With scarcely a moment's halt the leading squadron of Rupert's troopers confronted the startled Parliament men, who were un- aware of the near approach of the royal cavalry, but who, perceiving that resistance with so small a force was useless, beat a precipitate retreat, leaving several of their quarter- masters prisoners in the hands of the Royalists. The King^ who with the remainder of the cavalry and the infantry had marched by way of Faringdon and Wantage, soon after arrived in Newbury, and no time was lost in occupying the town and its approaches. Meanwhile, Essex drew his army into the low-lying fields known as Crockham Heath, near Enborne ; his left flank having the protection of the woods at Hampstead, and of the Kennet river, and his right rest- ing on the little river Enborne, or, as it is termed in ancient documents, the Aleburn river. Here, without food and without shelter, exposed to the same tempestuous weather to which they had been subjected the greater part of their dreary march from Gloucester, the Parliamentary army " all that night," says an eye witness, " lay in the fields impatient of the sloth of darkness, and wishing for the morning's light to exercise their valour J." The King's force, under his own personal command, was about 10,000 men, of the three arms, horse, foot, and artillery, and that of his opponent, Essex, may be com- puted at about 8,000 of all ranks. The chief Royalist officers were Prince Rupert, Patrick Ruthven, Earl of Brentford, the Lords Wilmot, Carnarvon, Lindsey, Northampton, Nottingham, Cleveland, Holland, Clare, Bedford, Belasyse, Digby, Jermyn, Percy, Somerset, Andover, Chandos, and Molyneux. Sir John Byron, Sir Nicholas Byron, Sir Charles Lucas, Sir George Lisle, Sir Lewis Kirke, Sir Henry Slingsby, Sir William Vavasour, ' Codrington's "Life of Robert, Earl of Essex," 1646. 264 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Sir Thomas Aston, Sir Jacob Astley, Sir John Hurry, Colonels Spencer, St. John, Edward Feilding, Villiers, Legge, O'Neill, Morgan, Eure, D'Arcy, Gerard, and Con- stable ; while the following are mentioned as serving in the royal ranks as volunteers : — Lords Falkland, Sunder- land, Carlisle, and Peterborough, Sir Edward Sackville, Sir John Russell, Hon. Henry Howard, Colonels Richard Feilding, and Stroud. It appears that Dr. Jeremy Taylor, the learned author of "Holy Living and Dying," and other works, was present at this battle, in his capacity of chap- lain to Charles I., and was most indefatigable in his attention to the dying and wounded soldiers of both armies. On the side of the Parliament the Earl of Essex was in chief command, and amongst the more conspicuous leaders were Lords Robartes, and Grey of Groby, Sir John Mey- rick. Sir Philip Stapleton, Sir James Ramsay, Sir William Constable, Sir Samuel Luke, Sir William Brooks, Sir Richard Bulstrode, Sir William Springett'', Major-Generals Skippon and Deane, Colonels Meldrum, Goodwin, Shef- field, Mainwaring, Norton, Dalbier, Brackley, Harvey, Holbourne, Tucker, White, and Fortescue. The King's first movement on arriving at Newbury, and becoming aware of the critical situation of Essex, was to take up a position extending from the town to Wash Com- '■ Sir William Springett, Knt. , was the son of Herbert Springett of Ringmer, Sussex, Esq., by his wife Mary, only daughter and heir of Sir John Proude, Knt., and of Anne Fagge, his wife, one of the coheirs of Edmund Fagge, of Ewell, near Faversham, in the county of Kent, Esq. He was knighted at Hampton Court, Feb. 10, 1641-2, and called "of Langley, Kent." Sir William was at the battle of Edgehill ; he had a commission to be Colonel of a regiment of foot, and raised 800 men ' ' without beat of drum." He was wounded at the fight at Newbury, and lay for several nights in the field in Lord Robartes' coach. After being in many other en- gagements he was at the taking of Arundel Castle, and there contracted a sickness of which he died, Feb. 3, 1643-4, being then only 23 years of age, and was buried at Ringmer. His posthumous daughter, Gulielma Maria Springett, born a few weeks after his death, married in 1672 William Penn, the eminent Quaker, and Founder of Pennsylvania. She died February 23, 1693-4, and was buried at Jordans, co. Bucks, near the remains of her four children and her mother, who married, as her second husband, Isaac Pennington, son of Alderman Pennington, Lord Mayor of London, an active partisan against Charles I., and one of his judges. Further Biogra- phical notices of officers engaged in the two battles at Newbury will be found in the author's work on these and other local transactions at this period. Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 265 mon, and having strengthened his front by several hastily constructed entrenchments, he so posted his men as to cover all the lines of advance by which Essex could pro- ceed on his way to London. His determination and his interest were to stand on the defensive, and await the advance of Essex, who he knew must either fight or starve ; but, as we shall see, the rashness of some of the younger and headstrong cavalier officers frustrated the King's intentions, and was fatal to the success of his care- fully-planned preparations. As soon as daylight appeared on the morning of Wed- nesday, September 20, Charles was in the field, and arranged his army into three divisions, with a reserve ; his left wing, centre, and artillery being placed upon the plateau of the Wash, facing west towards Enborne, his right wing being stationed in front of Newbury, protected by hedges, and resting on the river Kennet. An autumnal mist prevailed, so that neither party could well see the position of the other, and Essex reaped the full advantage of this circumstance. He perceived it was impossible to proceed without fighting ; and that he had only to prepare for the battle in the way most favourable to himself ; his opponents were in a marvellously strong position, and most difficult to be assailed. It was, as the Chronicles relate, an anxious night for Essex and his men. They had marched in a drenching rain from Cirencester, without adequate food or rest, chiefly through an open country, and partly through muddy lanes and stony ways ; and the horses and the horsemen were as weary as the in- fantry. In this state of real danger all was fearful and uncertain, and with anxious hearts the Puritan soldiers passed that gloomy night, and awaited the terrible dawn that seemed to be slow in advancing. But a mysterious sense of confidence and triumph seemed to have prevailed in the Parliamentary camp. So soon as the long-wished- for dawn appeared Essex divided his host, as was the usual military order of the period, into three divisions. The right wing, under Skippon, was placed on the rising ground by " Bigg's Hill," near Hill Farm, Enborne, ex- 266 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. tending along the valley towards the Wash ; the centre and artillery on the plateau ; and the left wing in a more northerly direction towards Hampstead. Here also the reserve of horse and foot was stationed. With stirring and encouraging words Essex excited the enthusiasm of his soldiers, and by his intrepid demeanour and well-tried gallantry inspired the greatest confidence ; and though he told his men a battle was inevitable, and that the enemy had all the advantages, "the Hill, the Town,- Hedges, Lane, and River," they unanimously cried out, " Let us fall upon them ! We will, by God's assistance, beat them from them all." The military judgment and watchful' eye of Essex had led him to observe the value of the rounded spurs near Skinner's Lane, which commanded the whole of the low- lying ground between the town and the Wash, and he speedily availed himself of the opportunity of obtaining an advantage which the Royalists, much to his surprise, had neglected to secure. Charles having no part of his army in this direction enabled Essex to steal up unperceived in the twilight, with a portion of his left wing, and plant two pieces of cannon on the eminence just above Cope Hall, before the Royalists were aware of this unforeseen but important movement. Sudden movements frequently decide battles, and the Royalists, seeing the advantage taken of their uninten- tional error, at daybreak dispatched Sir John Byron to dislodge the Parliament men, and so prevent the conse- quences of the full advantage being reaped of this remark- ably strong position. It was in the attempt to obtain possession of this " round hill " that Lord Falkland was killed. " My Lord of Falk- land," says Lord Byron, " did me the honour to ride in my troop this day, and I would needs go along with him ; the enemy had beat our foot out of the close, and was drawne up near the hedge I went to view ; and as I was giving orders for making the gapp wide enough, my horse was shott in the throat with a musquet bullet and his bit broken in his mouth, so that I was forced to call for an- Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 267 other horse ; in the meanwhile my Lord Fallcland (more gallantly than advisedly) spurred his horse through the gapp, where both he and his horse were immediately killed." The gap now being made wide enough for the passage of Byron's troopers, they were drawn into the next field, and gallantly charged the enemy ; the body of Falk- land being trampled in the earth, and was not found till the day after the battle, " stript, trod upon, and mangled, and could be only identified by one who waited upon him in his chamber, by a certain mole his lordship had upon his neck." The occupation of the " round hill " above Cope Hall was followed by the advance of the main body of Essex's left wing ; and simultaneously the right was pushed for- ward on Enborne Heath, to co-operate with Essex, the efforts of both divisions being principally directed against the King's position on the Wash, and which barred the nearest line to London. Charles's position was chosen with considerable j udgment, which seemed to promise the accomplishment of a certain victory, and he had wisely resolved to keep the enemy at bay, and not to become himself the assailant. But this reso- lution was broken by the impetuosity and insubordination of some of the young cavalier commanders, who, despising the " base-born London apprentices, whom they came rather to triumph ovei- than to fight," rushed excitedly upon the Parliamentary right wing the moment they were drawn up for action on Enborne Heath, Consequently the King's whole plan of action was paralyzed, and the barriers of restraint were now burst through, and it became a deadly conflict, hand to hand in all parts of the field. The advanced portion of the King's left wing were un- equal to maintain the struggle against Essex's right at Enborne, and obliged the King's right to advance for their support, leaving much of their artillery behind them on the Wash. The Parliamentary left wing of horse and the King's right were so impeded by the high banks and deep dikes, with so many hedges, trees and bushes, that they could only engage in detached parties ; and in such 268 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. an enclosed country as this the cavalry could not act with that efficiency which would have much effect in deciding the fortunes of the day. It was the personal example and skill of Essex, and the firm attitude and valour of the trained bands of the City of London, that the advantage ultimately gained by the army of the Parliament must be chiefly attributed. The citizen soldiers "endured the chiefest heat of the day," and upon the immovable ram- part presented by their serried lines of pikes the stormy valour of Rupert's choicest cavaliers again and again broke in vain. Those regiments, " of whose inexperience of danger, or any kind of service beyond the easy practice of their postures in the Artillery Garden, men had till then too cheap an estimation, behaved themselves to wonder ; and were in truth the preservation of the army of the Parliament that day." If either party hoped to decide this sanguinary field before night-fall, both were disappointed by their eager desire for revenge and victory. The shades of evening came on, yet both armies were still fighting as furiously " as if the battell was but new begun." The twilight dis- appeared, and darkness followed, yet neither had given way, and the dreadful battle raged with lavish but still with indecisive slaughter. The dismal struggle being continued by isolated parties in various parts of the field till eleven o'clock or thereabouts, " the glimmer of the matches and the flashing of the fire-arms serving to shew each other where the other lay." At length it was impossible to distinguish friends from foes, and resting nature summoned them to pause, so about the middle of the night the Royalists withdrew their artillery from the Wash and retired into Newbury, and by daybreak their whole force had quitted the ground of the previous day's action ; while Essex and his troops bivouacked on the field of battle in a very cheerless state, being absolutely without food and shelter. The night, too, was very damp and chilly, and not a drop of any- thing to drink was to be had, though the wounded were dreadfully tormented with thirst ; and it is reported by a Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 269 Parliamentary journal that one officer offered ten shillings for a quart of water ! The infantry rested on their pikes, the cavalry stretched themselves beside their horses, anti- cipating a bloodier and fiercer day on the morrow, it being reported in the Parliamentary camp that the Roy- alists were vigorously working to get their cannon in position to renew the combat the next day : " Against which supposed encounter," says the "True Relation of the Expedition," printed by order of the House of Com- mons, " we encouraged our souldiers before hand, and resolved by God's help the next day to force our way through them or dye." But the conflict had lasted so long that both sides were nearly exhausted, and had " little stomack for the field." When morning broke Essex drew up the remnant of his shattered army on the Wash, and announced his readiness to renew the contest by the firing of artillery; but no enemy appearing, and finding the way by Greenham open before him, he continued his march towards Reading and London. The Parliamentary army had not, however, marched further than Alder- maston, when they were attacked by a strong party of horse and musqueteers ; and being taken at a disadvan- tage in the narrow lanes between the village of Alder- maston and Padworth, were thrown into considerable disorder. After a sharp skirmish, in which considerable loss was sustained by both parties, the Royalists retired, and Essex, crossing the Kennet at Padworth, pushed on to Theale, where he arrived about 10 o'clock, and quar- tered for the night. On Friday morning Essex marched from Theale to Reading, where a committee of the Lords and Commons met their successful general, to congratulate him on the great service he had done the Parliament, and to learn the wants of his army, with an assurance that they should be all forthwith supplied. He then moved on towards the capital, leaving Reading to be occupied by a garrison of Royalists, and on the 28th made a trium- phant entry into the City of London. A solemn form of thanksgiving was appointed, and the day after his arrival the Earl received a visit of thanks from the Speaker and 2/0 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. the members of both Houses of Parliament " for his in- comparable conduct and courage ;" and informed him that they had ordered this acknowledgment to be entered in their Journals " as a monument and record of his valour, and of their gratitude." The battle of Newbury, like that of Edgehill, was followed by no decided advantage to either party. The Parliamentarians loudly claimed the victory ; and not without reason, for the Royalists suffered them to march forward from the field of battle towards London un- molested. The attack on their rear at Aldermaston, though it produced some disorder in Essex's ranks and impeded his march, gave but little advantage to the Royalists, and was practically barren of results. In this action the loss of known and distinguished officers was chiefly on the King's side ; " for whilst," says Clarendon, " some obscure, unheard-of colonel or officer was missing from the ranks of the Parliament, and some citizen's wife bewailed the loss of her husband, there were, on the King's side, above twenty field-officers, and persons of honour and publick name, slain upon the place, and more of the same quality hurt." On the Royalists' side the following names of officers killed are recorded : — The Earl of Carnarvon, the Earl of Sunderland, Lord P"alkland, the Hon. Henry Bertie, and Sir Anthony Mansel. Colonels. — Edward St. John, Joseph Constable, Poole, Murray, Richard Piatt, Pinchbeck, Wheatley, Eure, Slingsby, Thomas Morgan, and Stroud. Captains. — Robert Molineux (of the Wood, Lancashire), Wm. Symcocks (Captain in Lord Percy's troop), Francis Bartis, Thos. Singleton (of Stanyng, Lancashire), and Francis Clifton (of Westby, in the same county). Captain Sheldon, of Broadway Court, Worcester, who served in Prince Maurice's regiment of horse, and Bernard Brocas. Lieutenants. — Henry Butler, George Collingwood, and Wm. Culcleth. Algernon Symes, of the Little Park, Windsor, was also killed in the action. Among the wounded were the Earl of Carlisle, the Earl of Peter- borough, -Lord Andover, Lord Chandos, Sir Charlea Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 271 Lucas, Sir John Russell, Sir Edward Sackville, Sir Edward Waldegrave, Major -General George Porter. Colonels. — George Lisle, Feilding (died of his wounds at Oxford), Thomas Dalton (died of his wounds at Andover), Gerard, Ivers, D'Arcy, Villiers, Howard, Spencer, Bartley. Captains. — Panton (fell June 29, 1644, at Banbury), Thurston Andrews (died of his wounds at Oxford), and Mr. Progers (groom of the bed-chamber to the Prince of Wales), who attached himself to the King's interest during the war with the Parliament with laudable fidelity. On the Parliamentary side the name of no officer of note is given as having fallen in this battle. Colonels. — Davies, Bamfield, Tucker, Mainwaring (of the London Brigade), Greaves, and White. Captains. — Hunt, Ware, Talbot, St. Barbe, and Massey are mentioned as being amongst the slain ; and Captains Bolton, Mosse, Stoning, Juxon, Willet, Howes, and Warren died of their wounds a short time after the battle. Colonel Dalbier, Com- missary-General Copley, Captains Hammond, Fleetwood, and Pym, and Cornet D'Oyley, are said to have been wounded. After the Parliamentary army had left Reading, the King having placed a force of horse and foot there, and established a garrison at Donnington Castle under Col. John Boys, retired with Prince Rupert and the remainder of his army to Oxford, where, says Clarendon, " there appeared nothing but dejection of mind, discontent, and secret mutiny in the army, anger and jealousy among the officers, every one accusing another of a want of courage and conduct in the action of the field, and they who were not of the army blaming them all for their several failings and gross oversights." Though the return of Essex to London and the King's withdrawal to Oxford for winter quarters after the first battle at Newbury terminated the campaign of 1643, as regards the two principal armies, a ceaseless war of skir- mishes and sieges was continued with varied success in other parts of the kingdom. 272 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. In the autumn of 1643, the Earl of Manchester reduced Lynn; on October 11 the King's forces were utterly- beaten at Winceby, near Horncastle ; the siege of Hull was raised by the Marquis of Newcastle on the 12th; and about the same time Manchester succeeded in taking the strong garrisons of Lincoln and Gainsborough. The following January, 1643-4, the Scotch auxiliary forces entered England as adherents of the Parliament, and Royalist disasters followed each other in rapid suc- cession. Early in the year 1644 (March 29) the King's forces under Lord Hopton were defeated at the battle of Cheri- ton, or Bramdean Heath, near Alresford ; and Waller soon after obtained possession of the city of Winchester, but the garrison at the castle notwithstanding held out for the King. When active military operations recommenced, late in April, the Parliament had no less than five armies a-foot. That of Fairfax and the auxiliary army of the Scots in Yorkshire ; that lately commanded by Essex, then being recruited in London after its successes at Gloucester and Newbury ; that of Waller, which had been reinforced after its expulsion from the West ; and lastly, the army sup- ported by the associated eastern counties, consisting of fourteen thousand men, under the command of Man- chester and Cromwell. At this time the King had two large armies in the field : his own consisting of 10,000 men, and the northern division, under Prince Rupert and the Marquis of New- castle, of 14,000 men ; and there were in addition several considerable forces scattered throughout the country, while regiments of English and Irish troops were landed from time to time in Wales and elsewhere. In May Essex and Waller left London, each at the head of 10,000 men. As soon as the former had reached Windsor, and the latter had encamped at Basing, the King advanced from Newbury, where his army had been quar- tered for nearly a month, to Reading. Having caused the defensive works of that place to be demolished, he withdrew Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 273 his garrison, and purposed to make a stand at Abingdon ; but on Essex's approach Abingdon was evacuated, and occupied for the Parliament, who also drew troops into Newbury ; and thus by the end of May became masters of the whole of Berkshire, except Donnington Castle, Faringdon, and Wallingford. Towards the end of May Oxford was almost entirely invested, when Charles, by a skilful manoeuvre, saved both his army and the city. On the night of the 3rd of June, accompanied by his cavalry and 3,000 foot, he passed undiscovered between the two armies of Essex and Waller, and proceeded by rapid marches to Worcester, and thence across the Severn to Bewdley. Meanwhile, as soon as the Parliamentary leaders became aware of Charles's escape, it was agreed that Waller and his army should follow in pursuit of the King, while Essex and his army reduced the towns in the West. Waller thought that Charles was making for Lancashire to join Rupert, and so kept ahead of him on the left bank of the Severn. So soon, however, as the King heard that the two Parlia- mentary generals had separated, he determined to seize the opportunity of fighting Waller before he could be assisted by the other army under Essex, then on its way to the West. After a series of well-executed manoeuvres, Charles engaged and defeated Waller, on the 29th of June, at Cropredy Bridge, on the banks of the Cherwell near Banbury. Three days after, on the plains of Marston Moor, was fought the most decisive battle that had yet taken place, and which was most disastrous to the King's interests. The almost total destruction of his Northern army confirmed Charles in his determination to follow in pursuit of Essex before other reverses might occur. En- couraged by easy conquests Essex had advanced further and further into the West, unaware of the dangers gather- ing around him. He was in sight of Exeter, when he heard that the King, having defeated Waller at Cropredy Bridge, was rapidly advancing against him and collecting in his way all the forces he could command. To send T 274 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Waller to Essex's relief with a newly- equipped army was then the strenuous effort of the Parliament ; and as, to complicate matters, Rupert was sure to move southward, it became a necessary part of their plan that Manchester's army should come out of its quarters in the eastern counties, and follow Waller's route westward. Manchester, with his army, arrived at Huntingdon on September 8. By that time, however, the fate of Essex in Cornwall had been decided. Before relief could reach him he had been obliged to make his own escape by sea to Plymouth, on his way to London, leaving the mounted troops under Sir William Balfour to cut their way eastward as they could, and his foot, under the veteran Skippon, to negotiate terms of surrender, which were agreed to on September i. For the space of six weeks after Skippon's surrender Charles was detained by the necessities and discontents of his army in the counties of Devon, Somerset, and Wilts. The middle of October found him no further advanced than Salisbury. There he learned from Rupert, to whom he had sent orders to join with the forces out of Wales, and hasten to his support, that they would not at present be in a position to move forward. He therefore determined to close the campaign, and return without delay to winter quarters at Oxford. But the Parliament did not mean to allow him to effect this without opposition. Essex's army had by this time been reorganized and reinforced by the addition of the city regiments, 5,000 strong, besides numerous recruits. Waller's army had also been recruited once more, and he lay with his troops at Andover watching the Royalist movements. On October 16, Cromwell joined Manchester's army at Reading, with a detachment of horse ; and on the 21st the three armies of Manchester, Waller, and Essex, con- sisting of about 1 1,000 foot and 8,000 horse and dragoons, united near Basingstoke. The King's forces were much less numerous, even before the Earl of Northampton had been dispatched to the relief of Banbury Castle. Charles, owing to his inferiority in point of numbers, did Newbury in tJte Seventeenth Century, 275 not venture to risk a battle in the open field, but took up a strong defensive position in Newbury, between the rivers Kennet and Lamborne. On the south the town was protected by the Kennet. On the north-east troops were quartered in the village of Shaw, which was strengthened with a breastwork, and in Shaw House, a little in advance of the village, on the northern bank of the Lamborne — " a strong stone house," which obtained celebrity as the scene of the deadliest struggle in the ensuing fight. On the west Prince Maurice, with his brigade of Cornish horse, and two brigades of foot and artillery, was posted in the village of Speen, below Speen Hill. A little further west- ward, on the heath above, near Deanwood, the King's left wing, consisting of part of the Cornish foot and the Duke of York's regiment with five pieces of artillery, was posted, their front being strengthened by a breastwork extending across the heath toward the swampy valley below, known as Speen Moors. In the two large fields lying north of Newbury, between the rivers Kennet and the Lamborne, was stationed a large body of horse, together with a train of artillery. Approach to this quarter was rendered the more difficult by the neighbourhood of Donnington Castle, which was held for the King by a strong garrison of horse, foot, and artillery, under the intrepid governor, Sir John Boys. Strong guards were placed on the south of the town, and detachments of horse guarded the outlying passages of the Lamborne at Bagnor and Boxford to check any advance upon the fords. The Parliamentary generals established their camp on Clay Hill and the elevated table-land extending towards Ashmore Green and Cold Ash Common, lying to the north-east of Newbury — a most advantageous post, and which enabled them to observe the whole position occupied by the Royalists. Charles commanded his army in person, being seconded by the following officers of his force, among others : — Prince Maurice, the Duke of Richmond, the Lords Lindsey, Bernard Stuart, Cleveland, Newport, Berkshire, Rivers, Capel, Hopton, Colepeper. Goring, Sir Bernard Astley, T 2 276 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Sir William Brouncker, Sir William St. Leger, Sir Jacob Astley, Sir John Owen, Sir Thomas Hooper, Sir Richard Page, Sir John Douglas, Sir Humphrey Benett, Sir Edward Waldegrave, Sir John Granville, Sir Joseph Wagstaffe, Sir Charles Lloyd, Sir John Cansfield, Sir George Lisle, Colonels Thelwall, Leke, Gerard, Houghton, &c. The Earl of Manchester was in chief command of the Parliamentary army in the absence of Essex, who remained at Reading sick in body and mind ; and in the same camp were, — Cromwell, Sir William Waller, Sir Arthur Hesilrige, Sir William Balfour, Major-General Skippon, and Crawford, Colonels Ludlow, Norton, Birch, &c. The plan of the Parliamentarians, when they found Charles so strongly placed, was at once to attempt both of the principal Royalist positions at Shaw and Speen, and thus, if both sides succeeded, they would completely surround the King. For this purpose it was decided at a council of war that the greater part of Manchester's horse, all Essex's horse and foot, and almost all the forces under Waller and Hesilrige, together with the London brigade, should separate from Manchester, and by a flank march surprise the Royalists' position at Speen Hill, while Man- chester and Crawford should remain with the other portion of the troops on the hill at Shaw ; it being agreed between Manchester and Waller that, as soon as the sound of cannon should be heard at Speen, the former should advance with his forces upon the Royalist quarters at Shaw. Acting on this decision, the right wing of the Par- liamentary army, under Waller, Cromwell, and Skippon, marched by way of Hermitage and Chieveley to North Heath, where they halted for the night (Saturday, Oct. 26). The next morning they were early on the move, and having crossed the Lamborne stream at Boxford with but slight opposition from the Royalist outpost here stationed to defend the passage, proceeded by High Street Lane to Wickham Heath, thence to Speen Hill. As soon as it was daylight on the morning of the battle, Sunday, October 27, Manchester commenced the attack on the Royalist post at Shaw by dispatching a body Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 277 of 400 musqueteers to force the entrenched position at the south-east angle of the park. Being without adequate support the Parliamentarians were driven back in con- fusion, and in attempting to gain a passage by a tem- porary bridge thrown over the Lamborne, many fell by the swords of the pursuing Cavaliers, and numbers were drowned in the attempt to reach the opposite bank. After this unsuccessful attempt to pierce the Royalist line at Shaw no further effort was made by Manchester, who seems to have manifested great indifference through- out the day, until the pre-concerted signal informed him that the right wing had fallen on at Speen Hill. The Royalist reserve of cavalry at Speen being absent on a foraging expedition, the enemy easily got posses- sion of a neighbouring wood, and after an hour's hard fighting dislodged the Cornish foot and horse, and drove in and dispersed the force of Prince Maurice in the vil- lage below. Many of the King's troops, outnumbered to a great degree, and already demoralized by increasing panic, fled for protection to Donnington Castle, and others into Newbury, followed by Cromwell's victorious horse. The King, who was present in person, could not alto- gether prevent this flight of some of his force, and at one time found himself in imminent danger. At this crisis Sir John Cansfield, a worthy Lancashire cavalier, with two troops of the Queen's regiment, gallantly galloped forward to the support of the King, and succeeded in driving back the Parliamentary squadrons. A fierce three hours' contest followed in the fields lying between Don- nington and Newbury ; the Royalists, however, succeeded in holding their own till night, and Waller retired into Speen. Meanwhile, on the other side of the town, the second column, which comprised Manchester's battalions, having heard the distant firing on Speen Hill, prepared to essay the more difficult task of forcing the King's position at Shaw House. " It was about four o'clock in the after- noon," says an eye-witness, " we heard the cannon begin to 278 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. play, and saw the fiering of the muskiteers on Speene Hill, which discovered the service to be very hot ; and not long after, with joy and thankfulness, we beheld the hasty, disorderly retreat of the enemy towards Newbery." "Animated by this encouraging sight,'' Manchester led 3,000 foot and 1,200 horse with some guns down Clay Hill, singing a psalm as they came, to storm the defences of the Royalists at Shaw House, and, if succeeding, to effect a junction with their friends in the fields lying between Newbury and Donnington. Charging with great im- petuosity, the Parliamentarians were met by the Prince of Wales's regiment of horse, who, having received and returned the fire of the advancing column, were forced back into the gardens of " Doleman's House." It was in the garden on the east side of the house that the severest conflict and most terrible struggle took place. Again and again Manchester's men strove to carry this well-defended place, but were driven back, leaving the gardens and breastworks covered with dead and wounded. For four hours, while the infantry of the Parliament were thus engaged, the cavalry were drawn up for their support barely beyond the range of the enemy's pistols, and being thus fully exposed to their fire, suffered most severely. At length a reserve of the Royalists coming up, the Par- liamentarians retreated up Clay Hill, to the top of which they were pursued by the enraged Cavaliers, who had with them two pieces of ordnance. One more attempt was made by Manchester with a strong body of cavalry to force the position at Shaw, but it was foiled by the pluck of the Royalists, who stood their ground, and again com- pelled their assailants to retire. It was now ten o'clock, and a clear moonlight night. The King, who had been a personal witness to that part of the conflict in which his army had suffered most, and unaware that at Shaw the tide of war had turned in his favour, resolved not to expose himself to a second en- counter with a force so superior till he had reinforced his ranks. He therefore determined to act on the resolution he had taken in the morning, in case of an unfavourable Newbury in tke Seventeenth Century. 279 issue, namely, to retreat to Wallingford, and thence to Oxford. Orders were accordingly issued to the officers at once to draw off their nien, artillery, and military stores to Donnington Castle, and make what haste they could to get beyond the reach of pursuit. These movements were not unobserved by the enemy, who evidently also fancied itself worsted on this side, as they also drew off from all parts of the field in the night, and offered no opposition to the withdrawal of the Royalists. Charles himself, with his immediate attend- ants, and a squadron of Life-guards, made good his escape to Bath, where he met his nephew. Prince Rupert, who was engaged in getting together the Welsh and Northern reinforcements, whose expected junction had so long detained the prince in the west and deprived Charles of his assistance at Newbury. Prince Maurice ably conducted the retreat, and the next morning discovered the Royalists far advanced on their march to Oxford. Here began the quarrel between Manchester and Cromwell, which ended in the charges brought by Cromwell against the Earl, the self-denying ordinance, and the re-modelling of the army. It is asserted that Cromwell not doubting as to the state in which affairs stood, repeatedly requested leave to push on with his cavalry and overtake the retreating Royalists ; but he was peremptorily restrained by the General-in-chief ; and as Cromwell brought a charge to this effect against Manchester in the House of Commons, the statement is probably true. After miich time had been wasted in an angry discussion, Manchester reluctantly consented that Waller, Cromwell, and Hesilrige, with the horse (about 6,000 strong) which had been engaged on the Speen side of the battle, should march in pursuit. With this force the Parliamentary Generals reached Blewbury without firing a shot ; and then finding that the enemy had got clear over the river at Wallingford many hours before, it was considered useless to pursue further ; and the troops were accordingly quartered in Blewbury, Hagborne, Chilton, Harwell, and the neighbouring villages. Mean- 28o Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. while, a letter having been sent by Manchester froni Newbury, desiring the return of the force, the three Generals came back to Newbury, where they had an interview with the Earl. They then pressed earnestly to have the whole army marched speedily into quarters in the neighbourhood of Oxford (about Witney, Burford, and Woodstock), where the King's troops had already begun to rally. That being denied, they requested that two or three thousand of the foot then quartered in Newbury should march to join the horse at Blewbury. Manchester could not, however, be persuaded to stir until the Saturday following (November 2), on which day he started with a portion of his infantry, and in two days managed to get as far as Harwell, which same distance, Cromwell says, the Earl on his return " dispatcht in one." Arriving at Harwell, Manchester refused to proceed further until he had received instructions from the Com- mittee in London ; his excuse being the badness of the roads and other impediments. The two commissioners. Lord Warriston and Mr. Crew, proceeded from Harwell to London to represent matters in person to the Derby-house Committee : but on Tuesday (November 5 ), the day before the directions of the Committee were received, Manchester appointed a rendezvous for the next morning on Compton Downs, four or five miles back towards Newbury. The whole body of horse under Cromwell on Tuesday night lay on Chilton Plain, and the following day moved to Compton and joined Manchester, who had by this time, much to his satisfaction, received orders from London not to divide his army, but to march back to Newbury and endeavour to take Donnington Castle. Siege-pieces and ammunition were dispatched to him for that purpose. Consequently the entire force retraced their steps, reaching Newbury on November 7. They then summoned Don- nington Castle to surrender, threatening Sir John Boys that if he did not instantly comply they would not leave one stone upon another. The Governor answered, " If so, I am not bound to repair it : " being urged a second and third time to surrender, with the offer that he should be Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 28 1 permitted to march out with all the arms, ammunition, and stores deposited in the Castle, he replied — " Carry away the castle walls themselves, if you can ; but, with God's help, I am resolved to keep the ground they stand on till I have orders from the King, my master, to quit it, or will die upon the spot." An assault was then deter- mined on, but the officer who led the storming party being killed, and differences arising between the Generals, nothing further was done, and the troops retired to the town. From Bath Charles returned without delay to Oxford, attended by Prince Rupert and his reinforcements. On November 6 the whole army, amounting to 6,000 foot and 4,000 horse, mustered near Oxford ; and on the 9th Charles, much to the surprise of his enemies, appeared once more within sight of Newbury, relieved Donnington Castle, carried off all his artillery, marched down the hill, and through the village of Donnington, and across the front of the enemy's position, with drums beating, trumpets sounding, and colours flying. Manchester, however, de- clined the challenge, and Charles returned unmolested to Donnington Castle, and the same night slept within the fortress. The next morning Charles, followed by the train of artillery and equipages, marched to Lamborne, thence, to Marlborough and Hungerford, whence he relieved Basing, and then having visited Wantage and Faringdon on his way, arrived at Oxford on November 23. This closed the campaign of 1644, and the Parlia- mentary troops were put into winter quarters — the foot about Newbury, Reading, Abingdon, and Henley, and the horse in and around Fairnham, Wokingham, Windsor, Maidenhead, and Staines. It is difficult to accurately compute the number of those killed in the second engagement at Newbury, as each party sought to reduce its own loss and augment that of its opponent. But the casualties were numerous on both sides. The following Royalists are mentioned as having been killed in the action : — Sir William St. Leger, 282 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Colonels Leke, Houghton, Topping, and Jones; Majors Trevellian and Knyvet ; Captains Whittingham, Catelyn, Walfole, Philpot, and Mildmay. Also Mr. Barksdale, of Newbury, a volunteer. Of the wounded were — the Earl of Brentford, Sir John Granville, Sir John Cansfield, Sir Edward Waldegrave, Colonel Page, Major Alford, Captain Wells, &c. Very few names of the Parliamentary officers who fell in this battle have been handed down to us. Colonel Gawler, Major Hurry, Captains Willet, Talbot, and D'Oyley were killed ; and Colonels Norton, Hartley, or Barclay, and Lloyd are mentioned as having been wounded. Presentment and Order of the Court Leet, 1644-46-49. In the year 1644, the date of the second battle of Newbury, there appears the following order : — " And lastlie wee Order, consideringe the continuall troubles of the time and the dailie businesses and services hourely hap- pinnge, that there shall bee chosen by us six Constables for the yeare followinge out of w'*' six the Mayor and Justices to have power to make choice of them to serve for the yeare followinge." At the Court held in 1646 we have : — " Item wee order that every fifather of or Maister of a family that shall suffer his children or servants to play in the streets or else where in the parish on the Lord's day within this Towne, for every such facte after they have information of such abuses the ffather or Maister to forfeite 6(/." In 1647 we have the following presentment as to fore- stallers : — " Item, wee present Will. Simonds, Ric. Turner, Hugh Kettle, George White, for ffore stallinge the markett in Eying and Sellinge provisions contrary to the same. Therefore we amerce them 5^. a peece. " We p'sent Thomas Farneford the eld' for entertaining ffrancis paine as an Inmate contrary to the Law. And therefore Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 283 we ord' that he shall remove hym by the fourteenth day of fFebraary next or shall forfeit for his neglect 5''." It will be seen by the following entry that the Court Leet Jury had power to punish offenders by fine and amercement for assaults and other offences of a like nature, which are frequently recorded as having been dealt with by the Court : — "Item, Wee p''sent Thomas Gray the younger for that he drew blood of the person of Richard Younge, and therefore we amerce him 35. 4(f." To sell fruit in the market was an offence against the bye-laws of the town, as interfering with the privileges of the regular traders, as will be seen by the following : — " Item, We p''sent Thomas Hampton, Widd. Baker, Widd. Colbourne for bringing of fruit into our markett and selling of it in the same, being contrary to the Law, and do amerce every one of them 2 J. dd." The following Order occurs in the year 1649 : — " Whereas there hath bin an Order fformerly made y' for the better preserving of this towne from dangers of fire And many other great inconveniences that are likely to happen to this towne And for the apprehendinge of all pilfring Rogues and suspitious persons. That there should be a Bellman that should walk the streets from 9 of the clock in the eveninge till 5 in the mominge, And from 9 of the clock in the mominge till 5 of the clock in the eveninge, and shout a distinct and audible noise to give notice as well of the present condition of wheather and the tyme and hower of the night, which Bellman it was to have 51. a week dewly and truly pd him by the inhabitants of the said towne, y' is to say of everie inhabitant payinge a \d. a week to the poore to pay \d. everie three months. And of every one payinge a id. a week to the poore to pay 2d. everie three months. And soe proportionable to be collected by the Bayliffs of the sd Towne and pd the Constables. And thus to pay 55. weekly to the sd Bellman. And by reason of the neglect of this Order for not having of a Bellman many great dangers and inconveniences have happened to the inhabitants of this town. 284 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century^ "We ordeyne that y« form' Order shall be in full forse and power and that John Baker shall be the Bellman. And y' he performe his office well and truly he shall have 5^. a weeke dewly pd. To be collected by the Bayliffs according to the former Order. And pd to the Constables. And by them to the Bellman. And if any inhabitant in the towne shall refuse to pay his tax shall forfeit 5^. And the sd Baylifife shall distrayne for the same of the pties refusinge. And if the Bayliffs shall refuse to collect and gather the sd some of money for everie three months shall forfeit 20^. a peice. And wee further order y Constables of this Towne now beinge to settle the Bellman in his office by the 7th of february next, and soe to continue him or else to forfeit the sum of 40^-. a peice." Cromwell visits Newbury, 1649-50. In 1649 Cromwell passed through Newbury at the head of a large force destined for the conquest of Ireland ; and again on his return the following year, when he was enthusiastically received, and congratulated on the result of his successful expedition. Newbury Tokens, 1652-57. From the accession of Queen Elizabeth to the reign of Charles II. permission to coin small money, or tokens, was given to all tradesmen who chose to do so, for the purpose of " necessarie change," as was sometimes inscribed upon them. The materials were generally of lead, tin, copper, or brass ; and communities or individuals who issued this useful kind of specie were obliged to take it again when brought to them. In large towns where tokens of various sorts were in circulation, it was usual for a tradesman to keep a sorting-box, into the partitions of which he put the several pieces of the respective persons who issued them, and when he had accumulated a certain quantity of one individual's money, he sent it to him, and received silver in exchange. During the period of the Common- wealth and the Protectorate no copper coinage was issued by the government, and it was at this time, owing to the Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 285 scarcity of the current coins of small amount, that private traders' tokens were issued in such large quantities. With a few exceptions the style of the workmanship of these coins is the same, and the devices they bear are in most cases perfectly uniform for the several trades. In 1654 the Court Leet ordered : — "That noe inhabitants of this Towne shall coin any farthinges of lead or pewter, or offer any such in payment or exchange of money unles every farfhinge shall have on it the worth of such mettall as shall be worth a farthinge, and in case any man shall henceforth continue to coyne as aforesaid they shall forfeit every one of them to the Lords of the Manor . . xxj'. a peice." In 1657 the following order was made respecting these borough farthings or tokens : — " Wee order that the brass farthinges that are stampt with the signe of the Castle on the one side, and B. N., w'ch signifies the Borough of Newbery on the other side, shall passe for courant payment in this Towne untill they are cryed downe by supreame authority. And in case they are cryed downe. That then the Mayor and the rest of the Company shall take them in againe and pay every man soe much silver as they were put out for." One of the Newbury tokens is somewhat exceptional, and possesses some additional interest, as it was issued by the Rev. Joseph Sayer, Rector of the parish, most probably for almsgiving or other parochial purposes, and bears on the reverse the appropriate device of a Bible in the field. The following list comprises all the known varieties of seventeenth-century tokens issued at Newbury : — Obverse — Borovgh of Newbery — The Borough Arms. Reverse — In Covnty of Berks. B.N. 1657. Obverse — Borovgh of Newbry — The Borough Arms. Reverse — In Covnty of Berks. B.N. 1657. Obverse — Thomas Cowslade — A Lion rampant. Reverse — Grocer in Newbery — T. C. C. Obverse — William Harrison — The Grocers' Arms. Reverse— Of Newbery. 1657. W. S. H. 286 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Obverse— John Hill— A Scull. Reverse — Of Newbury. J. S. H. Obverse — John Naish-in — The Grocers' Arms. Reverse — Grocer, Newbery. J. S. N. 1652. Obverse — Joseph Sayer, Rector — The Borough Arms. Reverse — Of Newbery — A Bible. Obverse — Thomas Younge — The Mercers' Arms. Reverse — Junier, in Newburye — His Farthinge. Obverse — Jonas Noroway, Junior — The Grocers' Arms. Reverse— Grocer, in Newberry. J. S. N. This custom of issuing tokens was continued till the year 1672, when the government struck a sufficient quantity of halfpence and farthings for the exigencies of trade, and the further circulation of private tokens was prohibited by Proclamation, Dutch Prisoners sent to Newbury, 1653. In the course of the Dutch war, in which the Admirals Van Tromp, De Ruyter, and De Witt were met by the Commonwealth leaders Blake, Deane, Monk, and Popham, a number of prisoners were taken and dispatched to various provincial towns. One hundred were sent to Newbury in April, 1653, and in the following November John Birch, the Mayor, petitioned Parliament that the town might either be paid for the keep of the Dutchmen, or have them removed, as the inhabitants were sorely distressed by this extra burden being laid upon them. Visit of John Evelyn to Newbury, 1654. John Evelyn in his Diary mentions that in June, 1654, he passed through Newbury when on a visit to his wife's relations in Wiltshire. He describes Newbury as " a con- siderable town, and Donnington famous for its battle, siege, and castle ; this last had been in the possession of old Geoffrey Chaucer '." ' Evelyn's Diary and Correspondence, vol. i. p. 302. Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 287 Freeholders in 1655. The following list of the Freeholders within the Borough in 1655 is appended to the minutes of the Court Leet and Court Baron of that year : — Humphrey Dolman, esq. James Bond, jun., gent. Philip Weston, gent. Richard Cooke, gent. William Howse, gent John Chylde, gent. John Howse, gent. John Hedye, gent. Richard Watts, gent. John Edmonds, gent. Gabriell Cox, gent. Richard Pinfold, gent. Benjamin Woodbridge, gent. Thomas ffurinfold, gent. John Monday, gent. Thomas Wilson, gent. Rich. Whillmott, gent. John Hunt, gent. Robert Blunt, gent. John Weston, gent. Dowse fFuUer, esq. Will. Webb, gent, ffrancis Bond. ffrancis Dracott, gent. John Seeley, sen. Joseph Guilmore, gent. John Seeley, jun. John Rowland, gent. Robert Surye, esq. John Burch, gent. Title of the Protector, 1655. The Court Baron minutes for the year 1655 commence thus : — " The Borough of Newbury, co. Berks. Mr. Richard Ffanner, Maior. " The view of ffranke pledge of his highnesse the Lorde Pro- tector of the nations of England, &c. And the dominions thereunto apperteyninge with the Court Baron of the Maior, Aldermen, and Burgesses held the nyneteenth day of October, 1655, before Thomas Fflexney, Esq., dept. Steward there." The Rising in the West, 1655. In March, 1655, Sir Joseph Wagstaffe, a Cavalier officer who was engaged at the second battle of Newbury in 1644, Colonel John Penruddock, Hugh Grove, and other Royalists, assembled about 200 horse, and proclaimed Charles II. king at Salisbury, After that they took Crom- 288 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. well's judges and sheriff prisoners ; but not being joined by the Royalists from other counties, they were soon sup- pressed, and Penruddock, Grove, and many of their fol- lowers were executed. Among the latter was an inhabit- ant of Newbury, named John Kensey'', a surgeon, who is said to have been drawn into the rising by one Robert Mason, a gentleman residing at Hungerford, who escaped. Kensey was executed at Salisbury, and according to the Faithful Scout of May ii, 1655, "deported himself with singular constancy and stedfastness." On March 15, a few days after the rising, Major-General Disbrowe, the brother-in-law of Cromwell, was at Newbury with troops advancing from London, to suppress the Western Cavaliers, and in a letter written to the Protector, dated from this town, he gives an account of his progress and proposed movements. From Newbury he went to Amesbury, and thence to Shaftesbury and Wincanton, whence he wrote to the Protector informing him of the complete rout of the Cavaliers. The Tumbrel, or Ducking Stool, 1660, &c. At the Court held in 1660 the jury present — " That the Constables last yeare did not according to Order of Law to sett upp a Tumberill or Cooking stoole, therefore amerced 2s. 6d. ^ "The Tryall and Sentence of Death to be Drawn, Hanged, and Quartered, Pronounced against Mr. Mack an apothecary of Salisbury, Mr. John Thorp an Innkeeper of the same town, Mr. Kensey a Chiourgeon \_sic\ of Newbury, and Mr. Dean and Mr. Lukes of Hungerford, upon a charge of high treason for conspiring together to take up arms and raise new forces for the King of the Scots." (London, G. Horton, 1655.) April 19 written upon it. Thomason's Collection of Pamphlets. The "Mr. Dean" mentioned was John Deane of Oxenwood, in the parish of Tidcombe, Wilts, who was reprieved, and afterwards one of the repre- sentatives in Parliament of the borough of Great Bedwyn, 30 Car. II., 1678. His burial is thus entered in the Tidcombe Register, " 1694-5. Colonell John Deane, Esq., of Oxenwood, buried January y« 4th." " Mr. Lukes," i.e. John Lucas, was brother to Jehosephat Lucas, whose name as Constable in 1634 is engraved on the Hungerford town horn which is annually used at Hocktide. Newbury in the Seventeenth Century, 289 " And wee order that the Constables of this Borough for this yeare shall sett one upp before the 25 th of January next or else to forfeit 205." The ducking-stool, a machine formerly used for the punishment of scolds and brawling women, also anciently inflicted on brewers and bakers who transgressed the laws, is sometimes used interchangeably for cucking-stool. This, the oldest known remedy for evil tongues, is mentioned in the Domesday Survey, in the account of the city of Chester, and must have been in frequent use in Newbury, judging from the number of entries in the Corporation books of money paid for its repair. The following inter- esting description of the ducking-stool is given by M. Misson, an intelligent Frenchman, who travelled in Eng- land about the year 1700 : — "This method," he says, "of punishing scolding women is funny enough. They fasten an arm chair to the end of two strong beams, twelve or fifteen feet long, and parallel to each other. The chair hangs upon a sort of axle, on which it plays freely, so as always to remain in the horizontal position. The scold being well fastened in her chair, the two beams are then placed, as near to the centre as possible, across a post on the water-side ; and being lifted up behind, the chair, of course, drops into the cold element. The ducking is repeated according to the degree of shrewishness possessed by the patient, and gen- erally has the effect of cooling her immoderate heat, at least for a time.'' At the Court of Quarter Sessions held at Newbury on January 17, 1672-3, this punishment was ordered to be administered to a peccant dame, as will be seen from the following extract taken from the Sessions book of that date : — " Margaret Adams, widdow, hath appeared and pleaded not guilty to her Indictment for a common scold, and put herself uppon the Jury, who being sworne say she is guilty of the In- dictment ag' her, and that she is to be ducked in the ducking- stool according as the mayor shall think the time fitting." U 290 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Presentments of the Court Leet, 1661-62. In 1661 the Court present "Wm. Goldbourne to be Portrive for the year ensuing to collect the Presentments made by this jury." The following curious order respecting bull-baiting appears in the minutes of the Court held in 1662, the notion being that the practice not only afforded amuse- ment, but made the meat more wholesome : — "Item, we prsent Edward Caton, sen., Edward Caton, jun., jGhn flfarrow, sen., John Rich, and Thomas Alexander for killing bulls without bayting of them according to the custom 3J-. 4//. a peice ; And wee order that if any Butcher or Butchers shall henceforth kill any bull or bulls without bayting shall forfeit and pay for every such offence for every bull soe killed . 3^. 4 of which £426 is derived from Tithe rent-charge issuing out of lands at Kintbury, and from real property at Newbury and Speen, the remaining .^11 1 being derived 294 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. from dividends on ;^3,720 in Consols and New Three per Cents. Disfranchisement of Members of the Cor- poration, 1676, &c. At a meeting of the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, held on March 7, 1676, George Cawarden, Thomas Stock- well, Thomas Gray, Anthony Gray, Humphrey Cowslade, and Thomas Nash, freemen and members of the Cor- poration, " for sundry weighty reasons," were " totally disfranchised and deprived of all manner of ffreedom of exercising of any trades and occupations " within the said borough. But by a subsequent Order they were restored " to their former ffranchises and fifreedoms," and re-admitted members of the Corporation. In the year 1677, also, Mr. Richard Pococke was dis- franchised and expelled the Corporation, by sixteen votes to two. ' The State of the Streets, 1677, &c. The execrable condition of the streets of the town in the seventeenth century can be gathered from the constant presentations for offences against the wholesome rules ordered by the Court Leet juries, and the enforcement of the fines levied for violations of the by-laws. Yet, not- withstanding these well-directed efforts of the authorities, the streets and ways remained in a filthy and ruinous state, from the negligent manner in which they were generally repaired. Each inhabitant was compelled to keep in repair so much of the pitching before his house as extended from his door to the kennel or ditch which served for all drainage purposes. But as every householder followed his own fancy as to how he should keep his allotted space in repair, the consequence was that this divided responsibility produced much inconvenience and annoyance to the general public, as well as being dangerous, and rendering the streets well-nigh impassable at night from, the posts, rails, trees, sign-posts, upping- Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. . 255 stocks, and other obstructions which abounded on either side. To remedy some of these inconveniences the following Order was made at the General Sessions of the Peace, held October 8, 1677 : — " Att this Court it is ordered that every Inhabitant within this Burrough shall from tyme to tyme from henceforth well and sufficiently repair and pave and keep repaired and paved their respective parts of the pavements, streetes, and Highwayes in all the three cheife streetes in this Burrough. That is to say, Cheap Street, Northbrook Street, and Bartholomew Street, see farr as their respective messB', Howses, Lands, or Tenem** in their respective occupations full six foot from their tespective mes- suages towards the middle of the sd streetes, where the sd streetes are. of twelve foot wide or upwards. And that the middle part of the sd streetes, pavem*^, and highwayes between the sd six ffoote on each side, shall be always hereafter repaired from tyme to t)rme as often as there shall bee occasion by the Surveyors of the same respective streetes for the tyme beinge, who shall have power from tyme to tyme to make Rates for the raysing of moneys for defraying of the charges of the same Repairs on all the Inhabitants of the parish of Newbury aforesaid, payinge Rates to the poore, and according to the forme of the statute in that case made and provided. And for any defect in the execu- tion of this order, the Surveyors for the tyme being where such defect shall be suffered shall and may be presentable att any Court Leet or Court of Sessions to bee held for this Burrough and ffineable for the same." "And this Court does choose and order Mr. Levy Smyth and Mr. ffrancis Cox Surveyors for Cheap Streete, Mr. Benjamin Avery and Mr. William Houghton for Bartholomew Streete, Mr. Thomas Cowslade and Mr. Joseph Pearse for Northbrooke Streete, for the yeere now next ensuing." The said Order was confirmed by the Mayor and Cor- poration at a meeting of that body in the Council Chamber of the " Hospital," on January 28, 1678, and twenty pounds ordered to be taken out of the town stock for the purchase of stones and other necessary material for carrying out the prescribed work. 296 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. It was further ordered " that ffifty shillings be raysed and added to the Towne order for the pitching the streets, to be layd out by the same Surveyor in speedy making a brick bridge att Black streame." In 1678 an order was made " that all people who have Waggons, or Carts, or Blocks at their fore doors in the night shall hang a lanthorne and candle at their doors till tenn of the clock at night, or else they shall forfeit xij^. for every neglect." Extracts from the Chamberlains' Accounts, 1672 — 1680. Michaelmas^ 1672, to Michaelmas, 1673. ;Q s. d. Pd. to Mr. Steward ' his Sallary to Mich' half yeere " 04 00 00 Pd. for two Saddles to Thomas Gray . . . 01 14 00 Pd. for making Clothes for the Liverymen . . 01 08 00 Pd. Stratton for mending a hole in the Bridge . 00 03 00 Pd. Mr. Thomas Paradise for a Barrell of Beare . 00 13 00 Pd. for Skouring the River . . . . . 05 04 01 Pd. Thomas Hawkins for Wyne . . . . 01 04 00 Micks. 1674, to Michs. 1675. Pd. Mr. Symeon the Scholemaster™ . . . 12 00 00 Pd. Mrs. Weekes for Wyne when Sir Wm. Craven and the Company mett about Stowerses business ° 00 12 00 Pd. more to Mrs. Weekes for Wyne at Law Day " and Sessions, and when Sir William Craven and Mr. Kingsmill met about Stowerses business . 00 01 04 Michs. 16^6, to Mich. 1677. Pd. Mr. Abraham Stockwell, last Mayor, allowed to his kitchen for the yeere ending St. Mat- thew's Day last 40 00 00 Pd. more to Mr, Garrard, his salary as Towne Gierke, for the yeere ending at St. Matthew's Day last. 02 00 00 ' The Recorder, or Deputy-Steward. The salary attached to this office was £% a year. ^ The Master of the Grammar School. ° Respecting rights of fishing in the Kennet. Stowers was probably a tenant or owner of Mill property. The name occurs as tenants of Greenham Mills in 1539-40. ° Law Day, i.e. the day for holding the Court Leet. Newbury in tlte Seventce?ith Century. 297 Pd. to William Stockwell, late Mayor, wh""' he pd. to £ s. d. Justice Howes for the share of his Commission as Associate Justice 04 00 00 Pd. Mr. Wilson, by order of Mr. Stockwell, May', which was given to the Ringers when the Queen passed by P . . . . . . 01 00 00 Michs. 1677, to Michs. 1678. Pd. for a Barrell of Beere 00 14 00 ffor Pipes and Tobackoe . . . . . 00 01 00 Pd. Mr. Mayor towards his allowance to his kitchen 20 00 00 Pd. for Wyne drunk at the Mearemayde . . 00 09 00 ffor the Boate bought of Goodman Greene . . 06 10 00 Michs. 1678, to Michs. 1679. Jan. 14. Pd. at the Globe by order of Mr. Mayor, Mr. Smith, and others, which was spent on Sir William Craven about choosing an Assistant Sergeant 00 11 00 Feb. II to 17. Pd. Nicholas Moore for his journey to London to advise prosecuting the Towne of Wincalton '* for returning of White, his wife and children to us, being vagrants . . . 02 16 00 March 6. Pd. Mr. Gunter, which he layd out to Counsell on that busines . . . . 01 05 00 March 7. Pd. Wm. Steward for his journey to Win- calton to give notice of motion at next Assizes 00 09 00 Pd. more to Wm. Steward and the Vagrant for to beare their charges to the Assizes for Order . 00 08 06 For drawing Breafe for our Counsell and copies . 00 05 00 To Sergeant Holt ' and Mr. Medlycott . . 02 00 00 To Mr. Babington for ffees of Court, and drawing and entering up the Jury p' order, and copy thereof . 00 08 00 For travelling and attending the Assizes, being out three dayes 00 16 00 Aug. Pd. Nicholas Moore, being sent by Mr. Mayor to Abingdon at the late election of Par- liament men . . . . . . . 00 02 00 P Catherine of Braganza, Queen of Charles II. 1 Wincanton, Somerset. ' Afterwards Chief Justice of the King's Bench. 298 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century, Pd. Edward Weekes' Bill for the Wyne sent to the £ s. d. Country Justices att Michs. and Easter Ses- sions, and at the Court Leet and other tymes . 01 07 06 Pd. Mr. Gunter, Deputy Steward, his Salary allow'd for Michs. halfe yeere 04 00 00 Pd. Mr. Paradise, Mayor, his halfe yeer's allowance from Mich. '78 20 00 00 Michs. iG^^, to Michs. 1680, Pd. Henry Dadmarsh for mending the Pounde in the Marish 00 11 00 Pd. Wm. Payne for tymber for the Bridge . . 02 02 00 Pd. to Mr. Mayor & Mr. Justice for conveying up a Jesuit to the Kinge and Councell' . . . 01 00 00 Pd. Henry Chadsey for Wyne and for Mr. Gunter's and Mr. Ralfe Bayley's dinners . . . 00 13 00 Pd. Mr. Gunter's Salary to Lady Day . . . 04 00 00 Pd. to Mr. Mayor's sonn by order, upon Sir Thomas Dolman's sending for John Merriman's daughter . . . . . . . 01 00 00 Pd. Wm. Payne for setting up a Scaffold to paint the King's Arms and Dyall . . . . 00 04 06 Pd. Wm. Payne for making and painting the King's Amies, and Dyall' . . . . . 05 00 00 Commitment of Quakers, 1683. The following entry in the Sessions Journal may ex- plain the apparent laxity in punishing offenders against the Statute for not attending the authorised places of worship : — " A general Rule made in the Court of King's Bench on Thursday next after Eight Day as of St. Martin, Anno 36'" Carloi secundi Regis (1681). " This Court taking notice that the Clerk of the Peace, and the Comon Clerks of severall Cities, Towns, and Burroughs ' The penal laws against the subtle Jesuits were in force at this time. Every Jesuit who set foot in this country was liable to be hanged, drawn, and quartered. A reward of ;!f 100 was offered for his detection. Whoever was suspected of being a Jesuit might be interrogated, and, if he refused to an- swer, might be sent to prison for life. ' Clock. Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 299 within this kingdom have neglected the duties of their severall offices in extracting into the Court of Exchequer the names of such psons who have been indycted for absenting themselves from Church, having neglected to cause proclamation to be made according to the forms of the statute for convicting of such offenders, but for their private advantage issued forth proces of Capias, and so contynue the same ad infinitum. It is ordered That at every generall Quarter Sessions of the Peace to be held within this kingdom Proclamation be made for such Offenders rendering their Bodyes as hath been anciently accustomd, and in default of rendering their Bodies, that the said Clerks of the Peace and Comon Clerks, doe duly at the next Sessions fol- lowing extract their names into the Exchequer. And the sd Clerks of the Peace and Comon Clerks are hereby required at their perill to enforce the same. And it is ordered that the Justices of the Peace take care that the Law in this case pro- vided shall be duly put in execution. " By the Court." This mandate appears to have had the desired effect on the Newbury Court, as at the next Sessions the names of the Quakers formerly imprisoned were called over, and so many of them as appeared were remanded to the Town prison into the custody of John Dandridge, Sergeant. The following are the names of those who appeared : — Robert Wilson, Joseph Gray, Thomas Marshe, Benj. Gray, Richd. Browne, Wm. Tovey, John Gray, John Waterman, John Johns, Wm. Mills, jun. Robt. Johns, Robert Cox, John Plant, jun. Edward Avelyn, Edw. Mills, Thos. Johns. At a Court of Quarter Sessions held in 1683 the following eighteen Quakers were called, and the Oath of Allegiance read and tendered to them, and they all severally refused it, viz. : — Edward Mills, Tho. Marshe, Joseph Gray, [This made the Willm. Tovey, Benja" Gray, •'second tender. John Johns, 300 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. John Waterman, Robt. Wilson, William Mills, jun. John Stronge, Robert Cox, Joseph Styles, Edw. Avelyn, Richard Browne, Thomas Johns, John Gray, Robt. Johns, John Plant, jun. After this tender they were re-committed to the custody of John Dandridge, keeper of the Borough prison, who was bound over in the sum oi £\o each for their appear- ance, together with several other persons following, all being Quakers and refusers of the oath, at the next Ses- sions, viz. : — Prudence, wife of John Stronge, Maria, wife of Robert Wilson, Bridgett Stephens, spinster, Sarra, wife of Joseph Gray, Eliz. Knight, spinster, Marion, wife of Edward Mills, Anna Hutchins, spinster, Eliz. Webb, spin- ster, Eliz., wife of Richard Browne, Anna, wife of Thomas Hyne, senior. Thos. Hyne, jun., of Shaw, tanner, was bound over with his surety, Thos. Pearce, weaver, in the sum of £\o to appear at the same time, and Edward Crosby, clothworker, was bound over in the sum of ;^io for the appearance of Mary, wife of Robt. Gosling, at the same Sessions. At the next Sessions true bills were found against the eleven following persons, and Mr. Wm. Pearse and Mr. Wm. Paradise became sureties, in the sum of ;^io each, that the accused would appear and answer the indictment preferred against them at the next sitting of the Court : — I. Prudence Stronge. 7- Anna Hutchins. 2. Maria, wife of Robert 8. Eliz. Webb. Wilson. 9- Eliz., wife of Ric. Browne. 3- Bridget Stephens. 10. Anna, wife of The. Hyne, 4- Sara, wife of Jos. Gray. sen. 5- Eliz. Knight. 11. Tho. Hyne, jun. 6. Maria, wifeofEdwardMills. The Prison, 1683. At a meeting held in November, 1683, it was ordered that a common prison should be built at the charge of the Corporation, in accordaiice with a resolution passed Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 301 at the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace for the Borough. The said prison to be built at the east side of the Guildhall, and to consist of two rooms and garretts over them, 27 ft. + 16 ft, and to be set upon pillars, so that there may be butchers' stalls underneath, in accord- ance with a plan submitted. The Guildhall at this time, and until the year 1828, stood in the centre of the Market- place, when it was taken down. Religious Observances, 1684. The following order appears in the records of the Court held in April, 1684 : — " Alsoe that Anne Hodson, widdow, & Thomas fflaggott, their several Alehouses be suppressed, for that they nor either of them have received the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Accord- ing to the Liturgie of the Church of England within xij months past" Riot at Newbury, 1684. At the Court held in July, 1684, it was ordered — "that Sackvile Turner, Thomas Shepherd, Jonathan fifarding, John Bane, Thomas Howell, and John Tubb be committed to the Towne prison, to the custody of John Dandridge, keeper of the said prison, for that they and every of them being now con- victed by the grand jury for committing a heynous Ryott within this Burrough, Whereunto they came all of them (save Howell) pleaded not guilty, but doe give noe security to this Court for prosecuting their several traverses at the next sessions, therefore this Court do commit them to prison as afores'' untill they shall be thence delivered by due course of Law." The prisoners were subsequently discharged on the pay- ment of a fine of 6s. 8d. each. Attendance at Church, 1684. The neglect of attendance at divine service was noticed by the Court in October, 1684, when the retiring Con- stable, Mr. Francis Cox, made the following present- ment : — " I present Willm White, Grocer, & his wife, Robert Gosling, jun., & Mary his wife, John Hill, Grocer, & his wife, Samuel 302 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Gibbs & his wife, John Malford & his wife, Widdow Chyld, Brazier, Matthew Hill, Taylor, Richard Hutchins, junior, Richard ffinch. Prudence, wife of John Strong, Mary, wife of Robert Wilson, Hannah Hutchins, Elizabeth Knight, Bridget Stephens, Ann Hodson, widdow, Sarah, wife of Joseph Gray, Margery Johns, Mary Batt, and Alice Brooker, ffor not repairing to the Parish Church of Newbery to heare Divine Service and Sermon upon the two last Lord's Dayes com'only called Sunday, vizt. the sth and 12th Dayes of this instant October." These offenders consisted principally of the Quakers who were committed at a previous Sessions for refusing to take the Oath of Allegiance, but we do not find any con- viction recorded against them. Renewal of Charter, 1684. In November, 1684, it was ordered that the Charter be renewed, and that a petition for new privileges be drawn up by Mr. Thomas Gunter, the Recorder, and Mr. Garrard, the Town Clerk, who were deputed " to Sollicit this Busines for us at London," and to be recompensed with " reasonable satisfaction of their labour and paynes to be taken therein." It was further ordered that Mr. Francis Cox "be joyned with Mr. Gunter and Mr. Garrard to assist them in soliciting this busines of renewing our Charter ; and that the Chamberlayne do pay them Ten pounds in hand towards bearing the charges thereof." Church Estate, 1684. On December 16, 1684, it was ordered that in pursu- ance of a decree made in the time of Queen Elizabeth, by the Commissioners for Charitable Uses, by virtue of a Commission issued out of the High Court of Chancery, the Churchwardens should not lease any Church lands with- out the consent of the Mayor and Corporation, according to the terms of the said Decree. Expulsion of Mr. Cawarden, 1684. At a meeting held on the following 19th of December, Mr. John Garden (Cawarden), the elder, was expelled the Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 303 Corporation " for severall Breaches of Trust, and for re- fusing to attend this Company when he was Lawfully summoned." Unlawful Assembly of Quakers, 1685. At the Court held in January, 1685, Thomas Hyne, jun., and ten women were indicted for unlawfully assem- bling for religious worship, and being found guilty it was ordered that Mr. Mayor and the Associate Justices send for them by warrant ". Loan for New Charter, 1685. On February 6, 1685, it was agreed that the sum of one hundred pounds be borrowed by this Company out of Mr. Kendrick's moneys to beare the charges of the New Charter, — " And wee doe all and every one of us for us and our successors Covenant and Promise to repay the same one hundred pounds with Interest after the rate of £^ per cente out of our Towne rents & Towne Revenues assone as possibly the same can or may be raised." The new charter having been obtained, the Mayor, Aldermen, Burgesses, and the officers of the Corporation, subscribed to the Oath of Allegiance and Supremacy, Sir Anthony Craven being High Steward, and Church Sim- mons, Mayor. Appointment of Associate Justice, 1685. John Wightwick, Esq., was appointed Associate Justice of the Borough, June 17, 1685. Ceremonies, 1685. At a meeting held June 25, 1685, it was agreed upon mutually by the members of the Corporation, — " That upon the ffeast dayes of Christmas, Easter, and Whitsun- tide, the Aldermen & cheife Burgesses of this Burrough doe first " The Quakers had a small meeting-house near Bartholomew-street, which has now for some time been converted to other purposes. Their burial- ground, a small enclosed grave-yard, is in Mayor's-lane, at the rear of the new Cattle Market. 304 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. meete in or under the Guildhall, and from thence do repayre to the Mayor's house, and from thence attend him to the parish Church, and from thence home againe from Church to the Mayor's house, And so meete againe at the Mayor's house the next morning after every of the said three ffeast dayes, and then alsoe to accompany Mr. Mayor to Church from his house, taking first the accustomed entertainment." Mr. Kingsmill sworn Justice, 1685. John Kingsmill, of Sandleford, Esq., took the Oath of Supremacy, and after that the oath of a Justice of the Peace for the Borough, before Mr. Church Simmons, Mayor, and Mr. Paradise, Justice, July 17, 1685. Shops in Newburv, 1685. An Order was made by the Corporation at the annual meeting on September 21, 1885, — " That the Mayor for the time being shall and may in the name of this Corporation distrayne the goods of every Shopmaker that hath refused or hereafter may and shall refuse to pay 6j. 2>d. at the first opening of their shopps, and leavy 13^'. 4^/. of every such offender's Goods according to the By lawes of this Corporation." This appears to have been the period when the ancient shops, with their wooden penthouses and open railings which enclosed the articles exposed for sale, were super- seded by shop-fronts enclosed by glazed windows, or with open fronts closed at night by shutters. The Chamber- lains' accounts at this date shew that a large number of quit-rents were created by the projection of these shops over the unpaved footways, above which were suspended the ponderous signs, with their massive iron frameworks, distinguishing the business of the shopkeepers. Absence from Church, 1685. At the July Sessions, 1685, the bill of indictment against John Hill, Grocer, and ten others was found for being absent from church. Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 305 Rights of Fishing, 1685. Frequent disputes appear to have arisen for some years previous to this time as regards the right of fishing in the Kennet, which for so far as it passed through the borough was claimed by the Corporation as one of the manorial rights. After many discussions, and consultations with Sir William Craven and others, it was resolved to arrest John Kellaway, Thomas Stowers, and Adam Stowers, for having at sundry times fished in the waters belonging to the Corporation, and Mr. Latham, Solicitor, of Newbury, was instructed to prosecute. Allegiance to James II., 1685. The following entry occurs in the Minutes of the Court Leet, December, 1685, 1st James II. : — " At this viewe of ffranc Pledge there came twoe hundred and three p'sons of the young^"' sort of the inhabitants of this Towne, and all of them swore Resiancy to his Majestie that now is and his heires, &c. And their names are upon the file of papers.'' The Duke of Monmouth's Rebellion, 1686. The following has reference to the Rebellion of the unfortunate Duke of Monmouth, and occurs in the records of the Court of Quarter Sessions held in August, 1686, before George Compton, Mayor, and Church Simmons, Justice : — "WilUam Marshall, for being in the late Rebellion in the West Countrey in the year 1685, is comitted to prison and ordered to be sent to the County gaole at Reading." The Oxford Blues, 1686. In January, 1686, during the mayoralty of Mr. Richard Cooper, the Corporation decided to invite the officers of the Earl of Oxford's troops, quartered in the town, to a dinner with the members of the Corporation. The amount to be spent out of the borough funds for the entertain- ment not to exceed the sum of five pounds. X 3o6 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. This was the regiment of Oxford Blues, or Royal Horse Guards, raised shortly after the Restoration. Their first muster took place February i6, 1 660-1, in Tothill Fields, Westminster ; and the name was derived from that of their commander, Aubrey de Vere, Earl of Oxford, in whom closed the longest and most illustrious line of nobles that England has ever seen. Cosmo the Third, Grand Duke of Tuscany, in alluding to this corps, states that the regiment consisted of eight troops of seventy men, and that in each troop the Colonel had the privilege of keep- ing two places vacant, and of appropriating the emolu- ments to himself, which amounted to more than fourteen pounds sterling a week. " The officers," he says, " wear a red sash with gold tassells, and they receive as pay half a ducat a day\" The Taylors' Company, 1686. The following resolution appears in the Journal of the Corporation under the date of 1686 : — " Whereas by the ancient Bylawes and Ordinances granted unto this Burrough in the yeare of the Reigne of the late Queene Elizabeth It was amongst other things ordered that the Taylors of this Burrough should be incorporated into and amongst the Clothiers of this Burrough, And whereas it is now ordered that from henceforth it will be most convenient for the sd Taylors to be Incorporated and to be of the Company of Clothworkers. Therefore we, the Mayor, Aldermen, and Bur- gesses of the sd Burrough, whose names are subscribed, doe hereby order, ordeyne, and establish, that for the tyme to come he sd Taylors bee, and they are hereby incorporated into the sd Company of Clothworkers. " Geo. Compton (Mayor), and others." ' "Travels of Cosmo the Third through England, &c. (1669), translated from the Italian MS. in the Laurentian Library at Florence," 4to., London, 1821, p. 157. Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 307 The Weavers' Company, 1686. It was ordered on July 31, 1686, "that the Charter of Incorporation be shewed Mr. Joseph Cowslade (the Re- corder) to peruse, for the purpose of drawing up a new Charter to be made out of it unto the Company of Cloth- workers (Weavers), and Mr. Justice Simons (Simmons) and Mr. Edward Weekes are desired to be present whilst Mr. Cowslade peruses it." The Market Cross and Hospital, 1686. •In 1686 the leet jury and court baron made the fol- lowing recommendation : — " Item, wee request the Lords of the said Manner to repaire the Market Crosse at the South end of the Guildhall, and the Stayres at Bridge Street, to cleanse the river between the Hospitall and the Marish, and to Amend the pitching in the middle of each street leading to the market." The above minute very clearly establishes the position of the Market Cross, and also indicates that the hospital stood on the banks of the Kennet, opposite the Marsh, as has been demonstrated in the chapter relating to the siege of the Castle of Newbury by King Stephen. King James II. at Newbury, 1686. King James II. passed through Newbury while on a progress in 1686, when he was received by the Mayor and Corporation in all their " formalities." Strangers not permitted in the Town, 1687. Among other privileges claimed by the Corporation, as we have before noticed, was that of prohibiting any stranger exercising his trade or calling in the town, in case he or his family might become legally chargeable to the parish. We have instances of the enforcement of this regulation at the July Sessions, 1687 : — X 2 3o8 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. "Whereas William Parker, a settled Inhabitant of Speene, hath lately intruded into this Borrough ag' Law, and sett upp his Trade of making Chaires, &c. It is therefore ordered that he returne to Speene, and the Officers are to remove him hither, onely he is allowed tyme to sell and dispose of his goods till Michas' day next coming." Again, the same year, the Court orders : — "That Matthew White, Bellowes-maker, be sent to Sarum, being an Intruder. " That John Clement, Scribler, and his wife and childe, be sent to ffreshford, being Intruders." Corporation Apparel, 1687. The Corporation very properly paid due regard to the maintenance of the customary State, and to the apparel of its members, as will be seen by the following Order, dated September 24, 1687 : — " It is now unanimously agreed upon by us, and between the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of this Corporation, that every one of the sd Burgesses of the Corporation shall and will on this syde, and before Christmas Day next coming, provide themselves gownes with velvet Capes onely, and noe Loopes, upon payne of every one neglecting to forfeit v'' (^^5) to the use of this Com- pany." Here follow the signatures. The Mayor summoned before the Privy Council, 1687. By the Charter of Incorporation four annual fairs are in- stituted, namely, on Ascension Day, on Midsummer Day, on St. Bartholomew's Day, and on the Feast of SS. Simon and Jude (October 28). King James II., considering that the Mayor in 1687, Mr. Francis Cox, was not sufficiently subservient to his purposes, ordered, apparently as a pre- text, a " Letter of Notice " to be sent to the Mayor, sum- moning him to attend his Majesty and his Privy Council " to shewe cause why the ancient ffair held on the ffeast day of St. Simon and Jude, and the day following Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 309 should not be continued in the same place where the same was formerly accustomed." It was thereupon ordered " that Mr. Mayor doe attend the sayd Councell and defend this ffaire, that it may be continued and kept in our Wash, where it hath been kept for these two yeeres past, And what charges he shall spend and disburse in the Busines wee doe hereby promise to Repay him upon Demand out of the Publick Stock." A committee of seven Privy Councillors sat at White- hall for the purpose of " regulating " the municipal cor- porations, local sub-committees of regulators being formed all over the country for the purpose of reporting to the central board at Westminster the names of those disposed or otherwise to favour the " Declaration of Indulgence," and thus indirectly support James's policy of attempting the restoration of the Roman Catholic faith as the religion of the country. The Mayor of Newbury duly attended the Council Board, and was no doubt considered hostile to the Court, as well as several other members, who were all Churchmen and Tories to a man, but were now no longer devoted to a sovereign who attempted to deprive them of their religious freedom and chartered liberties. They, as firm supporters of constitutional monarchy, peremptorily re- fused to stoop to the odious service of supporting a king in his endeavour to subvert the best interests of the country, and accordingly suffered the " glorious disgrace " of being expelled the Corporation, as will be seen from the following entries in the Journal : — Displacement of the Mayor and Corporation, AND Election of New Members, 1687-8. " Memorandum this twenty-fifth day of January, anno Dm. 1687-8, in obedience to his Ma" warrant, dated at White Hall the 14th day of January last past, wee have removed ffrancis Cox from being Mayor and Alderman of this Towne, Richard Cooper from being Justice of the Peace and Alderman, Joseph Pearse, Church Simmons, and Edward Weekes from being Aldermen, 3IO Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. John Waterman, Richard Howse, Richard ffeild, Edward Seele (Seeley), and Edward Stewart from being Com'on Councell Men of this Towne. " And in further obedience to the sayd Warrant wee doe elect and admit John Cooke, senior. Mayor and Alderman of this Towne and Burrough, William Hunt, Justice of the Peace and Alderman, John Hill, Joseph Head and Andrew Blissett, Alder- men, Thomas Cowslade, Thomas Merriman, Manasseth Kinge, Joseph Collins and Richard Pearce, Com'on Councell Men of the said Towne in the Rbome of the Persons above mentioned. " Thomas Salter, Justice, and others." Displacement of the Recorder And others, and Election of new Members of the Corporation, 1687-8. At a meeting held February 23, 1687 : — " Whereas his Ma''^ by an Order in Councell, bearing date February 10, 1687, under Seale of the sayd Councell, hath re- moved Thomas Gunter, Esq., Recorder, Thomas Salter, George Compton, Abraham Stockwell, and Richard Reeves, William Turner, William Rider, Adam Hill, Richard Hodson, Aldermen, Abraham Stockwell, Jun., Thomas Seely, John Rawlins, Jeremy Chadsey, John Cawarden, Com'on Councell Men, and Joseph Garrett (Garrard), Town Clerk, from their offices and places in the sd Towne of Nubery. We here, in obedience to His Mat'i^^ Warrant in that behalfe, doe elect and admitt Richard Knapp, Esq., to be Recorder, Nathaniel Collins, Levy Smyth, Henry Houghton, Ralph Sherley, Robert Wilson, Thomas Hughes, Barth'ew Hughes, Samuel Hoffman, to be Aldermen, Richard Danse, Thomas Osgood, Robert Goslin, Thomas Pearse, and William Deale to be Com'on Councell men of this Burrough in the Roome of the 'Persons above mentioned. "John Cooke, Mayor, " Will. Hunt, Justice, and others. " Of this number, Robert Wilson refused to be sworn Alderman, and Robert Gosling refused to be sworn Councilman, whereupon their places were declared void." Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 311 By a subsequent Order of Council, bearing date March r, 1687-8, the Corporation were require^i to elect Benjamin Avery as Alderman, and James Bond one of the Common Councilmen of the Borough, and with abject submission they were elected accordingly. The authorities were mulcted in the sum of ;^22 for two Orders of Council and three Mandates " for the regulation of the Corporation." SS. Simon and Jude's Fair, 1688. On August 22, 1688, it was ordered "that St. Simon and Jude's ffair, for three years past kept in the Wash, be ffrom henceforth removed ffrom the Wash and kept in the Towne, as formerly. And that the Sheep ffair be kept in Westfeild." Party Triumph, 1688. The Chamberlains' accounts shew that the deposition of the Tory members of the Corporation was celebrated with ringing of bells and other party demonstrations, and it appears that the newly-elected Presbyterian, Inde- pendent, and Baptist functionaries attended a service at " the Meeting House " on the occasion of the new mayor's election, accompanied by the Town Sergeants and other subordinate officials. But the tyrannical rule of James soon brought about its own defeat, and he found to his cost that the spirit of the people was not to be put down. The Nonconformists had been looked upon by James as part of the strength of the government. .The time had come, however, when it was necessary to make a choice ; and the Nonconformists of the City of London arrayed themselves side by side with the members of the Church in defence of the fundamental laws of the realm. Wil- liam, Prince of Orange, had been invited to undertake the government of the country, and James learned that an armed deliverer was at hand, and would be eagerly wel- comed by Whigs and Tories, Dissenters and Churchmen. In the month of October, 1688, the King issued a Procla- 312 Neivbury in the Seventeenth Century. mation, restoring, with other concessions, the forfeited franchises of all the municipal Corporations, and the position of the ejected members. Restoration of the Tories, 1688. On October 25, 1688, the old members of the Newbury Corporation who were in office before the surrender of the governing charter of the borough, — that of Queen Eliza- beth, in 1684,— met in the Guildhall "by virtue of the King's Declaration and Proclamation of October 17 last past, and there unanimously did elect Mr. John Burchell Mayor for the remaining part of the yeere, vizt.y untill the ffeast day of St. Matthew the Apostle next coming." William and Mary Proclaimed, 1688. " Upon Munday, February i8, 1688, their Highnesses William and Mary, Prince and Princess of Orange, were publikely pro- claimed at the Market Place upon the Crosse, Kinge and Queene of England, ffrance, and Ireland. In the presence of a multi- tude of people attending to the proclamation. "John Burchell, Gent., Mayor." William, Prince of Orange, at Newbury in 1688. William, Prince of Orange, afterwards William III., arrived at Newbury in his triumphal march from Torbay to London, on December 10, 1688, and the following day the Prince, with the chief part of his Dutch troops and adherents, marched from Newbury toward Abingdon. The route taken was through the villages of Farnborough and West Ilsley, along the "Golden Mile" to Hendred, and thence to Milton House, where the King slept, the troops being quartered in the neighbourhood. Lord Macaulay gives the following picturesque description of the appearance of the Dutch and other troops com- posing the martial pageant which accompanied King William : — " First rode Macclesfield at the head of two hundred gentle- men, mostly of English blood, glittering in helmets and cuirasses, Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 313 and mounted on Flemish war-horses. Each was attended by a negro, brought from the sugar plantations on the coast of Guiana. . . . Then, with drawn broadswords, came a squadron of Swedish horsemen in black armour and fur cloaks. They were regarded with a strange interest, for it was rumoured that they were natives of a land where the ocean was frozen and where the night lasted through half the year, and that they had themselves slain the huge bears whose skins they wore. Next, surrounded by a goodly company of gentlemen and pages, was borne aloft the Prince's banner. On its broad folds the crowd which covered the roofs and filled the windows read with delight that memorable in- scription, 'The Protestant Religion- and the liberties of Eng- land.' But the acclamations redoubled when, attended by forty running footmen, the Prince himself ap];ieared, armed on back and breast, wearing a white plume and mounted on a white charger. . . . Near to the Prince was one who divided with him the gaze of the multitude. That, men said, was the great Count Schomberg, the first soldier in Europe, since Turenne and Cond^ were gone ; the man whose genius and valour had saved the Portuguese monarchy on the field of Montes Claros ; the man who had earned a still higher glory by resigning the trun- cheon of a Marshal of France for the sake of the true religion; . . . Then came a long column of the whiskered infantry of Switzer- ■ land, distinguished in all the Continental wars of two centuries by pre-eminent valour and discipline, but never till that week seen on English ground. And then marched a succession of bands designated, as was the fashion of that age, after their leaders, Bentinck, Solmes, and Ginkell, Talmash, and Mackay. . . . Nor did the wonder of the population diminish when the artil- lery arrived, twenty-one huge pieces of brass cannon, which were with difficulty tugged along by sixteen cart-horses to each. Much curiosity was excited by a strange structure mounted on wheels. It proved to be a movable smithy, furnished with all tools and materials necessary for repairing arms and carriages ^." The memorable skirmish at Reading between an ad- vanced party of the Prince of Orange's troops and King James's Scotch and Irish regiments seems to have taken place on Sunday, December 9, the day before the Prince came to Nevi'bury. " Hist, of Eng., vol. iii. p. 228. 314 Ncivbury in the Seventeenth Century. Extracts from the Chamberlains' Accounts, 1680 — 1690. Micks. 1 6S0 to Michs. 1681. Pd. Wm. Fflaggett for amending the Chaine and ;£ s. d. Staple upon the Bridge 00 02 08 Pd. to Mr. James Pearse, Mayor, to give to Sir Robert Sayer^ for his Counsell and for horse hire ........ 02 06 00 Pd. more to him for taking of the Gaole money and for the order . . . . . . . 00 1 2 00 Pd. Mr. Edward Walter for cutting the Weedes in the Marishe . . . . . . . 00 10 00 Pd. for the Bellman's Coate . . . . . 01 10 03 Michs. 1 68 1 to Michs. 1682. To the Earle of Craven's Keeper at Hampsteed for his fifees for the Doe that the Earle gave to the Corporation . . . . ' . . 01 03 06 Pd. the Corporation expenses at the Globe att the spending the said Doe . . . . . 07 17 00 Gave then to the ffidlers . . . . . 00 10 00 Pd. at the Globe by order when Mr. Waller sealed the Deed of his Trust . . . . . 00 05 06 Pd. Mr. Gunter, Steward (Recorder), his half year's Salary . . . . . . . . 04 00 00 Pd. Mr. Joseph Garrard (Town Clerk) his half year's Salary . . . . . . . 01 od 00 Pd. to foure men to draw the Lock in the Marish . 00 01 04 Pd. for cutting the weedes in the Ryver . . 00 05 00 Pd. John Buxy for stones and gravell and his worke at the Stone Bridges ^ . . . . . 00 02 06 Pd. Mr. Garrard w""" he gave to Sir Robert Sawyer fee [as] Councell one Ginny . . . . 01 01 06 y Sir Robert Sawyer, Attorney General to Charles II. and James II. from 1681 to 1687, and well known as one of the chief counsel for the Seven Bishops. He purchased the Highclere estate, where he resided the latter years of his life, and was buried in the old parish church, which he rebuilt. His only daughter, Margaret, married Thomas, Earl of Pembroke, the last Lord High Admiral of England; and by Sir, Robert Sawyer's will this pro- perty devolved upon her second son, the Hon. Robert Herbert, and on his death, without issue, in 1769, it came by succession to his nephew, the then Earl of Carnarvon. ' The foot-bridges over the brook in Northbrook-street. Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 315 Michs. 1682 to Michs. 1683. To Mr. Smith for Sir Robert Sawyer's opinion about £, s. d. the Intrusions a Ginny . . . . . 01 01 06 Pd. for John Merriman's buryal . . . . 00 14 00 Pd. to Goody Miller toward her losse in providing the Lady Day dinner . . . . . 00 12 06 Pd. Mr. Weekes for the Dinner upon the Law Day " 05 00 00 Pd. more to him for the ffeast made at spending at the Doe . . . . . . . 06 18 06 Pd. the Keeper's fee for the Doe . . . . 00 1 2 06 Pd. more to Mr. Weekes for wyne sent the Country Justices at Easter and Mich^ and for Wyne spent at Town Sess., the thanksgiving, and when the Ld. Bishop came hither to the Visitation . 04 01 00 Pd. Mr. Chadsey for Wyne spent when the Address was made and at Town Sess. . . . 02 10 00 Pd. Expenses for carrying up Address by 4 of Corporacion '' . . . .• . . 08 09 09 Pd. Mr. Latham for writing the Address . . 00 05 00 Michs. 1683 to Michs. 1684. Pd. Mr. Joseph Pearse, Mayor, his yeere's allowance 40 00 00 Pd. Mr. Hinton for the Mayor's Sermon . . 01 00 00 Pd. Mr. Simmons, Mayor, to give Sir Robert Sawyer for advice, &c. ° . . . . . . 07 01 00 Pd. more to him for Mr. Cawley's Booke ag* Recusants . . . . . . . 00 09 06 Pd. Mr. Jos. Garrard for his charges to London to surrender up the Charter . . . . 01 10 00 Pd. to Watermen, Labourers, &c., upon the occa- sion of the greate ffroste ^ {see over) ' The Court Leet dinner. Mr. Weekes appears to have kept the "Globe Inn." '■ Address presented to King Charles II. by the Corporation on his escape from the Rye-House Plot, in June, 1683. A Thanksgiving for his Majesty's preservation was ordered to be observed on Sunday, September 9. ' In relation to the renewal of the charter. The Corporation must have had an influential friend in Sir Robert Sawyer, who was then the Attorney- General. * The frost this year was terrible. It began in the beginning of December, 1683 ; there was then a constant frost of seven weeks, producing ice eighteen inches thick. Many parks of deer were destroyed, the forest trees, and even the oaks were split by the frost ; most of the hollies were killed, and nearly all the birds perished. About forty coaches daily plied on 'the Thames, and all sorts of diversions carried on upon the ice, which were visited by Charles II., with other members of the royal family. 3l6 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Here follow numerous payments for breaking the ice under the bridge, stopping breaches in the Marsh bank, for recovering the Marsh Bridge, which had been carried away into " Mr. Weston's meade." Recovering the boat sunk at the Town Bridge, props for the same bridge, and numerous items for " drink and ffyre," " watching at the bridge, candles, and ffaggotts for stopping the hole at the bridge," &c. MicJis. 1684 to Michs. 1685. Pd. Mr. Cox and Mr. Garard when they went to £, s. d. London about the new Charter . . . 10 00 00 Pd. more to Mr. Garard p' order about the Town Charter , . 06 00 00 Pd. Will. Smart for wood and candles for the souldiers^ 02 02 00 ' Pd. for ringing when Ld. Churchill ' was here . 00 10 00 Pd. Mr. Gunter's clarke for ingr. (engrossing) the Surrender of the Old Charter . . . 00 10 00 Pd. Mr. Cox about the New Charter . . . 06 00 00 Pd. Nicholas Moore for ringing on the Thanks- giving Day . . . . . . . 00 05 00 This Accountant's charge for going to London about the Charters 00 15 00 For the hire of 4 Horses from Reading to Newbury "^ 00 09 00 Pd. Mr. Kidgell's charges for going to I^ondon with the Charter . . . . . . . 00 19 00 Michs. 1685 to Michs. 1686. Pd. for large Dutch paper & pensill . • . . 00 00 09 Pd. Mr. Edward Stewart, Foreman of the Grand Jury 00 15 00 " Troops en route to the west'to put down Monmouth's Rebellion. ' Afterwards the great Duke of Marlborough. At this time he was on his way westward with the Oxford Blues, and materially assisted in the defeat of Monmouth at Sedgmoor, near Bridgewater, July 6, 1685. K Suppression of Monmouth's Rebellion. ^ The new charter having been obtained the occasion was made one of great rejoicing. The officials who had been entrusted to convey it from Lon- don were met in their "coach and four "at some little distance from the town, on the London road, by the Mayor, Aldermen, and all the other officers of the Corporation "in their formalities," accompanied by a large gathering of the principal townspeople. Bands of music heralded the ap- proach of the bearers of the "chartered liberties," and amid the shouts of the assembled throng the procession passed on through the streets of the old town to the Guildhall, where the charter was read, and the night concluded with bells and bonfires and other expressions of rejoicing. Newbury in the Sei'enteeiith Century. 317 £ s. d. Pd. for a Bible in quarto for Mr. Mayor . . 00 06 00 Pd. for a large pewter standish . . . . 00 04 06 Pd. the Bellffounder for the Hall Bell . . . 01 17 00 Pd. John Carter for Beere for the Ringers . . 00 02 00 Pd. Nicholas Moore for the Ringers . . . 00 18 00 Michs. 1686 to Micks. 1687. To Mr. Phillips when the Company attended my Ld. Chamberlaine ' . . . . . 00 10 00 Michs. 1687 to Michs. 1688. Pd. Mr. Mayor for the Disbursem'' about the ffaire and for the Steward . . . . . 02 06 06 Pd. poore distressed Officers v. order . . . 00 05 00 Jan. 25, '87. Pd. the ringers at the election of y" new Members'" . . . . . . 00 10 00 Pd. for the Serjeants' places at the Meeting House' 00 01 06 May 18. Pd. the ringers when the Prince went to Bath" . . . . . . . 00 15 00 June II. Pd. Mr. Weekes ffor wine on the Prince's > birthday 01 02 06 Pd. Mr. Phillips ffor wine on the Prince's birthday, on the thanksgiving day on that occasion " . 02 18 03 Pd. Mr. Chadsey on the same account . . 02 08 00 July. Expended at the Assizes on the Corpora- tion's account . . . . . . 16 09 00 Pd. Mr. Shirley at the Assizes . . . . 01 07 07 Pd. for 6 horses' hire to Wallingford ° . . 00 15 00 Pd. to 4 Countrey witnesses and 3 Newbery . 00 14 06 Oct. 16. Pd. Dr. King's Bill . . . . 04 12 00 ' The probable explanation of this item is that the then Lord Cham- berlain was passing through Speenhamland, and that the Corporation paid him a complimentary visit at the "Bear Inn," at this time an important coaching-house, kept by Mr. Phillips. ' When the old members of the Corporation were displaced by James II. ' The newly-elected Mayor and Councillors attended one of the Dissenting chapels, apparently accompanied by the Town Sergeants. " Prince George of Denmark, who was accompanied by his consort, the Princess Anne, daughter of James II., and subsequently Queen of England. He died in 1708. ■■ This was a Thanksgiving for the birth of James Francis Edward, styled the Prince of Wales, and who became known as the Old Pretender, or Cheva- lier de St. George, who was born June 10, 1688. ° The Assizes were held at Wallingford this year. The Corporation seem to have been engaged in an important law case, but it is not referred to in the Journal. It is very likely to have been about holding the fair in the Wash. £ s. d. 22 oo oo OI lo oo 318 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. June, '88. Pd. the Recorder by Order of the Company Jan. 28, '88-89. And then there was thirty shilts tooke for the sending Mr. Gerard to London to the Earle of Craven out of the abovesaid moneys Feb. 18, 1688, to Micks. 1690. Feb. 18, '88. Pd. at the Globe by Mr. Maior's order to the Trumpeters at the proclamation of the King & Queene 01 00 00 Feb. 20. Pd. Nicholas Moore for ringing the Bell* on that Day 01 00 00 Pd. more to him for ringing the Bells on Thanks- giving DayP . . . . . . 01 00 00 July 30, '89. Pd. Mrs. Chadsey pr Ord' for things delivered to the Souldiers the Ireland Day' . 05 14 00 Sept. II. Pd. Mr. Weekes for 20 bottles of Wine presented to our Bishop . . . . 01 00 00 Sept. 20. Pd. Mr. Hinton for preaching the Mayor's Sermon . . . . . . . 01 00 00 Oct. 8. Pd. Mr. Weekes for 12 bottles of Wine presented to the Justices . . . . 00 12 00 Pd. for a book for the Bread and Butter weighers 00 00 09 Pd. John Dandridge for ffyre, candles, and paper used at the Councell Chamber in two yeeres' tyme . . . . . . . . 00 13 00 Nov. 8. Pd. Mr. Shirley for the Verdict of the Law Day Jury' . . . . . . 00 10 00 Jan. I, '89. Pd. at the Globe at spending of the Doe and treating of the Gentry' . . . 07 16 09 Pd. ffor two bottles of sealed wyne . . . 00 02 08 Jan. 20. Pd. Mr. Cooper (Recorder) for taking of the presentment against the Towne for a way out of the Marish . . . . . . 01 00 10 Jan. 22. Pd. three men for making a Bay to keep the Water out of Northcroft Lane . . . 00 01 00 p Thanksgiving "for the Deliverance by the Prince of Orange from Popery and Arbitrary Power." 1 The Relief of Londonderry. A considerable number of troops were quartered in the town at this time. In December, 1688, Newbury was ap- pointed as the quarters of Lieut. -Gen. Werden's regiment of Horse. ' Court Leet Jury. • The annual venison feast, the doe being given by Lord Craven. Newbury ifi the Seventeenth Century. 319 April 17, '90. Pd. Nich^ Moore for ringing of our £, s. d. Bells upon the Coronation Day of King Willian} and Queen Mary . . . . 00 05 00 June 3. For repairing of our Town Hall after that the Card had left it ' The amount paid in sundry items for timber, laths, &c., was ^i \os. yd. July 17. Pd. Nich'. Moore for ringing o'^ Bells for the Victory over the Irish " . . . . 00 15 00 Aug. 3. Pd. John Hayles for mending the Glasse at the Hall after the Souldiers left their Card . 00 03 06 Sept. 2. Pd. for 12 Bottles of Wyne presented to our Bishop 00 15 06 Pd. Nich'. Moore for 3 dayes' Ringing when the King came from Bristoll . . . . 01 00 00 Sept. 25. Pd. the Prince of Denmark's Gards pr order of the Company at Mr. Weston's Dore " 00 05 00 Abated to the ffarmers for losse of Marketts in the late troubles & other losses in price of Come . 10 00 00 Micks. 1692 to Michs. 1693. Pd. Weekes for wine for the Bishop . . . 01 01 00 To the White Heart the Thanksgiving Day . . 04 01 00 Return of King William III. from Ireland, 1690. King William being expected to arrive in the town on his way from Bristol to London, after his campaign in Ireland, in September, 1690, — the battle of the Boyne having been fought the previous ist of July — the Corpora- tion agreed on the following Resolution : — " That in case His Maj''" King William, being now upon his Returne from Ireland to London, doe happen to come into this Corporation, that Mr. Mayor doe present to his Ma"' Fifty • There had probably been some disturbances in the town at this exciting time, and a body of soldiers were quartered in the Town Hall to preserve order, and prevent any attack on the building. " The Battle of the Boyne, fought July i, i6go. King William passed through Newbury in June on his way to embark for Ireland. » Mr. Weston was a wealthy clothier in Newbury, a Justice of the Peace, and resided at Bussock Court, Winterbourne, an interesting house, de- molished many years since. 320 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Ginnyes in a purse upon the account of this Corporation, Which fifty Ginnyes we doe hereby Order shall be Repayd to Mr. Maior out of the first moneys that shall be brought in upon the Cor- poration account. " John Gyles, Mayor, and others." On the following 6th of September the King landed at Bristol, and on the 8th arrived at Newbury, where he was received with the most enthusiastic respect and joy. Vote for the Church Repairs, 1691. On May 25, 1691, the Council ordered : — " That ;£'ioo of Mr. Kendrick's money be lent for the use of the Church of Newbury, and that whereas £,^0 has usually been given by the Corporation to the new Mayor for defraying the cost of his feast, that ;^2o of the same amount shall be given to the use of the sd Church till the charge of repairing the said Church be fully paid.'' A few years previously a portion of the clerestory and roof of the church fell down, caused by one of the pillars of the nave having given way, and a considerable sum was collected to defray the cost of the repairs consequent on this accident. The Marsh, 1693. In 1693 the Corporation proceeded against Mary Kel- way, widow, and her servants, by action in the Court of King's Bench, " for Digginge downe the Marish Bank in Newbury, whereby the said Marish was drowned, to the great damage and charges of this Corporation to make up the sd Banks agen." Frequent Robberies in 1693. In the year 1693, the inhabitants having been greatly annoyed by street robberies, burglaries, and other nocturnal disorders, the following order was made by the Court of Quarter Sessions for the borough : — " To the Church Wardens and others, the Overseers of the poore of Newbury, and -everi or any of them, As alsoe to the Burrough of Newbury, in the County of Berks. Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 321 Church Wardens and other, the Overseers of the Poore of Greenham, and everi or any of them, and to all others whome it may concerne, Whereas in the Night time Diverse Howse and Shopps within this Burrough have been by . wicked and evill disposed p'sons violently broken open and Attempted to be broken open, And their moneys and other Goods therefound ffelo- niously taken Away, which may prove the Ruine of many ffamilys here if not timely p''vented. It is therefore thought fit, And soe ordered by this Court, That there be a Watch kept in the Night time During all this winter in this Burrough and Towne And the Liberties thereof ffrom Nine in the evening untill ffive in the morning, And that the said Watch do consist of one of the Constables, Bailiffs or Tythingmen every night, with the Bell- man and two other honest Townesmen of this Burrough, who are to be paid by the whole Inhabitantes of this Burrough and Towne. Dated in open Sessions the day and yeere above written." The Market Cross, 1695. On October 21, 1695, the Corporation adopted a reso- lution that the ancient Market Cross, which stood at the south end of the old Guildhall, should be repaired, and that new^ stones be provided for the same where needful. Money lent to Officers by the Corporation, 1696. The difficulty experienced by the officers of the troops quartered in the town in obtaining pay for themselves and their men may be inferred from the following and sub- sequent entries in the Journal: — "March 31, 1696, It is ordered that the sum of £ifi be lent to the officers now quartered in the Towne, and that they shall be lent £/ifO more a ffortnight hence if they shall have occasion." The National Association, 1696. At the same Court it was also ordered " that the Asso- ciation lately signed by the Parliament be signed by this Y 322 Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. Company and all other the inhabitants of this Burrough, and afterwards presented to his Maj'i^." This National Association was established in 1696, of which all persons holding office under government were required to be members. Its subscribers declared " that King William is rightful and lawful King of these Realms ; and we mutually agree to stand by and assist each other in the defence of His Majesty against King James and his adherents ; and in case King Wilham should come to a violent death we oblige ourselves to Unite and Associate in revenging it upon his enemies, and in supporting the succession to the Crown, according to the Act i William and Mary." On April 7 it was ordered " that the Association now subscribed by this Corporation be carried up to London in order to be presented to the King by the Mayor, the Steward, and the Justice, and that their reasonable ex- penses be allowed." Mr. Richard Gray was mayor at this time ; William Lord Craven, High Steward ; Mr. Edward Godwin, Deputy Steward or Recorder; and Mr. Levi Smith, Justice. Rev. W. Taylor, 1696. At the Court of Sessions held in April, 1696, " Mr. William Taylor, a dissenting minister, tooke the Oaths, repeated the Declaracon, and subscribed the Articles of the Church of England according to the Act of Parliament." Dissenting Places of Worship, 1696. We find the following entry on the minutes of the Court of Quarter Sessions, 1696 : — " Mr. William Hunt, Mr. Benjamin Avery, and others, certified to this Court that the new dweUing house of Mr. William Tay- lor, situate in Bartholomew Streete in this Burough, is a place where Religious worshipp is exercised '." y The Rev. William Taylor, the Presbyterian minister above mentioned, was the son of the Rev. William Taylor, B.A., born at Keighley in York- shire, of Magdalen Hall, Oxford, successively Master of the Grammar Schools at Kington in Herefordshire and Cirencester, and aftervifards Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 323 The Rev. William Taylor was afterwards minister of the Presbyterian meeting-house, near the river, to which he and his congregation removed from Bartholomew-street, in the year 1697, when the building still standing was built. The subscription to the Articles of the Church of England was compulsory, in accordance with the Test Act, on all persons who should enjoy any public office. At the Sessions held in August the same year (1697) there is the following entry on the minutes of the Court : — " Att this Court a Certificate was delivered, certifying that the new erected Building situate on the East side of Northbrooke, standing on a plott of ground late in the possession of William Lynch, is appointed ffor an Assembly of persofis for Religious Worshipp." This refers to the Presbyterian meeting-house alluded to above. More Moistey lent to Officers by the Cor- poration, 1696. "July 10, 1696. It is ordered that Mr. Thomas Blissett be employed to receive the sum of two hundred and thirty and eight pounds ffifteen shillings and ffour pence, lately lent by this Corporation, Thatcham, and Speenhamland to the officers of Brigadier Stewart's Regiment, as appears by their Receipts." Revival of the Mayor's Feast, 1696. The expenses connected with repairing the church having been paid off, the former allowance to the Mayor of £\o a year for defraying the cost of the customary feast was again allowed by the Corporation at the annual meeting held September 21, 1696, Richard Gray being Mayor. Preacher at Bow, Middlesex, and Minister of St. Stephen's, Coleman-street ; he died Sept. 5, 1661, and was buried in the chancel of that church. His son William was chaplain to Philip, Lord Wharton, and became Minister of the Presbyterian chapel, Newbury. He married Mary, eldest daughter of the Rev. Henry Jolly, Vicar ot Chute, Wilts, by his wife Frances Gainsford, descended from Sir John Gainsford of Crowhurst, co. Surrey. He died sud- denly in the year 1700, in the 52nd year of his age. Y 2 324 Newbury m the Seventeenth Century. Further Money lent to Officers by the Corporation, 1696. At a meeting held on December i, 1696, it was ordered that the sum of.;£'30 \os. be lent by the Corporation to Mr. Thurston Hadduck, " Lieutenant of Captain Harri- son's Company in Colonel Coote's Regiment," for the pay- ment of quarters in the borough ; and also that the sum of £6 be lent to pay for the Lieutenant's and Ensign's quarters. Samuel Slocock being maj'or. On the following January 20, 1696-7, a further sum of £^0 was lent by the Corporation for the pay and quarters of the soldiers. Mr. BlissEtt, a Member of the Corporation, removed, 1696. During Mr. Slocock's mayoralty Mr. Richard Blissett, " for not subscribing to the Association, and in many contempts in not meeting the Company," was ordered to be discharged from being a member of the Corporation. Mr. Blissett was a brewer in Newbury, and a benefactor to the church almshouses. Desire to Enfranchise the Borough, 1699. The following remarkable entry occurs in the Journal on April 14, 1699: — " It is Ordered that the sum of One Hundred Pounds be paid by this Corporation to such persons who shall procure the pri- vilege of Electing Members for Parliament for this Burrough, soe as such members to be chosen and their Election be approved of in Parliament. " John Gyles, Mayor." At this momentous period the most strenuous efforts were made by the Whig party to return to Parliament as many members as they could who were favourable to the Act of Settlement, by which the accession of the Pro- testant House of Hanover to the throne of England was effectually secured. Hence the anxiety of the Newbury authorities to acquire direct representation in Parliament, Newbury in the Seventeenth Century. 325 but as the Act of Settlement was passed June 12, 1701, and their especial object was attained, probably the desire to obtain Parliamentary enfranchisement was not after- wards pressed with the like importunity. A Coiner at Newbury, 1699. On July 15, 1699, it was ordered that the sum of 28^. be paid by the Constable " for the charges of the officers and for the prosecution of the Coiner at the Assizes." CHAPTER XII. IRewburs in tbe Bigbteentb Century. Incidents connected with Newbury. — Dissenting places of worship, 1700-2.— Queen Anne at Newbury, 1703.— The Newbury Skirmish, 1706.— The Corporation Maces, 1707.— Minor events, 1713-50.— The Newbury Coach started, 1752. — Minor events, 1752-54. — The Corpo- ration Maces, 1758. — Minor events, 1759-65. — Residents in Newbury in 1765. — Bread riot at Newbury, 1766. — Minor events, 1769-94. — The Kennet and Avon Canal projected, 1794. — The Volunteer Association, 1794-99. — Minor events, 1796-99. THE Manorial History of Newbury, as will have been observed in the last chapter, becomes at this period absorbed into that of the Corporation ; and further on it will be seen by the extracts from the Municipal Records that those which are given cannot be conveniently separated from the ordinary local annals of the town generally, such as in the previous chapters have been inserted under the general heading of " Incidents connected with Newbury." Dissenting Places of Worship, 1700-2. We find the following further references to dissenting places of worship in the Records of the Court of Quarter Sessions : — 1700. January Sessions : — " The Dwelling House of Mrs. Mary Woodbridge [Widow of the Rev. Benjamin Woodbridge], and the Dwelling House of Mr. Thomas Hunt, were at this Sessions certifyed to be places used for assembly of persons for Religious Worshipp." 1700. April Sessions : — " The Dwelling House of Mrs. Elizabeth Houghton, Widdow, was att this Sessions certifyed to be a place used for assembly of persons for Religious Worshipp." The "Quakers' Meeting House" is mentioned in the Records of the July Sessions, 1701. 1702. October Sessions : — " Att this Co'' the Building newly-erected within this Burough Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 327 upon a peece of Ground, late the Widdow Morrell's, was certifyed to be a place used for Religious Worshipp." Queen Anne at Newbury, 1703. Queen Anne visited Newbury in October, 1703, on her way from Bath, and was hospitably entertained at Shaw House by Mr. Thomas Dolman (son of the first Sir Thomas Dolman). As a recognition of the manner in which he had received the Queen, he was knighted at St. James's the following nth of November. The Newbury Skirmish, 1706. In 1706, in accordance with an Act of Parliament for the impressment into the Queen's service of all vagrants " and other idle destitute People," some officers belonging to a recruiting party, who were raising men at Newbury, having received information concerning John Pinfold, " an idle loose Fellow," living near the town, sent two sergeants to apprehend him. He was accordingly arrested and brought before the Justices at Newbury, who ordered him into the Service, and meanwhile to be kept in safe custody, with other enforced recruits, at the town gaol. As he was being conducted to the lock-up some of his com- panions knocked one of the sergeants down, and rescued Pinfold, but the sergeant getting on his legs again, pur- sued and recaptured his man, but the mob increasing, the soldiers were attacked by the rabble, and Pinfold again made his escape. The disturbance increasing, and the officers and soldiers being threatened, a constable and the watchmen were ordered to keep guard at the prison, together with some soldiers detached for that duty. As the military party were proceeding to the Market-place for this purpose they were attacked by the mob, and a free fight ensued, in which one of the sergeants was killed, but the other soldiers successfully defended themselves for some time, having fire-arms with them. The con- stable and watchmen coming up, as the soldiers thought to their assistance, took the part of the mob, and fell upon 328 Newbury in the EigJiteenth Century. the soldiers, knocking them down with their staves. The officers, who were in a tavern not far off, being informed of this, came forward, "Armed with a Case of Pistols, and fired among the Rout, after which they drew their Swords and fell in among them : so that 2 or 3 of their Fellows drop, and several being wounded." The authorities of the town not assisting to quell the disturbance, the officers sent for Mr. Kingsmill, of Sandleford, an Associate-Justice of the borough, who had several of the mutineers appre- hended, some of whom he surrendered to the Captain for the Queen's service ; so that the military had the best of the business after all. " Besides," says the broadside from which the account is taken, " we hear since, the Town is to be prosecuted, and satisfaction to be given to the Soldiers and Officers : so that the next Day they marched to Reading with the rest of their Men, and great enquiry is made after the Mutineers." An entry in the parish register records that the sergeant who was killed was buried in the churchyard. The Corporation Maces, 1707. The two silver and gilt maces now in possession of the Corporation are known as the " Stewart Mace " and the " Kimber Mace," having been respectively acquired by the borough during the mayoralty of Edward Stewart in 1707, and John Kimber in J758. The " Stewart Mace" is thirty-nine inches in length, of the usual open-arched crown form, with orb and cross, the arches rising from a circlet of crosses patee, and fleurs- de-lis of unusually elaborate and elegant design, both crosses and fleurs-de-lis being richly foliated. Beneath the arches of the crown are the royal arms in relief, and round the bowl, which is divided into four compartments by demi-figures terminating in foliage, are the rose, sur- mounted by a crown, with the initials A. R. ; the harp, similarly crowned and initialled ; the fleur-de-lis the same ; and the thistle treated in a similar manner. The shaft is divided into three lengths by encircling bands, and, as Newbury in the Eighteenth Centnry. 329 well as the base, is chased. On the upper length of the shaft are engraved the arms, without shield, of the Borough of Newbury, a castle with central-domed tower and two side turrets, with flags from each, and above the arms " Burgus de Newbury," and beneath them, " E. Stewart, Mayor, 1707." Education of the Poor in Newbury in 17 13. In "An Account of Charity Schools in Great Britain and Ireland," &c., &c., Twelfth Edition, London, 1713, the following information, regarding the then existing means for educating the children of the poor at Newbury, is given : — " Newbury. A School for 40 boys, whereof 35 are cloathed. Endowed by the Corporation with ^^40 per annum. A Gentle- man [Richard Cowslade] has settled an estate of ^25 per annum for teaching and cloathing 10 of the said children, and supplying them with books; 5 more are cloathed and taught by private charity. Part of the offertory is appropriated to the use of the school. There is the effigies of a charity-boy, with a poor's box, set up at the entrance into the church, which has well answer'd the end of setting it up. Some of the boys have been put out to apprentice." Cowslade's School Charity, 1715. Richard Cowslade, by deed dated May 30, 171 5, gave some land at Greenham, about 46 acres, to nine members of the Corporation, for the education and clothing while at school of ten poor boys, natives and inhabitants of Newbury, to be selected by the Corporation. This Charity is now administered by the Rector of Newbury and five other Trustees. The Independent Meeting-house, 1717. In this year, 17 17, the Independent meeting-house was built on the site of the present (1887) Independent Con- gregational Chapel. 330 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. Charity of John and Frances West, 1717. John West and Frances his wife, by deed dated 17 17, gave to the poor of the parish of Newbury (three of whom must have been inhabitants within thirty years prior to the date of the grant) ^5 each from certain houses and lands vested in the Corporation of London, Governors of Christ's, Bethlehem, and Bridewell Hospitals, with pre- ference to the kindred of the said John and Frances West. Also by deed bearing date 171 8, to poor blind people, ;^5 per annum each, with preference to their kindred, and next to the blind of Reading and Newbury. Vested in the Clothworkers' Company, of London. Also by deed bearing date 1720, for maintaining and presentations of children to Christ's Hospital, London, more than three-fourths to be boys, ;^io per annum each, and for apprenticing the boys ;£'20 each ; and the girls £^ each, with preference to their kindred. Vested in the Governors of Christ's Hospital. When a vacancy occurs the parish is regularly informed of it from Christ's Hospital ; notice is then given of a parish vestry, to be held on the Monday se'nnight after the notice, for the purpose of filling up the vacancy ; and the election takes place accordingly by the vote of the vestry. The Grammar School, 1723. June 10, 1723. By a memorandum of this date it ap- pears that Mr. Tassell continued Master of the School until this time, and claimed £\ per annum for reading prayers at the school, which the Corporation refused to pay, it not having been before demanded. September 21, 1724. — By a memorandum of this date it is shewn that the Rev. Philip Morgan had been then Master of the school for two years, and that it was agreed by the Corporation that he should receive the yearly sum of £a, for teaching the free school, but his appointment is not found. Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 331 The Rev. John Daniel Cotton, author of a volume of " Poems on Several Occasions, English and Latin," with- out date, but published about 1754, is described on the title-page as " Master of the Gram mar-School in New- bury, Berks," but his appointment does not appear in the extracts from the minutes of the Corporation given in any of the reports or particulars of the hospital. He was probably loaim tenens for the Rev. Mr. Morgan. March 30, 1764. — The Rev. Thomas Penrose, Rector of Newbury, was chosen Master of the Free Grammar- ^ School, in the room of Mr. Morgan, who had resigned. And it was ordered, " That the Town Clerk do acquaint the said Mr. Morgan therewith, and likewise do send an account thereof to the proper officer of the Exchequer, from whence such salary is payable." April 15, 1766. The Rev. Thomas Best was chosen Master of the Free Grammar-School, in the room of the Rev. Thomas Penrose, who had resigned, and afterwards en- tered into an agreement with the Corporation to resign, if at any time it should happen that he had less than two scholars as boarders. March 23, 1768. — At a Corporation meeting it was or- dered, " That the money then due from the Exchequer to the Corporation should be equally divided between the Rev. Mr. Morgan and the Corporation." And it was or- dered, " That £if a year be paid to the Rev. Mr. Best, for reading prayers in the Free Grammar- School of this Borough, to the Almspeople of St. Bartholomew's Alms- houses, for and during the pleasure of this Corporation, and so long as he shall continue to read prayers there, being the same sum which Mr. Morgan formerly annually received for the same purpose." The Great Flood of 1726. In this year a great flood threw down an arch of New- bury Bridge. (Mist's Journal.) Hunt's Charity, 1727. Thomas Hunt, by will dated June 19, 1727, founded an almshouse at West Mills, for three poor widows, in- 332 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. habitants of Newbury (preference being always given to such as were related to the families of Hunt and Merri- man), to be paid a weekly stipend, with an allowance for clothing and fuel. The remainder of the income, which is derived from a small farm at Cold Ash, to be applied towards teaching the poor children of the town of New- bury to read. Stockwell's Gift to the Poor, 1736. Thomas Stockwell, by deed dated June 22, 1736, granted a yearly rent charge of 30^. issuing out of a tene- ment of his at Newbury, to be laid out in bread, and given to the poor on St. Thomas's Day, by the mayor and aldermen of the said borough. The tenement thereto consists of a house and shop in the Market-place, Newbury, formerly belonging to Anna and Martha Perry. The Mayor's Cake, 1742. It appears to have been a very old custom in Newbury to make a large cake for the Mayor's feast, and so con- spicuous was this costly item at the annual banquet, that we find a special order made concerning its discontinu- ance, in November, 1742, as follows : — " It is ordered That for the future no Cake shall be made as usually have been, and that the present Mayor and any member of the Corporation who shall succeed him from Time to Time in the office of Mayor shall deduct and allow or cause to be de- ducted and allowed out of the moneys allowed for defraying the expense of the feast the sum of Ten pounds instead of making such Cake, which said sum of Ten pounds is agreed to be from time to time to be disposed of in such manner, and to be applied to such and such uses as the said mayor, aldermen, and bur- gesses, or their successors, shall see fit and expedient. " George Calverley, Mayor." Nezvbury in the Eighteenth Century. 333 Corporation Apparel, 1741. On September 28, 1741, it was ordered " That for the Future all the Burgesses who have served the office of Mayor shall on all publick or Gown Days appear in Gowns all of one sort and make, proper and suitable to the office of a Burgess, and the Town Clerk of the said Borough shall provide himself with a Attorney's Gown to be worn likewise on the Gown Days. " Jon". Wellman, Mayor." The New Town House, 1742. In 1742 it was ordered that all accounts relating to the building of the new Town House (the present Town Hall) should be audited and settled. Captured Treasure conveyed through Newbury, 1745- In 1745 the British ships, " Prince Frederick" (Capt. Tal- bot), the "Duke" (Capt. Morecock), and two English pri- vateers, captured two French ships, heavily laden with specie and other valuable merchandise. The prizes were landed at Bristol, and forty-seven waggons laden with the treasure, and guarded by troops, were drawn into New- bury Market-place, on their way to London. The Rebellion of Charles Edward, the Young Pretender, 1746. After the defeat of the Pretender at the Battle of Cul- loden, and suppression of the Rebellion, the Corporation of Newbury agreed on the following grandiloquent address to His Majesty King George II., which was presented to the King by His Grace the Duke of St. Albans, Lord Lieutenant and Custos -Rotulorum of the County of Berks : — " May it please your Majesty. To permit us, the Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses, of the Borough of Newbury in the County of Berks, to join in the uni- 334 Newbury in the EigJiteenth Century. versal acclamation of our fellow subjects, with hearts as full of transports and congratulations on the happy suppression of the late unnatural Rebellion, as they are at all times of Loyalty to your Majesty and zeal for the Religion and Liberties of the Country. These are blessings without which Life itself would cease to be one ; and the preservation of these we owe to the happy Establishment of your Royal House on the Throne of these Kingdoms, and the more eminently on the late occasion to the glorious success of your Majesty's Arms under the conduct of His Royal Highness the Duke. A Prince who visibly appears to have derived from his Royal Father witli his noble blood all the martial Ardour, Presence of mind, Contempt of danger, and superiority of genius in the Art of War, which have already rendered him even in these his early years a terror to our Enemies, a Curb to the ambitious views of Tyrants and Oppressors, the Scourge of Rebels and lawless Invaders, and a Bulwark as well as Glory to the British Nation. " May it please the Divine Providence, which hath hitherto so signally preserved his precious life (too carelessly exposed by himself on all occasions), to guard your Majesty and every Branch of the Royal Family from all dangers, and to continue to us and our latest posterity a succession of Heroes hke him of your illustrious Race, for the Support and Defence of Liberty and the Protestant ReHgion, both at home and abroad, against the rest- less Ambition and dark Machinations of Popery and Arbitrary Powers, till time shall be no more. " Given under the Common Seal of the said Borough of New- bury, the 14th day of June, in the 20th year of your Majesty's reign, and in the year of our Lord i746«." At the period of the Rebellion a military camp was established on Greenham Heath, and betvireen five and six thousand troops were encamped on that part of the Heath known as " Peckmore." Special constables were also sworn in, and the inhabitants generally exhibited a patri- otic spirit. Some official staves, with the date of " 1745," apparently for the use of the special constables at this time, were found a few years ago in removing the lumber " This Address does nor appear in the Corporation Journal, and is taken from the State Papers, Domestic Series, at the Public Record Office. Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 335 accumulated in the vaults beneath the Town Hall. A brass medal was also found, struck to commemorate the surrender of Carlisle to the forces of William, Duke of Cumberland, the second son of George II., and who is so highly extolled in the Corporation address. On the ob- verse is a well-executed bust of the Duke in profile, and the legend, " William, Duke of Cumberland, British Hero, born April 15, 1721." The reverse has the Duke on horse- back, with drawn sword, receiving at the hands of a soldier, who doffs his cap, two prisoners of war, bound, whom he appears to be ordering to execution ; Legend, " Rebellion justly rewarded;" and beneath, "At Carlisle, Dec. 1745." The Duke of Cumberland was somewhat associated with the neighbourhood of Newbury, as he spent a con- siderable portion of his early years at IVIidgham House, the residence of the Rt. Hon. Stephen Poyntz, Preceptor and Governor to His Royal Highness, and he also kept a racing establishment at Keate's Gore, near East Ilsley, where the celebrated horse " Eclipse '' is said to have been bred and trained. The house and stables at Keate's Gore were taken down about the year 1780, by order of the owner, Mr. Head, of Hodcott, under somewhat peculiar circumstances. The Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV., wished to purchase the house and stables, JDut Mr. Head, having been subjected to some annoyance from the ser- vants of the Duke of Cumberland, and not wishing to be so discourteous as to refuse the Prince, had the whole of the buildings levelled with the ground. The Duke of Cumberland was the founder of the Ascot race-meeting, but he is much better remembered for the remorseless severity which he exhibited after the defeat of the unfortunate Charles Stuart. The Corporation Pewter Plates, 1747. Some few years since, when some miscellaneous prop- erty belonging to the Corporation was disposed of, some interest was manifested regarding the collection of pewter plates which formed part of the municipal effects. 336 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. Considerable light is thrown on the history of these useful articles, which are all stamped with the borough arms, and are of very superior manufacture, by the fol- lowing entry in the Journal : — "August 15, 1747. Mr. John Head, junr., paid into the hands of Mr. Richard King, the Mayor, the sum of Twenty pounds, to be excused serving the office of Mayor of this Borough for the year ensuing, which said Twenty pounds is by consent of the Mayor and approbation of the whole body agreed to be laid out in pewter plates for the use of the Corporation at their publick Entertainments to be given by the Mayor, and not otherwise. And it is agreed that every Mayor who shall lose or otherwise lessen the quantity of such plates, or damage the same, save by their reasonable wear, that such Mayor shall make good the same." In 1749 the Chamberlain was instructed to provide a sufficient number of knives and forks, stands for dishes, all necessary table-cloths and linen for Corporation pur- poses. Races, 1749. Races were held on the Wash in 1749. Cock-throwing in the Streets, 1750. At the January Sessions, 1750, the Court made the fol- lowing presentment : — " We present as a nusance the throwing at Cocks in the pub- lick streets." This inhuman sport of throwing at cocks was practised at Shrovetide, and nowhere was it more certain to be seen than at the Grammar-Schools. The poor animal was tied to a stake by a short cord, and the unthinking men and boys who were to throw at it took their station at the distance of about twenty yards. When the cock belonged to some one disposed to make it a matter of business, two pence was paid for three shies at it, the missile used being a broomstick. This sport was continued till the poor creature was killed outright by the blows. Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 337 The Newbury "Flying Coach" started, 1752. The modern railway-traveller will scarcely believe the difficulties and dangers which had to be encountered by our ancestors in undertaking a journey between one part of the country and the other. Of the former character of the roads near Newbury before they became turnpike -roads, we have evidence from some of the old roadways which were abandoned when the new and improved highways were constructed towards the latter part of the last century. The main road from Newbury to London originally left the line of the present turnpike -road at the point where Shaw Crescent now commences, and crossing a ford of the Lamborne at Shaw, pursued its course by way of Clay Hill to Thatcham Gate. The former course of the Bath road, between the "Castle" Inn at Speen and Speen Hill, was by what is now known as the " Back Way," passing through the village of Speen, near the vicarage ; the road to Winchester was by way of the " Old Newtown Road," at the back of the present cemetery ; the road to Andover and Salisbury passed on the west side of St. Bartholomew's Almshouses, through " the City," to a point in the present Wash-road, near the entrance to the Recreation Ground ; and the main road to Woodhay and other parts of Hamp- shire lying in that direction was by " Dark Lane," which left the Enborne road near " Enborne-Gate Farm," and came out on the Wash near the pond. This must have been little better than a broad, deep ditch, water-worn, and strewn with loose stones. On the other hand the Oxford road branched off from the line of the present road at Donnington mill, passed through the village, where it turned abruptly up the existing narrow lane, with high banks on either side, into " Love Lane," leading to Shaw; here it turned again at right angles, and proceeded through what are now the gardens of Donnington Lodge, and gained the present route somewhere near the cottages on the east side of the Oxford road. In August, 1752, two years before the Manchester z 338 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. " Flying Coach " was started, an enterprising firm in New- bury established a vehicle of this description, which per- formed the journey from Newbury to London in twelve hours, or about 4f miles an hour. The original announce- ment runs as follows : — " Newbury Four wheel'd Stage Chaise, Made with Steel Springs, to carry Four Passengers at Ten Shillings each to or from London. Sets out from the White Hart Inn, in Newbury, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at Six o'clock in the Morning to the Saracen's Head, Snow Hill ; and returns from thence on Tues- days, Thursdays, and Saturdays ; and will be at their Quarters each Evening by Six ; Changes horses at Thomas Talmadge's, the Pelican at Twyford, and at Colnbrook. Places taken at the White Hart and Saracen's Head, at Five Shillings Entrance : each Passenger to be allow'd eight Pounds Weight. Small parcels taken in at the above Houses, and carefully deliver'd. N.B. No Money, Plate, Jewels, or Writings lost to be made good, unless enter'd and paid for as such. The said Chaise will set out from Newbury on Monday, the second of October. Perform'd by John Clark & Co. Note also. There are Road Waggons set out from Newbury to the Saracen's Head, Snow Hill, on Mondays and Wednesdays, and returns Thursdays and Saturdays ; where Gentlemen may depend upon having their Baggage taken great care of If any Incivilities are offer'd by the Drivers, the Proprietors would take it kind to be acquainted therewith at Newbury." Stage wagons were first used as public conveyances towards the close of the sixteenth century. In 1600 a Mr. Schofield, of Bucklebury, started a road wagon from that place to London, and they were soon after generally adopted for the conveyance of light goods and pas- sengers. Before the introduction of the " Flying Coach," which earned its designation by the fact that it proposed to travel four or five miles an hour, the Newbury Stage- Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 339 coach, which was not a very great improvement on the old stage-wagon, but with the body resting on leather springs instead of solidly on the axles, had been in existence for many years. Upon the projection of Messrs. Clark & Co.'s fast coach, at a reduced rate of fares and increased ce- lerity, the proprietors of the Newbury Stage-coach an- nounced that, in their own defence, they intended running on September 19, a week or two before their opponents, the " Newbury Flying Stage - Chaise, made with steel springs," and " as easy as any Post Chaise," to carry four passengers, at the same fare as the opposition fast coach. To set out from the " Globe " Inn, Newbury, at six o'clock in the morning, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and to be at the " Bell Savage " Inn, Ludgate Hill, each evening by six o'clock ; changing horses at Mr. Smith's, the " Golden Bear " Inn, Reading, and at Mr. Englefield's, the " Ostrich " Inn, at Colnbrook. " To be perform'd, if God permit, by Elizabeth Pinnell and Co." These flying coaches were the precursors of Palmer's new mail-coaches in 1784. At this time the post coach, starting from London on Monday, did not reach Bath till Wednesday, although the New Bath Road'' had been made some ten years previously. The first mail-coach in accordance with Mr. Palmer's plan, was one from London to Bristol, which started at eight in the morning of Au- gust 8, 1784, and passing through Newbury, reached its destination at eleven at night. The system of rapid mail - coaches introduced by Mr. Palmer lasted up to the days of railways, but the making of new roads, and the improved form of the stage- coach, effected a wonderful change in the performances of the mails. For example, the Edinburgh mail, in the early part of the present century, performed the journey from '' It is mentioned in the "Gentleman's Magazine" for December, 1752 that the prejudice entertained against the tumpilces was so strong, that in many places the country people would not use the improved roads after they were made. For instance, the driver of the Marlborough coach obstinately refused to use the new Bath road, and stuck to the old wagon-track by way of Ramsbury. He was an old man, he said ; his grandfather and father had driven the aforesaid way before him, and he would continue in the old track till death. Z 2 34° Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. London to the northern capital, 400 miles, in a little over 40 hours. Stoppages included, this approached 11 miles in the hour, and much the greater part of it by lamplight. The Devonport mail ran over her ground, 227 miles, in 22 hours, and the mail-coaches from London to Bath, through Newbury and Devizes, performed the journey at an equal, if not superior, rate of speed. The town of Newbury, being about midway on the great highway between London and Bath, was one of the busiest points on the western road ; and at the " George and Pelican " Inn, Speenhamland, three " fours" were wont to be changed in less than an hour ; and the best turned out mails and coaches in England were accustomed to stop at this famous hostelry. There were many other famous coaching-inns at Speen- hamland and Newbury beside the " George and Pelican." The " King's Arms," in the London Road, now converted into private houses ; the " Cross Keys," commemorated by the elder Cruikshank'^ ; the " Bear," at Speenhamland, now partly occupied by Adnams' brewery; the "Globe," now rebuilt and occupied as the bank of Messrs. Slocock & Co. ; the " White Hart," still flourishing in the Market- place ; the " Crown," which has been transformed into the shop and premises belonging to Mr. Toomer, in North- brook-street ;. and many other old inns and taverns have long since passed from remembrance. The " Castle," Speen, was also a noted coaching-inn, and on one occasion King George IV. slept at this house. The change effected in Newbury by the introduction of railroads was remarkable, and it has not yet recovered the loss of so important an interest, but it is to be hoped that the introduction of improved railway communication will restore to the town that commercial importance which distinguished it for so many centuries. Of the many stage-coach proprietors connected with the coaching trade in Newbury in old times were Messrs. Pin- nell, Clarke, Kember or Kimber, King, Willis, Pottinger, ■= In Woodward's " Eccentric Excursions,'' &c., Illustrated by Geo. Cruik- shanlc. (London, Allen and Co. 1801.) Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 341 Hancock, Britton, Lazenby, Fromont, Gilder, Marshall, and Lay ; and of road-wagon proprietors, Messrs. Clarke, King, Batten, Basing, Grobetty, Machin, Horner, and Clift. Kendrick's Charity, 1752. The Corporation, as Trustees of Kendrick's Charity, appear to have made free use of the funds for which they, as Trustees, were responsible. By a statement made out in the year 1687, it is shewn that of the sum of ;£'4,000 only i^r, 175 remained, which was lent for various purposes, but was an equitable charge upon the Corporation estate. In the year 1752 there is an entry in the Corporation Journal to the following effect : — " Whereas a considerable sum of money was given by Mr. Kendrick to the Corporation in Trust for applying it to charitable uses, which doth not appear to have been at all times regularly applied according to the Donor's intention, whereby the said Corporation is become considerably indebted to the said Charity, though the particulars thereof do not appear. And whereas there is likewise now due from the said Corporation a debt of ;^6i5, with interest, which will become precarious unless some alteration is made by reducing the publick expenses hitherto allowed. It is hereby ordered that the sum of Fifty pounds, that hath usually been given to the Mayor for keeping a Feast, be from this time discontinued." At the same time it was ordered that the sum of ;^50 be given annually to five poor men and women, inhabitants of the borough, who shall be householders, have paid poor- rates, and not have been the recipients of public alms or collections, who are carrying on no trade at the time of receiving the charity, and are 50 years of age. It was also added to the above order : — " That the men who are appointed for this Charity are to walk in procession before the Corporation, to the intent that those who are chose maybe generally known, and that the said Charity may not be dechned. It is hereby ordered that the women who may be supported from this Charity do for the same reasons attend at the Church or Hall Doors on the Charter Day for swearing the Mayor in every year with a Basket of Flowers, and give one to each member of the said Corporation." 342 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. The Corporation also agreed that the rent of the house occupied by Henry Barkesdale be allowed to the Mayor, and also the quit-rents that shall annually become due. Prevalence of the Small-pox in 1753. The small-pox was very prevalent in the borough about this time, and on March 20, i7S3. the Corporation issued the following notice : — " Whereas the Small-pox is and for sometime past has been within this Burrough and Parish, and it being imagined that the continuance of it may in some measure be owing to strangers coming from remote parishes and places to be inoculated here, the Surgeons and Apothecaries here, at the request of the Mayor and Corporation and principal Inhabitants of our town, signed an Agreement in writing that from and after the first of June next they will not inoculate any person whatsoever for the space of two years within this Burrough, who is not an Inhabitant and Parishioner of the Burrough and Parish. " And whereas, notwithstanding all such precautions, it is to be feared that that Distemper may yet continue much longer amongst us to the great prejudice of the Trade and Inhabitants of the place, unless by encouraging the Laudable practice of inoculation amongst ourselves the same may be sooner carry'd through the Town, Wherefore if any persons who are Inhabitants and Parishioners legally settled here, and who, by means of their poverty, are deterred from undergoing the Operation, will apply to us at our New Town House any Monday, Wednesday, and Fryday before the sd first day of June next, betweene the Hours of Eleaven and twelve o'clock in the Forenoon, We will upon their appearing to us, or any three or more of us then attending to be proper subjects, sign an Order to such Surgeon and Apo- thecary as such poor person shall best approve of to prepare, inoculate, and attend such poor person during his or her prepa- ration for inoculation and illness of the said Distemper. And that we will pay to each and every such Surgeon and Apothe- cary ten shillings for his attendance on, and for the medicine to be given such persons. (Signed) Jno. Townsend (Mayor), Ed. Walter, John Head, Joseph Head, John Cox, Rich'^. Budd, John Head, Fra=. Page, Jas. Head." Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 343 Inoculation from small-pox was introduced in England from Turkey by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. In 171 8 she had her own son inoculated at Adrianople with perfect success ; and she was allowed to have it tried, for the first time in England, on seven condemned criminals, 7 Geo. I., 1721. In 1722 two of the royal family were inoculated. In 1746 the small-pox hospital was founded for the exten- sion of the practice among the poor of London. Dr. Jen- ner announced his discovery of vaccination in 1796, and inoculation of the small-pox was gradually superseded by inoculation with the cow-pox. On July 23, 1840, the prac- tice of inoculation of the small-pox was prohibited by an Act of Parliament, 3 and 4 Vict. c. 29. Flogging Women, 1754, &c. The practice of flogging women for minor offences ap- pears to have been very general in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and the following instance of this degrading and cruel mode of punishment being publicly inflicted on a female can scarcely be realised at the present day : — Sessions held May 7, 1754. "At this Sessions Sarah Deacon, committed for an illegitimate child till this Session to the House of Correction, is recommitted for a month, and every Fryday during that time to be publickly whipt between the hours of two and three o'clock in the Afternoon." Here is another instance which occurred at the Sessions held in January, 1757 : — " Ann Fisher was Indicted for feloniously stealing out of the Shop of one Henry Fleet a Leg of Pork, to which Indictment she pleaded Guilty, and was ordered to be whip'd the next Market day at the publick whipping post." The whipping-post, it may be added, was by the Market Cross, at the south end of the old Guildhall, in the Mar- ket-place. Robinson's and Cross's Charity, 1754. Benjamin Robinson, by will dated September 28, 1754, established three almshouses for poor weavers (preference 344 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. being given to such as were of the family of Robinson), and endowed them with 2s. per week each, and a certain quantity of fuel. The Corporation Maces, 1758. In December, 1758, the following memorandum occurs in the Journal : — " Whereas the great mace hath been repaired and gilt, agree- able to the Order of Oct. 7 last, and likewise an opportunity offers of exchanging the little mace upon moderate terms for one of larger size, which is thought more desirable.'' The " great mace " is still in possession of the Corpora- tion, and bears the name of " E. Stewart, Mayor, 1707." The " little mace," most probably the more ancient of the two, was exchanged for that now used, and inscribed with the name of "John Kimber, Mayor, 1758." The " Kimber Mace " is 39 inches in length, and is of silver-gilt. The open arches of the crown, beneath which are the royal arms, rise from a circlet of fleurs-de-lis, foliage, and balls ; and the head, or bowl, which is " bulged," and decorated with foliage, &c., in relief, bears on a medallion the name and date, " John Kimber, Mayor, 1758." The shafts is divided into three lengths by massive knobs, which, as well as the base, are chased. Appointment of Organist, 1759. The appointment of organist of the parish church of Newbury is vested in the Corporation, in accordance with the provisions of Richard Cowslade's benefaction, in June, 1715. The earliest reference to the appointment in the Corporation Journals is in June, 1759, when it was agreed that the widow of Mr. Wheeler, organist, deceased, should continue to enjoy the salary which her late husband was paid until the following Michaelmas, " she taking care that the Organ is played as usual." On the succeeding July 4 it was resolved — " That the choice of an Organist be in favour of him who appears to have the greatest Personal and Musical talent. That the 24th day of August next be appointed for the members of Newbury in the Eigliteenth Century. 345 the Corporation to determine upon tlie characters of the several Candidates, and that no person be permitted to play on the day of Tryal whose character shall not be approved of. That Wed- nesday, September 19 next, be appointed for the day of Tryal. That Mr. Stanley be applied to by the Town Clerk to know the terms upon which he will attend on the day of Tryal to give his Judgem' on the Musicall Performances of the several Candidates, and that he will return the names of those two Persons to the Corporation who appear to have the greatest Musicall merit in order that they may choose one of those two to be Organist. And that the Trustees of Mr. Cowslade's Charity be appHed to to issue the money to defray the expense of Mr. Stanley's attendance. "John Kimber, Mayor," and others. The question of the appointment of organist again came before the Council on August 24, 1759, when the names of the following candidates were approved for the " day of Tryal : "— " Mr. Thomas Stoke, Mr. John Raymond, Mr. Jeremiah Dixon, Mr. James Pexell, Mr. Lawrence Bagley, Mr. Richard Wafer, Mr. Freeborn, Mr. Richard Coombs, Mr. John Gibbs, and Mr. Joseph Elton." In case Mr. Stanley should dech'ne to adjudicate it was decided to ask Dr. Hayes, of Oxford, to give his attend- ance. On September 5 the Corporation met to arrange the preliminaries for the contest to take place on the 19th. First of all the Mayor was unanimously desired to give directions " for an half crown Ordinary," and secondly it was agreed nem. con. " that the expenses of Mr. Stanley, and the several Candidates, both ordinary and extra- ordinary, on that day be borne by the Trustees of Cow- slade's Charity." The Berkshire Militia at Newbury, 1759. We may date the commencement of our modern Militia from the declaration of war against the French by George II., in 1756, which was immediately followed by the dec- laration of the French King, Louis XV., against this coun- try. The re-establishment of the Militia was a popular 346 Newbury in the Eighteenth Centicry. object, but great difficulties were experienced at first in getting the new laws understood by the people. The bill brought in by the Pitt Ministry at first met with great op- position, principally on the ballot clauses. Riots took place in several parts of England against the Act, many foolish people saying it was only a law got up for the poor to defend the rich. The gentry also looked coldly upon it ; such was the aversion to the ballot ^. In the month of August, in the year 1759, which was a memorable one in our history, as that in which the battle of Minden was fought and Quebec was taken by General Wolfe, who fell mortally wounded in the hour of victory, the newly-raised regiment of Berkshire Militia marched into Newbury. The regiment was commanded by Sir Willoughby Aston, Bart, descended from Sir Arthur Aston, Governor of Oxford and Reading for the King during the Civil Wars, and from Sir Thomas Aston, also a Royalist officer who distinguished himself at the first battle of Newbury. Sir Willoughby Aston married Eliza- beth, daughter of Henry Pye, Esq., of Faringdon, and thus established a connection with the county of Berks. The day after the arrival of the Militia, " the 21 of August, the whole regiment was drawn out," says a local account, " and performed their military exercises to the great de- light of a large body of spectators." The officers were " elegantly entertained " by the gentlemen of the Cor- poration, who ordered ten guineas to be given to the private men. On the Sunday following the regiment assembled for church parade, and, preceded by their band, marched to Newbury church, when an eloquent and appropriate sermon was preached by the Rector, the Rev. Thomas Penrose, and which was afterwards printed at the expense of the officers. After a week's stay the regiment marched to Devizes. Mr. Alderman Kimber, 1759. Mr. John Kimber, who is known as the founder of Kim- ber's Almshouses, having reported to the Corporation that ^ Davis's " History of the Second Royal Surrey Militia,'' p. 76. Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 347 a threatening letter had been dropped in the porch of his house, it was ordered, on September 8, 1759, that a copy of the said letter be inserted in the "London Gazette," " Evening Post," and " Reading Mercury," with the offer of a reward of one hundred pounds to any person who shall discover the person or persons concerned in writing such letter. And also that His Majesty be appealed to for the pardon of any person who shall discover his or her accomplice or accomplices. Appointment of Organist, 1759. The " Day of Tryal " for the appointment of organist having arrived, Mr. Peter Perfitt, of Wells, who is not men- tioned in the list of the selected candidates, was unani- mously elected organist of the borough. Marriage of a Female Soldier at Newbury Church, 1759. On Nov. 3, 1759, was married at the parish church of Newbury, to a journeyman carpenter, Hannah Snell, who had served in the capacity of a dragoon in the army. She had also served in the navy, her sex being unknown, and obtained a pension from both services. For some time before her death, which occurred in 1792, she was an in- mate of Chelsea Hospital, where she was buried. The Corporation Charters, 1759. At a meeting held on November 19, 1759, the Town Clerk received instructions to get the Charter of Incor- poration translated and fairly transcribed into the Book of Ordinances. On the following December 29 the Charter of Queen Elizabeth, dated May 28 in the 38th year of her reign, Letters Patent of Charles I., dated May 12 in the 2nd year of his reign. Letters Patent of Charles I., dated May 30 in the 3rd year of his reign. Letters Patent of Charles II., dated May 14 in the ist year of his reign, the Charter confirmed by Charles II., dated July 11 in the i6th year of his reign, were delivered into the custody of Mr. James 348 Newbury in tlie EigJiteenth Century. Head, the Town Clerk, in order that they might be trans- lated into English. Mr. William Annetts being Mayor. The Charters recovered and returned to the Corpora- tion in February, 1883, comprised the following docu- ments : — Charter of 38th Queen Elizabeth, the Ordinances 41st Elizabeth, Letters Patent 3rd Charles I., Confirmation Charter i6th Charles II., and the Charter of James II. It will therefore be seen that the Letters Patent 2nd Charles I., and the Letters Patent ist Charles II. are ab- sent, but they did not form part of the Municipal docu- ments which were in possession of Mr. Hemsted in 1883. Military Matters, 1760. The town authorities, from past experiences, appear to have had a great dread of the introduction of the military into the neighbourhood, as on May 19, 1760, they peti- tioned Lord Bruce, Treasurer of the Household, and Lord Barrington, Secretary at War, that a proposed camp be formed at Reading, instead of in the neighbourhood of Newbury. Proclamation of George III., 1760. King George III. was proclaimed at the Market Cross on November i, 1760. The Mayor, Rector, Recorder, Aldermen, and Burgesses, accompanied by the Weavers' and Cordwainers' Companies, went in procession to the Market Cross, where six companies of the Berkshire Militia were drawn up. The proclamation having been read, the soldiers fired three volleys, " and all drank the King's health." The following names are appended as witnesses to the due publication of the proclamation : — Henry Cox, Mayor, W. Le Marchant, Deputy- Steward (Recorder), Thos. Penrose, Rector, Richd. Budd, John Cox, Geo. Calverley, Lypeatt Bodman, Lawrence Head, Thos. Golding, Francis Page, Benj. Merriman, John Kim- ber, Wm. Bodman, Thos. Lovidge, Geo. Jones, Saml. Too- mer, Edward Head. Neivlmry in the Eighteenth Century. 349 Address to King George III., 1760. The Corporation on the following November 28 adopted an Address to His Majesty in these terms : — " Most Gracious Sovereign. " We your Majesty's most Dutifull and Loyal Subjects, the Mayor, Aldermen and Burgesses of the Borough of Newbury in the County of Berks, prompted by the powerful sense of the many great and publick Benefits derived to us and our fellow subjects from the Goodness and Wisdom of your Royal Grand- father, our late King of Blessed Memory, in the course of a long and glorious Reign, most humbly crave leave to approach your Royal Throne, with most sincere expressions of our unfeigned and great concern, on being so suddenly deprived of so inestim- able a Blessing. Permit us at the same time, and for the like publick consideration, to congratulate, in Transports of Joy, your Majesty's happy Accession to the Throne, having an entire Reliance upon your known Wisdom, and early attachment to our happy Constitution, and the great and princely Vertues so as- siduously cultivated and eminently conspicuous in your Royal Breast. That the security and flourishing state of these your Kingdoms and their Dependencies, and the preservation and support of the Religious and Civil- Rights of your Subjects, will ever continue to be the principal objects of your Royal and paternal Care and Government. To view from your first ascent to the Throne your Majesty's Dominions at home and abroad involved in a wastefuU and destructive war, must be very sen- sibly affecting to your distinguish'd Humanity and Goodness of Heart. But to behold at the same time, the Victories and trium- phant Progress of your Fleets and Armies, in all parts of the known World, as well since as before the Overtures of Peace, so generously made to our implacable enemies, and by them as haughtily rejected, cannot but be attended with the highest degree of publick spirited satisfaction. May the Supreme Dis- poser of all events be graciously pleas'd to continue so to bless and prosper your Majesty's Counsels and Arms that you may soon become the Happy Instrument in his Almighty Hand of Humbling their pride into an acquiescence under equitable and Honourable Terms of a solid and lasting peace. And may your Majesty, after a long and uninterrupted Injoyment of the blessed Fruits of that, and of the happy unanimity now subsisting 3 so Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. amongst your Subjects, late, very late, transmit that, and all other Blessings of a long and Glorious Reign, with the Crown of these Realms, in your Royal House to latest posterity. " Henry Cox, Mayor," and others. Licences, i;6i. At a meeting of the Corporation in April, 1761, it was agreed " as the sense of the members whose names are subscribed" that no more licences should be granted to any public-houses within the borough, in addition to the following : — At the sign of the White Hart, now occupied by Edwd. Pointer. „ Mermaid „ Thomas Barefoot. „ White Lion ,, Thomas Mason. „ Hatchet „ Joseph Bastar. „ Sun and Tuns ,, William Dallison. ,, The Cock now void. „ Black Bear, now occupied by Widow Keens. „ Bishop Blaze „ William Green. „ Weavers' Arms „ Amy Rose. „ Jolly Weavers „ Thomas North. „ Rose and Crown „ Henry Smith. „ Hind's Head „ Benjamin Moss. „ Catherine Wheel „ Richard Pointer. „ Town Arms „ John Townsend ^ „ Waggon and Horses „ Henry Haskins. „ Greyhound „ William Moss. „ Swan „ John Greenwood. „ Half Moon and Magpie „ William Arundell. „ Lamb „ William Lawrence. „ Dolphin „ John Knight „ Eight Bells „ Joseph Harding. „ Man in the Moon „ Christopher Nation. „ Bull and Gate „ John Cooke. „ Black Boys „ Widow Hamblin. „ London Prentice „ John Kent. « There were two John Townsends in the town at this time, but they do not appear to have been connected. The above was Town-Sergeant. Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 351 At the sign of the Bull and Dogg, Gun at Wash Gate Coopers' Arms Ship Half Moon Two Brewers Globe Fountain Crown, North croft Three Trouts Bush Red Lion Elephant Monument Ram Jack of Newbury now occupied by — Horter. „ Edmund King. ,, James Skeates. „ James Clarke. „ George King. „ Richard Dredge. „ John Pottinger. ,, PhiHp Brice. Lane „ Widow Martin. ,, Joseph Munville. „ Widow Summersbye. ,, Arthur Bray. ,, Thomas White. „ Thomas Field. ,, William Sadler. „ John Tanner. Upon the marriage of George III. the Corporation, on October 21, 1761, in a special address, desired to offer their " most dutiful and sincere Congratulations on the Joyful and interesting subject." Commending the King's " most auspicious choice of a Princess of the most illus- trious House of Mecklenberg, ever zealously attached to the Protestant Religion." The many virtues of the Prin- cess giving "the most pleasing prospect of the highest degree of Conjugal Felicity ever attending a Royal Pair, so eminently distinguished and form'd by Heaven for a Happy Union." Concluding with an expression of " well grounded Hope " that the King and his Royal Consort may be "the means of a glorious and uninterrupted suc- cession of Christian Heroes, lineally descended from this so wisely cemented and blessed union, being preserved and perpetuated till time shall be no more." " William Bodman, Mayor," and others. Festivities, 1763. On April 30, 1763, the Corporation ordered that on the ensuing Thanksgiving Day, May 5, a dinner be provided at the "Globe" Inn, to which several gentlemen named in 352 Newbury in the Eighteenth Ceiitury. a list be invited at the expense of the Corporation, but that the members of that body "be at their own joint expense;" and that a dinner be provided at the "Town Arms" for the borough officials, "and that one shilling a piece be given to the Soldiers, and three Barrells of Beer to the populace, also at the expense of this Cor- poration." Ceremony on the Swearing in the High Steward, 1765. Upon William, Lord Craven, attending to be sworn as High Steward of the borough, April 8, 1765, the following was the order of the proceedings : — " The Corporation assembled in their Gowns and with the Sergeants in Front, received his Lordship out of his coach at the Foot of the Stairs leading to the Guildhall, when his Lordship took the right of the Mayor, and went up the Stairs, lined on each side by the members of the Corporation according to their seniority, and in that order went into the Hall ; when seated there the Town Clerk read the clause in Queen Elizabeth's Charter relating to the power of electing a competent Steward, then the minutes of his Lordship's election, then the clause in the Book of Ordinances requiring all persons bearing any office to take the Oath of Supremacy therein contained, then the Oath was administered, and then the Recorder in the name of the Corporation returned his Lordship thanks for the Honour he had then conferred upon them. Afterwards the Corporation waited upon his Lordship at the New Buildings and partook of an elegant entertainment given by his Lordship. The Con- stables, Tythingmen, and Bailiffs attending with their Staves." The Corporation Charters, 1765. The Charters having been fairly transcribed were re- turned to the Corporation on August 7, 1765, and the copies with the originals were ordered to be put into the public chest. Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 353 Residents in Newbury in 1765. The following names of some of the residents in New- bury in 1765 are taken from a list of members of "The Laudable Annuity Society " of that year. Names. Description. Names. Description. Francis Page Merchant. Thomas Knight Upholder. Edward Withers, jut I. Surgeon. John Woodroffe Plumber. Rev. Thos. Penrose Rector. James Clarke ' Carpenter. Benjamin Barnard Agent. Thomas Mason Victualler. Richard Vokins Gent. Joseph Blagrave Attorney. Richard Baily Merchant. Samuel Toomer Ironmonger. Joseph Nias, senr. Butcher. JohnTappsBrunsdon Surgeon. Joseph Nias, junr. Ironmonger. William Bodmari Mercer. Joseph Bastar Victualler. Samuel Parkes Mealman. Thomas Saxon Saddler. Joseph Bunny Surgeon. Charles Mahon Grocer. Thomas Davis Upholder. Henry Marriner Surgeon. Anthony Woodroffe Schoolmaster. George Woods Victualler. John Stratton Chandler. William Snoswell Coachmaker. Richard Dredge Victualler. George Kember Saddler. John Brown Bricklayer. William Friend, juni :. Surgeon. William Rolls Currier. William Habgood Scrivener. John King Carrier. Philip Brice Victualler. Francis Rawlins Mealman. Richard Perry Cooper. John Townsend Brewer. Francis Lewis Gent. Joseph Fumell Cheesemonger. William Withers Grocer. John Collins Draper. Crispin Marsh Salesman. George White Victualler. Jonathan Farrow Butcher. John Sadler Victualler. Samuel Hancock Innholder. William Hancock Barber. George Jones Attorney. John Townsend Victualler. John Baker Cooper. Edward Burgess Shoemaker. Jonathan Coombs Grocer. William Harding Grocer. John Jackson Draper. Thomas Blandy Grocer. John Homblo Mealman. William Pettit Staymaker. William Bray Victualler. Andrew Grove Tanner. William Eyles Carpenter. Edward Sandy Cheesefactor. Osman Vincent Mercer. Thos. M=Cormack Saddler. John Townsend, jun. Mealman. Joseph Coxhead Victualler. Bread Riot at Newbury in 1766. The costly wars in which England was engaged almost continuously - throughout the eighteenth century had a ' The term ' carpenter ' as here used is synonymous with ' builder ' of the present day. The Clarkes were eminent builders in this town, and erected the Town-hall, the bridge, the block of buildings in the London road, for- merly the "King's Arms," and most of the principal houses in Newbury of that date. A a 354 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. most disastrous effect on the manufacturing resources of the country, and almost paralysed many branches of in- dustry. Especially was this the case as regards the clothing trade, in which Newbury was at this time still considerably engaged, consequently there was a great scarcity of employment, and the common necessaries of life were raised to so high a price by those who were able to take advantage of the monopoly they enjoyed, that the poor were crushed down to a pitiable state of starvation and despair. It was therefore no wonder, although not to be excused, that when no one would stand up to be the poor man's friend, the bread-winners of that day at last rose in defence of their starving families to vindicate the wrongs to which they felt they had been subjected. The millers and bakers of the town and neighbourhood were the especial offenders, as, notwithstanding the price of wheat was not immoderately high, they kept up the price of bread much in excess of what was fair and legitimate. The long subdued feelings of discontent at last found forcible expression, and on Thursday, August 7, 1766, being market-day, a great number of poor persons as- sembled in the Market-place during the time the market was being held, and upset the sacks of corn pitched for sale, the butchers' stalls, and the stands of various other traders, doing a large amount of damage ; corn, meat, poultry, butter, eggs, and all sorts of provisions being scattered about all over the streets. The rioters then wrecked the two houses of two obnoxious tradesmen, and entering the bakers' and provision- dealers' shops also threw their contents into the roadways. These violent proceed- ings so intimidated the bakers that they immediately lowered the price of bread 2d. in the peck loaf, and pro- mised to reduce it to %d. the gallon the following week. The mob apparently not satisfied with this assurance, and determined to expend their resentment on other offending parties, proceeded to Shaw Mill, where they threw the flour into the river, broke the windows of the house, and did other considerable damage there, as well as at several other mills, to the amount of nearly ;^ 1,000. A poor man Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 355 of the name of Parker was killed, who left a wife and four young children ; another man had his arm broken, and other injuries were sustained in the affray. The magis- trates of the town, seeing the serious character the organ- ization was assuming, despatched a message to the Sec- retary of State for War, who immediately sent off a troop of Lord Albemarle's dragoons, and Capt. Coxe's com- pany of infantry, whose arrival prevented any further disorderly proceedings. A public subscription was raised in Newbury to supply the poor with bread at c^d. the gal- lon, and the millers agreed to grind their wheat free of cost. Many of the officials and farmers in country ■parishes, and private persons, also undertook to supply the poor with wheat at a lower price than that charged to the general public, and much practical commiseration appears to have been shewn for their unfortunate position. The Corporation of Newbury, in order that farmers and dealers might not be intimidated from coming to the markets, made good the damage they had sustained ; and the military being withdrawn, the town soon resumed its normal quietude. Some of the rioters were tried at the following Assizes, and two of them received sentences of transportation. Newbury Bridge Built, 1769. On July 28, 1769, the first stone was laid of the present bridge over the Kennet at Newbury s. Mayor's Banquet, 1769. At the inaugural banquet given by Mr. Israel King, the newly-elected mayor, the turtle provided weighed nearly 2 cwt. Chandeliers for the Town Hall, 1770. On March 13, 1770, Mr. Richard Townsend, on behalf of the subscribers to the Assemblies at the Town Hall, proposed to pay one half of the cost of the two new glass chandeliers to be placed in the great room of the Hall, B This bridge was built by the Corporation, at a cost somewhat exceeding A a 2 356 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. and it was resolved that the Corporation pay the other half, not exceeding £\S, and that Mr. Toomer be desired to buy them. Subsequently Mr. Richard Townsend was ordered on the same occasion to dispose of the large chandelier "formerly given to the Corporation by Fulwar, Lord Craven, the present Lord Craven having given his consent thereto, and having given a handsome glass one to hang up in its stead." The Marsh, 1772. In October, 1772, the Court Leet jury present — " That no persons belonging to or parishioners of this borough shall put into the Common called the Marsh more than one horse, or two cows, and that none but parishioners have a right to turn cattle there." NORTHCROFT, 1 772. There are frequent orders about this time that North- croft shall be cleared of cattle on April 6 in each year, until re-opened for pasturage on Lammas- Day, August i. Gift of Capt. Seeley to the Corporation, 1774. At the Annual Meeting on St. Matthew's Day, 1774, Mr. Osman Vincent, in the name of Capt. John Seeley, of the Northington East Indiaman (a descendant of John Seeley who, in 1667, bequeathed a considerable sum for the benefit of the poor of Newbury), presented to the Corporation " two large handsome China Bowls, with the Town Arms painted thereon," which were accepted, and thanks ordered to be returned to Capt. Seeley for the gift. These bowls, no doubt of rare and costly china, were probably sold, with other Corporation effects, about forty- five years ago. Stag-hunting in 1775. On the morning of November 11, 1775, a stag was turned out before His Royal Highness the Duke of Cum- Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 357 berland's hounds, on Stockbridge race-ground, which afforded exceeding fine sport ; he first led away to Red Rice, and from thence to Andover ; he thence travelled the country back through Penton to Doles woods, St. Mary Bourne, Doyley wood, and from thence to the Three Legged Cross, Crux Easton, and over Wash Common towards Newbury, within a mile of which place he was pulled down. The Duke of Cumberland, not the Hero of CuUoden, but Henry Frederick, a younger brother of King George HI., with a number of the nobility who were in this famous run, afterwards dined at the Castle Inn, Speen Hill. The Mansion House Pictures, 1776. "The Rt. Honble. Mr. Herbert" presented the two pictures now in the Town Hall to the Corporation, and on January 26, 1776, it was ordered that thanks be conveyed to him for his gift. The donor of these pictures, which are beautiful copies by Cosino Fioravante, from Rubens' Choice of Hercules, and the Dire Effects of War, was the Rt. Honble. Henry Herbert, Privy Councillor, and EL.D., who was created Oct. 17, 1780, Lord Porchester, of Highclere, co. South- ampton ; and advanced to the Earldom of Carnarvon, July 3, 1793. His lordship, who came to reside at High- clere in 1769, was possessed of great judgment and taste, to which the park and pleasure-grounds owe their present beauty. Gift to the Poor. On February 19, 1776, the thanks of the Corporation were ordered to be given to Mrs. Griffiths for the gift of ;^ioo given to the poor of Newbury by the late Christopher Griffith, Esq., deceased. Mr. Christopher Griffith was M.P. for the county of Berks from 1774 until his death in 1776. His seat was at Padworth, the manor of which place came into the family by marriage with the Brightwells, about the year 1700. The portrait of Mr. Griffith was formerly hung in the Council Chamber. 358 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. Festivities in 1776. A Committee was appointed August 31, 1776, to pro- vide an entertainment on the Feast-day of the Mayor- elect. Seventy gentlemen were to be invited, and each member of the Corporation was allowed to introduce a friend, paying for the same the sum of five shillings. Each member was also allowed to give four tickets for the ball in the evening, to which no child was to be admitted under the age of twelve years. The music for both din- ner and ball to be provided at the expense of the Cor- poration. The Small-pox, in 1778. In November, 1778, the town authorities petitioned Lord Barrington, Secretary-at-War, stating that the poor were very numerous, and the taxes very high, and it was with great difficulty the poor were supported, owing to the falling off of the clothing-trade and the dearness of pro- visions. That the Oxfordshire Militia were quartered upon the town, and that one of them, having fallen ill with the small-pox, orders had been sent to inoculate all those who have not had it. Being much alarmed thereby the petitioners request that the order be postponed till the spring, " as this is the only season the Markets are so large." Admiral Keppel, 1778. In 1778 Admiral Keppel, second son of William Anne ''^ 2nd Earl of Albemarle, commanded the Channel fleet, and in the same year fell in with the French under Count D'Orvilliers, off Ushant, A partial action ensued which the English Admiral intended to renew on the fol- lowing morning, but when the day dawned the enemy had retired. After the engagement there was much mur- muring throughout the English fleet, because a decisive victory had not been obtained over the French. The blame was thrown upon Sir Hugh Palliser, Vice-Admiral of the Blue, who soon after preferred a charge against Admiral Keppel, upon whom a court-martial was held at '■ Queen Anne stood lis godmother in person, and thence the second name. Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 359 Portsmouth, when he was honourably acquitted, which pro- duced great satisfaction throughout the country. The town of Newbury was brilliantly illuminated, and many other manifestations of joy were exhibited by all ranks on account of the Admiral's acquittal, who, by a singular coincidence, slept in Newbury on the night of the cele- bration in his honour. Afterwards Sir Hugh Palliser, the Admiral's accuser, was tried by court-martial, and he like- wise was acquitted, though a slight censure was passed upon him for not making the state of his ship known to the Admiral ; his conduct in other respects was declared to be meritorious. In 1782 Admiral Keppel was raised to the peerage. Dispensary established in Newbury, 1778. In the year 1778 a Dispensary was established in New- bury " for the purpose of relieving, with advice and medi- cine gratis, such persons whose poverty and indigence will not enable them to procure other medical assistance." Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, and Leicestershire Militia Regiments at Newbury, 1779. The Oxfordshire Militia were quartered in Newbury during the winter of 1779, and had a grand field-day pre- vious to their departure for Dover Castle. In the month of October in this year the Worcestershire Militia marched into Newbury, and in December following the Leicester- shire Militia Regiment arrived here, and were quartered in the town during the succeeding winter. Inoculation for the Small-pox, 1780. On January 5, 1780, the Mayor was requested to attend Col. Cox, of the Somerset Militia, to desire he will not order any other men of his regiment to be inoculated than those already quartered in the town and Speenham- land. On March 11, 1782, it was ordered that a petition be sent to the Duke of Dorset, Colonel of the West Kent Regiment of Militia, quartered in the borough, stating the 360 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. injury likely to arise to the town in case the execution of his Grace's order for the inoculation of the regiment should be carried into execution, and praying for a countermand of such order. Admiral Rodney's Victory over the French, 1782. The news of the victory of Admiral Sir George Rodney over the French fleet going to attack Jamaica, April 12, 1782, in which engagement five ships of the line were taken from the enemy, and the French admiral, Count de Grasse, sent prisoner to England, was received with great manifestations of joy at Newbury. The West Kent Mi- litia, then quartered in the town, fired a feu de joie in the Market-place; the officers were "elegantly entertained" at the Mansion House by the Mayor and Corporation, and illuminations were general. Five barrels of strong beer were given to the populace by the gentlemen of the Corporation to stimulate their enthusiasm, but everything appears to have passed off pleasantly, and to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. Proclamation upon the Termination of the American War of Independence and Con- clusion OF Peace with France and Spain, 1783. February 27, 1783. "Upon this day the Corporation met at the New Town House, from whence they proceeded in form to the Market Cross, attended by the Constables and other Oificers of the said Borough, the Mayor holding the Proclamation of a Cessation of Arms by Sea and Land in hand, and at that place he delivered the same to the Town Clerk, who, after Proclama- tion was called for silence, read the same Proclamation for Cessation of Arms, and returned the same to the Mayor, who, together with the Procession above mentioned, returned to the New Town House aforesaid. The Companies of Weavers and Cordwainers also attended, together with the military then in quarters. "John Townsend, Mayor," and others. Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 361 Military Matters, 1783. It was ordered on May 24, 1783, that the Town Clerk write a letter to the members for the county requesting them to apply to the Secretary of War for the total removal of the Seventh Regiment of Dragoons, stating the many grievances sustained by the borough during the war. Proclamation of the Definitive Treaty of Peace between England, France, Spain, and America, 1783. October 9, 1783. "The Corporation having met at the New- Town House, proceeded in their formalities to the Market Cross, attended by the Constables and other officers, when the Mayor delivered to the Town Clerk the Proclamation of a Definitive Treaty of Peace and ffriendship with the most Christian King of Spain having been concluded and ratified, and commanded the same to be taken notice of and conformed unto, and the same was read by the Town Clerk in the presence of the Corporation. The 7th, or Queen's Regiment, attending the same. " Samuel Toomer, Mayor," and others. George III. at Newbury, 1784. On October 4, 1784, King George III., the Queen, and two of the young Princesses arrived at the " George and Pelican" Inn, at Speenhamland, where horses were changed, en route to the Marquis of Ailesbury's seat at Tottenham Park, near Marlborough. The royal party passed through Speenhamland on their return journey the same evening. Sunday-schools Established in Newbury, 1786. In 1786, Mrs. Montagu, of Sandleford Priory, the au- thoress, and who formed the literary society known as the Blue-Stocking Club, with the assistance of some of the principal inhabitants of Newbury, entered into a sub- scription for the purpose of forming a Sunday-school, on the plan recommended by Robert Raikes of Gloucester, 362 Netvbury in the Eighteenth Centwy. the original projector of these valuable institutions. The Church Sunday-school has been continued at intervals from that period to the present ; it is now united with the National School, and on Sundays the children receive religious instruction and attend divine service at the parish church. In 1801 a Sunday-school was instituted in con- nection with the Independent Church. This was the first denominational Sunday-school, and has been followed by others in connection with the various religious bodies of the town. The Earl of Craven, 1786. On March 26, 1786, the Earl of Craven, the newly-ap- pointed Lord Lieutenant of Berks, rode into Newbury, where he was welcomed with much enthusiasm. Congratulatory Address to King George III., 1786. On September 12, 1786, a congratulatory address from the town of Newbury was presented to King George III., at the levee at St. James's, on his escape from assassination. The Slave Trade, 1788. In April, 1788, the Corporation of Newbury petitioned Parliament against the Slave Trade. Recovery of George III., from his Mental Malady, 1789. The demonstrations of national joy in March, 1789, on the occasion of King George the Third's recovery from a temporary privation of reason far exceeded any recorded in the English annals, and were probably more real and unfeigned than ever were offered on similar occasions. The town of Newbury stood very foremost in tokens of loyalty; the rejoicings and illuminations were general, and almost every person exhibited proofs of their attachment to the King, and their joy at his recovery. Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 363 George III. at Newbury, 1789. The following September the King, accompanied by the Queen and three of the Princesses, passed through New- bury, on their way from Lord Ailesbury's, Tottenham Park, to Windsor. Crowds of persons lined the roadways to see their Majesties pass, and to personally express their congratulations on the recovery of the King. Recovery of George III., 1789. At a meeting of the Corporation, March 16, 1789, a humble address to His Majesty on his recovery was adopted : — " Uniting in Heart and voice to testify the just sense we entertain of the blessing and Goodness of Divine Providence in restoring a beloved Sovereign to the peaceful exercise of his Royal Authority over so free and happy People, and to manifest an unfeigned Attachment to your Majesty's sacred person and government, Do most humbly approach your Majesty with these our sentiments of Loyalty and affection, &c. " John Webb, Mayor." The Prince of Wales at Newbury, 1790, On February 9, 1790, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, afterwards George IV., passed through New- bury in a chaise and four, on his way to the seat of Lord Craven, at Benham-place, who the Prince honoured with a visit. On the following Thursday the Prince hunted with Lord Craven's hounds, the meet being at Shefford, and returned to London at the end of the week. Kimber's Almshouse Charity, 1790. John Kimber, by will dated March 26, 1790, and by a codicil thereto dated February 30, 1792, founded and amply endowed twelve almshouses for six poor men and the like number of women, inhabitants of Newbury, " not being Papists." These almshouses are near the Market- 364 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. place, and besides a weekly stipend the almspeople have a good supply of fuel, and a certain quantity of clothing. John Kimber also charged his trustees to pay out of his personal estate the sum of 6d. per week to the inmates of the Church Almshouses, and directed that the Rector of Newbury, for the time being, should always be one of the trustees. And further desired that the officiating minister of Newbury should preach a sermon on the Sunday next following his decease, and on that day in every year, for which he should receive a sum of ;^i \s. yearly, at which sermon should attend every person receiving the charity, unless prevented by illness, and in default thereof should forfeit one week's pay. The Cart's Tail, 1791. At the Sessions, in 1791, another case of magisterial severity is recorded, when a woman of the name of Ar- nold, being convicted of stealing a few trifling articles from a shop, was sentenced to be led round the town at the cart's tail, and to be confined three months in a soli- tary cell in the Bridewell. There is little material after this date in the " Sessions Journals" to interest even the local reader, although there is considerable information to be gathered from almost every page respecting minor parochial matters taken cog- nisance of by the court in conjunction with their judicial duties. The Wayside Chapel Houses at Speenhamland,. 1791. On, or near, the site of the present obelisk at Speen- hamland there formerly stood an ancient wayside-chapel, at the entrance to the town from the great London and Bath road. These wayside-chapels were, in pre-Reforma- tion days, frequented sometimes as objects of pilgrimage, but more frequently by pilgrims going and returning from a shrine, and by ordinary travellers to breathe a prayer for protection, when the dangers of the highway and by- Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 365 paths were considerable. In France, Switzerland, and Italy they are still common. In the year 1791 the dwell- ing-houses called " The Chapel " at Speenhamland were taken down and removed, the Corporation, as trustees of the municipal charities, contributing ten guineas towards the expense, considering it would be an improvement to the estate of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. The amount was ordered to be paid by the Proctor into the hands of Mr. Edward Shepperd of Speenhamland. The Proclamation and Address to the King, 1792. On June 28, 1792, the Corporation joined in the expres- sion of confidence in the " Crown and Constitution," in answer to his Majesty's Proclamation, assuring him of their " unfeigned attachment to the Form of Government Civil and Religious happily established within these realms, and that by a strict obedience to the duties you enjoined will endeavour to discourage and discountenance any attempt against public order and tranquillity." Installation of Lord Craven as High Steward, 1792. On Sept. 24, 1792, being the first Monday after St. Matthew's Day, Lord Craven was installed High Steward of the borough, the procedure being as follows : — " The Corporation received Lord Craven from his carriage in their Formahties at the entrance to the Mansion House. The Mayor then placed him on his left hand and proceeded to the Breakfast-room. After Breakfast the Corporation went in Form to the new Mayor, and returned with him to the Mansion House ; then received Lord Craven, and placed him at the right hand of the Justice, the Recorder followed them alone, the Rest of the Corporation in order. At Church Lord Craven sat on the right, and the Mayor elect on the left of the Mayor ; the Justice next to Lord Craven, the Recorder next to the Mayor elect. The procession returned from the Church to the Guildhall in the order they went from the Mansion House. In the Hall they sat in the same order as at Church ; and after taking the usual oath 366 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. as entered proceeded to the Mansion House, the new Mayor walking on the right, the High Steward with him on his left, the new Justice on the right, the old Mayor with him on his left, the Recorder alone, the Rest of the Corporation according to seniority, and were then entertained by the Mayor with an ele- gant Dinner at the Mansion House, and a Ball in the evening." The King's Birthday, 1793. The anniversary of the birthday of King George the Third, in 1793, was observed with the exhibition of con- siderable loyalty and rejoicing. The South Devon Mi- litia, then quartered in the town, under the command of Colonel RoUe, had a grand field-day, which was attended by a large number of the inhabitants. In the evening there was a concert and ball for the benefit of the band fund, which was attended by most of the nobility and principal residents in the neighbourhood. Internal Defences, 1794. In April, 1794, the Corporation resolved to subscribe ;£'iOO to be included in the county subscription for assisting the Government in the internal defence of the country, " to be raised by an annuity upon the life of some person not under fifty years of age." Political Matters, 1794. In the month of August, 1794, the Corporation, as a body, agreed to support the nomination of Charles Dun- das, Esq., to succeed Col. Hartley as one of the repre- sentatives of the county of Berks in Parliament, and that " carriages and horses be ordered at the ' Pelican ' and ' Castle ' inns, to be in readiness for such Freeholders as shall be appointed by a committee of this Corporation to use the same." Lord Howe's Victory, 1794. On June i, 1794, the British fleet, under the command of Admiral Lord Howe, obtained a signal victory over Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. -3,6^ that of the French, which was celebrated at Newbury on the twelfth of the same month, with great enthusiasm. The Kennet and Avon Canal projected, 1794. The navigation of the river Kennet, from its junction with the river Thames to the High Bridge at Reading, a distance of about a mile, was, by a clause in statute 24 Geo. II., cap. 8, placed under the jurisdiction of the Com- missioners of the river Thames ; but from the High Bridge at Reading to Newbury the river Kennet was made nav- igable by certain projectors, under powers given them by statute I Geo. I., cap. 24 ; 7 Geo. I., cap. 28 ; and 3 Geo. II., cap. 25. The original promoters of this navigation proceeded on the same principle as that on which the pond-locks were erected on the Thames, namely, of constructing them near to the then existing mill-dams. But as this plan would not have made an efficient navigation, and by following the circuitous course of the river very much extended the distance, a regular water-level was followed, and pond- locks erected on cuts or canals, which reduced the dis- tance between the mill-dams ; and where the mill-dams were insufficient to pen a proper head of water for naviga- tion, new pens, by means of open weirs, were substituted. This plan was suggested and executed by Mr. John Hore, who at that time resided near Newbury, and was de- scended from a family of that name who for many genera- tions were connected with this town. In addition to other useful works executed on the river Kennet, Mr. Hore was the first engineer employed on the river Avon between Bath and Bristol, where he carried out a system of navigation, of which the're then existed no model in England. In consequence of this improvement new cuts or canals were made for the length of eleven miles and a half, that part of the channel of the old river which is navigated being seven miles. The whole distance from Newbury to Reading, by water, being eighteen miles and a half, or only a mile and a half further than by the turn- 368 Netvbury in the Eighteenth Century. pike-road between those towns. The fall from Newbury to Reading is nearly 134 feet, averagiiag about 8 feet per mile ; and the highest point of the canal is 264 feet above the level of the sea at low water. The locks are in num- ber twenty, the length of each lock 122 feet, the width 19 feet, capable of admitting what were formerly known as Newbury-s\z&d barges, 109 feet long, and 17 feet wide, drawing 3 feet 6 inches of water ; and at that depth carry- ing about 1 10 tons. The width of the canals, or cuts, is 54 feet water surface, the depth about 4 feet 6 inches, and the mean width of the navigable part of the river is about 70 feet. The locks are constructed principally of timber, the chambers being piled about 4 feet above the water level, and then sloped off, at an angle of about 45 degrees, and turned. The wharves on this navigation are at Al- dermaston, about ten miles above Reading, and at New- bury. The wharf at Newbury was formerly the dep6t of a very extensive inland carrying trade to London and all parts of the West of England ; and was provided with a bason, or wet dock (now filled in), where ten of the largest barges might load or unload with the greatest facility ; which gave quite a maritime and commercial appearance to the place, and bespoke the extent of its trade. The sole proprietor of the navigation of the Kennet between Newbury and Reading for many years was Francis Page, Esq., of Goldwell, Speen Hill, who purchased all the shares, and became absolute owner. On his death, in August, 1784, his son, Frederick Page, Esq., better known as Col. Page, became proprietor and man- ager, who, about the year 18 1 1, disposed of his interest in the canal to the Kennet and Avon Canal Company. The original cost of making the river Kennet navigable was £84,000. The Kennet and Avon Canal commences at New- bury, forming a continuation of the river Kennet naviga- tion, and was first projected in the year 1794, when an Act was obtained for its construction, empowering the Company to raise the sum of .£^420,000 ; and also to in- crease that amount by ;f 150,000 more if the original sum Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 369 should not be sufficient to complete the intended works. Two years after the passing of this Act another was ob- tained ; and again, in 1798, a third, both approving of variations which it was deemed desirable to make in the line, or direction, of the canal. By these delays, and the expenses of the applications to Parliament, the Company were, in 1801, compelled to obtain a fourth Act in order to secure powers to raise a further sum of ^^240,000, by the creation of 4,000 new shares. The actual expenditure up to this time (1801) had exceeded .£'500,000, nearly ten years after its commencement, and the only portion of the canal navigable was from Newbury to Great Bedwyn, an extent of fifteen miles only. The canal was completed in 1 8 10, and the whole water communication between Newbury and Bristol was opened in the early part of the year 181 1. The total cost of this canal appears to have been not far short of a million sterling. It was the first work of civil engineering in England carried out by the eminent engineer John Rennie, and on which he bestowed great pains, not only on the survey, the designs for the viaducts and bridges, but also on the execution of the works, which he superintended with rigid scrutiny. The engineer in those days was satisfied with a comparatively moderate rate of pay ; and the sum awarded to Mr. Rennie by the Kennet and Avon Canal Company for constructing their canal works was only ;£3So — an amount of remuneration, however, which Mr. Rennie justly con- sidered very inadequate to the services performed. From Newbury the canal passes up the valley of the Kennet for 165 miles, by Hungerford to Crofton, where the summit level begins, which is reached by thirty-one locks, rising in all 210 feet. It then proceeds by Burn- slade, Wootton-Rivers, and the Pewsey Vale to Devizes ; and from Devizes by Foxhanger, Semington, Bradford, and the Vale of the Avon to Bath, joining that river just above the Old Bath Bridge, where the navigation from Bristol terminates. About eight miles on the eastern side of Bath it communicates with the canal from the Somerset collieries ; at about twelve miles the Dorset and B b I 370 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. Somerset canal unites with it ; and at about fifteen miles in the same direction the Wilts and Berks canal branches off, taking a north-easterly course. The total length of the canal, between Newbury and Bath, is fifty-seven miles, the total descent on the west side of the summit being 404 feet 6 inches, divided into forty-eight locks. The Kennet is crossed several times. A little way above Hungerford the canal is carried over the Kennet by an aqueduct of three arches. At Crofton, near which the summit level of the canal commences, a tunnel 500 yards in length was necessary, approached by deep cuttings. Among the finest architectural structures forming part of the canal is the aqueduct over the river Avon, about a mile from Limpley Stoke, and six miles from Bath, which is greatly admired for the beauty of its elevation. The width of the canal is 40 feet, water surface 24 feet at bottom, and 5 feet deep, but on the summit level it is 44 feet wide and 6 feet deep. The locks are 80 feet in length, capable of admitting barges 70 feet long, 13 feet 6 inches wide, and carrying 60 tons. As a whole, the navigation was pronounced to be one of the best executed in the kingdom ; and the works have stood admirably down to the present time. In a commercial and also national point of view the undertaking was considered to be of great importance, connecting as it does the navigation of the metropolis with that of Bristol and St. George's Channel, as well as open- ing up an extensive intermediate district. But railways have now superseded the canals, and it is rarely that a barge is seen on the placid waters of the Kennet and Avon Navigation. The whole length of the canal, between Reading and Bath, is now the property of the Great Western Railway Company, whose interest it is to diminish as much as pos- sible the use of the canal for the purposes it was originally constructed to serve. Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 371 Volunteer Association, 1794 — 1799. In consequence of the national alarm occasioned by the war with revolutionary France an enthusiastic meeting was held at Newbury in i794,for increasingthe national defences of the country, and the most loyal and patriotic spirit was evinced in the town and neighbourhood. A Provisional Force of Cavalry was raised in Newbury, and their first muster took place at the " Hare and Hounds," Speen Hill, February loth, 1797. Towards the end of the year 1797 the definitive treaty between the French Republic and the Emperor of Germany was concluded and ratified ; and the French having little other employment for their armies began to talk loudly of an immediate invasion of England. The Directory assembled a large army along the coasts opposite to Great Britain, which they called the army of England ; and a variety of reports were propagated relative to preparations said to be making in the ports of France ; among others, that rafts of an enormous size and peculiar 'construction were building for the conveyance of troops. The British government did not suffer these possible exaggerations, nor even the evident rashness of any attempt at an invasion of England in the face of a fleet so decidedly superior to that of every enemy united, to produce an improper secu- rity, but took such measures of precaution as were most proper for the general defence of the kingdom, and to guard the different parts of the country from the conse- quences of a sudden attack. A Bill was therefore intro- duced for the purpose of allowing regiments of volunteers to be raised in every part of the country ; and in a few weeks a hundred thousand additional men were in arms in Great Britain. Another Bill at the same time received the sanction of Parliament, which authorised the King, in the event of an actual invasion, to call out a levy of the popula- tion en masse, conferring extraordinary powers upon Lords- Lieutenants and Generals in command for the seizure, " at this perilous crisis," of horses and carriages, and provid- ing at the public expense for the indemnification of such B b 2 372 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. persons as might suffer by the enforcement of these neces- sary measures. Notwithstanding the depressed state of the nation at this gloomy period, and the increasing burden of an additional taxation, the spirit of patriotism and loyalty was never more conspicuous, energetic, and general. On February 9, 1798, a subscription had been raised at the Royal Exchange, for the service and defence of the country, and by September 28 the voluntary contri- butions amounted to over ^1,500,000. The Corporation of Newbury subscribed ;^200, the Mayor, Mr. Davis, £\o. Dr. Winterbottom;^2o, and most of the principal inhabi- tants followed this example so far as their means permitted. At the request of the Lord-Lieutenant of Berks, the Earl of Radnor, a meeting of the inhabitants of the Borough of Newbury was convened by the Mayor, Mr. William Davis, at the Town Hall, on April 23, 1798, when, with other resolutions, it was resolved : — " That an Armed Association for the immediate safety and pro- tection of this Town and neighbourhood, to the extent of ten miles around the Town, is the most effectual service which, at the present moment, can be rendered by the Inhabitants of this Borough, consisting chiefly of tradesmen, who must necessarily attend to their respective callings at all times, when the service they are now about to engage in will admit of it. " That the Inhabitants of the Parishes adjoining to Newbury, and the Inhabitants of Shaw, be invited to join in this Associa- tion. " That the Magistrates of Newbury for the time being, the Town Clerk, Mr. Vincent, Mr. Baily, Mr. Slocock, Mr. Bodman, Mr. Grove, and other members of the Corporation ; Mr. Page, Dr. Winterbottom, Rev. Mr. Best, Rev. Mr. Sainsbury, and the resi- dent Clergy of all descriptions ; Sir Joseph Andrews, Bart., Francis Stead, Anthony Bacon, and Frederick Cowslade, Esqs. ; Captain Sheppard, Mr. White, Mr. Hancock, Mr. C. Baily, Mr. Edkins, Mr. Padbury, Mr. W. Clark, of Speenhamland, and Mr. T. Clark, of Greenham, be a Committee with power to add ; to draw up and prepare (under military advice) the rules, orders, and state of discipline that shall be deemed requisite for the regulation and government of the said Association." In compliance with the above resolutions an Armed Nezubury in the 'Eighteenth Century. 373 Association both of Cavalry and Infantry was raised in the town and neighbourhood, and the following officers were approved of by the King : — " Cavalry : — Richard Townsend, Esq., Captain, Samuel Slocock, Esq., Lieutenant. Of the Infantry : — Edward Sheppard, Esq., and John Winterbottom, M.D., Captains ; Mr. Bodman and Mr. White, Lieutenants ; Mr. Toomer and Mr. Page, Ensigns." Major Lyon and the officers of the nth Light Dragoons, then quartered in Newbury, were particularly serviceable to the troop of volunteer cavalry which was well maintained in numbers and discipline. The local infantry force was also a strong organization, and was termed " The Newbury, Shaw, and Speen Volunteer Infantry." There was also " The Kintbury Rifle Corps," and a troop of volunteer cavalry at Thatcham, commanded by W. Mount, Esq., of Wasing, Peter Green being Lieutenant, and Thomas Baily Cornet ; also a troop at Aldermaston, commanded by W. Congreve, Esq., of Aldermaston House. In February, 1799, the Margravine of Anspach presented a handsome silk standard to the Newbury cavalry, and colours to the infantry, accompanying the gift with a spirited address, in the presence of a large concourse of spectators. Both the standard and the colours were inscribed with the patriotic motto, " Salus Publica Salus Mea," com- bined with the arms of the borough, and were received, kneeling, by Captain Townsend of the cavalry, and Cap- tain Sheppard of the Infantry, after the prayer of conse- cration had been impressively read by the Rev. Mr. Cotton , Curate of Newbury. A dinner at the Town Hall, graced by the presence of the Margravine, concluded the day's proceedings. On July 26, 1799, the whole of the volunteer force of Berkshire, both cavalry and infahtry, was reviewed by King George III., on Bulmarsh Heath, at which the Queen, the Speaker of the House of Commons, and the Prime Minister, Pitt, were present. The Kintbury Rifle Corps was commanded by the Vicar of the Parish, the Rev. Fulwar Craven Fowle, who personally received the compli- ments of the King for his patriotic example. 374 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. Non-Resident Rectors, 1796. On October 11, 1796, the Corporation forwarded a peti- tion to the Rt. Hon. Wm. Pitt, Chancellor of the Ex- chequer, stating that as the Rectory of Newbury, in the gift of the Crown, had become vacant by the death of the Rev. Richard Davies, appointed Rector in 1769, who was non-resident, and very seldom performed the service of the Church in person, they pray that a future Rector may re- side in his own parish, and enforce his doctrine by precept and example. Address to the King, 1796. The Corporation, in 1796, adopted a loyal address to the King on his escape from the attempt on his life in going to, and returning from, the House of Lords. The Prince of Wales at Newbury, 1797. The Prince of Wales passed through Newbury en route to Bath in January, 1797, and again in February, 1798. Kennet and Avon Canal, 1797. The first section of the Kennet and Avon Canal, be- tween Newbury and Kintbury, a distance of six miles, was opened June 12th, 1797. A barge of nearly 60 tonsi having on board the band of the isth Regiment of Dra- goons, then stationed in Newbury, left that place at twelve o'clock, and arrived at Kintbury at half-past two, where the Committee of the Canal, having dined with their Chair- man, Mr. Charles Dundas, embarked at six o'clock and ar- rived at Newbury about half-past nine, the passage of the party affording great interest to a large number of persons assembled at different points on the route. Death of the Rev. J. Laugharne, 1797. The Rev. J. Laugharne, many years curate-in-charge of Newbury, died at Bed minster, Somerset, where he was curate, August 5, 1797. Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. 375 National Defence, 1798. The Corporation voted ;^2oo to the defence of the country " at this important crisis." The Battle of the Nile and Admiral Warren's Victory, 1798. When the glad tidings of Nelson's victory at the Battle of the Nile, fought August i, 1798, was received in New- bury the inhabitants were again very enthusiastic in the expression of their joy at the defeat of the French fleet. The Armed Association fired several volleys in the Market- place, the Corporation and many of the chief inhabitants dined together at the Mansion House, and there was a general illumination in the evening, with other manifesta- tions of rejoicing. About the same time that intelligence of this glorious victory was received, Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren defeated, off the coast of Ireland, a French fleet of nine sail, full of, troops, as succours to the Irish, which called forth another popular manifestation by the inhabitants of Newbury, as well in gratitude to the brave Warren, as in compliment to their neighbour, Vice-Admiral Kingsmill, of Sydmonton Court, who so long and honourably com- manded on the Irish station. The occasion presented an opportunity for the display of a great number of appro- priate inscriptions and transparencies, the most elaborate of which were exhibited by Messrs. Sainsbury, Bodman, Toomer, and Davis. Kennet and Avon Canal, 1799. The navigation of the Kennet and Avon Canal was opened from Hungerford to Great Bedwyn, July 2, 1799, when a barge of 50 tons, laden with coals and deals, ar- rived at the latter place. The barge, having on board a large number of the inhabitants of Hungerford, was accom- panied on its passage by a vast concourse of people, and 376 Newbury in the Eighteenth Century. received at Bedwyn with great demonstrations of joy. An entertainment was provided at the Town Hall, and a quan- tity of beer distributed to the populace and the labourers employed on the canal. The evening concluded with great festivity. CHAPTER XIII. mewbur^ in tbe IRineteentb Century. Incidents connected with Newbury. — The Local Volunteer Cavalry and Infantry Corps, 1800. — Allowance to the Mayor, 1800. — Peace re- joicings, 180T. — The Theatre built, 1802. — Yeomanry and Volunteers, 1804-5. — Funeral of the Margrave of Anspach, 1806. — Volunteers and Local Militia, 1808. — The National Jubilee, 1809. — The Newbury Coat, 181 1. — Minor events, 1812-14. — Celebration of Peace, 1814. — Minor events, 1815-16. — Education of the poor, 1818. — Minor events, 1820-30. — The Machine Riots, 1830. — Minor events, 1832-47. — The New Gram- mar School, 1848. — Minor events, 1850-3. — Celebration of Peace, 1856. — Minor events, 1857-67. — The Autumn Manoeuvres, 1872. — Minor events, 1873-77. — Extension of the Borough Boundaries, 1878. — The new Municipal Buildings, 1878. — The Falkland Memorial, 1878. — New- bury and Didcot Railway, first sod turned, 1879. — St. Bartholomew's Hospital and Grammar School Foundation, 1880. — Clock Tower of the new Municipal Buildings, 1 881. — Opening of the Didcot and Newbury Railway, 1882. — Recovery of the Borough Charters, 1883. — The Parish Room erected, 1884. — Opening of the Didcot, Newbury, and Southamp- ton Railway to Winchester, 1885. — Opening of the new Grammar School buildings, 1885. — Opening of the Newbury District Hospital, 1885. — The National Jubilee, 1887. The Local Volunteer Cavalry and Infantry Corps, 1800. THE following commissions in the Newbury Volunteer Association were signed by King George the Third, June 2, 1800: — Infantry. Capt. John Winterbottom, M.D., to be Major Commandant. Lieut. James Bodman to be Captain vice Sheppard resigned. Lieut. George White to be Lieutenant of the First Company vice Bodman. Ensign Joseph Toomer to be Lieutenant of the Second Company vice White. 378 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. William Vincent, Gent., to be Ensign vice Toomer. John King, Gent., to be Ensign vice Page, resigned. Cavalry. John Galley, Gent., to be Cornet vice Baily, resigned. The Newbury troop of Provisional Cavalry, of w^hich Mr. S. A. Lloyd was secretary, and the Infantry Volun- teers had a grand field-day in Benham Park this year (1800), and at the close of their manoeuvres were enter- tained by the Margrave and Margravine of Anspach. On January i, 1801, they assembled in the Market- place, Newbury, to commemorate the Union of Great Britain and Ireland. Allowance to the Mayor, 1800. A motion was carried at a meeting of the Corporation in August to grant an additional allowance to the Mayor of £10, but it was afterwards resolved to confine the amount to ;^20. Peace Rejoicings, 1801. In October, 1801, on the news arriving of the Pre- liminaries of Peace being signed between England and the French Republic, there was great joy manifested in Newbury. The Margravine of Anspach and her suite rode through the town to view the illuminations, and or- dered that twenty guineas should be given to the poor. The Theatre built at Speenhamland, 1802. The old theatre at Speenhamland, built in 1802, is still standing, but it is many years since it was used for its original purpose. It was for a considerable period under an enterprising manager, a Mr. Barnett, who succeeded in introducing no small share of talent on the Newbury boards. Of the theatrical celebrities who have performed here may be mentioned John Philip Kemble and Edmund Kean, two of the great tragic actors, Mrs. Kemble, widow Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 379 of the actor Brereton, Mrs. Jordan, whose celebrity be- trayed her into an alliance with a royal duke, Incledon, the famous vocalist, William Henry West Betty, the young Roscius, John Banister, of Drury-lane fame, Mrs. Powell, Mr. and Mrs. Middleton, Miss Foote, and many more distinguished comedians of the Georgian era. It appears from the Corporation records that previous to the erection of the Speenhamland theatre an old building in North- croft-lane was used as a playhouse. Its site is now occu- pied by the Temperance Hall. The Assemblies. In addition to the theatre weekly assemblies were held, during the season, in the Town Hall in former days, which were attended by the principal families in the town and neighbourhood. When Mr. Poyntz resided at Midg- ham the famous Duchess of Devonshire, the Countess of Bessborough, the Margravine of Anspach, and other ladies of distinction, made it a point of attending the Newbury balls, and of mixing with those of humbler birth, in order to give eclat to these assemblages, and to promote a good feeling between all classes. The subscription for the season was ten shillings ; and the balls began at seven and ended at twelve o'clock precisely — a regulation which was rigorously enforced. The Yeomanry and Volunteers, 1804-5. In the early part of the year 1804, the Newbury Volun- teer Cavalry was formed into the " Donnington Castle and Newbury Troop of the First Berks Regiment of Yeo- manry." The names of the first officers appointed to the regiment were as follows : — First Berks Cavalry. Lieut. -Col. Commanding — Charles Dundas ». » M.P. for the county of Berks, 1790 — 1831. Through his marriage ■with Miss Whitley, in 1782, Mr. Dundas obtained the manor of Kintbury- Amesbury, with the seat of Barton Court in this county. He was proposed by Mr. Sheridan to fill the chair of the House of Commons on the resignation 380 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. ^^^""^ I Francis Sacheverell Stead ^ Lt.-Col. by Brevet J Captain Edward Child. „ John Pearse "- „ Adam Blandy. „ Anthony Bacon ■*. Lieutenant Benjamin Morland. „ William Shipperly. „ John Calley. „ Thomas Mitchell. Cornet Ferdinando Bullock. „ John Williams. „ Richard Selwood. „ John Willes. , „ i John Lidderdale. Capt. by Brevet j -^ Surgeon Stephen Hemsted '. The officers of the Volunteer Infantry Corps at the same time were as follows : — Newbury, Shaw, and Speen Volunteer Infantry. Lieut. -Col. Commanding — Sir Joseph Andrews, Bart.^ Major Wilham Vincent. Captain Edward Withers. „ Frederick Page. „ John Haskins. „ George Blackshaw. „ Thomas Canning. ,, WilHam Rowles. „ Edward Montagu. „ Benjamin Friend. „ Joseph Gray. Lieutenant Francis Charles Parry. „ Samuel Hancock. of Mr. Addington, but declined the honour. Mr. Dundas was elevated to the Peerage by patent, dated May 11, 1832, but enjoyed his honours scarcely two months, dying June 30, 1832, when the barony of Amesbury, in default of issue male, became extinct. '' Of Donnington Castle House. He died July 2, 1826, in his 67th year, and was buried at Shaw. " Of Chilton House. ■' Of Elcot and Benham. " Grandfather of the late Stephen Hemsted, Esq., of Newbury. ' Of Shaw House. He succeeded Matthew Montagu, Esq., of Sandleford, as Lieut. -Col. of the Newbury corps. Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 381 Lieutenant Edward Brice Bunny. „ John Hall 8. „ Thomas Bance. Ensign George Goddard. „ Benjamin Andrews. „ Edward Woodcock. „ Francis William Montagu ''. Adjutant 1 „. , , ^^ /-. ^ I r. A Richard Horner '. Capt. by Brevet j Quartermaster Edward Woodcock. Surgeon Richard Scott. The Newbury troop of cavalry drilled principally at North Heath, a convenient meeting-place on the way to the "Red House/' on Wantage Downs, which was the usual rendesvouz of the different troops of the Berkshire cavalry for regimental drill. The local troopers were also frequently exercised on Snelsmore Common and Northcroft. The uniform of the Berkshire Yeomanry consisted of a blue tunic with red facings, white leather breeches, bearskin helmet with red tuft, very similar to the uniform of the Royal Horse Guards Blue at that time. On the anniversary of the birthday of George HI., in 1804, the united infantry corps of Newbury, Speen, and Shaw were invited by their Colonel, Sir Joseph Andrews, to Shaw House. After firing three volleys in the Market- place, Newbury, headed by their band, they marched to Shaw, where they were regaled in the most bountiful manner on the lawn before the house, the remainder of the day being spent " in mirth and glee." As was then usual on the King's birthday, the volunteers throughout the country had a "field-day;" and it is mentioned in a local journal that the Ramsbury Volunteers practised rifle-shooting on the occasion, and "exhibited extraordi- nary skill at the target ; out of 6^ balls fired 34 struck the target at a distance of 100 yards — a circumstance rarely t Attorney at Newbury. ^ Died Jan., 1807, aged 19, son of Matthew Montagu, Esq., of Sandleford Priory. ' The well-known Newbury wagon-master and canal carrier. 382 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. remembered." In the autumn of 1804 the Thatcham and Aldermaston cavalry, the Newbury and Hungerford infantry, and the Kintbury Rifle Corps were inspected on Wickham Heath by Lieut.-Col. Sir N. Dukinfield, Bart., the inspecting officer of the Berkshire Infantry Volunteers ; and afterwards reviewed by the Hon. Major Ludlow, Brigadier-General Gledstanes attending, and were complimented on their efficiency and appearance. In 1805, on June 8, the First Berks cavalry, the Thatch- am and Aldermaston cavalry, the Newbury, Shaw, and Speen infantry, took part in a grand review of all the Berkshire cavalry and infantry volunteers, by King George III., at Bulmarsh Heath. The review is described as being highly satisfactory, and the King before leaving the Heath " expressly desired the Duke of Cambridge would communicate to the Commanders of the Cavalry and Infantry Brigades the particular gratification he felt in having thus witnessed the military perfection of his Berkshire Volunteers." The Donnington Castle and Newbury troop of cavalry attended service at Newbury Church, December 5, 1805, being the occasion of the Thanksgiving for Nelson's vic- tory off Trafalgar, and subscribed to the Patriotic Fund established for the relief of the wounded soldiers and sailors, and of the widows and orphans of the slain. Subscription to Volunteer Association, 1805. The Corporation voted .£'100 towards the general pur- poses of the Volunteer Association. The Funeral of the Margrave of Anspach, 1806. Benham Place, a mansion near Newbury, was built in 177S) by William, sixth Lord Craven, who, in 1767, mar- ried Elizabeth, daughter of Augustus, fourth Earl of Berkeley, who married, after his decease, Christian Fred- erick, Margrave of Brandenburgh-Anspach, and Bayreuth, nephew to Frederick II., King of Prussia, commonly called " The Great," and to Queen Caroline, wife of George II., Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 383 King of England. Upon his surrendering his German dominions to the King of Prussia, the Margrave came to England, and purchased Benham Place, which he continued to occupy as a country residence until his death in 1806. The Margrave was buried in Speen Church, on Wednes- day, January 15, 1806, when the funeral procession was as follows : — Two mutes. Board of feathers, dressed with pendants. Twenty-five gentlemen, two and two, with silk scarfs and hatbands. Groom of the Chamber, mounted on a horse dressed with black velvet and escutcheons, carrying the Crown and Cushion. The horse led by the late Margrave's groom. Six men _. /Hearse and six contammg the Body : Six men ^ _ , . , ." , Coffin covered with crimson velvet, in mourning cloaks. mourning cloaks. ornamented with gilt nails, crowns, &c., and lined with white satin, and the Hearse dressed with Escutcheons. The late Margrave's private Horse, put in mourning and led by two grooms behind the Hearse. First mourning coach and six, with the Hon. Keppel Craven, and the Margrave's two Chamberlains, with the keys in crape, scarfs, &c. Second coach and six, with Lord Craven, Hon. Berkeley Craven, and Baron Jacobi. Third coach and six, six gentlemen as pall-bearers, with satin hat- bands and scarfs. Fourth coach and six, two clergymen and two medical men. Fifth and sixth coaches, seven upper servants of the deceased. Margravine's coach and six, with four footmen behind in state liveries, closed the procession. The concourse of spectators was very great, and the Newbury, Shaw, and Speen Volunteers attended to keep order, and also to pay respect to the late Margrave, who was a liberal patron of the corps. The Volunteers and Local Militia, 1808. In 1808, the Newbury Volunteers, then commanded by Lieut.-Col. Page, were the first corps in the county to offer 384 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. to become a regiment of Local Militia, " being desirous of placing themselves in a position where they might be of service to their country." The transfer of their services was accepted, and they were enrolled into the ist Berks Regiment of Local Militia, under the command of Lieut.- Col. Page. The establishment of the regiment was fixed as follows : — I Colonel, I Adjutant, 1 Lieut. -Colonel, 1 Quarter-Master, 2 Majors, i Surgeon, 12 Captains, i Sergeant-Major, 14 Lieutenants, 26 Drummers, and 10 Ensigns, 1050 privates. The newly-enrolled men were called out for one month's permanent duty at Newbury the following May, and were highly complimented for the efficiency and zeal they ex- hibited for the interests of their country. The National Jubilee, 1809. On October 25, 1809, a national jubilee was celebrated throughout England on account of King George the Third entering into the fiftieth year of his reign. The occasion was one of great rejoicing in Newbury, and the following is an account of the proceedings : — " The delights of the day were announced to the loyal inhab- itants of Newbury by the discharge of cannon, and ringing of bells, repeated at intervals till 10 o'clock, at which time the Mayor and Corporation, with a large number of neighbouring gentlemen, inhabitants of the town, and other friends, repaired to the Mansion House, and partook of an elegant breakfast, given by the Corporation, during which the band of the Local Militia enlivened the scene with a well-judged selection of loyal and constitutional airs, interspersed with martial music ; the break- fast being concluded, a procession was formed from the Mansion House to the Church, consisting of the various Friendly Societies, with their emblematical ensigns, the several Charity Children of the parish, the Rector, the Afternoon Preacher, the Officers of the Local Militia, and some of the Berks Regiment of Cavalry, the Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 385 Mayor, Justice, and other members of the Corporation, the Grand Jury of the Borough, &c. The procession marched with the band p]aying and colours flying, and paraded round the Market-place and Town Hall to the Church, the Organ starting up ' God save the King,' and continuing to play till the Corporation had taken their seats. The Rev. S. Slocock preached an appropriate ser- mon, after which the Coronation Anthem was sung. On the con- clusion of the service, the procession returned to the Mansion House, and shortly after the members of the Corporation attend- ed in the Market-place to distribute cakes, ale, and money amongst those persons who were the objects of the resolution passed to this effect. This being finished, the children formed a ring and sang the National Anthem. The Corporation and a large number of gentlemen dined at the ' Globe ' Inn, and passed the afternoon in the utmost conviviality and harmony, and re- tired about 9 o'clock to the Ball room, which was honoured with the presence of the Margravine of Anspach and other nobility, and about 400 persons of both sexes belonging to the town and neighbourhood. The dancing was kept up till 5 o'clock the next morning, when the company departed highly satisfied with the heartfelt pleasures of the day. Upwards of 1,800 persons obtained relief, comfort, and enjoyment on this happy occasion. 'The town of Newbury,' says a local journal of the day, 'in their corporate as well as private capacity has ever manifested the most zealous respect for the person of the King, and attach- ment to the Throne, but in its arrangements on this occasion has surpassed itself, and set an example worthy of the imitation of every part of the kingdom.' " Burning of Hampstead-Marshall Mill, near Newbury, 18 10. On March 5, 18 10, the mill at Hampstead-Marshall, near Newfbury, was burnt to the ground. It is described as " a noble structure, and perhaps in every respect the first in the kingdom." The mill was very probably erected by William, first Lord Craven, at the same time as the magnificent mansion which he built just above it, the architect being Sir Balthazar Gerbeir, who lies in the adjoining church. The East Suffolk militia were quar- C c 386 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. tered in Newbury at this time, and assisted in helping to subdue the fire, but all efforts were useless. The Local Militia and Yeomanry, 18 10. In May, 1810, the ist Berks Regiment of Local Militia was inspected at Newbury by General Fitzroy, who ex- pressed himself highly satisfied with their appearance and discipline. A ball was given at the Mansion House in the evening by the officers, which was attended by Lord and Lady Craven and a large company. The following year (May 20, 181 1) the Ist Berks were reviewed at New- bury by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, who complimented Lieut.-Col. Page on the efficiency and high character of his regiment. A presentation was made to Lieutenant Calley, by the members of the Donnington Castle and Newbury troop of cavalry, on Tuesday, June 19, 181 1, of a silver goblet, "in testimony of his constant endeavours and zealous exertions to promote the welfare, the respectability, and good discipline of the troop." After the presentation had been made by Capt. Anthony Bacon the goblet was filled with seven bottles of port, from which every man in the troop drank the Lieutenant's health. The Newbury Coat, 1811. The story has often been told of the achievement of Mr. John Coxeter, of Greenham Mills, Newbury, a well- known cloth manufacturer, who performed the astonishing feat of converting wool from off the sheep's back into cloth, and finally into a well-finished coat, between sun- rise and sunset on a summer's day. Mr. John Coxeter was established as a cloth manu- facturer at Greenham Mills, Newbury, during the early years of the present century, and appears to have been both enterprising and successful in his business. He em- ployed at his mill upwards of 100 hands, and he took a pride in the introduction of the best and most improved machinery in the cloth manufacture. His mill was driven Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 387 by water power, and it stood partly on the site of the present tanyard and flour-mill at Greenham. His busi- ness relations brought him into contact with many gentle- men of position, at the various markets and agricultural gatherings which he attended. Amongst these was Sir John Throckmorton, of Buckland House. In the course of conversation Mr. Coxeter one day remarked to the worthy baronet that so great were the improvements in- troduced into the cloth-making machinery in his mill, that, quoth he, I believe that in 24 hours I could take the coat off your back, reduce it to wool, and turn it back into a coat again. The vaunt thus spoken in jest appears to have made such an impression on Sir John Throck- morton, that shortly afterwards, at a dinner party, he of- fered to lay a wager of a thousand guineas that between sunrise and sunset a coat should be made, the wool for which should have been that morning growing on the sheep's back. He thereupon sent for Mr. Coxeter to as- certain if the feat were really possible. After a careful noting of the time occupied in the various processes, Mr. Coxeter replied in the affirmative, and the bet was ac- cordingly concluded. At five o'clock in the morning of June 25, 181 1, Sir John Throckmorton came to Greenham with his shepherd, bringing with him two fat Southdown sheep. Proceed- ings at once commenced. The sheep were promptly shorn, the wool was washed, stubbed, roved, spun, and woven ; the cloth was scoured, fulled, tented, raised, sheared, dyed, and dressed. The weaving was performed by Mr. John Coxeter, jun., who had been found by pre- vious competition to be the most expert workman. The cloth was finished, as thus described, by four o'clock in the afternoon, eleven hours after the commencement of the sheep-shearing. The coat had now to be made. Mr. James White, tailor, of Newbury, superintended the tailoring, and cut out the coat. Nine of his men, with needles ready threaded, took the garment in hand at four o'clock, and completed the coat at twenty minutes past six. In the meantime the news of this extraordinary match against C c 2 388 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. time had spread abroad, and an immense concourse of peo- ple was assembled, awaiting with intense excitement the achievement of the task. Taking his stand upon a plat- form erected on the lawn in front of Mr. Coxeter's drawing- room window, Sir John Throckmorton appeared wearing the coat, in the presence of an assemblage numbering, as was estimated, about five thousand people. The two sheep which had been despoiled of the wool were roasted whole and cut up and distributed among the people, together with 120 gallons of strong beer, dispensed through Mr. Coxe- ter's liberality, amidst much festive rejoicing. Sir John Throckmorton dined at Mr. Coxeter's, with forty other gentlemen, and slept that night at the " Pelican " Hotel, Speenhamland. The coat was a hunting kersey " of a dark Wellington colour." The wager was thus won with nearly an hour and three-quarters to spare. To commemorate the event a large historical oil-paint- ing was executed by Mr. Luke Clint, of Newbury, and en- graved by George Clint, an engraver in London, contain- ing portraits of the various gentlemen and others engaged in the transaction. This painting remained in the posses- sion of Mrs. Coxeter until her death in 1876, at the re- markable age of over loi years, after which it passed into the hands of her son, Mr. Coxeter, of Abingdon. A silver medal was presented to Mr. Coxeter by the Royal Agri- cultural Society of England. The persons who took part in this interesting feat are thus pointed out in the illustration of this remarkable instance of manufacturing celerity. In the centre of the picture the shepherd, Francis Druett, is represented shear- ing one of the sheep ; behind him the master manufac- turer, Mr. John Coxeter ; on his left Mr. Isaac White, the tailor, measuring Sir John Throckmorton for the coat ; on his left, in black, stands F. R. O. Villebois, Esq. ; and before him, seated at the table, is Anthony Bacon, Esq. ; to the right of Mr. Coxeter stands Mr. John Locket, a linen manufacturer, of Donnington ; facing him, and with his back towards the spectators, is Mr. Richard Dibley, of Newbury, butcher ; the youth beside him is John Coxeter, Newbury m the Nineteenth Century. 389 the son of Mr. Coxeter; and the one with the basket of wool spooles is his son William. John is again repre- sented at work at the loom ; the lady before him is his mother, accompanied by another son Samuel, a child ; the gentleman standing at the back of Mrs. Coxeter, and by the side of the loom, is Mr. Jones, a cotton manufacturer of Greenham. The following gentlemen acted as Stewards on the occasion : — Col. Stead, of Donnington Castle House, Anthony Bacon, Esq., of Benham, and William Budd, Esq., of Newbury. Mr. R. W. Hiscock, of Stroud Green, Newbury, performed the duties of Inspector and Secretary. In 185 1, when the Commissioners met at Newbury to select some article worthy of being forwarded to the great Exhibition of that year, their attention was directed to this famous coat, which was then in the possession of Sir Robert Throckmorton, of Buckland House. On appli- cation being made to him, the loan of the remarkable gar- ment was courteously accorded, and for its better security the baronet provided for its reception a handsome maho- gany case with plate-glass front, in which it was carefully locked and sent to the Exhibition. The oil-painting al- ready referred to was, by Mrs. Coxeter's permission, for- warded with it, and numerous copies of an engraving of the picture were sold during the Exhibition. The coat now hangs, in its case, in the hall of Buckland House, near Faringdon. High Price of Wheat, 18 12. In the year 18 12 the price of wheat at Newbury market was lOOi'. to 136J. per quarter, and bread was 2s. 6\d. per gallon, and it shortly afterwards rose to \\2s. to 148^., and bread to 2s. <^d. In September of this year wheat made from iioj. to 158J. a quarter, and bread rose to 2s. I \\d. per gallon 390 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. The Donnington Castle and Newbury Troop of Yeomanry. In 1813 the officers and men of the troop unanimously agreed to the propositions made by government for per- forming twelve days' annual permanent duty, and at the same time declared themselves ready to undertake any service that might be required of them. ' The Grammar School, 1814. We have shewn in a previous chapter that the Grammar School became incorporated with the Hospital of St. Bar- tholomew in the sixteenth century, and the same features continued to characterise the whole management of the institution until the death of the Rev. Thomas Best in 18 14. The School-house then ceased to be used for the purposes of education, and Mrs. Best, the widow of the late Master, was allowed to occupy the house, the rent being carried to the general account of St. Bartholomew's Hos- pital. Among those educated at the old Grammar School were General Smith, father of Sir Henry Smith, who so distinguished himself in the Peninsula, at Waterloo, and at a later date in India and the Cape ; Francis Baily, the Astronomer ; Mr. John Berkeley Monck, M.P. for Reading, and Mr. Orby Sloper. Celebration of Peace, 18 14. On April 30, 1814, the town of Newbury was "bril- liantly illuminated," in honour of the success of the British arms in the Peninsula, and the prospect of peace. During the firing of cannon one of the largest guns burst, and striking a young man named Stone, an apprentice to Mr. Woodley, a currier of Newbury, killed him on the spot. More rejoicings succeeded on May 29, when the illuminations were very general and elaborate, particularly at the old " Pelican" Inn, the banks of Messrs. Vincent and Co., and Messrs. Bunny and Co., the picturesque Newbury in the Nineteentli Century. 391 gabled house of Mr. Davis (father of Mr. Alex. Davis), in Northbrook-street, the residences of Mr. Hall (Attorney), Mr. Haskins, and Mr. Grigg, &c. The most important demonstration was, however, that which took place on Wednesday, July 13, 18 14, when peace was proclaimed. A Committee having been appointed to dispose of the subscribed fund, which included ;^ioo granted by the Corporation, in the way they considered most generally acceptable, a public dinner to the poor and industrious inhabitants of the town was decided on. In the three principal streets tables were accordingly arranged, deco- rated with laurel branches, emblems, &c., and presided over by stewards and assistants. At three o'clock the order to commence dinner was given, and a most sub- stantial meal was partaken of. From the table where the Mayor presided the several toasts were announced by sound of trumpet, and accompanied with appropriate music by the band. After dinner, which was conducted with the greatest order and regularity, the festivities were con- tinued in the Marsh. Previous to the dinner the Mayor and Corporation, in procession, proceeded to the Market- place, where the Town Clerk read the Proclamation of Peace amidst the cheers of the populace. At Greenham a monster pudding, 24 feet long, was boiled and drawn on a timber-carriage by eight beautiful oxen, decorated with ribbons, &c., to Mr. Coxeter's manu- factory, and served at a dinner given to 800 poor persons, at which Mr. Croft, of Greenham Lodge, presided. The Battle of Waterloo, 1815. The news of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo was re- ceived with much enthusiasm in Newbury, but there was no public demonstration on a large scale. Many persons from this neighbourhood visited the historic field of battle shortly after the great fight, amongst others a Mr. Bicheno, of Newbury, who mentions, in a letter descriptive of his journey, that at Dieppe he met the illustrious Sir Walter 392 Newbury, in the Nineteenth Century. Scott, who had just returned from Waterloo, where he had been to collect materials for a new poem. " My ac- quaintance," says Mr. Bicheno, " with the celebrated man was just kindled enough to make me lament it was so soon terminated." The Newbury Race Meetings; 1815. In the iirst decades of this centur}?- races were annually held on Enborne Heath, now enclosed, and the meetings were patronised by the principal gentlemen in the neigh- bourhood, who gave every encouragement to this national pastime, which brought a great many visitors into the town, and considerably benefitted the trade of the place. We find among the Stewards and supporters of the New- bury race-meetings the names of the Margrave and Mar- gravine of Anspach, Lord Craven, Lord Carnarvon, Hon. George Herbert, Mr. Dundas (afterwards Lord Amesbury), Fulwar Craven, Lord Arthur Somerset, Sir Joseph An- drews, Bart., R. Kingsmill, Esq., of Sydmonton, Mr. Croft, of Greenham, Matthew Montagu, Esq., of Sandle- ford. General Popham, of Littlecote, W. Mount, Esq., John Bebb, Esq., Donnington Grove, W. Poyntz, Esq., Midgham, Hon. R. Neville, M.R, F. Villebois, Esq., W. Hallett, Esq., Capt. Craven, Bartholomew Wroughton, Esq., Woolley Park, Richmond Seymour, Esq., and many other local residents. The Corporation of Newbury gave annually a cup value £'^0, and the race-week was the event of the year. In 181 5 a gold cup was run for, value 100 guineas, and there were in addition a sweepstake of 20 guineas each, s subs.; a sweepstake of 15 guineas each, with 25 guineas added, 4 subs. ; a sweepstake of 10 guineas each, 6 subs. ; a sweepstake of 5 guineas each, with £2^^, added, S subs. ; and a handicap plate value £^0. This represents about the average value of the " events " competed for. Mr. R. W. Hiscock, of Stroud Green, acted for many years as Clerk to the Stewards, and was succeeded by Mr. Major Bull. During the race-week " Ordinaries " were provided at the "Pelican," the "Globe/' and the principal hotels Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 393 in the town, a grand ball was given at the Mansion House, under the auspices of the Mayor and Corporation, and the theatre was opened nightly with a special caste from the London stage. The Newbury race-meeting was ultimately discon- tinued. Present to the Corporation, 1815. In September, 18 15, the Corporation were presented by Capt. Charles Barnard, of the H.E.I.C. ship "Wexford," with an elegant set of porcelain, purposely manufactured at Canton. This tea-service, consisting of 109 pieces, was given to Mr. Bodman, a brother-in-law of the donor, by the old Corporation on the dissolution of that body by the passing of the Municipal Corporations Act in 1835. A motion for its restitution was made by one of the new council in 1836, but an amendment was carried to the effect that as the gift was made in error the Corporation were not inclined to recall it. The Royal Sussex Lodge of Freemasons, Newbury, 1816. On January 29, 18 16, the consecration of a new Lodge of Masons, called the " Royal Sussex Lodge," No. 672, took place at Newbury, when many of the fraternity from the London, Reading, and other Lodges attended. The Lodge was opened at an early hour, and at twelve o'clock the brethren attended divine service at the church ; the prayers were read by the Rev. Brother Hornbuckle, and the Rev. B. Pope preached the sermon, after which the ceremony of consecration took place. At five o'clock the brethren, attended by an excellent band, sat down to dinner, and the evening was spent with the conviviality which distinguishes Masonic meetings. The Mayor shot at, 1816. Between twelve and one in the morning of May 20, 18 16, a loaded musket was discharged at the window of the 394 Newbury in the Nineteenth Cetttury. bedroom of the Mayor, Mr. Benjamin Barnard, while he was in bed, and the contents having entered the window, struck the bedposts and the head of the bed, but his Wor- ship escaped injury. The Corporation offered loO guineas reward for the discovery of the offender. Life-boat invented by Mr. Plenty, of Newbury, 1816. On July 2, 1 8 16, a boat of a new construction for pre- serving lives, or for general purposes, built by Mr. William Plenty, of Newbury, a gentleman eminent in his day for his inventive genius and skill in mechanical science, was launched from West Mills, in the presence of a large assemblage of persons belonging to the town and neigh- bourhood. This precursor of our modern life-boats was christened " The Experiment," and more than eighty persons sailed down the Kennet and Avon Canal in her, on the way to Reading and the London Docks, where her capabilities were exhibited by Mr. Plenty before the Elder Brethren of the Trinity House, and the Directors of the East India Company, who pronounced a most favourable opinion of her merits as a life-saving medium. The famous Admiral, Sir Edward Pellew (created Viscount Exmouth, Sept. 21, 1816), took a keen interest in Mr. Plenty's humane exertions, and agreed with other dis- tinguished naval authorities that his boat was built on such a principle of complete safety that it was impossible to sink her, or that she could become water-logged, or even bilged against rocks. The Lords of the Admiralty and the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Lives from Shipwreck ordered several of Mr. Plenty's life-boats, after practical test of their powers, and they were for many years in use at various places along the coast ; one at Appledore, Devon, and another at Skegness, in Lincolnshire, having been instrumental in saving 120 lives. Mr. Edward Pellew Plenty, son of the inventor (to whom Lord Exmouth was sponsor), in conjunction with his brother James, exhibited his father's life-boat, Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 395 with certain modifications and improvements, at the great Exhibition of 185 1, in a competition in which tliere were over 300 entries, for a reward of ;^io5 given by the Duke of Northumberland, for a hfe-boat fulfiUing certain con- ditions, and obtained third honours, but the Appledore boat, which stood second, was but an improved copy ot the Plenty life-boat at that station. The prize was awarded to Mr. James Beeching, of Yarmouth, but his boats have not been found completely efficacious. Mr. Plenty, sen., was also known as the inventor and patentee of the im- proved Berkshire iron plough, which, in 1806, took both the premiums of fifty and twenty guineas offered by the Duke of Bridgewater for ploughs proved to be the best adapted to all purposes of husbandry and agriculture. He was also the originator of many other valuable appli- cations of mechanical power, which shew that he must have possessed an unusual talent as a practical engineer and scientist. Education of the poor in Newbury in 1S18. The following information respecting the provision made for educating the children of the poor in Newbury, in 18 18, is extracted from the answer of the Rev. James Roe, Rector, to the Circular Letter of the Committee of the House of Commons on Education, of which Mr. Brougham, afterwards Lord Brougham, was Chairman : — '■^Newbury, James Roe, Rector, May 14, 1818. "The Schools which exist in this parish upon charitable foundations are : — " I. One attached to St. Bartholomew's hospital, which used to educate six town boys, the chaplain of the hospital being the master. His Salary for reading prayers to the almspeople and educating six boys was jQ\2 per annum, and a house to live in. The school has been discontinued about twenty years ; and since the death of the last incumbent, in 1814, no one has been ap- pointed to, nor has any one applied for, the situation. 396 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. " 2. The Blue Coat School, which consists of 1 8 boys sent by Corporation, 10 boys by Richard Cowslade's gift, 10 boys by John Kimber's gift. Total 38 " These boys are all clothed, and Cowslade's and Kimber's are apprenticed after they leave school. The Salary of the master is ^^38 per annum. " 3. Francis Coxhead left the surplus of income arising from certain lands, after supporting some almspeople, for the educa- tion of poor children of Newbury. The sum so applied has latterly been upwards of £,()o per annum. " 4. Thomas Hunt left an estate also, charging it with certain payments, and the surplus to be appHed to the education of poor children of Newbury. The sum thus expended is about ^28 per annum. " N.B. Coxhead's and Hunt's children are educated at dif- ferent private schools, besides the trustees of each charity allow- ing £^20 per annum towards the support of the boys and girls of the Lancastrian schools. " There are four schools, supported chiefly by voluntary con- tributions ; two on Dr. Bell's plan, and two on Lancaster's. Each of the boys' schools contain about 200 scholars; the Bell's girls' school about 150, and the Lancastrian girls' school about 100." " The means of education which this parish possesses are ample ; and the poorer classes have not expressed any desire to have them enlarged." The Trial of Queen Caroline, 1820. The sympathies of the majority of the inhabitants of Newbury were entirely with Queen Caroline throughout the proceedings instituted against her, and possibly no- where in the kingdom was her cause more heartily and enthusiastically supported. Encouraging addresses were sent to the Queen by the inhabitants, the Weavers' Com- pany, and the ladies of the town and the neighbourhood. Petitions were also sent to the King praying for a reform of the Commons' House of Parliament, and the dismissal of his Majesty's ministers. The Rector of the parish, Newhury in the Nineteenth Centnry. 397 the Rev. Jas. Roe, declined to omit the Queen's name in the Liturgy, as did also the Afternoon Lecturer, until they were served with an interdiction from the Bishop of the Diocese. Upon the abandonment of the Pains and Penalties Bill the joy of the inhabitants was unbounded. The town was brilliantly illuminated, and the rejoicings were general. A "dutiful address" was forwarded to the Queen expressing the sincere and cordial congratula- tions of the inhabitants on the termination " of the odious and cruel proceedings;" and thanks were awarded to the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Carnarvon, Mr. Broug- ham, and others " for their fair, manly, and upright con- duct in opposing the unjust, unfair, and unconstitutional proceedings against our persecuted Queen." In addition to all this a pair of the handsomest and most costly blankets that could be manufactured at the blanket- factory at Greenham (Mr. Coxeter's) were made as a present to the Queen. They bore the royal arms, and other devices, worked in silk, under the direction of Mr. John Locket, of Donnington. A subscription was opened to defray the expense, and an address prepared to accom- pany the blankets. The death of the Queen the follow- ing year (August 7, 1821) spread a general gloom over the town of Newbury, and the inhabitants shewed the greatest respect to her memory. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg visits Newbury, 1821. H.R.H. Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg, afterwards King of the Belgians, and who, in 18 16, married the Princess Charlotte, only child of George IV., paid a visit to the Earl of Craven at his seat, Hampstead Lodge, near Newbury, on Monday, January 8, 182 1, and passed through Speenhamland. The Prince formed one of a numerous shooting-party assembled at Hampstead. Celebration at Newbury of the Coronation of King George IV., 1821. The Coronation of George IV., July 19, 1821, was but indifferently celebrated at Newbury; the conduct of 398 Neivhiry in the Nineteenth Century. the King towards the Queen having effectually dimin- ished the affections of the majority of his Majesty's liege subjects in the town. In the evening there was a dinner at the Mansion House in -honour of the occasion, at which the Mayor, Mr. J. G. Marriner, presided. One of the members of the Yeomanry Cavalry present going out of his way to abuse the Queen, it was communicated to the crowd outside, who smashed many of the windows of the hall, and one of the cavalry men had his skull fractured by a blow from a brickbat thrown by one of the mob. Ultimately there was " a grand battle royal " between the members of the cavalry troop who were left in the room and the crowd, in which divers heads were broken, and other injuries mutually inflicted. The riot was ultimately quelled by the firm and courageous con- duct of the Mayor, and a reward of £'^0 offered for the discovery of the person who so seriously injured the gen- tleman belonging to the Yeomanry. Great Storm at Newbury, 1821. On Thursday, December 27, 1821, the town of New- bury and neighbourhood was visited by a terrific storm of hail and rain, accompanied with thunder and lightning. The river banks were washed away in many places, bridges were destroyed by the rush of waters, chimnies and walls were thrown down by the gale, and many large trees were uprooted— in some cases being broken short off in the stem. William Cobbett at Newbury, 1821-2. William Cobbett, the famous political writer and re- former, paid a visit to the neighbourhood of Newbury in 182 1, and inspected Prosperous Farm, near Hungerford, formerly occupied by Jethro Tull, whose treatise on, and practice of. Horse Hoeing Husbandry is the only system- atic work on that subject extant. During his stay Cob- bett had a run with Mr. Warde's hounds, and made himself practically acquainted with agricultural matters Neivhiry in the Nineteenth Century. 399 in this district. The following year he attended the market-ordinary at the " George and Pelican " Inn, at Speenhanaland, on Thursday, October 17, 1822, and ad- dressed an audience of over 200 persons ; numbers were unable to obtain admittance, and the doors and windows were besieged by the admirers of a man who, whatever his faults may have been, deserves to be ranked as one of the boldest and purest of English politicians. Visit of the Duke of Gloucester to Newbury, 1822. H.R.H. William Frederick, Duke of Gloucester, nephew to King George III., visited John Bebb, Esq., at Don- nington Grove, near Newbury, on September 24, 1822. On Wednesday the Duke, accompanied by a numerous retinue, visited Shaw House, and expressed himself as being much gratified with his visit to this historic man- sion. He minutely examined the hole in the wainscot produced by a bullet fired at Charles I. while standing at the window, and walked round the earthworks in the garden. The Duke then visited the town of Newbury, and partook of a dejeuner at the residence of Matthew Montagu, Esq., at Sandleford Priory, after which he returned to Donnington Grove where a select party were invited to meet him. He left the next day for Bagshot Park. The Resurrectionists, 1822. Until the alteration in the law in 1832, the Resurrec- tionists, or " Body-snatchers," were almost the only means by which the anatomical teachers could obtain a supply of human subjects for the purpose of dissection. At the commencement of a new session at the hospitals the leading Resurrectionists might be seen looking out for lecturers ; and " fifty pounds down, and nine guineas a body " was often acceded to ; the former being the opening fee from each school, promised an exclusive supply. In some cases as much as twenty pounds was 400 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. known to have been given for a single subject, in healthy seasons. These outrages were very extensive at New- bury and in the neighbourhood. In 1822 the body of a person of the name of Pearce, who had been Master of the workhouse at Speen, was stolen from Speen church- yard, and found in the possession of a party of Resurrec- tionists at Hungerford, and it appeared that they had been very successful at Reading and Newbury. Various means were resorted to in order to prevent the graves from being pillaged, such as burying the coffins at a great depth, and securing them with iron bands attached to a stone of great weight at the bottom of the grave. The usual modus operandi of the body-snatchers was to open the ground to the head of the coffin, which they then forced, and the body was drawn out. The death- gear was then removed from the corpse and replaced in the coffin, the body being generally placed in a sack and carried to a spring- cart, or other conveyance. Foundation-stone of the new Independent Chapel laid, 1822. The old Independent meeting-house being much out of repair was pulled down, and on June 4, 1 822, the foundation-stone of the present chapel was laid at the north-east angle of the building by the Rev. John Winter. The new chapel was opened on the following October 8, when the Rev. John Cooke preached in the morning, and the Rev. W. Jay, of Bath, in the evening. Rowland Hill preached in the new chapel on the evening of Friday, November 14, 1823. The Quarter Sessions held at Newbury, 1823. The Easter Quarter Sessions for the county of Berks were formerly held in Newbury, but were discontinued being held here for a time in 1823. At the Epiphany Sessions held at Abingdon in 1824, Mr. Charles Dundas, M.P., brought forward a motion that the Court should be held once a year at Newbury, according to ancient Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 401 custom, but lost his motion by a large majority. The resolution was carried at the Epiphany Sessions in 1825, upon better provision being made for the accommo- dation of the Court, and the Sessions were again held in the town as formerly. They were discontinued being held at Newbury in accordance with a resolution passed at the Epiphany Sessions in 1841. Presentation to Capt. Bacon, 1823. On October 28, 1823, the non-commissioned officers and privates of the Donnington Castle and Newbury troop of the ist Berks Cavalry invited their Captain, Anthony Bacon, to a dinner at the Mansion House, Newbury, which was attended by the Earl of Carnarvon, Lord Porchester, Charles Dundas, Esq., M.P., Colonel of the regiment, and other gentlemen interested in the corps. After dinner the Quartermaster, Mr. W. Davis, four ser- geants, and a private of the troop proceeded from the Council Chamber with a superb and elegantly embossed silver tureen, which being delivered to Lieutenant Alfred Slocock, that gentleman, " in a manly and dignified speech," presented it to Captain Bacon in recollection of his ser- vices to the troop during a period of nearly twenty years. For some time the regiment had the advantage of the services, as Adjutant, of Capt. Welsh, a half-pay officer, who had served with distinction in the nth and 17th Light Dragoons. He died suddenly on April 2, 1824, and was buried in Newbury churchyard with military honours. Presentation to Charles Dundas, Esq., M.P., 1823. On October 17, 1823, the inhabitants of Newbury and Speenhamland presented, at a dinner held at the Mansion House, a costly service of plate to Charles Dundas, Esq., M.P., of Elcot, as a record of the honourable estimation in which his eminent and extended public services were held by his friends and neighbours. Dd 403 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. The Town of Newbury first lighted with Gas, 1825. The town of Newbury and the adjoining hamlet ot Speenhamland were first lighted with gas on Thursday evening, December 29, 1825 ; Mr. Hedley being the con- tractor for supplying the same. Newbury and Speenhamland Improvement Act, 1825. An Act for lighting, watching, paving, cleansing, and improving the highways and places within the borough, town, and parish of Newbury, and the tithing or hamlet of Speenhamland, received the Royal Assent this year (May 20). The preamble states, — " Whereas the Borough and Town of Newbury, in the County of Berks, is populous and a Place of Trade, and is also a great Thoroughfare for Travellers." Among the projects proposed by this Act were a new town-hall and butchers' market in lieu of the ancient building then standing in the centre of the Market-place ; a new gaol and house of correction ; widening of the Man- sion House corner ; a new street from Bartholomew-street to the Market-place, through the "Half Moon" and " Catherine Wheel " yards (which has been a public thoroughfare from time immemorial) ; a new line of road from the top of Bartholomew-street leading towards New- town ; and a new street from Bartholomew-street to Greenham. Dangerfield's Charity, 1826. Richard Dangerfield, by will dated January 20, 1826, bequeathed to trustees the sum oi £\oo, the interest thereof to be divided yearly amongst the twelve alms- people in the Church Almshouses, share and share alike. And he bequeathed to the same parties the further sum of ;^i,500 Four per cent. Annuities, upon trust, to pay the in- terest of .^1,000 part thereof, to his sister Hannah Mould- ing, the interest of ^300 to Elizabeth Child, and the Newbury in the Nineteenth Centiiry. 403 interest of the remaining ;^200 to his sister-in-law, Eli- zabeth Jones, during their respective lives ; and, upon trust, after the decease of the said parties, or any of them, to apply the interest of ;^300 between the two alms- people in Coxedd's almshouse, and the two in Pearce's almshouse. The interest of £600, for the relief of poor persons belonging to the society of Protestant dissenters at Newbury, called " Independents," in such proportions as the said trustees should think proper. The interest of ;^300, towards the relief of poor persons belonging to the society of Protestant dissenters at Newbury called " Metho- dists." The interest of ^^"300, the residue of the said stock, for the relief of poor persons belonging to the society of Protestant dissenters at Newbury called " Baptists." The Yeomanry Cavalry, 1827-8. In January, 1827, Captain Anthony Bacon was ap- pointed major of the ist Berks Yeomanry Cavalry, and Charles Archer Houblon, Esq., Captain. Major Bacon died soon after, August 11 in the same year, at his seat Aberavon, near Neath, and was buried in the family vault in Shaw churchyard. The Government, in 1828, decided to discontinue the grant for the payment of the Yeomanry force, but certain regiments were permitted to remain embodied without receiving any pay. The Newbury troop of the 1st Berks Regiment of Cavalry was afterwards re-established as the " Newbury and Welford Troop," by their commander, Capt. Houblon, of Welford Park. He assumed the sur- name and arms of Eyre on succeeding his father, John Archer Houblon, Esq., in the Welford estates in 1831. Death of the Margravine of Anspach, 1828. The Margrave of Anspach devised Benham Park, near Newbury, to the Margravine, who resided there for some time after the death of her husband, until about the year 18 1 1, when the house was let to Mr. Bacon. On the death of the Margravine it became the property of her youngest D d 2 404 Newbury in the Nineteenth Cetitury. son, the Hon. Keppel Richard Craven. The Margravine was extremely popular in Newbury, her many charitable and kind acts having endeared her to all classes. In a very spirited public address upon leaving Benham, in 1811, the Margravine says :— " I take this method of assuring the people of Newbury, and all the worthy yeomanry of the County of Berks, that I only wish that I had ten times as much landed property in that county as I have, to have ten times the means and opportunities of proving my attachment to it." The Margravine died at Naples, January 13, 1828, and was buried there. The Speenhamland Obelisk, 1828. The stone lamp pillar in the Broadway, Speenhamland, was erected by public subscription in 1828. The Com- missioners of the hamlet under the Improvement Act contributing £10. Visit of the Queen of Portugal, 1828. On Monday, Oct. 6, 1828, the Queen of Portugal arrived at the "Pelican" Inn, Speenhamland, on her way to Lon- don. In the suite which accompanied her Majesty was the Marquis Barbacena, and the Marchioness de Palmella, and her daughter ; Sir William Fremantle, Treasurer of the King's Household, and Lord Clinton, one of the King's Lords-in-Waiting, who were appointed to attend the Queen during her residence in England. Her Majesty appeared several times at the drawing-room windows of the " Peli- can," and bowed in response to the crowd which had assembled to give her a hearty greeting. The royal party dined at the " Pelican," and afterwards proceeded to London. The Old Guildhall, 1828. In this year the Old Guildhall in the Market-place was taken down. Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 405 The Old Cloth Hall, 1829. In the year 1829 the interesting Jacobean Cloth Hall, near the Wharf, was repaired at the expense of the Corporation, which is still an interesting object to the antiquary. The Grammar School, 1829. It appears from an account of the proceedings taken to effect the re-establishment of the Grammar School, that in the year 1829 certain irregularities were stated to exist in the management of the affairs of St. Bartholomew's Hos- pital ; and in consequence thereof, Mr. Robert Baker, the Town Clerk of Newbury, was ordered to bring the Charity before the Court of Chancery. Accordingly, in this year (1829) Mr. Baker filed a Bill in Chancery, by the direction of the Corporation, and was himself Relator in the cause. Proclamation of William IV. at Newbury, 1830. The accession of William IV. was proclaimed in New- bury, July 5, 1830. A breakfast was first partaken of at the Mansion House by about 100 of the principal inhabitants. Subsequently the Mayor, Mr. W. Mills, ac- companied by the Recorder, Mr. Charles Dundas, M.P., the members of the Corporation in their robes, and a considerable number of the townspeole, headed by a band of music, the school-children, &c., proceeded to the Mar- ket-place, where the Proclamation was read by Mr. Baker, the Town Clerk, and received with loyal cheers by the populace. The ceremony was repeated at the two ex- treme points of the borough. The Machine Riots, 1830. ! In November, 1830, the neighbourhood of Newbury was the scene of a riotous assemblage of misguided farm- labourers and others, who, in order to obtain a rise in their wages, and to compel the farmers to discontinue the 406 Newbury m the Nineteenth Century. use of machinery for the purposes of ag^riculture, committed violent depredations, by breaking in pieces all farming machines, and setting fire to barns, stacks of corn, and even to dwelling-houses. The extensive preparations and display of force thought necessary to secure these rustic rioters, as described in a local journal, shew what alarm and excitement these lawless proceedings must have oc- casioned at the time. The Government having been ap- prised of the disorders, a detachment of the Grenadier Guards was despatched from London, in express stage- coaches, under the command of Capt. Anson and Lieut. Reynoldson, followed by a troop of Lancers commanded by Lieut. Vezey. At 1 1 o'clock in the forenoon of the day the rioters were to be attacked, an Order was issued by the High Sheriff, Mr. John Walter, for every inhabitant of Newbury who could muster on horseback to repair to the Market-place at 12 o'clock, and there to await further orders. At the time appointed a numerous body of horsemen put in an appearance, and were drawn up in line, the late members of the Donnington Castle and Newbury troop of Yeomanry having the post of honour. The order to " form fours " having been given and promptly obeyed, the cavalcade, headed by a number of county magistrates, Mr. Satchell, the Mayor of Newbury, Lieut, and Cornet Slocock, and the ex-non-commissioned officers of the cavalry, proceeded to Speenhamland to join another company of horsemen assembled at the " George and Pelican " Inn. Thus reinforced, the yeomanry and their valorous followers " advanced at a trot to Gravel Hill, Stockcross." Here they found another contingent, led by Lord Craven, " consisting of many of his lordship's friends, tenantry, and a numerous party of special constables, upwards of two hundred strong." This formidable force of horse and foot then moved towards Kintbury, the stronghold of the discontented and disorderly peasantry ; the detachment of Grenadiers following in the rear in the stage-coaches provided for their conveyance to the scene of action. But the motley column had not yet reached its full numerical strength. Before the leading squadrons Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 407 of horsemen arrived at the lane leading from the Bath road to Kintbury they were met by the High Sheriff, Colonel Dundas, M.P., Capt. Houblon, " and a great many more gentlemen of the neighbourhood." The position of the enemy having been carefully reconnoitred, a Council of War was held, and the plan of operations communicated to the different divisions of the force by Col. Dundas. The attack commenced by detachments of horse ad- vancing to the south and west sides of Kintbury, to pre- vent the rioters from escaping ; while the main body of the constables, horsemen, and the Grenadier Guards took up a position in front, and on the east side of the village. The astonished malcontents finding themselves barred from escape sought a temporary retreat in the public- houses, stables, and any cottage or outhouse where they could conceal themselves, while many succeeded in reach- ing the neighbouring villages and hamlets. But the bold troopers were on the alert, and, led by Col. Dundas, sur- prised a party of the offenders at the " Red Lion," and succeeded in capturing, without resistance, one of the ringleaders, named Westall, and three others, who were immediately escorted to the prisoners' guard formed by the Grenadiers and the other disengaged portion of the force. Encouraged by the success of this dashing ex- ploit, the cavalry detachment went on to the " Blue Ball," " the chief dep6t of these enemies to public order," where they made several other captures "after a little resistance." They then proceeded to Inkpen, '' with good effect," and actively continued the pursuit through West Woodhay to the " Axe and Compasses," East Woodhay, where they succeeded in securing the chief ringleader, named Martin, " a man about six feet high." An advance was then made to the "Crown'' at Highclere, which was another rendesvouz of the rioters, " where some scuffling ensued," and several persons were apprehended. The whole of the prisoners taken, about 100, were removed to Newbury in coaches, carts, and other conveyances pressed into ser- vice, and confined in the Mansion House for the night ; and the following day 70 were committed for trial at the 4o8 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. Assizes. A Special Assize was held at Reading, Jan. i, 1 83 1, before Sir J. A. Park, Mr. Baron Holland, and Mr. Justice Patteson, the three judges named in the Com- mission for the trial of the prisoners engaged in these riots in various parts of Berkshire, to the number of 138. Of these only 25 could read and write; 37 could read only ; and the remaining 'jS were destitute of all educa- tion. For the most part they were married men, of previous good character, with families depending on them for support ; and many of the wives of the poor fellows begged as an act of mercy that they might be transported with their husbands. Three were sentenced to death, and death recorded against about 25 more. Great sym- pathy was shewn towards the unfortunate men, and a petition signed by 950 persons was sent from Newbury for a commutation of the sentences. Only one man was executed, of the name of Winterbourn, who bore his fate with great fortitude, although he knew his equally guilty fellows had been reprieved. Many were transported for long periods, and others sentenced to lesser terms of im- prisonment. At Winchester 6 were sentenced to death, and death recorded against 81 other prisoners. An account of the steps taken by the High Sheriff of Berkshire and others to apprehend the persons engaged in these riots was communicated to Lord Melbourne, then Home Secretary, who officially recognised the services rendered. The Reform Bill. Agitation at Newbury, 1832. The subject of Reform in Parliament was a consider- able source of agitation in Newbury, and its inhabitants were greatly excited on the subject till its settlement; the measure being warmly and influential ly supported in the town. Upon the passing of the Bill in the House of Commons there were great demonstrations, with illu- minations, and other signs of public rejoicing, which were repeated at each successful stage until the measure finally became law. It being considered a favourable Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 409 opportunity of obtaining parliamentary enfranchisement, a petition was sent from Newbury, Speenhamland, and Greenham, to both Houses of the Legislature, soliciting that privilege, but the inhabitants were somewhat apa- thetic in the matter, on it being explained to them that no person could vote both for the county and borough upon the same qualification. Steam Carriages, 1832-35. In the month of August, 1832, Messrs. Ogle and Sum- ner's steam-coach passed through Newbury, on its way from Southampton to Oxford. It travelled over the hilly and rough roads between Winchester and Newbury at an average speed of twelve miles an hour, and ascend- ed the steep hills at various parts of the route with the greatest ease, and not at much less speed. In 1835 a steam-coach, invented by Mr. Hancock, of Marl- borough, named "The Erin," arrived at Newbury. It performed the journey between London and Marlborough — 75 miles — in S hours and 48 minutes. Erection of the Newbury Union Workhouse, 1835. The foundation-stone of the Newbury Union Work- house, in the Newtown road, was laid August, 1835. The estimated cost of the building was ;£'5,ooo. Municipal Corporations Reform Act, 1835. The Municipal Corporations Reform Act of the session of the 5th and 6th years of King William IV. (chapter "jG), " to provide for the regulation of municipal corporations in England and Wales," was passed this year (1835), ai''d re- pealed, as in other places, all acts, charters, and customs inconsistent with the new measure. By this Act, which put an end to the old close corporations, all exclusive privileges of trading or of exercising any calling or handi- craft in corporate towns was abolished, and the election 410 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. of the council placed in the hands of the whole body of the newly-enfranchised burgesses. The first election of councillors under the new Act, for the borough of Newbury, took place on December 26, 1835, when the undermentioned twelve burgesses were elected. Those marked thus * were members of the old Corporation : — Votes. William Dredge, Votes. Jer^ Bunny, 156 90 * George Gray, 146 John Trumplet, 79 * John Alexander, 134 John Kimber, 74 Edward William Gray, 131 ■ *■ Edmund Slocock, '72 Manasseh James, 127 * John Hasker, 71 George Vincent, 122 * John Satchell, 67 The Aldermen elected from the body were : — John Alexander. Edmund Slocock. John Satchell. John Hasker. Mr. John Alexander, surgeon, was the first mayor elected, he being the last mayor under the old Corpo- ration, and thus continuing in office. To supply the places of those councillors elected alder- men the following persons were elected councillors : — John Shaw. James Bodman. George Payne. John Flint. On the following March 8, 1836, Broome Pinniger and George Dibley, solicitors, were appointed assessors, and J. Church and George Barnes, auditors, under the new Act. At a meeting of the new Council on June 21, 1836, the Earl of Craven was appointed High Steward, Henry Hemsted was elected Coroner, Robert Baker, Town Clerk, and Joseph Vines, Clerk of the Peace. The appointment of Recorder was first offered to Mr. Sergeant Talfourd, but declined. Mr. David Jardine, of the Temple, and one of the Municipal Corporations Commissioners, was then nominated, and by letter to the Mayor accepted the office, provided Her Majesty in Coun- Newbury in the Ninetccjith Century. 411 cil should be pleased to confirm the nomination. After some considerable discussion in the Council, Mr. Whately, the Recorder under the old Corporation, was appointed by the Earl of Craven, High Steward. The Grammar School, 1836. The cause concerning the management of St. Bartho- lomew's Hospital and the Grammar School, which had been placed in Chancery in 1829, wended its slow course through that Court until the year 1836. On the passing of the Act 5 and 6 William IV., c. ;6, " to provide for the Regulation of Municipal Corporations in England and Wales," provision was made, in the 71st section of the Act, that members of Corporations, who had been by virtue of their office Trustees of Charities, should no longer act as such trustees, but should cease to act on the first day of August, 1836, when other trustees should be appointed in their room. The Town Council, acting upon the regulations of the above recited Act of Parliament, gave notice that an election for trustees would take place in the beginning of August, 1836. The burgesses therefore elected the under- mentioned gentlemen, in the order in which their names stand, namely, Edward William Gray, Jere Bunny, John Alexander, Manasseh James, George Payne, William Dredge, John Kimber, John Flint, Thomas Leonard, John Brown, Thomas Simmons, and Richard Avery. To their number were added three members of the old Corporation • — James Bodman, James Hazell, and Mark Willis, and eventually the Reverend Joseph Birchall, M.A., and Frederick Brown, M.D., were placed on the list of Trus- tees. The total body, recommended by the report of Master Brougham, and dated December 21, 1836, were seventeen individuals. This report, on being laid before the Lord Chancellor, Baron Cottenham, was confirmed by his lordship on Thursday, January 12, in the 7th year of the reign of His Majesty King William IV., 1837. 412 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century.. TfiE Wesleyan Chapel, 1837. The corner stone of the present chapel in Northbrook- street was laid on April 12, 1837, by the Rev. Dr. Beau- mont, and opened for worship on November 16, 1838. On the Sunday following the Rev.Jabez Bunting preached at the morning and evening services. Proclamation of Queen Victoria at Newbury, 1837. Our present Queen was proclaimed at Newbury, June 26, 1837, the order of the proceedings being very similar to those on other like occasions. First of all there was a breakfast at the Mansion House, given by the Mayor, Mr. Jere Bunny ; then a procession was formed, which first moved to the Market-place, where Her Majesty was pro- claimed amid enthusiastic cheers. The cortege then passed down Northbrook-street to Speenhamland, the Mayor and civic authorities meanwhile halting at the limit of the borough boundary, where the proclamation was again read, under a flag which had waved over the deck of " The Victory," when Nelson received his death-wound at Tra- falgar. The procession afterwards proceeded to the Lit- ten, in Bartholomew-street, where the proclamation was also read, and then returned to the Market-place. The Corporation and many of the inhabitants dined together in the evening, and the municipal body provided two bar- rels of strong ale for the populace to drink the Queen's health. The Queen's Coronation, 1838. Addresses of congratulation were sent to the Queen by the inhabitants and also by the Corporation. The Coro- nation of the Queen, on June 28, was observed in New- bury with the rejoicings customary on such occasions. There was the usual procession of the corporate autho- rities, and representatives of the various local institutions ; after which about 3,500 persons dined together at tables Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 413 erected in the public streets. Rustic sports followed, and the day concluded with illuminations, a display of fire- works, and other loyal manifestations. A row of poplar- trees was planted in the Marsh in memory of the occasion. The day was also chosen for the ceremony of laying the foundation-stone of Stockcross Church. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge AT Newbury, 1839. On December 9, 1839, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by the present Duke and his sister, the Princess Mary, now Duchess of Teck, partook of luncheon at the " Pelican " Inn, Speenhamland. They were going on a visit to the Duke of Beaufort, at Badminton. The Queen's Marriage, February 10, 1840. The marriage of the Queen with the Prince Consort was celebrated in Newbury with considerable spirit, and all classes combined in making it an occasion for a joyous meeting. A considerable sum was collected by public subscription, and this amount was dispensed by allowing \s. a head to elderly persons, 8^. a head to other adults, and 4(f. a head to each child in a family. By these means upwards of 3,200 persons had a good, substantial dinner provided at their own houses. The town was also " bril- liantly illuminated," and there were dinner parties at the Mansion House, and at the principal inns in the town. The Grammar School, 1841. From the day of their appointment, in 1836, until May 19, 1841, the trustees made every exertion possible to get the cause of this Charity out of the Court of Chancery, and on the day first named it appears that the master's report, with the scheme for the management of the Charity, was made to the Court, and confirmed by the Master of the Rolls, on July 14, 1841. 414 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. On the scheme being laid before the Trustees at their meeting on Thursday, October 21, 1841, a committee was appointed " for the purpose of reporting to the Trustees at their earliest convenience on the then state of St. Bar- tholomew's Charity." On November 8 following, the Committee appear to have made a report, in which they recommend "that the consideration of the carrying into effect of that portion of the scheme which refers to the establishment of a school be suspended until the costs of the suit and the other debts of this Charity are liquidated." Funeral of Sir Francis and Lady Burdett, 1844. The funeral procession of Sir Francis Burdett, Bart, and Lady Burdett, who died shortly before her husband, passed through Speenhamland on January 30, 1844, en route to Ramsbury. The cortege consisted of the hearse, drawn by six horses, four mourning-coaches, and a car- riage which had belonged to the deceased baronet drawn by four horses. Sir Francis and his lady were buried in the family vault immediately under the Communion-table in Ramsbury Church, but there is no monument inscribed to the memory of the great political reformer, who for nearly the first half of the nineteenth century filled such a prominent place in public affairs. The County Court established, 1847. Under the Charter of Queen Elizabeth, the Corporation have power to hold a Court of Record for the recovery of debts not exceeding 20 marks, which before the passing of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1835, was the common court of the town, and was held on every Tuesday, weekly, throughout the year, before the Mayor or one of the Aldermen. This Court of Record was replaced by the County' Court instituted in 1846 by 9 and 10 Vict. c. 95. The first Court under this Act was held before J. B, Parry, Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 41 5 Esq., Q.C., the judge appointed for the county of Berks, on Thursday, April 8, 1847. Opening of the Berks and Hants Extension Railway, 1847. The Berks and Hants Extension Railway, between Reading, Newbury, and Hungerford, was opened for traffic, without any public ceremony, December 21, 1847. The cost of the line from Reading to Hungerford was about ^20,000 a mile. The New Grammar School, 1848. In consequence of the very dilapidated state of the house property belonging to St. Bartholomew's Charity, a very considerable outlay was necessary to put the different properties in a good state of repair. This ex- penditure involved the Charity in debt, and matters re- mained dormant in regard to the school until May 11, 1846, when at a meeting of the trustees then held, the following resolution was adopted : — " That Messrs. Bunny, Alexander, Flint, Willis, and Gray, be a Committee to examine and report as to the scheme of St. Bar- tholomew's Charity, with a view to the establishment of the Free School from the funds of that Charity." Having met, accordingly, the Committee made their report on June 15, 1846, and the following is an extract from the same : — "Your Committee, assuming the statement and estimate of receipts and expenditure to be correct, are of opinion that the funds of the Charity will now enable the trustees to carry out the scheme for the establishment of St. Bartholomew's Free Grammar School." In furtherance of this opinion, the Secretary was directed to take the necessary steps by the following resolution of the trustees : — " That the Secretary be instructed to take the necessary measures to work out the scheme granted by the Court of 4i6 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. Chancery for the future conduct of St. Bartholomew's Hospital and Free School." On August 17, 1846, the Secretary reported that he had presented a petition to the Master of the Rolls for the payment of the £\fi2^, mentioned in the fifth regula- tion or resolution of the scheme. And on December 21, 1846, the Secretary reports further that the Master of the Rolls had, upon the petition of the Trustees, made an order to the Master that he should report to the Court whether the scheme settled on May 19, 1841, is a fit and proper scheme to be now carried into effect. Mr. Baker, the secretary, was again directed to take the necessary steps to carry the scheme into execution. On January 17, 1848, the secretary, Mr. Baker, reported that the order for payment of the money required for re- building the school had been made and passed, and would be payable forthwith. On January 23, the secretary was ordered to procure a Power of Attorney for the receipt of the ;^ 1,02 5 ordered to be paid by the Accountant General of the Court of Chancery to the Trustees of St. Bartholomew's Charity. On February 7, 1848, the secretary, under the orders of the trustees, was directed to advertise for tenders to re- build the Litten House and School, and at the same meeting he produced a Power of Attorney for the sale of stock to produce ^1,025, wherewith to rebuild the houses mentioned. The first stone of the new Grammar School buildings, on the site of the ancient Hospital of St. Bartholomew, was laid by Mr. E. W. Gray, Proctor of the Charity, June 14, 1848. On May 23, 1849, Henry Newport, Esq., M.A., of Pem- broke College, Cambridge, was elected Master of the school; and on the following July 9 the trustees met and elected twenty boys on the free foundation of St. Bartholomew's School. The nomination of the forty boys, other than those elected on the free foundation, took place on July 23, 1849. Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 417 Consecration of the Newbury Cemetery, 1850. The Newbury Cemetery Company was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1847, and the church portion of the ground was consecrated by Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford, on Easter Tuesday, April 2, 1850. The Grammar School, 1852. Mr. Newport resigned the Mastership of the Grammar School in 1852, when the Rev. William Cole, M.A., was appointed to succeed him on September 15 of that year. Coming of age of Lord Carnarvon, 1853. On October 4, 1853, a public banquet was given at Newbury to celebrate the coming of age of the present Earl of Carnarvon, presided over by the Mayor, Mr. J. F. Hickman, and attended by many of the principal residents in the town and neighbourhood. Celebration of Peace, 1856. The conclusion of the peace with Russia after the Crimean War was celebrated in Newbury on a very extensive scale. There was a procession of the civic and other authorities, together with the various local societies ; many thousands of persons were feasted at the pubhc expense, at tables erected in the chief streets of the town; amusements of all kinds were provided ; in the evening the town was illumi- nated, and the rejoicings were brought to a close by a pyrotechnic display in the Marsh. The Municipal Charities, 1857. In 1857 the Trustees of the Municipal Charities, in- cluding St. Bartholomew's Hospital and the Grammar School Foundation, had become so much reduced as to require fresh appointments to be made. For this purpose voting-papers were issued to the burgesses asking them to vote for a certain number of persons they considered E e 41 8 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. suitable. The voting-papers having been collected and examined by the trustees, sixteen names were submitted to the Charity Commissioners, ten of the persons so nominated being Nonconformists. Upon the appoint- ment of the Rev. J. L. Randall as Rector of Newbury in 1857, application was made to the Court of Chancery for leave to strike out the names of the ten Nonconformists, and to substitute ten Churchmen in their places. The case came on before the late Lord Hatherley (then Vice- Chancellor Page Wood), who decided that the Charities in question were not confined exclusively to any one de- nomination, either as regards their administration, or the recipients, and confirmed the list as sent up by the old trustees. Erection of new National Schools, 1859. In the year 1859 "^^ National Schools in connection with St. Nicholas' Church (first instituted in 18 11) were erected, by voluntary contributions, near the Rectory in the Enborne-road, providing accommodation for 250 boys and 250 girls. These schools have always been conducted in strict conformity with the principles of the Established Church. The Baptist Chapel erected, 1859. In 1859 a new Baptist Chapel was erected in North- brook-street, during the ministry of the Rev. Joseph Drew, which extended over a period of nineteen years. The total cost, including site, was ;£'3,ooo. The congrega- tion previously assembled in a chapel in Northcroft-lane, which was erected in 1702. Opening of the Corn Exchange, 1862. The new Corn Exchange, situate on the east side of the Market-place, which cost about ;£'6,ooo, was opened for business June 4, 1862. Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 419 Celebration of the Marriage of the Prince AND Princess of Wales, 1863. The wedding-day of the Prince of Wales and the Prin- cess Alexandra on March 10, 1863, was celebrated by the inhabitants of Newbury in a very loy^l and hearty manner. A dinner for 3,000 persons was provided by public subscrip- tion, the chief thoroughfares were gaily decorated, trium- phal arches were erected, and the town everywhere pre- sented a very festive appearance. A procession was formed, which perambulated the chief streets of the borough, the school children sang the National Anthem in the Market- place, there were races, rural sports, and amusements in the Marsh, and the day's rejoicings concluded with a Promenade Concert in the Corn Exchange. About 400 persons dined in the old Theatre, Speenhamland ; the poor in the Newbury Union were bountifully supplied with a good old English dinner, and the inmates of the almshouses and the invalids were also considerately pro- vided for. Mr. J. W. Randall was Mayor of the borough at the time, and assisted materially in rendering the arrangements of the day satisfactory and eminently suc- cessful. The Roman Catholic Chapel (St. Joseph's) erected, 1864. The Roman Catholic Chapel at Speenhamland was erected in 1864, and opened for worship on St. Anselm's Day, April 21, the same year. There had previously been a mission established here, and schools in connection with the Training College at Woolhampton. The Grammar School, 1867. The Rev. W. Cole, M.A., Master of the Grammar School, having resigned, the Rev. Alfred Steane, B.A., was appointed his successor, August 31, 1867. E e 2 420 Newbury hi the Nineteenth Century. Newbury District Field Club, 1870. The Newbury District Field Club, a Society for the cultivation of Natural History and Antiquarian research, was instituted at Newbury in January, 1870, when the Rev. J. Leslie Randall, M.A., was elected the first Presi- dent, and Dr. Palmer, F.S.A., Hon. Secretary. The Autumn Manoeuvres, 1872. In the autumn of 1872 a series of military movements were ordered to be practised upon a large scale, and for this purpose a considerable body of troops was concen- trated at Aldershot, and divided into two forces, termed, for the purposes of distinction, the Northern, or Defend- ing Army, and the Southern, or Attacking Army. On Wednesday and Thursday, August 28 and 29, " The Northern Army" was encamped on Greenham Common, near Newbury. A vast number of persons visited the camp, and Newbury held high festival on the occasion, and the whole neighbourhood was proportionately ex- cited. The bands of the different regiments were conjoined and played in the camp, which aroused the greatest enthu- siasm. But the war fever was at its height on the morn- ing of Friday the 30th, when General Staveley's division marched through the town, the other divisions having taken a route to the southward, through Kintbury. First came the Cavalry Brigade, the Life Guards, and Royal Horse Guards Blue leading the way under the command of Colonel Marshall. As this magnificent body of heavy troopers, followed by the rest of the Cavalry Brigade, and the various regiments of infantry marched through the old streets with their colours inscribed with names memorable in our English history, they were received with the enthusiastic acclamations of the inhabitants. On many a breast were the medals which commemorated engagements in which both officers and men had distin- guished themselves in various campaigns, and the people Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 421 of Newbury were eager to shew them by their cheers that they deserved well of their country. The third division encamped the same evening on Hun- gerford Downs, and the fourth division went on to Great Bedwyn. After a succession of military operations had been carried out, the two armies were reviewed at Beacon Hill, near Amesbury, and a considerable number of troops subsequently passed through Newbury en route for Alder- shot and other stations. Opening of the New Cattle Market, Newbury, IN 1873. On December 18, 1873, the new Cattle Market, erected by the Corporation, was opened for business by the Earl of Carnarvon, in the mayoralty of Mr. J. F. Hickman. The Grammar School, 1876. The Rev. Alfred Steane, B.A., Master of the School, having resigned, the Rev. J. Atkins, LL.B., the present Master, was appointed, September i, 1876. The Primitive Methodist Chapel erected, 1877. The Primitive Methodist Chapel, Schools, and Minister's house in Bartholomew-street were erected in 1877, ^-t a cost of about ;^ 5,000. Extension of the Borough Boundaries, 1878. By an Act (41 and 42 Vict. ch. 184), 1878, for extend- ing the boundaries of the borough, and to empower the Corporation to acquire the gas undertaking, called the " Newbury Borough Extension Act," the municipal area was enlarged by the addition of certain portions of the parishes of Speen (including Speenhamland, and Wood- Speen, and Church-Speen) and Greenham ; the extended borough being divided into two wards, called respectively the " North Ward " and the " South Ward :" the " North 422 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. Ward " consisting of so much of the borough as lies north of the Kennet and Avon Canal, and the " South Ward " so much of the borough as lies south of the Kennet and Avon Canal. By the same Act the municipal body is to consist of six aldermen and eighteen councillors ; that is to say, the North Ward and South Ward shall each have three alder- men and nine councillors. The new Municipal Buildings, 1878. On May 7, 1878, the new Municipal Buildings in the Market-place, designed by Mr. J. H. Money, were de- clared open by the Earl of Carnarvon ; the foundation- stone of which was laid on August 30, 1876, by Mr. William George Adey, who then held the office of Mayor. The Falkland Memorial, 1878. For many years the streets of Newbury had not pre- sented such an imposing and truly representative proces- sion as that which accompanied the Earl of Carnarvon on the occasion of the unveiling of the memorial to Lord Falkland on Monday, September 9, 1878. The proposal to erect a monument on the battle-field of Newbury was suggested by the author of this work, who gave the site for the memorial. The monument is erected at a point on Wash Common, close to the main road leading from the town into Hampshire. To the west runs the road to Enborne, on the north side of which stands the farm- house to which Lord Falkland's lifeless body was removed as soon as it had been identified among the slain who strewed the ground close by. Lower down the road is a cottage, the cellar of which was at the time of the battle used as a powder magazine for the King's troops. Within the enclosure on the opposite side of the road, and near the memorial itself, can be traced the lines oc- cupied by the artillery of the Royalist army ; and the mounds of earth in the background speak of the slain Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 423 who were rudely buried in company beneath them. There are many remaining evidences of the conflict between Charles the First and the Parliamentary forces, which are described in the " History of the two Battles of New- bury." The memorial consists entirely of Cornish granite, the base being formed of a series of rock-faced steps, from the Lamorna quarries ; upon these rests a block of Penryn stone, weighing twelve tons, on which the four inscriptions are cut in lead characters. The superstructure comprises an octagonal plinth, with gablets on four sides, having sunk panels filled in with a cross on the front face, and coronets and ciphers of Lords Carnarvon, Sunderland, and Falkland carved on the other panels. The octagonal shaft which surmounts this is a monolith, 17 feet in height, the total height of the memorial being about 33 feet. About forty tons of granite were used in the work, which was executed by Messrs. W. and J. R. Freeman, of Westminster and Penryn. The design was furnished by Mr. J. H. Money, architect, of Newbury. The inscrip- tions on the base are as under : — East Side. " KOINH TAP TA 2QMATA AIA0NTE2, lAIA TON APHPON EHAINON EAAMBANON, KAI TON TA*0N EniSHMGTATON- OYK EN Q KEINTAI, MAAAON AAAA EN a H AOSA AYTflN AEIMNHST02 KATAAEinETAI. ANAPQN TAP Eni*ANaN nA2A TH TA*02." THUCY. II. 43. [translation.] For while collectively they gave her [their country] their lives, individually they received that renown which never grows old and the most distinguished tomb they could have : not so much that in which they are laid, as that in which their glory is left behind them to be everlastingly recorded. . . . For of illustrious men the whole earth is the sepulchre. 424 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. West Side. " IVSTVM BELLVM QVIBVS NECESSARIVM ET PIA ARMA QVIBVS NVLLA NISI IN ARMIS RELINQVITVR SPES." LIV. IX. I. [translation.] A war is righteous when it is necessary, and sacred are the arms of warriors who have no hope left but in arms. North Side. " IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO, ON THE 20TH SEPTEMBER, 1643, FELL FIGHTING IN THE ARMY OF KING CHARLES I., ON THE FIELD OF NEWBURY, AND ESPECIALLY OF LUCIUS GARY, VISCOUNT FALKLAND, WHO DIED HERE IN THE 34TH YEAR OF HIS AGE, THIS MONUMENT IS SET UP BY THOSE TO WHOM THE MAJESTY OF THE CROWN AND THE LIBERTIES OF THEIR COUNTRY ARE DEAR." South Side. " THE BLOOD OF MAN IS WELL SHED FOR OUR FAMILY, FOR OUR FRIENDS, FOR OUR GOD, FOR OUR COUNTRY, FOR OUR KIND ; THE REST IS VANITY, THE REST IS CRIME." — Burke. A procession' (headed by the band of the Berkshire Regiment) of the Volunteers, Yeomanry, Municipal Au- thorities, Freemasons, Friendly Societies, and representa- tives of various public bodies, proceeded from the town to the Memorial on the battle-field, v^^hen Lord Carnarvon unveiled the monument, and accepted the Deed conveying the site to himself and Mr. William George Mount, as trustees on behalf of the committee. At the conclusion of the proceedings there w^as a luncheon at the Corn Ex- change, which was attended by about 700 persons. Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 425 DiDCOT AND Newbury Railway — First Sod TURNED, 1879. To signalise this important event in the annals of New- bury a most unwonted festive display was witnessed on Tuesday, August 26, 1879- A vast number of people assembled, and there was a procession of Municipal Authorities, Volunteers, Friendly Societies, Schools, &c. The Countess of Carnarvon per- formed the ceremony. The spade and the accompanying barrow were of polished oak, mounted in silver, and bore the following inscription : — " Presented by the Inhabitants of Newbury, to Elisabeth Catherine, Countess of Carnarvon, on the occasion of Turning the First Sod of the Didcot, Newbury, and Southampton Junction Railway, August 26th, 1879." There was subsequently a luncheon in the Corn Ex- change ; the streets were gaily decorated, triumphal arches were erected, and the town presented a joyous appearance rarely, if ever, equalled in its annals. St. Bartholomew's Hospital and Grammar School Foundation, 1880. Owing to a considerable diminution, from death and other causes, in the number of trustees appointed in 1857, the following gentlemen were approved of as new trustees by the Charity Commissioners for England and Wales, and received their appointment by order of the Board, dated May 14, 1880:— The Rector of Newbury, the Rev. E. I. Gardiner ; William Burgess, Draper ; Walter James Blacket, Bookseller ; William Bundock, Draper; William Hall, Bookseller ; 426 Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. Edward Wells, Wine Merchant ; William Thomas Parker Douglas, M.B. ; Walter Money, Gentleman \ John Bance, Woolstapler ; Frederick ElHot Ryott, M.D. ; Frederick John Coldicutt, Purveyor ; Charles Jackson, Ironmonger ; Richard Hickman, Surgeon, all of the above-mentioned Bo- rough of Newbury ; (who had respectively signified in writing to the said Commissioners their willingness to accept and act in the trust) and were appointed in addition to, and jointly with, John Hawe Mason, Jonathan Burford Pratt, James Henry Lucas, Thomas Fidler, Cornelius Weaver Doe, Francis Flower Somerset, and Frederick Smith Adnams, Henry Keens, the continuing trustees thereof. This Charity is now administered in accordance with a scheme for the management of St. Bartholomew's Gram- mar School, which received the Royal Assent February 14, 1883, whereby the endowments of the above-named Hospital, Kendrick's School Charity, and Kendrick's Loan Charity were constituted one foundation, and to be ad- ministered under the name of St. Bartholomew's Hospital and Grammar School Foundation. The part of the endowment applicable for purposes not educational was continued to be administered by the Trustees of the Municipal Charities of Newbury. This refers to the land and buildings appropriated for the purposes of the Almshouses with the Ancient Room or Chapel of the Hospital, the allowances to the almspeople, a yearly payment of £26 for a clergyman to read prayers to the almspeople twice a week in the Chapel, and a yearly payment of £'^Q for the repairs, rates, taxes, and insurance of the Almshouses and the said Ancient Room or Chapel. Subject as aforesaid, the endowment to be wholly applied for the educational purposes of the scheme. By this scheme the foundation is to be administered Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 427 by a Governing Body, consisting of sixteen competent persons duly qualified to discharge the duties of the office, ten to be called Representative Governors, and six to be called Co-optative Governors. The Representative Governors to be appointed by the several electing bodies respectively in the following pro- portions, namely, — Two by the Town Council of Newbury. Six by the Trustees of the Municipal Charities of Newbury ; and Two by Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for the County of Berks in Quarter Sessions. Every Representative Governor appointed by the said Justices to be appointed for the term of six years, and every other Representative Governor for the term of five years, reckoned respectively from the date of the appoint- ment. The Co-optative Governors hold office for eight years from the date of approval. The existing Co-optative Governors are the Earl of Carnarvon, the Rector of Newbury, John Hawe Mason, William Thomas Parker Douglas, John Bance, and Fred- erick John Coldicutt. The Representative Governors : — George Charles Cherry, Charles Samuel Slocock, Walter James Blacket, Walter Money, Frederick Elliott Ryott, F. F. Somerset, Edward Wells, Thomas Fidler, Joseph Frederick Hickman, and William George Adey. The approximate income of St. Bartholomew's Charity is £(j2^ per annum, of which ;£'700 a year is derived from Real Property, and .^225 from dividends on Stock. Clock Tower of the new Municipal Buildings, 1881. The principal tower of the new buildings was, in 1881, raised to the original height designed by the architect, for the reception of a new town clock, the cost of which, ;^348 lOJ., was obtained by public subscription through the exertions of Mr. J. B. Stone, the then mayor. To- wards the extra cost involved in increasing the height 428 Ncwbtiry in the NineteentJi Century. of the tower the Corporation voted ;^200, and another ;£'200 was raised by a Committee. Opening of the Didcot and Newbury Railway, 1882. The formal opening of the Section of the Didcot, New- bury, and Southampton Railway, which runs between Newbury and Didcot, took place on Wednesday, April 12, 1882. The town was again en fete, as on the occasion of the turning of the first sod. An imposing procession was formed ; the railway was declared open by Lady Loyd- Lindsay ; and a public dinner afterwards took place at the Corn Exchange. The following July, the Didcot, Newbury, and Southamp- ton Junction Railway Bill for the construction of an inde- pendent line of railway to Southampton in connection with the section already opened, and also giving an alternative route to London via Aldermaston, passed successfully through Parliament. The news of the satisfactory result of this unqualified railway victory, after a prolonged strug- gle with the South Western Railway Company, in both Houses of the Legislature, was received with the greatest satisfaction in Newbury. Recovery of the Borough Charters, 1883. For about fifty years the Charters belonging to the Corporation were in private hands, having been im- pounded, with other Corporation property, as security for costs incurred by a former Town Clerk in respect of certain legal proceedings in which the Corporation were concerned. They were returned to the Municipal body by Mr. Stephen Hemsted, jun., through the agency of the writer, in February, 1883. The Parish Room erected, 1884. The foundation-stone of the Newbury Parish Room, West Mills, in connection with St. Nicholas' Church, was Newbury in the Nineteenth Century. 429 laid by Mrs. Gardiner, wife of the Rector, July 9, 1884, and the building was completed the following year. Opening of the Didcot, Newbury, and South- ampton Railway to Winchester, 1885. The opening ceremony of the second section of this newly-constructed line, extending from Newbury south- wards to Winchester, was celebrated by a considerable demonstration at Newbury on May i, 1885. The Muni- cipal authorities of Southampton and Winchester, accom- panied by Lord Baring and other directors, travelled over the new line to Newbury, where they were received by the Mayor in the Council Chamber. The united party then returned to Winchester, and were entertained at the Town Hall by the Mayor and Corporation of that city. Opening of the New Grammar School in the Enborne-road, 1885. The new Grammar School buildings in the Enborne- road were formally opened by Mr. John Hawe Mason, J. P., Proctor of St. Bartholomew's Charity, on July 28, 1885, in the presence of the Governors and a large com- pany. The architect was Mr, Power of London. The Newbury District Hospital opened, 1885. The Newbury District Hospital in the Enborne-road was opened for the reception of patients November 18, 1885. The sum of ;£'5,6oo was raised by voluntary sub- scriptions, of which amount Major Thurlow, of Shaw House, contributed £1,000. The total cost of the build- ing exclusive of fittings, &c., was ;^2,ooo ; and the sum of ;£^2,500 was placed to the endowment fund. The National Jubilee, 1887. Our annals very appropriately terminate with the record of a meeting of the St. Nicholas' Stained Glass Window 430 Newbury in the Nineteenth Centnry. Society, October 19, 1886, when the following resolution was unanimously passed : — " That this meeting heartily approves of the suggestion that the next window to be inserted in the church shall be com- memorative of the great event of the year 1887, namely the Jubilee of Her Most Gracious Majesty the Queen." At a public meeting subsequently held at the Town Hall, under the presidency of the Mayor, it was unan- imously resolved to open lists for subscriptions to the Imperial Colonial Institute ; to give a dinner to the poor ; to entertain the children belonging to the different schools in the town ; and to endeavour to raise sufficient funds for the establishment and maintenance of a free public library, reading-room, and museum, commemorative of the Jubilee Year of Her Majesty. PART II. She Ecclesiastical Ibietor? of IRewbur?. CHAPTER I. Zbc HJ»vowson of tbe iRectorg. The Church dedicated to St. Nicholas. — The dispute respecting the Church at Newbury between the Parson of the Church and the Abbot of Preaux, t. I220. — The question as to the extent of the parish of Thatcham. — The Taxation of Pope Nicholas, c. 1290. — The Inquisition of the Ninths, 1 341. — Transfer of the advowson from the Abbey of Preaux to Sir Lewis Clifford in 1394. — Afterwards to Sir Thomas Erpingham, to Witham, and to Sir John Brydges. — The assessment of Newbury in the Valor Ecclesiasticus of 1534. — The later history of the advowson. The Church of St. Nicholas, Newbury. THE parish church is dedicated to St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, in the fourth century, in the reign of Con- stantine the Great. It is well known that St. Nicholas was a saint held in special reverence by the Normans, and the dedication of the church to him would, to a certain extent, be a proof that it was founded or re-dedicated after the Norman Conquest. And we have good reason to suppose that this was the original dedication, as it is so named in a charter dated as early as 1187, or there- abouts *. It will have been seen from the description of the manor of Ulvritone that no church is mentioned as exist- ing within the manor when the Domesday Survey was made. But there can be little, if any, doubt that the church erected here owes its origin to Ernulf de Hesding, who gave the church of Newbury to the Abbey of Preaux about the year 1086''. As to the size or extent, much less as to the style and character, of the primitive church, or indeed what alter- ations or enlargements it had undergone down to the fifteenth century there is no evidence to shew, as the ' See ante, chap. iii. Part I. p. 35. It is true the charter is only preserved by Inspeximus, but there can be no reason to suppose any interpolation. ■> See chap. iii. Part I. p. 31. F f 434 The A dvowson of the Rectory. builders of the later structure did not leave, so far as has been observed, a single scrap of the masonry of the old church remaining which would indicate its original form and proportions. It is most probable that the existing church occupies much the same site as the former one, but covers a much larger area, so that should any of the foundations of the old church exist, they would be found beneath the pave- ment, and so within the walls of the newer one. It will have been seen that one or two successive char- ters refer to the church of Newbury in connection with the gift to the Abbey of Preaux, but the next reference is one early in the thirteenth century, when a dispute had arisen respecting a claim set up by the great and wealthy abbey not far distant. The Abbot and Convent of Read- ing claiming that Newbury forming part of the parish of Thatcham they, as owners of the latter advowson, which was bestowed on them by the foundation charter of Henry I., were entitled to compensation for its appropriation by the Abbot and Convent of Preaux. The trial on the question of the rights of the two mo- nastic houses as regards Newbury Church was, as will be seen by the following Composition, committed to the Abbot and Prior of Waverley, and the Prior of Monk's Sherborne, judges delegated by the Pope : — Composition about the Church of Newbury =. " To all sons of Holy Mother Church who may see the present writing, Symon, by the Grace of God, abbot of Reading, and the convent of the same, greeting. Know all of you that a dispute moved between us on one part, and the abbot and convent of Pre'aux, and Gervase of Newbury, clerk, on the other, concerning the church of Newbury, was committed to the abbot and prior of Waverley and the prior of Sherborne, judges dele- gated by the Pope, and was setded by the authority of the same judges, by consent of the parties and counsel of lawyers, in this form of peace, namely, that whereas the abbot and convent of Prdaux, called to judgment by letter of the Pope, appeared ' Cottonian MSS. Vesp. E. v. f. 21, Brit. Miis. The Advowson of the Rectory. 435 by their proctors appointed to dispute and agree, in the greater church at Winchester, in judgment before the said judges, and Gervase appeared in person, And the same person agreed, by authority of the Pope's letter concerning the church of New- bury, which he said was situated within the limits of the parish of Thatcham, and therefore belonged to Thatcham Church. Wherefore he intended to remove both the abbot and convent of Prdaux, and Gervase, the clerk, from Newbury church. At length, after many allegations and exceptions put forward on both sides, by common assent, before our judges and the lawyers assisting them, it was amicably arranged, an oath being given by both parties to observe faithfully the form of peace ; that Thatcham church shall receive every year 2s. from Newbury church as it has heretofore received, Also the abbot and convent of Preaux shall pay of their goods for the good of peace 4^. id. a year to the abbot and convent of Reading, within the octave of Michael- mas, without any difficulty or cavillation, which may arise about the payment or term of payment of the said money, under the obligation of the same oath. "We therefore will keep harmless under the foresaid form clerks, as well those from us, as on the other side, who hold the remaining portions, if they hold any, in the church of Thatcham. And that this composition may remain for ever perpetual and stable, we confirm it by adding our seals." This Composition is undated, but Simon was Abbot of Reading, 12 13 — 26. There are in the Record Office many volumes of tran- scripts of documents relating to England from the archives of foreign countries. One of these volumes contains those from Normandy, and in it are transcribed about twenty documents relating to the abbey of Pratellis or Preaux, taken from a cartulary of that abbey, including a counter- part of the composition between Gervase of Newbury, on the one part, and Simon, Abbot of Reading, on the other. Beyond this the only other mention of Newbury is as follows : — "Memorandum, that we (abbey of Preaux) receive in the Church of Newbury, annually, 40.?. at Christmas ; loj. at Easter; \os. at feast of St. John Baptist ; and \os. at Michaelmas." F f 2 436 The Advowson of the Rectory. The arrangement as confirmed by the Composition was faithfully observed, as a receipt is extant *, dated i 5 Edw. IV., 1474-5, from John Bristow, Almoner of Reading Abbey, whereby he acknowledges the payment of the an- nual sum of 4^. %d. due from the rectory of Newbury. How it was that the Abbot and Convent of Reading were able to shew that Newbury church was within the parish of Thatcham it is difficult, in the absence of any evidence relating to the suit, to determine. In many parishes even at the present day some portion in the middle of one parish belongs to another that is distant, but that has generally occurred by a unity of possession in the first instance, when the lord of a manor at his own cost erected a new church, and made a new parish out of his own demesnes, some of which lay in the compass of another parish. But these conditions are wanting, so far as our information extends, as regards Newbury. The parish of Thatcham was formerly the largest in the county, excepting Lamborne, containing, according to Rocque's survey made in 1761, 11,491 acres, and it is still very ex- tensive, though the hamlets of Midgham and Greenham have been since formed into separate ecclesiastical dis- tricts. The latter parish adjoins the town of Newbury on the south-east, the original boundary-line of the parish of Thatcham running close to the supposed site of the castle of Newbury, which was besieged by King Stephen. At the Taxation of Pope Nicholas, who granted the first- fruits and tenths of all benefices to Edward I. for six years, towards defraying the expense of an expedition to the Holy Land, the church of Newbury was rated at ;^I3 6s. M. The Prior of "Pratellis" (Preaux) was re- turned as having temporal property at Newbury to the value of £2., and the Prior of Sandleford £2 %s. 8d. This Taxation, which was made about 1291, is a most im- portant record, because all the taxes payable as well to the King as to the Pope were regulated by it, until the survey made in the 26th year of Henry VIIL, known as the " Valor Ecclesiasticus ^." ■I Cotton. MS. Vesp. E. v. f. 66 b. « Taxatio P. Nich. The Advowson of the Rectory. 437 In 1 341, at the Inquisition of the Ninths, being the re- port of a commission to ascertain the value of the ninth of corn, fleeces, and lambs in cities and boroughs, the ninth part of all goods and chattels which, by an Act 14 Edw. III., was to be granted to the King for two years, towards the expense of the Scotch and French wars, the return from the parish of Newbury is as follows : — " Thomas Chakyndon, Philip Picott, Richard de Somenour, Thomas le Parker, Ralph le Fatte, and John atte Burche say, on their oath, that the ninth of sheaves, lambs, and wool in the said parish is worth this year, at the true value, ^10, and not more, because great part of the profit of the Church consists of the tithe of hay and oblations of the town of Nyubury ; with which said ;!£^io four men of the town are charged '." The advowson remained in the gift of the abbot and convent of Preaux till about the year 1394, when Sir Lewis Clifford, Knight, had a grant for life from this religious house, with the licence of the King (Richard II.), of the advowson of the church of Newbury, and other possessions of the monks of Preaux, with remainder to his son Lewis for life also, upon a certain rent reserved to the King during the continuance of the wars with France. The extensive donations to foreign monasteries, which in- creased for a large portion of the time during which Nor- mandy and Anjou were subject to England, formed a nucleus for discontent. The priories abroad, for the better management of their estates and revenues in England, established Cells subordinate to their respective houses, which were called Alien Priories. The produce of their estates was probably magnified in popular opinion ; but whether more or less, in the wars between England and France their revenues were regularly seized, which induced these foreign abbeys to be anxious to sell or lease their interest in them, during these troubles at least, to other religious houses in England, or to any private persons who wanted to endow other monastic foundations. Hence the advowson of the church of Newbury, and other pos- ' Cal. Non. Inq., p. 7. Lond. 1807. 438 The Advotvson of the Rectory. sessions of the monks of Preaux in this country, were granted, with the consent of the King, to Sir Lewis Clif- ford, upon a certain rent reserved to the Crown. In most cases the rent was the same that was paid in time of peace to these foreign abbeys. At a later period the suppression of the ahen priories was made legal, and the confiscation of their lands formed the precedent which led to the general dissolution of the monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII. Sir Lewis Clifford, K.G., who thus became possessed of the advowson of Newbury, was an ancestor of Lord Clifford of Chudleigh, and became a leader among the Lollards, but afterwards recanted to Archbishop Arundel. His extraordinary will, in which he enjoins his executors to bury him, " false and traytor to his Lord God," with extraordinary indignities, is preserved in Dug- dale's "Baronage" (i. p. 341). It may not be unworthy of remark that his descendants have adhered to their ancient faith. In the sixth year of Henry IV. (1404), the King, by his Letters Patent dated March 15, granted the advowson of the church of Newbury, and other property belonging to the abbey of Preaux, to Sir Thomas Erpingham, Knight, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, one of the most famous warriors of his age, to be held by him for life, in as ample a manner as Sir Lewis Clifford held them b. At the taxation of the spiritualities of the diocese of Salisbury at the commencement of Bishop Hallum's Re- gister (9 Hen. IV.), 1408, the church of Newbury was taxed at twenty marks, and the pension of the Prior of Pratell therefrom at one mark. On the suppression of alien priories, which were dis- solved by Act of Parliament, i Henry V., c. 6, 7^ their estates came to the Crown, when Sir Thomas Erpingham, who had served with Henry in all the wars with France, with the consent of the King, granted his life interest in the advowson of the church of Newbury and other pos- K Dugdale, Hist. Warwickshire, vol. i. pp. 535-6. "Printed entire in Rymer's Fredera, vol. ix. p. 283, and in the Parliament Kolls, vol. IV. p. 22. Tlie Advowson of the Rectory. 439 sessions of the abbey of Preaux to the prior and convent ot the Carthusian monastery of Witham, in the county of Somerset. This grant not only had the confirmation of the King, but he granted to the priory and convent of Witham, after Erpingham's death, the same lands, with all rights, &c., which formerly belonged to the abbey of Preaux, without rent or account, by reason of the war, and free from tenths, fifteenths, tallage, &c., granted by Convocation of Par- liament, notwithstanding the statute of mortmain, or that possessions of aliens were assigned for the King's house- hold, or of the King's foundation ; or that the said manors, advowsons, &c., are held in chief, or of greater value than specified, or granted to the said abbot and convent for divine service or hospitality ; or that the said lands came into the King's hands by seizure in conse- quence of the war. This instrument is dated at Westminster, July 15, 1413. The consideration to be paid into the hanaper by the Prior and Convent of Witham for this grant was only 50 marks, " because they are poor '." King Henry VI., in the nineteenth year of his reign, 1440, by Letters Patent dated at Westminster, November 28 (wherein a former grant is recited), — " out of a most devout affection to the house of Witham, as being the first of that holy rule that had been founded in this kingdom, and to the intent that the monks there serving God should more especially pray for the souls of his royal progenitors, as also for his own soul after his departure out of this life, gave unto them and their successors the gifts specified in the former grant of his father, Henry V., to hold and enjoy for ever in pure alms'." This patent was judged invalid on the accession of Edward IV., and the monks of Witham obtained from that King another charter, bearing date at Westminster, July 20, in the first year of his reign, and a confirmation of their former grant'. i Rot. Pat. I Hen. V., pt. 3, m. 20. ^ Diigdale, Hist. Warwicks., vol. i. pp. 535-6- ' Ibid. 440 The Advowson of the Rectory. Shortly before the general dissolution of the monasteries the Prior and Convent of Witham granted to Sir John Brydges, Knight, the advowson, presentation, or free dis- position of the parish church of St. Nicholas, Nevi^bury, in the county of Berks, and diocese of Salisbury, whenever by death, resignation, deprivation, cession, or any other mode of avoidance, it should first and next chance to be vacant ". It seems probable that this grant was for one turn only, as the advowson soon after reverted to the Crown. In the ecclesiastical survey known as the Valor Eccle- siasticus, made in pursuance of an Act of Parliament, 26 Hen. VIII., 1534 — 1535, for ascertaining the yearly value of all the possessions appertaining to any monastery, priory, church, parsonage, vicarage, free chapel, &c., within the realm, the church of Newbury was valued at;^38 \6s.(^\d., after allowing for procurations and other deductions, and paid its tenth, £}, ijs. 8d. Sir John Brydges, to whom letters of advowson were granted, appears most probably to have been the person who was appointed Lieutenant of the Tower on the ac- cession of Queen Mary, who created him Lord Chandos of Sudeley, April 8, 1554. Richard Brydges, of Great Shefford, who was of this family, obtained considerable grants of monastic possessions in this neighbourhood, in- cluding certain properties in Newbury belonging to the monastery of Witham. The property which was possessed by the Priory of Witham, in Newbury, is thus returned in the " Ministers' Accounts " for the year ending Michaelmas, 1539° : — " Deanery of Newbury. Newbury. Assessed Rents . . . ^£1 gs. ^d. Pension from the Rectory . i 6.r. 2>d." At the dissolution of the religious houses, when all ecclesiastical possessions were seized by the King, Witham Priory shared the fate of other conventual establishments, and the advowson of the church of Newbury became '" Bishops' Registry at Salisbury— Shaxton, f. 19. ° Dugdale, Mon., vol. vi. pt. i, p. 1. The Advoivson of the Rectory. 441 vested in the Crown ; and in compliance with the will of Henry VIII. was bestowed, with the manor of Newbury and other property, on his daughter, the Princess Eliza- beth, " until such time as she should be provided for by honourable marriage or otherwise °." During the time that the Rev. Benjamin Woodbridge held the Rectory of Newbury a survey of all church livings was made by virtue of a commission issued out of the High Court of Chancery, bearing date April 23, 1655P, when the following Report was returned concerning New- bury : — "Nubery is a Parsonage, worth £^11 i6j-. od., formerly in the guift of y^ late King. Mr. Benjamin Woodbridge is yi^ present Incumbent, being a godly, able, and painefuU Minister. The parish is at present large, being a greate Market Towne. And we conceive it maybe fitt for another Church to be built in some parte of y° Towne, and that a parte of y^ parish of Speene called Speenham Land, adjoyneing to Nubery togeither with the Chap- pellry of Sandleford, with a tithing or hamlet called Grenham, in the parish of Thatcham, be annexed thereto. Jurors. Giles Spicer. William Ambrose. Robert Hutchins. Thomas Elgar. John Godard. The x of John Norten. John Bartholomew. John Shepherd. John Knight. Commissioners. Henry Langley. Phillip Allen. And. Keepe. John CoUins." Henry Cooke. This excellent recommendation was not acted upon, but Speenhamland, Greenham, and St. John's, Newbury, are now separate ecclesiastical parishes. With the exception of the Commonwealth period, when all ecclesiastical order was suspended, the advowson con- ° Rot. Pat. 4 Edw. VI., fol. 3, m. 25. p " Survey of Church Livings," Lambeth Palace Library : "Berks." 442 The Advoivson of the Rectory. tinued in the gift of the Crown from the Reformation until 1854, when, in accordance with an Order in Council, dated August 1 1 in that year, the advowson, with the patronage of St. Nicholas, Newbury, was transferred to the See of Oxford, and thus the direct connection of the sovereigns of England with our Church became severed, after a union of more than 300 years. CHAPTER II. Ube Cbantries, ©bits, aub Cburcb (Boobs. Bullock's or St. Mary's Chantry, 1330. — Warmington's Chantry, 1367. — John Chelry's bequest for an Obit in Newbury Church, 1438. — Worme- stall's Chantry, 1466. — The Church Goods, 1552. Bullock's Chantry. IN the year 1330, an inqiiisitio ad quod damnum was taken at Newbury, on writ dated February 6 in that year, to ascertain " If it would be to the damage of the King, or of any of his subjects, if Robert Bullock of Newbury assign a messuage in the town to Richard de Warmington, Rector of Newbury, to cele- brate divine service at the Altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Newbury for the souls of the father and mother of the said Robert Bullock, and of all the faithful departed. The jury found that it would be no damage to any one, and reported that the messuage was held of the Earl of Lincoln, as of the inherit- ance of his wife by service of 2s. ?sd. yearly, and was worth 2 6.f. ?>d. beyond this in annual value. The Earl of Lincoln held of the Earl Marshal, who was a tenant of the King. There remained to Robert Bullock after his gift, lands and tenements worth one mark yearly, which were held of the Earl Marshal by an annual payment of Si'"." The Earl of Lincoln referred to in the Inquisition was Eubolo le Strange, a younger son of John, Baron Strange, of Knockyn, who in some documents is dignified with the title of Earl of Lincoln, he having married Alice de Lacy, the daughter and heir of Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, and the divorced wife of Thomas Plantagenet, Earl of Lancaster. The grant by Robert I^llock was confirmed by Wyvill, ■" Inq. ad. q. d., 3 Edw. IIL, No. 53. 444 ^'^^ Chantries, Obits, and Church Goods. Bishop of Salisbury, and the license of the King obtained to alienate the messuage in Mortmain, March i6, 1337 ''- The family to which Robert Bullock, the founder of the first Chantry in our church belonged, was of some import- ance in the county of Berks, for there is a Final Concord (is Edw. III., no. 195) between Robert Bullock, senior, plaintiff, and sundry defendants, for the manor of Erburgh- field (Arborfield), which was settled on the plaintiff for life, with reversion to Robert his son, and Joanna, daughter of John de Drokensford, and the issue of Robert Bullock, junior, and Joanna his wife, in default of issue to Robert Bullock, senior, and his heirs. John de Drokensford was Keeper of the King's Wardrobe, Lord High Treasurer, and afterwards Bishop of Bath and Wells from 13 10 to 1329, and the above Joanna was not improbably a relative of his. The manor of Arborfield belonged to the Bullocks for many generations. Robert Bullock of that place served the office of Sheriff of Berkshire and Oxfordshire in the 8th and iSth Richard II., and was M.P. for Berks in the Parliament summoned to meet at Westminster 6 Richard II., 1382. The names of Thomas Bullock and Richard Bullock occur in the list of the gentry of Berk- shire, returned by the Commissioners 12 King Henry VI., 1433. Thomas, son of Robert Bullock, of Arborfield, married Ahce, daughter of William Yeading, whose son Robert married Margaret, daughter of William Norreys, of Bray, from whom descended the Lord Norreys of Rycote. Thomas Bullock, of Arborfield, was Sheriff of Berks, 23 Queen Elizabeth. In the pedigree of the family one of them is called " Hugh with the brazen hand." The arms there given are " Gules, a fess between bulls' heads cabossed argent, armed or. Crest, On a torse, argent and gules, five bills or staves, sable, bound with an escarf knot taselled gules." Lieut.-Col. Jonathan Bullock, of Falkborne Hall, Essex, M.P. for the county, was the last direct male heir and descendant of the Bullocks of ^Arborfield. He died in ^ Reg. Mfyvill, f. 41. The Chantries, Obits, and Church Goods. 445 1809, when the estates devolved on his nephew, Jonathan Watson, Esq., who assumed the name and arms of Bul- lock. In the Valor Ecclesiasticus ", temp. Hen. VIII., the fol- lowing particulars are given concerning Bullock's Chantry in Newbury Church : — Chantry called Bulloke's Chantry, within the church ;£ s. d. of St. Nicholas, appropriated to the Rectory, per annum clear . . . . . . . 8 16 2 The tenth 017 7| All colleges, chantries, and hospitals were dissolved and granted to the Crown by statute 37 Henry VIII., ch. 4 ; and by a subsequent Act, i Edward VI., c. 14, their revenues were directed to be devoted to the maintenance of grammar-schools, the improvement of vicarages, and the support of preachers. Some portion was so applied, but much the greater part was shared among the mem- bers of the government, to support the charge of their new dignities, or was employed in the payment of some of the late King's debts. In the report of the Commissioners appointed to survey the ecclesiastical property in Berkshire there is this notice of Bullock's Chantry : — " There is a Chantry called Bullocke's Chantry, founded by Robert Bullocke, and hath been dyss. . . [? disused] by the parson of Newbury since the fourth day of February, in the 27 th year of the late King's reign [Henry VIII. ] without the King's license, of the clear yearly value of ;^9 t^s. \d. And the ornaments, plate, goods, and chattels merely appertaining to the said Chantry are none ''." The Ministers' Accounts, i, 2 Edward VI., furnish the following return from Bullock's Chantry while in the King's hands : — ■ Deanery of Newbury. " Account of Richard Pickering, collector, for half a year end- ing at Michaelmas. ■= Vol. ii. p. 157. ■• Chantry Certificate (Southampton and Berks), No. 51. 446 The Chantries, Obits, and Church Goods. '^Bullock's Stipendiary in Newbury, £/^ iis. 8d. half of £g ^s. 4d., the annual rent and farm due to the King^." In the Particulars for Grants of Chantry lands the endowment of Bullock's Chantry or Stipendiary is thus described : — "Rent of a messuage with appurtenances in Newbury, given by Robert Bullock and Richard Warmington, late Rector there, to the intent that Warmington and his successors should find for ever a chaplain to celebrate mass at St. Mary's Altar in the parish church of Newbury, as appears by Charter of 20th of April, 10 Edw. III. The said rent now in the occupation of the Rector, dos., at 12 years' purchase = ;^36. " There is neither lands, &c/ " Edvi^ard Heydon, the last Rector of Newbury appointed by the Priory of Witham, appears on the Roll of Fees, Corrodies, and Pensions, paid out of the Exchequer to members of the suppressed Chantries, 2, 3 Philip and Mary, as having an annual pension of ^Os. as Incumbent of Bullock's Chantry, and Robert Fossake, or Foscute, priest, late celebrating in the Church of Newbury (Chap- lain of Wormestall's Chantry), as the receiver of an annual pension of ;^6. In 1559 Edward Heydon, Rector of Craw- ley, Hants, was installed Prebendary of Winchester ; this was probably the person mentioned above, who resigned the Rectory of Newbury in 155 1. Warmington's Chantry. (Supplementary to Bullock's.) On February 8, 42 Edw. III., 1367-8, an Inquisition (by writ dated January 26), was taken at Hungerford, by the oath of certain jurors, who say that " It is not to the injury of the King, or of any of his subjects, though the King grant to William de Warmington, Chaplain of St. Mary's, or Bullock's Chantry, in Newbury Church, that he may give three messuages, one toft, twelve acres of meadow, and five shillings rent, with the appurtenances in Newbury, to '^ Ministers' Accounts, i, 2 Edw. VI., No. 3, m. 4. ' Particulars for Grants, Augmentation Off., Misc. Books, vol. 67, f 218 210. / ' • > The Chantries, Obits, and Church Goods. AA7 Thomas Charles, parson of the Church of Newbury, in aid of finding a Chaplain to celebrate for the estate of the said William while living, and for his soul when he shall have departed this life, and for the soul of Robert Bullock, and the souls of their fathers, mothers, and all the faithful departed, in the said church every day for ever ; to have and to hold to them and their suc- cessors, being parsons of the said church, in aid as aforesaid. " One messuage of the said three with the said toft is held of Nicholas de Cantilupe by the service of li^d. per annum, and he holds of the heirs of the Count of Perche, who hold of the King in capita; and the premises are worth per annum (clear) \2d. The two other messuages, 12 acres of land, and one acre of meadow are held of Aymer (Almarici) de Valence and William de la Zouche undivided {pro indivisio), and by the service of 31-. (>d. yearly ; and they hold of the heirs of the Count of Perche, who hold of the King in capite. The said tenements are worth beyond the aforesaid payment 4J. per annum. The ^s. rent is held of the heirs of Nicholas de Cantilupe, and they hold of the heirs of the Count of Perche, who hold of the King in capite. " No lands beyond those contained in the abovesaid gift remain to the said WiUiam s." In the Valor Ecclesiasticus^, Warmington's Chantry, which vi'as an augmentation of Bullock's, is thus de- scribed : — " Chantry of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Robert Mine- hall, Incumbent of the same, per annum clear . 9 10 9 The tenth o 19 i The Report of the Chantry Commissioners supplies the following particulars of this foundation : — " Warmington's Chantry. One Chantry of Our Lady, founded by Richard de Warmyngton, sometime parson of Newbury, and other inhabitants there, to the intent to have a priest to sing in the Chapel of Our Lady in Newbury. And for the maintenance thereof they have put certain land and tenements in feoffment, as well to pay the said priest his stipend, as also to perform and fulfil certain other charges incident or belonging to the same. "The said Chantry is situate within the parish church of Newbury. B Chanc. Inq. p. m., 42 Edvv. III., No. 23. ^ Vul. ii. p. 157. 448 The Chantries, Obits, and Church Goods. £ s. d. The value of the said Chantry by the year whereof 18 98 For rent paid 036 For the priest . . . . 8 13 4 For wine and wax . . . .034 For the tenth o 19 i 9 ^9 3 And so remain eth £,?> 10 5 which is employed by the Proctors of the said Chantry towards the yearly repairing the tenements thereto belonging '. "Ornaments, plate, jewels, goods, and chattels, merely apper- taining to the said Chantry there are none, for it is served with the ornaments of the said Church." The Ministers' Accounts of this Chantry for the half year, i, 2 Edward VI., are as follows : — "Chantry of St. Mary, in Newbury. £6 \os. \\d., half of £\T, OS. 22d., the annual rent and farm due to the King''." The Particulars for Grants of Chantry lands enable us to obtain a more minute account of the situation and income from this property comprising the endowment of this Chantry : — Parcel of St. Mary's Chantry. Rent of a garden near Grene- hamway, in the occupation of John Goldwyer, at will, at ltd. a year. Rent of a messuage called Hockehowse, in Chepe-Street, in the occupation of Robert Carter at 5^. a year. Rent of a messuage or tenement with curtilage, and garden con- taining one rood, now in the occupation of John Awmdover, and late in tenure of Thomas Hoddes, at 13^-. 4^. a year. Rent of a garden in occupation of Thomas Organ, at 2s. Zd. a year. Rent of a tenement on the south side of Mill-street [i.e. the street leading to West Mills], in occupation of John Ridar, and another there in the occupation of — . Eyres, widow, with garden, 14 ft. wide and 20ft. long; another tenement with garden 20 ft. x 40 ft., on the east side of Bartholomew-street, in occupation of Thomas Waterman ; another tenement in ' Chantry Certificate (Southampton and Berks), No. 51, ^ Ministers' Accounts, i, 2 Edw. VI., No. 3, m. 4. The Chantries, Obits, and Church Goods. 449 Chepe-street, on the east side, in the occupation of John Hawten, Esq. All held by John Knight, Gent., at 12s. i,d. a year. Rent of an acre of land near Sandleford Lane, in occupation of Richard Latymer, bd. a year, at 22 years' purchase = ii.f. Rent of a tenement near the Cemetery [i.e. the Litten, or burial- ground attached to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, late the play- ground belonging to the Grammar School], in tenure of divers priests, 13^. i,d. a year, at 10 years' purchase ;Qi> isi'. i,d. Whole yearly value ^it, \s. %d\ St. Mary's Chantry-chapel, the foundation of Robert Bullock and William de Warmington ™, is on the south side of the chancel, and until the restoration of the church in 1865-67, was separated from the rest of the building, and for many years was used as a school for the boys belong- ing to Cowslade's and Kendrick's charities. Wormestall's Chantry. This Chantry was founded in the Church of Newbury by Henry Wormestall, in the seventh year of Edward IV. (1466), who by his last will, dated May S, 1466, bequeathed certain lands and tenements in the names of feoffees to the intent that, after paying for all needful reparations to the said premises, they should hire a priest to pray for the soul of the founder, and all Christian souls. With this proviso, that it should be at all times lawful for the said feoffees to alter and vary the said foundation, as in their discretion should seem good ". In the Valor Ecclesiasticus° this Chantry is returned as under : — Chantry in the Church of St. Nicholas, founded by Henry Wormestall, Thomas Foscote, Incumbent, per annum clear . . . . . .604 The tenth 012 o\ ' Particulars for Grants, Augmentation Off., Misc. Books, vol. 67, f. 218, 219. '" In the preceding Ciiantry Certificate the name of Richard de Warming- ton is given as one of the founders of this chantry, a misconception which evidently arose from the insertion of his name as Chaplain in the license obtained by Bullock for settling land in mortmain for this purpose. " Particulars for Grants, Augmentation Off., Misc. Books, vol. 67, f. 218, 219. ° Vol. ii. p. 157. 45 o The Chantries, Obits, and Church Goods. The Commissioners of Edward VI. reported on this foundation, as follows : — £'s. d. The value of the said Chantry by the year whereof 13 9 ^ For rent paid o 1 5 4 For the priest . For an Obit For the procurations For the tenth S o o 0100 068 O 12 o}t 10 4 And so remaineth ^3 5 7i which is employed by the Proctors of the said Chantry toward the yearly repairing of the house thereto belonging p. The Ministers' Accounts of this Chantry state : — WormestalVs Chantry in Newbury returns an annual rent or farm of £\-i, 95. 8(f., of which is due to the King for half 3- ycs-f) £fi 14-f- lO'^- ' The Particulars for Grants for the sale of Chantry- lands gives the following description of the property be- longing to this foundation : — • Rent of a tenement situated in Newbury, on the east side of Chepe-street, with the vacant ground of Robert Brodwell on the south side, in the tenure of Henry Horncliffe, at 43^-. \od. a year, at 10 years' purchase = :£i^T- iSi-. ^d. ISineteen acres of arable land in the common field, i.e. Green- hamfelde, i4|- acres in the east field of Newbury, and 4i acres in tenure of H. Horncliffe, at dd. per annum = 9^. dd. at twenty-two years' purchase = ^10 ()s. Three cottages on the east side of Chepe-street in the occupation of Richard Plaisterer and John Squier; a close of pasture, I acre, with three rakkes therein [i.e. racks for drying cloth], in tenure of Richard Brydges, Esq., a't i2i-. a year, at ten years' purchase = £6. Rent of 4 acres and 3 roods of arable land, i.e. i acre in Le Eastefeld of Newbury, i acre in the common field of Grene- ham, caUed Minefield, i acre 3 roods in Dunston field, 2 acres P Chantry Certificate (Southampton and Berks), No. 51. 1 Ministers' Accounts, i, 2 Edw. VI., No. 3, m. 4. The Chantries, Obits, and Church Goods. 45 1 with four pieces of pasture land in Lotemeade, in tenure of John Millet, at will, 4^-. yearly, at 22 years' purchase = jQ^ %s. Rent of a tenement with garden on the east side of Northebroocke- strete, Newbury, in tenure of Edward White, 26J. 8^. yearly, at 10 years' purchase = jQ\t, ds. Zd. Rent to the King for the tenement and land in the tenure of Horncliffe, as of the manor of Greneham, late belonging to the Prior of St. John of Jerusalem, 5^-. dd., and for rent lately belonging to the Prior of Witham 9^., extinguished. Clear yearly value, ;Qi^ ids. Memorandum. The yearly value of the whole land belonging to this stipendiary is jQii, gj. 8^., whereof the premises deducted, the residue shall remain ;2^8 13^. 8^., which consisteth in houses. In consideration of the sum of £61'^ Zs. ^d. the King (Edw^ard VI.) granted the whole of the lands and proper- ties above enumerated, lately belonging to the dissolved Chantries, to John Knight, Robert Were, alias Brown, and others ; the purchasers being discharged of all incum- brances, except leases and the covenants in the same, and to have the issues from the preceding Michaelmas ■". The instrument of conveyance was dated December 24, 2nd year of King Edward VI., 1548, and the property of these eleemosynaries passed into lay hands. John Chelry's Bequest for an Obit in Newbury Church. In addition to the perpetual Chantries in Newbury Church, there were several Obits, anniversaries, and other services for the departed, ordered to be observed for a term of years, or for a shorter period. For instance, John Chelry (referred to in a previous chapter, pp. 179, 180), by his will dated May 14, 1438, directed that after providing sixteen marks for a chaplain who should sing masses for his soul in the parish church during the two years next after his decease, a sum of twenty marks *■ Particulars for Grants, Augmentation Off. Misc., Books, vol. 67, f. 218, 219. Gg2 452 The Chantries, Obits, and Church Goods. (per annum the will says, but it is badly drawn and obscure) should be paid to the churchwardens [procuratoribus) for the support of the fabric. Every chaplain who should attend his funeral, and the mass after it, was to receive the sum of four pence, as was also the parish clerk. He then made provision for his two daughters, who were to receive ten marks apiece, and sundry enumerated articles, and concluded his will without any mention of his wife. We subjoin one of these depositions — that of the clerk who drew the will — verbatim, as a specimen of the Eng- lish as written in the year of grace 1452. " To all treu christin peple unto whos syght or hearyng thys p'sent wrytyng shall come Syr ' Harey Knocston Vycary of Mer- lok [Martock] in the Counte of Soms't sendyth gretyng in our lorde godd ev'lastyng Fuevmor, be hit openly knowe that John Smyth, orwys callyd John Chelry of Newbury sometyme my master, send for me to Marleburgh in the Whitsonweke last byfor he paste oute of this Worlde and I came at hys sendyng, he byyng syke in hys bedde, and then at hys prayer y made a note of his testament in the wych he ordeyned a certeyne sum of money to be payde to the chyrch of Newbury aforsayde. Allso a certeyne sum of money to his two dougterys, Allso to fynde a preste by twoo yeers or ellis two prestys by one yeer to pray for his sowle, the whych he desyryd of me that y should have be his prest duryng the terme aforsayd. And y excusyd me for as moche as my benefys was promysyd me. Allso hit was his wyll at that tyme that the reversyon of the place that he dwellyd in wyth a tene- ment of the sowth syde next thereto wyth all their ptynenc, etc. shuld be solde to pforme his wyll aforsayde. And yt Jenett, ye which was his wyfe at yt tyme, shuld have the reversyon of the places forsayde wyth her ptynenc, etc. to her and to her Assygnes, in fee for ever on yis co'dycyon, that the forsayde Jenett shulde p'forme or do to be p'formyd the wyll of his bequeste and ordy- ' The title of Sir was formerly given to priests in holy orders, who had not taken their degrees ; whilst that of Master was given to those who had commenced in the arts. Hence Fuller, in his Church History, quaintly says, "More Sirs than Knights." Shakespeare, in "The Merry Wives of Windsor," calls a Welsh parson Sir Hugh Evans ; he has also a Sir Topas in "Twelfth Night," and Sir Oliver in "As You Like It." Spenser, in more than one instance, designates a priest Sir John. Bishop Percy says that the title of Sir was appropriated to such of the inferior clergy as were only readers of the service, and not admitted to be preachers. The Chantries, Obits, and CJmrch Goods. 453 naunce Fuevmor as it was enformyde, and allso have sey by wrytyng that ye seyd Ihon Smyth made a state of ye seyde re- versyon, etc. to the p'son of Newbury, the p'son of Wyhcham [Wickham] and to me wt others, etc. to this contente, when yt wee be requyred yt wee shall delyver our state to the seyd Jenett or to her Assygnes. In recorde herof to this my present script y have sett to my scale — Geven at Oxenford in allsowlys CoUeg' the xxiii"! day of April the xxx* yer of our soverayn Lorde Kyng Henry sexthe.'' Newbury Parish Church Goods, 1552. The chantries in the church having been suppressed by- Henry VIII. in 1 545, and their revenues granted to the Crown by Act i Edward VI. ch. 14, subsequent proceed- ings were taken to sweep the few remaining treasures of the church into the coffers of the State. In 1552 Com- missioners were appointed to make inventories of the or- naments, jewels, bells, vestments, and other property re- maining in the parish churches throughout England. The order to the Commissioners directed that those things which were absolutely necessary for Divine Service were to be retained, the coverings of the Communion-table, and other linen ornaments over and above what were actually needed, were to be given to the poor, "in such sort as may be most to God's glory and our honour ;" the copes and other rich vestments to be sold, and the proceeds given, not "to God's glory," but "to our own use." All the bells were to be sold except the great bell (which it was necessary to leave to call people together), and the " saunse bell '." The Commissioners for Berks, appointed May, 1552, were the Marquis of Northampton, Sir Philip Hoby, Sir Maurice Berkeley, Sir Humfrey Forster, Thomas Weldon, John Norris, and Thomas Denton, and the inventories of the goods in the different churches in the county, signed by the receivers of the respective parishes, are now pre- ' See Introduction to " Church Goods in Berkshire,'' by the Author. James Parker and Co., Oxford and London, 1879. 454 l^he Chantries, Obits, and Church Goods. served in the Public Record Office". That relating to Newbury is as follows : — Newbury. " This Inventory indented made the seconde daye of August in the sexte yere of the Raigne of o' soueraigne Lorde Edward e the sixte, betwene the Comyssyoners of o' said soueraigne Lorde for the vyewe of all goodes, plate, juelles, belles, and ornamentes, to euery Churche and Chapell w'in the countye of Berk, belonginge or in any wyse appertaignynge of the one partye, and Thomas Dolman, and William Blandy, and Anthony Harmer, and Richard Cooke, Churche wardens of the peryshe churche of Newbury, in the said countye of the other partye, Wittenessethe that the said Comyssyoners haue delyvered by thies presentes to the said Churche Wardens All parcelles here after partyculerly wryttene, viz. one Challys w' A pattene parcell gylte, A cope of fyne blewe velvett embroydered w' spanges of golde, one other cope of clothe of bawdy kyne^, certene l}'nene Appoynted for the servyce of the mynystracion of the Comyunyone, ij payer of orgayns y V belles hanginge in the Tower, A clothe of fyne Arras con- teynynge in lenthe iij yardes and in bredthe ij yardes and di. w''' dyd hange Att the high Alter, and a sanctus bell. And all the said parcels safly to be kept and preserued, And the same and euery parcell thereof to be forthcomynge at all tymes when it shalbe of them requyred In Witnesse whereof aswell the said Comyssyoners as the said Churche wardens to this Inventory haue subscribed their names. The day and yere aboue writtene. per Thomas Dolman. per me Wyllyam Blandy. per me Anthony Harmer. per me Rycherd Coke. '- Land Revenue Records, Church Goods, Berks, Bundle 443, and Ex- chequer, Queen's Remembrancer's Miscellanea, Church Goods, Berks, Bundle No. I. ^ Tissue, or cloth of gold, from Baldacca. y The larger organs are often called "a payer" in these Inventories. CHAPTER III. Ibistors anil Description ot tbe present parisb Cburcb. The evidence of date from the architecture. — The Will of Jack of Newbury. — Date on the tower. — .Size of the Church. — Chief architectural features. —Work of restoration, 185S-67.— The Stained-glass Windows.— The Communion Plate. — The Bells. — The Clock and Chimes. — The Monu- mental Inscriptions. IT remains now to say something respecting the history and architectural features of the existing church, which, owing to the pious munificence of past parishioners, who left funds for its maintenance, has been fortunately pre- served to us almost as intact as when it left the hands of its original builders. There would be peculiar interest in determining when the edifice was commenced, and by whom the works were undertaken and directed ; but no record is to be found in the Diocesan archives at Salisbury of any ofScial act or proceeding having reference to the building of the church. But though official documents are at present wanting, we are supplied with some evidence towards the solution of the question. When was the church built ? not only by the analogy in architectural character to those works whose age is definitely ascertained, but also from other inferences. First, then, the style and detail of the whole building is that of the late Perpendicular period, and this points to its having been built about the end of the fifteenth or commencement of the sixteenth century. Beyond the information which can be derived from the general design of the church as to the probable date ot its erection, material evidence is afforded by certain badges or devices of Henry VIII. and Queen Katherine, repre- sented on various parts of the building, and which demon- strates that the church was erected between the years 1509—1533- 456 History and Description of Prominent among these devices are the pomegranate and the portcullis. The pomegranate, apple of Granada, was assumed by Ferdinand V. of Castile, the father of Katherine of Arragon, to commemorate his conquest of Granada from the Moors in 1492. It was on the 3rd of June, in the year 1509, that Henry VIII. espoused Kathe- rine, whom he divorced in 1533, and we may therefore fairly assume that the date of the erection of the church must be enclosed between these two years. The port- cullis was only introduced after the accession of the House of Tudor in 1485, and was placed on the royal escutcheon by Henry VII. to shew his maternal descent from the family of Beaufort, and to indicate that as the portcullis, the device of the Duke of Somerset (the eldest son of John of Gaunt by his third wife) is an additional security to the gates or porch of a fortress, so his descent through his mother strengthened his title to the Crown. The other devices represent portions of the royal arms — lions passant-guardant, the crosses of St. George and St. An- drew, the Tudor rose, the Fleur-de-lis, &c. Fuller, the Church historian, in his " History of the Worthies of England," published in 1662, a part of which was printed before the author died, in 1661, says : — " John Winscombe, called commonly Jack of Newberry, . . . built the church of Newberry, from the pulpit westward to the tower inclusively, and died about the year 1520." It is impossible to speak with certainty as to the posi- tion of the pulpit in Fuller's time. Anciently pulpits always faced the west, that the people in all acts of de- votion might look towards the east, according to the custom of the primitive Church ; the change to the south or other direction was an introduction of the Puritans. The proper place for the pulpit would therefore have been either on the north side of the east end of the nave, as at present, or on the south, or men's side, which is the most common position, as at Wells, Chartres, Haarlem, Aix, and formerly at Winchester, Peterborough, Gloucester, and Worcester. When the pulpit now in the church was given by the present Parish Church. 457 Mrs. Cross, in i6o6-y, it appears to have been placed against one of the columns of the nave arcade ; and in 1683-4 it was on the north side of the nave, in front of the second column from the chancel, and there it remained, excepting for a short time in 1797, until about forty years ago, when it was removed to the north end of the screen, subsequently to the south end, and ultimately back again to the north end, which is its present position. It is very noticeable that the columns of the nave arcade, from the place where the pulpit formerly stood, differ, in size and arrangement, from those between this point and the tower ; the clerestory windows not being dissimilar. We have, therefore, no positive evidence to exactly define the extent of Winchcombe's part towards building the church already referred to (p. 203). By his will dated January, 1519-20, the year in which he died, Winchcombe made considerable bequests to the parish church of Newbury, and as this is a most valuable and important document, and of special interest in our present enquiry, it will be well at this point to introduce it in its entirety : — " In the Name of God, Amen. The iiij"i day of January, in the yere of our Lord God m v'^ and xix, I, John Smalwoode the Elder, al's John Wynchcombe, of the p'ish of Seynt Nicholas, in Newbery, in the dioces of Sars", of hoole and p'fitte mynde, make my Testament and last Wille in man' and forme folowinge : — First, I bequeth my Soule to Almighty God, to our blessed Lady Saint Mary the Virgyn, and to all the holy Company of Hevyn. And my body to be buryed in our Lady Chauncell, w'in the pishe Churche of Newbery aforesaide, by AHce my wyf, and a stone to be leyd upon us boothe. Also I bequethe to our Moder Churche of Sars xij''. Also I bequiethe to the High Aulter of the said Churche of Newbery, for my offerings negligently for- goten, xii". Also I bequeathe to our Lady Awter in the saide Churche viii''. Also I bequiethe to Saynt Thomas Aulter in the same Church viii''. Also I bequeithe to ev'y Aulter besides in the said P'sshe Churche iiijd. Also I geve and bequeathe to Johann my wiffe one hundreth m'ks st', and my stuff of house- holde. Also I geve and bequeathe to the same Johan' all my " Salisbury. ^c8 History and Description of cattails and the woode that lieth in the middys of the Culver- house, w' all my corne and haye. Also I give and bequiethe unto her half my plate. Moreover I will that the saide Johan' shall have during her life naturall all suche landes and ten'ts, with their appurtennc's, as I holde by Indenture of the College of Wyndesore, except and oonly, res'ved to John' my son', all the Rakkys^ and teynters" as thei now stonde within a close called the Culverhouse '', with free liberte and passage in and oute to hym, and to his assignes in and for the occupyinge of the same, and after the disceas of the said Johan' I will that the saide londs and ten'ts, w' their appurtennc's, hooly remayne to the said John' during the termes co'prised in the saide Indentures thereof made. Also I give and bequiethe to the said p'ishe Churche of Newbery, towards the buylding and edifying of the same x". Alsoe I bequeithe to Joh'n Tunnell iii". vi'. viii-i- Also I be- queithe to Richard Coke xx». Also I bequeithe to Thomas Harryson xx". Also I bequeithe to Margaret Reiche xK Also I bequeithe to Kateryne Weste xx^ Also I bequeithe to Alice Marshe xx^ Also I bequeithe to Agnes Holmes vi^ viij. And to ev'y of my women serv'nts besides xxi^. Item I bequeithe to ev'y of my men s'vnts in my house xx''. Also I bequeithe to WilHam Dollman, besid's all things of his Cov'ennt's xK Also I bequeithe to Sir John Waite, p'son of Newbery, for the recom- pen's of my tythes negligently forgoten, xP.« Also I will that my'n Executo' do kepe an obite for me and my freinds to the sum'e of x= oons ev'y yere, to bee distributed amongs preestis and clerks during the termes of xxij" yeres. Also I will that my'n Executo' doe fynde an honest preest to syng for me and my friends by the space of one hole yere. The residue of all my goodes not gevyn and bequeathed, my funalls [funeral's] dette and legacies paide and fulfilled, I geve and bequethe hooly to Joh'n ^ Wooden frames for drying cloth. ° A frame for stretching cloth. '' I.e. Pigeon-house Close, Culver being an old English name for a pigeon, or dove. The close cannot now be identified, but it would appear to have been at the rear of Winchcombe's factory, in the Marsh. "Jack of New- bury" had a Fulling Mill on the site of the present Corn Mill at Bagnor. The adjoining ground is still called the " Rack Marsh," and so late as the end of the last century some of the old posts vphich formed part of the framework for drying the cloth were standing. Deloney, in his "History of John AVinch- combe," speaks of clolhs "stretched on Tenters,'' and "some hanging on Poles." " I.e. the tithes of the movable goods and chattels possessed by him at the time 01 his death. the present Parish Church. 459 my Sonne, wTiome I ordeyne and make my true, lawful!, and soole Execute' of this my pn't Testament and last Will, to dispoase for the helthe of my soule as he shall think most expedient. Also I make and ordeyn Robt. She[p]way ov'seer of this my present Testament and last Will. And I will that he have for his labo' xx'. Witnes, I, John' Wayte, p'son of the said Churche of Newbery. Sr. Rob't Wright, curat' of the same, Robert She[p]way, Roger Benet, John Tunnell, and Thomas Harrison, with many other. " Probatum fuit test'm sup'scripti defuncti h'ent's,&c., coram d'no ap'd Lamebith xxiiij'" die mensis Marcij Anno D'ni Milli" Quin- gen™ xix° Jur' Thome Friser procur^^ Joh'is Smalwod Execu- toris in h'm'o'i test'o no'i'ati ac approbatum et insumatu', Et com'issa fuit administratio omn' et singulor' honor' et debitor' dicti defuncti prefato Executori in p'sona dicti pcu"' de bene et fidel'r administrand' eadem. Ac de pleno et fidel'r Inven™ citra festum Pasche prox' futur' exhibend' necno' de piano com- poto reddend, ad Sancta Dei Ev'ng, in debita iuris forma Jurat"." It will be seen that the will was proved on March 24, 1 5 19, by the testator's son John^ who was residuary lega- tee. We may infer from the terms " buylding and edi- fying" that the new works were then approaching their completion, and his donations to the various altars, and instructions to be buried in St. Mary's Chantry, would also suggest that the material portion of the new church was then already constructed. The Chantry-chapels being foundations distinct from the church, the cost of their rebuilding was probably provided for out of the revenues attached to these institutions themselves ; and as the ad- vowson of the Rectory belonged to the Monastery of Witham, it would be the duty of that House to reconstruct the chancel. On a corbel inserted over the tower-arch is inscribed the date of "A.D. 1532," and from this it would appear that the tower was not completed for some thirteen years after the death of " Jack of Newbury." But it is very probable that his eldest son and namesake continued the work his father had begun, the tower and other portions of the ' Extracted from the Principal Registry of tlie Probate, Divorce, and Admiralty Division of the High Court of Justice. 460 History and Description of building remaining unfinished at his father's death being completed by him in 1532. There is nothing remarkable about the architectural features of the church. The general plan is that most usual in churches of the ordinary size ; but it has here been applied to a building of unusually large dimensions ; and this gives an effect perhaps not so satisfactory as would have been produced had the church had the addi- tion of transepts. The length of the church, including the chancel, is about 140 feet; its mean breadth about 74 feet. The nave has a clerestory, lighted by five large three-light windows on either side, and aisles with arcades of five arches each. These aisles open into what were chantry-chapels on either side of the chancel. The arches are four-centred, on clustered columns with exceedingly good and well -articulated caps, but with hood-mouldings singularly deficient in shadow. The south aisle was probably built at a somewhat later date than the north aisle, as appears from a slight difference in the height, and also from a variation in the tracery and mouldings of the windows ; but it is all part of one gen- eral design. The chancel is about 36 feet square, with two windows on each side, and a fine east window, which is partially intercepted by the reredos. The present chancel-arch was introduced at the restoration of the church in 1865-7. The wrought-iron screen gates to the chancel were made in the year 1704, by a local workman named William Field. These gates were subsequently removed to the western entrance to the churchyard, but have been replaced in their original situation. The roof of the nave is of oak, and is in the main old, but has been restored and decorated. Above the corbels are figures of angels with open wings, admirably carved in oak, each holding a shield, displaying the instruments and emblems of the Passion, viz. the Cross, and chain for taking down the body ; the pillar of flagellation, scourge, bulrush, and rope for binding the hands to the pillar ; the ladder, ham- mer, and pincers ; the lance and sponge-topped reed, in saltire, with a heart at base ; the dice and the thirty pieces the present Parish Church. 461 of silver ; the seamless coat ; a profile bust of Judas, wearing a cap, a rope round his neck, and the bag below ; lantern ; the sword of St. Peter, and the ear of Malchus ; three triangular-headed crucifixion nails. The aisle roofs are new, but faithful copies of the old ones. The original bosses have been replaced ; some of these bear either the monogram of I.O., or a merchant's mark. The monogram of I.S., i.e., John Smalwode, better known as John Winch- combe, is frequently repeated, and identical with that on his monument, and on some carving formerly in his house. The initials " I. W." between a cross saltire are also carved on one of the bosses on the roof of the north aisle. The arms of the Bishopric of Bath and Wells, viz., two keys and sword in saltire, and a saltire quarterly quartered, are borne upon some of the bosses of the aisle roofs, commemorative, it may be, of the connection of the church with the diocese in which Witham is situated, and possibly of its earlier relationship to the famous Abbey of SS. Peter and Paul, of Preaux. The sacred monogram I.H.S., and the emblems of the Passion, are also repre- sented on some of the bosses of the aisle roofs. The tower, which terminates the western end, is a well- proportioned, even majestic, mass of masonry. It is about 70 feet high, and consists of three stages, above which is an embattled parapet, with octagonal crocketted turrets and pinnacles at the angles. The western window under the tower is comparatively modern, an imitation, and of bad design. There are north and south porches, which appear to be contemporary with the main structure. The handsome Jacobean pulpit was presented to the parish by Mrs. Margaret Cross, of London, while the Rev. Thomas Coldwell was Rector, who was one of the trustees appointed by this lady to administer the charitable be- quest she made to the town. The date of the gift of the pulpit is determined by an entry in the Churchwardens' accounts for the year 1607, which shews that the old pulpit was sold this year, and that a certain sum of money was expended in presenting Mrs. Cross and her family 462 History and Description of with a " reward " in recognition of the " respect she paid for the pulpitt in the cliurch." The font is modern, and has a lofty, elaborately-carved pyramidal cover, with figures of the Apostles under canopies, and suspended from a bracket of wrought-iron work. The condition of the church at the period when the Rev. J. Leslie Randall was appointed Rector, in 1857, can scarcely be conceived at the present time. Clumsy wooden galleries, the work of 1710, blocked up the windows, shabby high boxes or pens filled the nave and aisles, and in every direction the building presented a most mean and unworthy appearance s. But with the advent of the new Rector a better state of things was inaugurated ; and in the year 1858 a Faculty was obtained by the Rector and the Churchwardens for certain alterations and im- provements in the chancel, which set forth that " There is adjoining to the Chancel of the said parish of New- bury, on the south side thereof, an Aisle or Chamber called the South Vestry, separated from the Chancel by a close wall, against which certain monuments have been affixed ; that it would, in the estimation of the said Rector and Churchwardens, be very desirable that the said Aisle or Chamber should be connected with the Chancel, by opening an arch or arcade through the said wall, and that thereby a considerable increase of Church- accommodation might be obtained for the convenience of the Parishioners; that Mr. Henry Woodyer of Grafham, in the County of Surrey, Architect, has been consulted on the subject, and considers that the alteration may be safely effected, and that it would improve the architectural appearance of the Church, as Vi^ell as increase the means of accommodation of the Wor- shippers, and that such Architect accordingly prepared Plans and Specification for the carrying out of the measure above referred to, and hkewise for an entire re-arrangement of the K There is one exception to be made to this statement. There was a hand- some classic altar-piece in the church, which was a fine example of the taste of the period when it was erected, about 1720, but very incongruous in a Gothic building, and it was consequently removed. It is said to have been presented to the church by a Mayor of the town in the first rapture of success of the South Sea scheme, but when the bubble burst he was unable to pay for it. There were also two very fine chancel chairs ot the same cha- racter, which are in the possession of the author. the present Parish Church. 463 Chancel, and for the opening out thereto of a similar Vestry or Chamber existent on its North side." The work executed at this time in the chancel, the cost of which was defrayed by private subscription, included a new roof in choir and presbytery, a carved oak parclose to separate the Chantry-chapel, the lining of the walls with Derbyshire alabaster on flat panelling, a new reredos consisting of seven panels with crocketted heads, and a gilt background bearing the sacred monogram and figures, three sedilia and a piscina with triangular crock- etted canopies, a low panelled stone screen, new oak choir stalls, and other fittings. In addition to the above, the organ was remodelled and enlarged by Messrs. Bevington and Son, and erected on the north side of the chancel. Another Faculty was obtained in the month of February, 1866, which empowered the Rector and Churchwardens "to thoroughly repair the roofs, to remove the cumbrous Galleries which disfigure the architectural proportions of the Church; to take down the whole of the pews and sittings, and to substitute new and open seats in lieu thereof upon an improved arrangement, to restore the whole Body of the Church (with the exception of the Chancel), to supersede any Faculty pews, to enlarge the Vestry on the northern side, and to build a new one, and generally to do and perform all such other works and operations as may be fairly implied in fully carrying out the plans and specification of the Architect (Mr. Woodyer), and further to take down and carefully remove any Tombs, Tablets, Tombstones, Hatchments, Monuments, Graves, Vaults, Monumental Inscriptions, and other Records of the Departed as shall be requisite, such Monuments, &c., to be carefully preserved and placed in some convenient and appropriate situ- ation." In order to carry out the restoration as above set forth, a meeting was convened by the Rector, and a Committee, consisting of the leading parishioners, was formed, and subscriptions publicly solicited. This appeal was most liberally responded to, and a sufficient sum was raised to enable the requisite works to be undertaken, which, 464 History and Description of with many other improvements, has rendered this inter- esting building one of the finest parish churches in the kingdom. The zeal and liberality of the Church-people of Newbury and the neighbourhood was not confined to the fabric alone, but in addition to the work carried out by the Restoration Committee several costly gifts were made by various individuals. The Font was presented by Miss Carbonell ; the brass Lectern and an Altar-cloth of rich material by Mr. Searight, father-in-law of the Rev. H. Blagden, then senior curate of Newbury, and now Vicar of Hughenden. Many other gifts were pre- sented by members of the congregation and friends. The building having been put in a state of perfect repair at a cost of about .£'10,000, was re-opened on October 8, 1867, by Samuel Wilberforce, Lord Bishop of Oxford, who expressed his gratification that this grand old church had been so nobly restored. The Stained-glass Windows. The cost of the east window in the church was raised by subscription at the time of the restoration of the chan- cel ; the amount being chiefly obtained by the late Mr. Henry Godwin, F.S.A., from persons connected with, or descended from, old Newbury families. The great west window, under the tower, was given by W. P. B. Chatteris, Esq., of Sandleford Priory, a munificent subscriber to the restoration of the church, in memory of his sister, the late Mrs. Arbuthnot, and on a brass plate is the following inscription : — %a tf)E ®Iorg of ©OS, anB in memDrg of lElijabetfr artutfjnot, bifro SieS Srptr. 28, 1866, ageB 64, tuifE of eBBmunB arbutfjitot, 3Esq., of i^EintoiBn J^DUSE in tfjE ffiountg of J^anta, anB ststEr of SEKilliam ffifjattEris, lEsq., of SanBlEfotB iPtiotg, in tl)is ttountg, 6g infjom tfjts toinJoSH is affEctionatelg BtBiEatEli. The west window of the north aisle is a subscription memorial to the late Rev. H. W. Majendie, Vicar of Speen, on his resignation of the office of Rural Dean, and is thus inscribed : — STo tljE ffilotg of ffioB, anB in toJtEn of affEttionatE rESf est for tfjE 3KEljtrEnB 3§Enrg railliam fHaJEnBiE, JK.at., Fitar of SjjEjn, anB 40 gEars Eural IBEan, the present Parish Church. 465 aitlj Df tfjanfefttlntss tot fjts mang laboutg nf lobe, tfjia fatinSafa is Mtcatrti bg ffiltrgg anb ELaitg tEsiBtnt tit anb neat i^ig late ffljanerg nf ^efaburg, ©ctofaer 8tij, 1857. The west window of the south aisle was placed in the church in 1867, by the parishioners, as a mark of their high appreciation of the great labours of the then Rector, the Rev. J. L. Randall, and is thus inscribed : — So tfje ®Iorg rf ©Db, in tfjanfefulness for mang anb great ilessmgs rtKifacb unbEt t^e faitfjful mmistrg of tl^s ^I'a. Samts 1LesI« laanball, fR-a., IStttot of t^ts parisJ), tfjj partsfjiontrs of Weioburg bebicate tfjis ioinbofa, %M. 1867. The easternmost window of the south aisle was inserted at the expense of W. P. B. Chatteris, Esq., in memory of his brother-in-law, Edmund Arbuthnot, Esq., of Newtown House. It is inscribed as follows : — %a ti^c ffiloi^ of ffiob, anb in affectionate remembrance of ^munb ^rbutfjnot, of Pcbitoinn |§ouse, l^ants, Snijo bieb ffictober 33Tb, a.3B. V873, ^geb 80 gears. The second window in the south aisle was inserted by the St. Nicholas Stained Glass Window Society, being the commencement of a long-cherished scheme of filling the whole of the windows with subjects representing various and successive incidents in the life of Christ. The third window is erected to commemorate John Winchcombe (Jack of Newbury), and is thus inscribed : — SCo tfjE ®Iorg of ®ob, anb in memorg of 3of)n Smalfaolrc, alias raincfjcombt, Sacfe of ^etobutg, CClotfjier of tfjts SToiun, tofjo bieb ib JFebg., a.IB. mBiti, & to Wjose munificence tijc erecting of tfjis ffifjurcf) faas mainlg 'm.t, tfjis bjinbobj is bebicateb. The adjoining window on the west side is a memorial to the late Mr. J. H. Godding, Organist of the church, and bears the following inscription : — STo tfje ffilorg of (Sob, anb in lofaing memotg of Samcs Henrg ®obbtng, fa^o ioas for upfaarbs of fiftg gears ffirganist in tijis IBeanctg, anb for nineteen gears tfje bcbotcb ffirganist anb ffiijoirmaster of tfjis Cijurcfi, iofjo bieb iLoto Sunbag, april 20t[;, 1884, aS^b 64 gears, tijts bjinbolo is publiclg subsctibeb anb bebi= cateb. The east window of the south chapel forms part of the public testimonial to the Rev. J. L. Randall, and is dedi- cated by the parishioners to the memory of his daughter, H h 4^3 History and Description of Rebe Randall. Around the window the following inscrip- tion is cut in the stonework : — %z tffc ffilorg of ffinU, anli aa a tDften of tfjttr rtgarB for tf(E l&cii. fames HesKe KanBall, iIW.3[., far mote t^ait 20 gears 38.ettor of tf)is parfsf), tJie partslfjtoners Bclitcate tfjis SniitSoto in memorg of fjts Baugfjtcr, 3£tcbe l^anBall, 1878. The south window of the same chapel was contributed by the Rev. J. L. Randall and his family as a like memorial, and is inscribed : — %n tfie ©lorg of ©oB & xxi lofama memorg of Eefie 3&EnBalI, tfits JninBofa is BeBicateB bg Ijer parents antr tfjeir rfjilBrcn. " Sorro&iful get rtjotcing." 38om June 2?, 1858. BaptiseB fulg 25, 1858. at rest Sanuarg 2, 1878. The easternmost window of the north aisle is a memorial to the late Bishop of Oxford, Samuel Wilberforce, D.D. ; the cost of the window being defrayed by those who were ordained or confirmed by him during his episcopate, and below is inscribed : — %a tf(c ffilorg of ffioB & in grateful mtmorg of tfje m.^ JReberenB JFatfjer in <&n\ Samuel SKEilberforte, IB.©., sometime iSisfjog of tfjisffltotese.mBcceliibii. The westernmost window of the north aisle is inscribed : — Sto tfje ®Iorg of ®oB anB in tnemorg of Sofjn anB fSlartfja ©rag, tf)is biinBnbi is etecteB bg tfieir sole sutbtbins Baugfjter, flatt&a lEKjabctfj ©rag, Imas. 1884. The next window on the east side was inserted by the Stained Glass Window Society, i886. The four windows in the chancel-clerestory were given by the Rev. J. L. Randall. The south clerestory-window of the nave is a memorial of gratitude for the recovery of the Rev. J. L. Randall from a severe illness. The north and south porch- windows are the gift of James Gray, Esq., of London. Messrs. Hardman, of London and Birmingham, have erected the whole of the stained-glass windows in the church, the designer being Mr. Powell of that firm, to whom great credit is due for these artistic productions. The Communion Plate. It was thought necessary, when the Church was restored, to remodel the old Communion plate, which is therefore modernized. The original silver-gilt alms-dish, which was the present Parish Church. 467 smaller than the present handsome dish, was the gift of Philip Weston, Esq., of Bussock Court, Winterborne, and Richard Cooper, Esq.j of Greenham, Recorder of New- bury. The old wine-flagon was also given by Philip Weston, Esq., who also gave the two old patens in 1732. The two old chalices bore the names of John Weeks and Edward Walter, Churchwardens in 1732, and these names have been reinscribed upon their re-fashioned represen- tatives. The Bells. The tower contains a fine peal of eight bells. The ancient bells were recast in 1803, under the direction of the eminent bell -founder, James Wells, of Aldbourne, Wilts, and an addition made to their weight. The new peal was rung for the first time on the election of Mr. William Vincent as Mayor of Newbury. The expense, between three and four hundred pounds, was defrayed by public subscription. The eight bells are inscribed with the names of the Churchwardens at the time, Samuel Grigg and Charles Bull, and the name of the founder. The Priest's, or Little Bell, R. Cor, 1724. The ancient custom of ringing the Curfew Bell is still continued in Newbury. A bell is also rung every Satur- day afternoon at three o'clock, which is said to have been originated by "Jack of Newbury," as a summons for the weavers to receive their weekly wages. It is more likely a survival of the " Morrow Mass " bell, which its name fully explains. A custom is also observed at Newbury of ringing a bell from twelve to one o'clock on Shrove Tuesday, which, as it is well known, is called from the old English word shrive or shrove, meaning to absolve after confession. On which day it was customary, in former times, for the people in every parish throughout the king- dom to go to confession, and thereby qualify themselves for a more religious observance of the holy season of Lent. In order that this might be done the more regularly, the great bell in every parish was ordered to be rung, that it might be heard by all. H h 2 468 History and Description of The Clock and Chimes. We find mention made of a set of chimes connected with the church clocl? as early as the year 1610; and in the year 1707, the sum of £i\ los. was paid by the Churchwardens to Mr. Flaggett " for the great clock and chimes," and £1 \os. " for the quarter clock." The chim- ing apparatus was remounted "on an improved principle," in 1803, when the bells were recast. Some years after, the machinery getting out of order, it was taken to pieces by a local clockmaker, who, it is said, could never succeed in replacing it. The present clock was put up by Messrs. Barwise, of London, in 1826. MONUMENTAL INSCRIPTIONS. The following Epitaphs are taken from Ashmole's " His- tory and Antiquities of Berkshire," but the memorials upon which the epitaphs were inscribed have either been destroyed, or no longer mark the last resting-place of those whose names are recorded on them. " At the East End of the South He lies a Gravestone, with Brass Plates on it, of a Man in a Gown and a Woman in the Habit of her Times, with the Epitaph following under their feet : — Here lyeth Henry Wynchcombe, Gentylman, and Annes his Wife ; whyche Henrye deceassyd the 3d Day of October, in the Yere of our Lord 1562, and was of the age of 40 Yeres. On a Marble Gravestone, lying Eastward of the former, is this Inscription : — Here lyeth the Body of Elizabeth, Daughter of James Bond of this Parish. She had Yssue, Hugh, son of Hugh Rolles, of Great Tor- rington, in Devon. She dyed the 20th of April, 1659. Low, here she is deprived of Lyfe, Which was a verteous and a loving Wife, Untill the Graves again restore Their Dead, and Time shall be no more. She was brought a Bed, but Spous above, And dyed to pay the living Pledge of Love. the present Parish Church, 469 In the South He, on a Brass Plate : — Here lieth interred the body of Wilham Howes, of Newbury, Gent. He died the 29th of June, 1637, aged 63, who left behind him, Mar- garet, his Wife, 4 Sons, and thirteen Daughters ''. On a Gravestone in the middle He : — Here lieth the body of Mr. Richard Cooke, of this Towne, who dyed January the 28th, 1660. In the North He, near the Chancel, under the Figures of a Man and Woman, on Brass Plates, is this Epitaph : — Of your Charite pray for the Soule of John Smalwood alias Winch- corn, and Alice his Wife ; which John dyed the 15th Day of February, An° Dom. 15 19'. This brass is now placed on the north wall of the Tower \ Upon another Plate of Brass, under the Figures of a Man and Woman, is this inscription : — Orate pro animabus Ricardi Aubrye, & Isabelle uxoris ejus, paren- tum, et filiorum, consanguineorum, amicorum suorum, & omnium fidelium defunctorum. Qui Ricardus obiit 4° Die Mensis Marcii, An° Domini, 1469. Quorum animabus propicietur Deus. Amen. Upon another Brass Plate, under the Pourtraitures of a Man and Woman, is this following Inscription : — Here Lieth the Body of Philip Kistel, and Margery, his wife ; which Philip being of the age of Threescore and Thirteen Yeares, decessed, the 26 of April, in the year of our Lord 1592. On the South Wall of the Church, near the East Light, is a large Monument, erected upon three Columns; in the Space between the First, is the Statue of a Man in Armour, kneeling, in Stone; between the other Two, are the Figures of Three Daughters, six Sons, and Five little Daughters, and on the Ledge of the Monument under the Man is engraved : — Hie Jacet Griffinus Curteus Armiger. [The above monument is now placed against the exterior ■■ Margaret, daughter and coheiress of William Howes, Esq., of Newbury and Greenham, married Thomas Lewis, Colonel of the Trained-Bands of Radnor and Brecon. Col. Lewis died in 1724, and was ancestor of the late Sir George Comewall Lewis, Bart. The following is the correct inscription on the brass, in black letter : — " Off yo charite pray for the soule of John Smalwode als Wynchcom & Alys hys Wyfe, which John dyed the xv day of February A° dm M^ccccCxix. 470 History and Description of south wall of the Chancel. It is surmounted by a shield bearing the arms and crest of Curteys : — Arms- — Erm., a chevron, sa., between three fleurs-de-lis, or. Crest — An arm, erect, habited in mail, holding in the hand a sword. In addition to other charitable bequests to the poor of New- bury, Griffin Curteys charged certain premises he possessed with the yearly payment of ;^i 6j-. M. for the purchase of blue cloth gowns, to be given to two poor persons, who should every Sun- day attend in the south aisle of the Church of Newbury, near his tomb. This Griffin Curteys, of Greenham, was M.P. for the Borough of Ludgershall in the Pariiament 5 Elizabeth, 1562-3, and Escheator for Oxfordshire and Berks from 8 January, 1574, to 10 January, 1575, i6th and 17th of Queen Elizabeth. Since Ashmole's time the Motto — "Velle bene facere," on Curteys' monument, has been erased or obliterated. The fol- lowing inscription is now engraved above the figures : — Hie Jacet Griffinvs Curteyes, Armiger. Nov. xxx. mdlxxxvii." On a Brass Plate fixed in a Gravestone : — A Memorial! of my Father, Mr. Hvgh Shepley, Sometymes Rector and Parson of This Church and Towne of Newbvrye, who was Borne at Prescott in Lancashire, 1526, and Bvried heere the Third of Maye, 1596, aged 70 Yeares. On another Brass Plate fixed in the same Stone : — Full Eight and Twentie yeeres he was your Pastor, As hee was taught to feede by Christ his Maister; By Preaching God's Word, Good Life, Good Example, (Food for your Soules, fitt for God's house or temple) Hee loved Peace, abandoned all strife, Was kinde to Strangers, Neighbours, Children, Wife ; A lambe like man, born on an Easter Daye, So liv'd, so di'de, so liv's againe for aye ; As one Spring brought him to this worlde of sinne. Another Spring the Heavens receiv'd him in. John Shepley, Citizen and Broderer of London. Amore, Veritate, et Reverentia. the present Parish Church. AT^ [These brasses are now placed against the north wall of the tower.] The succeeding Inscriptions were taken by Mr. Thomas Hayward, Attorney-at-law, of Hungerford, on the 15th September, 1770, and form part of his collection of epi- taphs, epitaphial verses, elegies, and commendatory poems, comprised in 34 volumes, now in the British Museum (Add. MSS. 13943, 45, 46). Not many of these epitaphs, so carefully recorded by Mr. Hayward, are to be found in the church at the present time. Just coming out of the Chancel on the Floor on a brass plate : — Here lies the body of Mr. John Cooke, late Alderman of this Bur- rough, who dyed anno 1661, aged 83 — gave by his Will unto the poor people of this said Burrough forty shillings per annum to be paid out of certaine lands and tenements bequeathed to John Cooke, Habber- dasher, three pounds eighteen shillings per annnm to be paid out of a parcel of meadow bequeathed unto Robert Cooke, and three pounds one shilling per annum to be paid out of a messuage bequeathed to Richard Waller for ever, and the body of Constance his wife, who dyed anno 1666, aged 83. On another common-stone — Capitals : — Here lyeth the body of Anne the wife of Benjamin Wilson, who was buried Novem. the 12, 1680. In memory of Cap. John Jacob, who departed this life the 29th Jan- uary, 1768 ; aged 66 years. On another : — Here lyeth the body of Benjamin Wilson who was buried April the loth, 1672. Aged 67. Inscriptions on the floor in the Chancel. On an old stone is this Inscription : — ■ Here lies the bodie of Francis Trenchard, of Normanton, in the Countie of Wiltes, Esquire ; who departed this life the sixtt of November, 1635, leaving Issue Elizabeth his only child. [The brass plate with the above inscription is now placed on the north wall of the tower.] On a brass plate fix'd to a grave-stone : — Here lyes the body of George Widley, M' of art, and minister of 472 History and Description of God's word. Hee departed this life, ye 23rd of September, 1641, aged 75 yeares. [This brass is also fixed on the north wall of the tower.] On a white marble stone. Arms at top. [Arms — unintel- ligible; Crest — An eagle standing over a child in swaddling clothes, in a basket'.] In memory of Mr. John Latham (son of Henry Latham, of this parish, gent. ; by Elizabeth his wife, daughter of Mr. John Gyles) ; who departed this life, ye 6th of March, 1737. Aged 25 yeares. And also of Mrs. Martha Head (wife of Mr. Benj" Head, and daughter of the above-mentioned Mr. Henry and Mrs. Eliz'' Latham), who died the 23d of June, 1746. Aged 49 years. On a black marble : — Here ly's the body of John Gyles, late of this place, Gentleman, who departed this hfe, ye 20th day of October, a.d. 1721. By his last Will and Testament he gave ^300 to the Church Alms- house of this place, and the Interest of ;^ioo To be given for ever half-yearly in bread To such poor of this parish as shall not receive collection from the same : This stone, and Inscription is here placed by the direction of John Smith, of Oare and Oxenwood in ye County's of Berks and Wilts, his Executor in trust ; with the consent of Elizabeth Latham, widow, Sis- ter to the deceased. On another — Capitals : — Here lies the body of Mrs. Sarah Giles, wife of Mr. John Giles, who de"" this life June ye 7th a.d. 17 14. In the 35th year of her age. On another — Capitals : — Here lies the body of Mr. John Gyles, who deparf" this life y" 9" of A-pri' 1719. In the 78th year of his age. And also the body of Mrs. Elizabeth Latham, widow of the late Mr. Henry Latham, and daugh- ter of the above-named Mr. John Gyles, who died the ist Nov. 1755. Aged 75. On another in the same row, black marble. Arms at top — [5 Eagles' heads erased, in saltire, impaling a chevron between 3 cocks. Crest — An Eagle's head.] Here lies Interred the body of Thomas Cowslade, Gent, who departed y» life, June y" 12"' a.d. 1713, in ye 59"" year of his age. i The arms added in brackets to Mr. Hayward's inscriptions were taken by the late C. Long, Esq., about the year 1826. Mr. Long's Collection of epi- taphs in many of the Berkshire churches is now in the possession of Mrs. Eyston, of Hendred House, in this county. the present Parish Church. 473 On a white marble cut diamond-like — Capitals : — Mrs. Mary Taplin died 28 Feb. 1755, Aged 88. On a common stone : — Here lieth the body of Richard Pryn, of Hales Owen, In the County of Sallop, Ironmonger, who deceased the 1 1 day of Febr. ano. Dni. 1676, and in the 49th yeare of his age. On a black marble stone with Arms at top. [A fess between 3 pelicans, impaling barry of four 3 lozenges counterchanged.] Capitals : — Here lyeth the body of Katherine, wife of Richard Cooper, of Greenham in the parish of Thatcham, Esq., daught' of ye Reverend D'. Thomas Pargiter, ReC of Greetworth, in Northamp°shire ; who departed this life in ye 38 year of her age, Ocf ye 16, Anno Dni. 1 716. Here lyes the Body of the above-said Richard Cooper, Esq., who was Recorder of this Town near 20 years ; and depar'' ys life, ye 27"' of April, 1741, In the 63" year of his age. Non potest male mori qui bene vbdt. At the foot of the altar- rails, in white marble slab, cut in diamond fashion, with the following inscription : — M. S. Aliciae filis Guil. & Ali. Sherwin E Civit : Oxon : Virgo fuit pia, pulchra, modesta : At nee pietas eximia, nee forma, nee modestia moram afferet indo- mitae morti, Sed florens astate, et plenis nubilis annis Hie procul a patria torrentes febribus artus Deposuit spasmo nervos torquente cerebri, Ne totam tamen interire credas, Lector, adhuc meliore parte vivit et CEelum aetheriae revisit particula Auras. Maii 12 A.D. 1688 ^tat 20. On a black stone in Capitals ■. — Here lieth the body of John, son of John Kimber, Gent., and Eliza- beth his wife, of this parish ; who dep'' this life, March 4, 1752, aged 19 years. Also of their son William, who died 8 April, 1765. In the Chancel. — On a marble gravestone : — Here lyeth the body of John Edmvnds, late Alderman, and twice Maior of this Towne of Newberry, who marryed Elizabeth, the daughter of Edward Goddard, of East Woodhay, in the County of Southton, Esq., he dyed, the 26th day of October, 1654, in ye 59th yeare of his age. For whose pious Memory his loveing wife caused this memorial. 474 History and Description of In the body of the Church— Capitals :— Here lyeth the body of Mr. Giles Townsend, who departed this life, Dec'" 15, 1752, aged 83 years. Also Mary, daughter of Mr. Giles and Mary Townsend ; who dep this life, April 28, 1740, aged 18 years. Also Mary, his wife, who died 17 Jan. 1757, aged 74. In the north isle on marble stone, on the floor. Arms at top : — Here lyeth the body of Edward Skeate, Gent., who died the 15th of August, 1724, aged 54 years. Also Katherine Skeate, wife of the above Edward Skeate, who died 6 June, 1744, aged 73 years. Likewise Katherine White, daughter of the above Edward and Katherine Skeate ; who died 6 Aug" 1770, aged 76. Here lyeth the body of Mr. John Hore, who departed this life, the 22 of February, A.D. 1721 ; aged 76 years. On another stone by the former : — Here lieth the body of Francis Coxhead. By will gave an yearly maintenance to two poor men ; he died, the 16 day of Septem., in ye 85 year of his age, 1692. On two others, marble : — • Here lyeth the body of Mrs. Sarah Slocock, wife of Mr. Sam' Slo- cock; she died Nov' 25, 1749, aged 33. Also the body of Samuel Slocock, Gent, who died 23 January, 1760, aged 50 years. The terrestrial part of Naomi, wife of Mr. Samuel Slocock, lys here sleeping, and was buried the loth of November, A.D. 1700, aged 43 years. In memory of Samuel Slocock, Gent. ; who departed this life August ye 27"" A.D. 1707, aged 67. Joseph their youngest son Obiit January the 2nd, A. Dom. 1707, ^tat 12. Naomi, their Grand-daughter by Sam' their eldest Son and Mary his wife, Obiit Nov. 26, Anno Domini 1720, ^Etat primo. Also the body of Samuel Slocock, Gent., Son of the above Samuel and Naomi Slocock; who departed this life the 13"" of Dec*", 1748, Aged 59. At the bottom of the Church near the belfry. Arms at top [A fess charged with a lion passant, between 3 fire-balls], on a marble stone : — Here lieth the body of Jonathan Lipyeatt, Gent., Surgeon & Apothecary. He departed this life, Nov' the 8''', 1742, Aged 56 years. the present Parish Church. 475 Here also lyeth the body of Sarah his wife, who departed this life the 29"' of June, 1759, Aged 70 years. In the old Vestry. — On a white marble stone, diamond cut, in Capitals : — Here lieth the body of Mr. Peter Ely, who dep"" this life, 25 Nov' I7S3, Aged 85. On a small white marble stone, diamond cut : — Gab' Still, Gent., died 13 Sep. 1751, aged 31. On a common stone (at the bottom of the Church) : — Here lies the body of Levi Smith. Here also lies interred the body of Mrs. Rebecca Woodeson, Grand-daughter of the said Levi Smith, who departed this life ye ij"" day of May, 1769, in the 84"' year of her age : she married Leonard Woodeson, late of his Majesty's board of works, Esq., deceased, whom she surviv'd 36 years : and by whom she had several children ; of which 4 Sons surviv'd her. On a marble stone, capitals, next the former : — In memory of William Woodroffe, Plumber, who died 17 Nov"^, 1759, aged 61 years. And also of Eleanor his Wife who died 6 Sep", 1763, aged 62 years. Also of Their Children. In the north aisle. — Capitals, on a stone on the floor : — In memory of Mr. Francis Batt, who died 3 Sep"^, 1744, aged 36 years. Also Mary, daughter of the above-named and Mary his wife, died 17 Oct. 1748, aged 15 years. In the south aisle : — Here lyeth the body of William Dale, Gent., who died ye 7"" day of March, A.D. 1704, aged 49 years. On a small stone : — Here lyeth the body of Samuel Mince, Surgeon, who departed this life June ye a'', 1730, aged 46 years. On a handsome monument in the Chancel, ornamented with Corinthian columns, and surmounted by a shield, bearing [Ar- gent, 5 Eagles' heads erased, in saltire, gules. Crest — An Eagle's head erased, gules]. 476 History and Description of To perpetuate the Memory of Richard Cowslade, Gent., A dutiful Son of the Reform'd Church of England : A beneficent Son of this Parochial Church, wherein His Body lies now interr'd And once a worthy Member of this Corporation. His benefactions were An Organ for the more decent and Solemn Performance of Divine Public Worship : The gallery in which it is placed : A stipend of thirty Pounds a Year for a skilful Organist, An Income of Five Pounds a Year to repair the Organ, Another sum of Five Pounds a Year to support the Dignity of the Chief Magistrate of the Borough : And a Perpetual Revenue of Twenty six Pounds a Year For the cloathing Ten poor Children And Instructing them in the principles of the Christian Religion as contain'd in the Church Catechism, and in the Arts of Writing and Arithmetick In order to make them use- ful in their generation. These instances of his Zeal for God's Glory and the Good of Mankind Were settl'd by him in his life-time, on the 13th of May and on the 27th June, 1715. He depart'd this life on the 31st January, 1718, in the 77th year of his age. This Monument was Erected by his Trustees, In Testimony of their Respect to him, And an encouragement to Others, to be imitators of his Pious Example. Pax Boni Viri Manibus. Thomas Stockwell, Edward Stuart, Joseph Head, Oliver Slocock, John Beale, William Townsend, Trustees. On a white marble tablet : — [Crest — the Holy Lamb. Arms — Per fess indented 6 fleurs-de-lys, counterchanged 3 and 3]. H. S. E. lohannes Hinton, A.M. Ecclesise Anglicanas Presbyter, Sarisburienis Prasbendarius Newberiensis & ) „ r., . \ Rector. Vbhawensis j Qui in ^de X" apud Oxonienses Ea Hausit Doctrine & Religionis Semina, Quae per htec prascipu^ loca Uberrima & felicissimfe Sparsit Fuit enim Fidei & Doctrinae Catholics apprim^ tenax In eidem pro- paganda diligens & Indefessus. In Pastorali suo Officio ita Fideliter se gessit Ut omnibus, quoad potuit, prodesset, Ita prudenter, ut dis- pliceret Nemini. Ecclesias Anglicanae Legibus firmiter devotus Ab lis interea qui alia, infehciter, insistebant via, Non Improbatus. Non Illaudatus Parochial! huic Curas 40 & ultra annos Sedulo & con- stanter invigilavit, Ubi laboribus potius, quam senio confectus Pie occubuit Anno Domini 1720 ^tatis sua 77. Felix ille Servus quern Dominus ita facientem inveniet. In eodem tumulo conduntur Ossa Johannas, Uxoris ejus Amats ffiqufe atq. amantissims, Edvardi & Annae Martin De Witney in Comitatu Oxon Filia; Unic£E Qua obiit Anno Domini 1712, ^tatis suje 62. the present Parish Church. i^'j'j On a brass plate, over the Vestry door, in capitals : — Here lye the remains of Mr. Thomas Pearce, deposited in this place, Octob. the Sth, 167 1, who by his last Will gave Four hundred pounds to provide maintenance for two poor aged weavers, and for the Relief of Twenty other Poor Weavers, or Weavers' Widows. His Departure was in the 69th year of his age. Go and doe thou likewise. Luke 10 — 37. Newbury Churchyard. — Against the Church, on a plain stone, is the following inscription : — To the Memory of Mr. Thos. Stockwell, who exchanged this life for a better, the 20 day of Feb'^, 1741, aged 84 years. He was a good man and a just, courteous and benevolent to all, a Charitable Bene- factor to the poor ; and in all the duties of a Christian has left us a pattern worthy of imitation. Reader, go thou, do likewise ! Here also lieth his first wife, Mrs. Mary Stockwell ; and also his second wife, Mrs. Mary Stockwell, who died Nov' ye i6, 1747, aged 63 years : whose life was an eminent example of piety, and charity. End of the Epitaphs extracted from Mr. Hayward's MS. Inscriptions on Monuments and Gravestones in the Church, copied previous to the restoration of the building in 1865, and which do not appear in the foregoing lists. As these Memorials are very numerous, the date of the death and the age of the deceased only wrill be given, avoiding the stereotyped formulae, " Here lies," " Sacred to the memory," &c. At the same time, the more interest- ing epitaphs are printed in extenso. Barber, Thomas, d. 19 April, 1825, a. 86. Barnard, Benjamin, Banker, d. 9 Jan. 1779, a. 46. Barnard, Hannah, wife of the above, d. 3 Dec. 1807, a. 63. Barnard, Samuel, son of the above, d. 28 Jan. 1827, a. 49. Barnes, John, d. 17 Mar. 1827, a. 62. Barnes, Walter John, d. 24 June, 1848, a. 14; and Laura Elizabeth, d. 12 Aug. 1848, a. 12, children of George and Harriett Barnes. Binney, Rev. Hibbert, D.C.L., Rector of Newbury, d. 6 June, 1857, a. 64; and his second son John Thomas Binney, d. 19 Feb. 1848, a. 26. 478 History and Description of Blandy, Mary, wife of John Blandy, d. 5 July, i733. a. 50. Blandy, Richard, son of John and Mary Blandy, d. 13 Mar. 1731-2, a. 21. BoDMAN, William, d. 22 Aug. 1790, a. 63. BoDMAN, Elizabeth, wife of the above, d. 14 Jan. 1794, a. 64. BoDMAN, Mary, wife of James Bodman, d. 27 Oct. 1810, a. 40. BuDD, Jane, wife of Richard Budd, d. 26 July, 1751, a. 32. Arms — Argent, 5 fleurs-de-lys azure in saltire. Budd, Richard, d. 10 Mar. 1768, a. 53. BuLKELEY, or Buckley, Maria, d. 27 May, 1803, a. 5. Brown, Guy, d. 1788. Brown, Elizabeth Guy, d. 19 Oct. 1826, a. 50. Brown, William, d. 3 June, 1815, a. 54. Bull, Charles Atlee, d. 8 May, 1828, a. 25. Bunny, Sarah, d. 17 Oct. 1767, a. 67. Bunny, Blandy Buck, d. 22 Feb. 1777, a. 84. Bunny, Mary, d. 5 Nov. 1796, a. 70. Bunny, Brice, Banker, brother of the above-named Mary Bunny, d. 12 Oct. 1819, a. 80. Bunny, Alice, niece of above, d. 2 Dec. 1838, a. 82. Bunny, Clara, d. 16 Nov. 1835, a. 46. Bunny, Jere, husband of above, d. 29 Mar. 1854, a. 65. Clarke, John, of Preshute, Wilts, d. 16 Nov. 1803, a. 53. Clarke, Hannah, wife of the above, d. 21 June, 1847, ^- ^4- Davis, Eleanora, d. 8 May, 181 1, a. 17. E: G: M: S: 1817. Fish, Mary, dau. of Gabriel Fish. FuRNELL, Elizabeth, wife of John Furnell, d. 5 Feb. 1767, a. S3- Furnell, Joseph, d. 24 July, 1774, a. 36. This tablet also com- memorates four other children of John and Elizabeth Furnell. Geree, Rev. John, LL.B., Fellow of Winchester Coll., d. 7 Jan. 1776, a. 33. GoLDiNG, John. Greenling, Sarah Floyer, d. 10 April, 1781, a. 6. Haskins, John, d. 19 Ap. 1816, a. 72. Haskins, Mary, Sister of the above, d. 6 Jan. 1816, a. 78. Haskins, Rosa Ann, Widow of John Haskins, d. 12 June, 1831, a. 80. Hawkins, Mrs. Mary, d. 17 Feb. 1823, a. 74. Hawkins, Caleb, d. 15 Sept. 1823, a. 73. the present Parish Church. 479 On a lozenge-shape marble tablet, recently recovered, and placed on the south wall of the Tower, in capitals : — Sara Head. Pije. Probae. Castas. Vixit. Annis. LXXXIV. Decessit. Ann. Christi. M DCCXCIV. T. Penrose. Pronepos. Femina. Optimae. Et. De. Se. Bene. Merits. Grato. Animo. Fecit. Hickman, Martha, wife of John Fredk. Hickman, d. 2 Dec. 1847, a. 32. Hicks, Thomas, of Cope Hall, d. 6 Oct. 1817, a. 65. HoPKiNSON, Arabella, dau. of Charles and Elizabeth Hopkinson, d. 8 Nov. 1815, a. 14. On a white marble tablet, in the Chantry Chapel : — Near this Place are deposited the remains of John Kimber, Senior Alderman of this Borough, Who died the 27th of March, 1793, in the 85th year of his age, And who by his Will bequeathed to Trustees Almost the whole of his personal Estate For the Erection and En- dowment of Alms Houses, for Six Men and Six Women, Inhabitants and Parishioners of this Town ; Allowing weekly to each five Shilings, And annually Cloaths and Fuel : Also for cloathing and educating annually Ten poor Boys of this Town, and apprenticing them : Like- wise For encreasing the weekly Allowance of twenty-eight other Alms persons of this Town, And for other Charitable purposes, for the Benefit of the poor of this Parish. Kimber, G., d. 19 Dec. 1796, a. 68. Kimber, Sarah, d. 18 Dec. 1805. King, William, d. 5 June, 1768, a. 74. King, Elizabeth, wife of the above, d. 9 July, i 776, a. 80. King, John, d. 24 Dec. 1814, a. 61. Knock, Charles, d. 14 Nov. 1789, a. 61. Langford, John, d. 25 Aug. 1836, a. 49. Lees, Charles, son of Jonathan and Catherine Lees, d. 24 Ap. 1777, a. 4. On a mural tablet, now fixed to the south wall of the Tower : — Erected by the Officers of the 15th, or King's Regiment of Light Dragoons, as a testimony of their regard to the Memory of James Leishman, late Quarter Master of the above Regiment, who departed this life February i6th, 1799, Aged 69 years, 44 of which he zealously spent in his Majesty's service, during which period he was 39 years Quarter Master. Pause Friend awhile, and shed a generous Tear, For one whose gallant corse lies mouldering here. A Truer Soldier to his King and Laws Ne'er braved the Field, nor Fought in Honor's cause. 480 History and Description of Of principles most just, and noble mind ; By all thought well of, to his Friends most kind. In civil life, speak more of him who can ; He died (as he had lived) an Honest Man. Leishman, Elizabeth, wife of Quarter-master Leishman, d. 13 June, 1816, a. 76. Lovelock, Edward, d. 24 Nov. 1730, a. 65. Mills, William, son of William and Elizabeth Mills, died at Sea, II June, 1826, a. 29. On a marble tablet, on the north wall of the Tower : — Sacred to the Memory of William Norris of this Parish, Sergeant- Major of H. M. 96th Regiment, who died of Asiatic Cholera off the Sandheads, Calcutta, on the 3rd March, 1851, aged 48 years and 4 months. Whilst on his return to his native land After 26 years of truly meritorious service. And for which He had been rewarded by his Queen with the highest honours That a non-commissioned officer can obtain. The officers of the 96th Regiment, in high esteem of his merits and in great respect for his memory, erect this tablet. On a white marble tablet : — ■ Heic juxta Sacrum Somnum dormit Thomas Penrose, A.M. (Inter Cornubienses suos Ingenua stirpe oriundus) Hujus Paroecias, per annos fere xxiv. Pastor indefessus. Is certe erat Ingenio, tarn acri & exculto, Ut summos, in ecclesii, Honores merito ambisset Ea vero modestii Ut Minimis contentus viveret, Maximis haud impar. In Concionando, Ore tarn suavi ac mellito, Ut, facile, audientium Animos Ad Se Pertraheret, etiam invitos. Interea Usque adeo temperate se gessit Ut per diem, emori videretur. Ab omni vero ostentus Invidia Tam longe remotus Ut sanctissimam Vits Disciplinam Vicissim commendaret Animus hilaris et facetus. Diem obiit suum Ap: xx. MDCCLXIX. Annos Natus LIII. Abi quisquis es Quem Loci Studium hue forsan adduxerit Et Mori ne dicas Bonos. Pope, John, d. 20 July, 1728, a 40. Reeves, Henry, son of Henry and Esther Reeves, d. 19 Nov. 1770, a. 26 mos. Reeves, Henry, d. 24 June, 1816, a. 79. RoAKE, Hannah, wife of Jacob Roake, d. 27 Mar. 1827, a. 27. RoAKE, Jacob, d. 21 Nov. 1832, a. 43. RoE, Rev. James, M.A., Rector of Newbury for 42 years, d. 9 July, 1838, a. 80. RoE, Sophia, wife of the above, d. 16 July, 1833, a. 74. the present Parish Church. 481 Sainsbury, Sally, d. 29 June, 1810, a. 64. Sainsbury, Henry, d. 6 July, 1828, a. 83. S. M. Roberti Scott, M.D. pro aatate peritissimi. Qui hie et circum- circa Medicinam exercuit fauste, placide, et perliberaliter, Pauperibus benefaciendo, Eegrosque sublevando, si non ditior, ac doctior tamen, melior et indies exercitatior, ad bene de multis promerendum. Quod probe actum revera, aut de industrii, religiose et humanius, Hoc ei superest, lucrum perenne, auro pretiosius. Cetera dissipabilia, debita destinaque morti hie juxta jacent. At vigent in aeternum sua cuique Bonitas, et Beneficientia ; Nee sunt peritura Ingenium felix summo- pere excultum, Peetusve generoso incoctum honesto. Gratiosa haec adeo Verecundia effecit gratiosiora, ut tot habuerit Amicos, quot Familiares, Qu^is consuetudine plus plusque in majus innotuit. His omnibus longfe lat^que vixit dilectus, Obiitque desideratissimus ; cum tussis impetui hsemorrhagia superveniens vim vita attulit xi. C. Februarii A.D. 1807. aet. 31. Longinquae in Scotia, Parens, et Cog- natas, Amore plenae, et Moestitia, longoque distantes intervallo, Fra- terni necessitudine ex animis conjuncti, Amicique Neuburienses amicissimi, Ingentes, bene merenti, H. M. P. P. Sheldon, Elizabeth Catherine Maria, eldest dau. of Ralph Sheldon, ofWeston, Warwickshire, d. 2 Nov. 1817, a. 36 Skinner, John, d. Mar. 19, 1791, a. 71. Skinner, Sarah, d. Mar. 25th, 1799, a. 72. Slocock, Caroline, dau. of Samuel and Mary Slocock, d. 10 Feb. 1809, a. 27. Slocock, Martha, wife of Samuel Slocock, d. 23 Jan. 1780, a. 69. Still, Mary, dau. of Gabriel and Mary Still, d. 17 17. TowNSEND, John, Senior Alderman of this Borough, d. 5 June, 1789, a 63. TowNSEND, John, Alderman of this Borough, d. 6 Mar. 1795, a. 47. TowNSEND, Emma, wife of the above, d. 27 June, 1811, a, 63. This tablet is also inscribed to the memory of Mrs. Mary Smith, sister of John Townsend, d. Feb. 15, 1803, a. 48. Mrs. Elizabeth Wheeler, another sister, d. Aug. '25, 1803, a. 54. Mrs. Elizabeth Compton, dau. of Mrs. Wheeler, and wife of Richard Compton, d. 20 March, 1806, a. 27. Townsend, John, d. 14 Feb. 181 1, a. 49. TwiTCHEN, William, d. 28 Jan. r8o3, a. 33. Twitchen, William, son of above, d. 20 May, 1823, a. 36. TwiTCHEN, Sarah, wife of William Twitchen, d. 23 Sept. 1831. I i 482 History and Description of TwiTCHEN, John, son of William Twitchen, sen., d. 30 Nov. 1829, a. 39. Warner, Mary, d. 20 May, 1795. West, John, d. 4 May, 1647. On a marble tablet formerly placed against the north wall of the Chancel : — In the north aisle of this Church are deposited the remains of Mr. WiUiam Withers of this town, Banker, who died the 9th of July, 1788, aged 59 years. Also of Mrs. Hannah Withers wife of the above Mr. Wilham Withers, who died the 27th of December, 1781, aged 48. Under an Urn of white marble, a shield bearing — Arg. a chevron gules, between 3 crescents. To the memory of Ann the wife of Edward Withers, who died July the 2nd, 1769, aged 72 years. Also of Edward Withers, who died August the 13th, 1770, aged 69 years. WoODROFFE, Mary, dau. of William and Eleanor Woodroffe, d. 18 Nov. 1783, a. 55. Wright, Charlotte, d. 6 Jan. 1851, a. 67. The following Hatchments were formerly affixed to the wall of the south aisle : — I. Townsend, impaling arg., a fess engr. sa., charged with a mullet or, betw. three escallops of the second. Crest.— h. stag trippant sa. II. Arg., a fess engr. sa., charged with a mullet or, betw. three escallops of the second, impaling sa., a lion ramp, crowned, between three crosses crosslets fitchde or, for King, Crest. — A demi-lion ramp. arg. holding an escallop sa. III. Quarterly : ist and 4th, arg., three piles, one issuing from the chief between two others issuing from the base sa. for (? Hulse) ; 2nd and 3rd, per saltire sa. and ermine, a Hon ramp, or, for (? Grafton) : impaling barry of six or and az., an eagle displayed of the first (? coat of Waldrond). Crest. — A stag's head arg., betw. the horns a sun or. IV. Quarterly: ist and 4th Erm., a fess nebulee gu. ; on a canton of the last a ducal crown or; 2nd and 3rd, per saltire sa. and ermine, a lion ramp. or. the present Parish Church. 483 Old Churchyard. Inscriptions on Monuments and Gravestones, copied before the stones were laid down and the Churchyard levelled. Adey, Joseph, d. 16 Dec. 1855, a. 43. Adnams, Sarah, d. 29 Mar. 1789, a. 59. Arrowsmith, Mary, d. 26 Feb. 1833, a. 80. Arrowsmith, David, husband of the above, d. 12 May, 1833, a. 72. Ayres, William, d. 7 Apl. 1850, a. 62. Ayres, Mary Elizabeth, first wife of the above, d. 13 June, 1837, a. 40. Ayres, Elizabeth Ann, second wife of the above William Ayres. d. 27 Feb. 1858, a. 71. Ayres, Henry, son of William and Mary Elizabeth Ayres, d. 20 May, 1826, a. 5 years and 5 months. Barnard, Joseph, d. 12 Nov. 1831, a. 63. Batten, Richard, d. 10 March, 1822, a. 5 years and 4 months. Bennett, John, d. 20 April, 1825, a. 64. BiNNEY, Rev. Hibbert, D.C.L., d. 6 June, 1857, a. 64. Blandy, Thomas, son of Thomas and Ann Blandy, d. 18 Oct. 1770, a. 14. Blandy, Ann, wife of Thomas Blandy, d. 23 March, 1773, a. 60. Blandy, Thomas, Gent, d. 8 Jan. 1788, a. 76. Burgess, Jane, d. 6 July, 18 19. BuRGis, Elizabeth, d. 16 Dec. 1809, a. 55 ; also Maria, wife of George Knight, of Reading, sister of Elizabeth Burgis, d. 2 Sept. 1825, a. 61. Burgis, Edward, d. 22 July, 1797, a. 66. Burnett, William, d. 18 Nov. 1834, a. 62. Burnett, Elizabeth, widow of the above, d. 25 Aug. 1867, a. 93. Burnett, Charles, son of the above, d. 24 Jan. 1872, a. 63. Burnett, John, d. 8 Sept. 1840, a. 43. Butler, James, d. 27 Feb. 1750, a. 72. Butler, Mary, wife of the above, d. 3 July, 1763, a. 82. Butler, James, d. 11 Feb. 1795, a. 52. Butler, Ann, widow of the above James Butler, d. i Feb. 1828, a. 75- I i 2 484 History and Description of Childs, Sarah, wife of John Childs, d. 12 June, 1821, a. 55. Clark, Joseph, d. 15 June, 1798, a. 44. Clark, Ann, widow of the above, d. 27 May, 1813, a. 65. Clinch, WilHam, d. 18 Nov. 1790, a. 51. CoTTERELL, William, son of George and Mary Ann Cotterell, d. 4 Nov. 1842, a. 4 years and 8 months. Cotterell, Robert Lowden, son of George and Mary Ann Cotterell, d. 21 Nov. 1842, a. 6 years and 9 months. Cripps, Harriett, d. 29 July, 1816, a. 33. Criswick, Ann, daughter of James and Maria Criswick, d. 3 Jan. 18 16, a. 16 months. Davis, Mary Ann, wife of William H. Davis, d. 11 June, 1824, a. 29. Dell, Hannah, d. 22 Dec. 1823, a. 27, daughter of Jane Burgess. Du Pre, Rev. Wm., B.A., d. 3 Aug. 1826, a. 62. Edwards, Simon, Officer of Excise, d. 12 Dec. 1787, a. 43. Gibes, Elizabeth, wife of John Gibbs, d. 29 Dec. 1807, a. 54. GiBBS, Martha, d. 2 May, 1802, a. 20. Gibbs, Elizabeth, d. 29 Dec. 1805, a. 24. GiEBs, John, d. 24 Nov. 1831, a. 78. Gilder, Charlotte, wife of Robert Gilder, d. 6 April, 1831, a. 63. Gilder, Robert, d. 31 Oct. 1842, at an advanced age. Green, Rose Ann, daughter of Job and Ann Wells, d. 28 Nov. 1855, a. 49. Grigg, Samuel, d. 28 Aug. 1808, a. 54. Grigg, Mary, wife of the above, d. 28 Sept. 1799, a. 47. Grigg, John, d. 4 April, 1829, a. 43. Grigg, Elizabeth, wife of the abovef d. 8 Oct. 1818, a. 25. Grigg, Mary, daughter of the above John and Elizabeth Grigg, born 16 March, 1812, d. 13 May, 1845. Grigg, George, son of Samuel and Mary Grigg, d. at Bristol, 15 Aug. 1802, a. 22. Grigg, William, son of Samuel and Mary Grigg, d. 22 March, 18 7, a. 20. Grigg, Mary, daughter of Samuel and Mary Grigg, d. 27 April, 1807, a. 26. Hall, Mary, wife of John Hall, d. i Oct. 1807, a. 37. Hammond, William, d. 18 Oct. 1825, a. 74. Hammond, Elizabeth, widow of the above, d. 31 Jan. 1847, a. 94. the preseiit Parish Church. 485 Harding, Joseph, d. 7 June, 1793, a. 65. Harding, Mary, wife of the above, d. 4 Dec. 1770, a. 42. Harrison, Mary, widow of Richard Harrison, d. 14 Dec. 1856, a. 72. Harrison, Richard, d. 16 March, 1848, a. 62. Harrison, Francis, d. 25 April, 1822, a. 57. Harrison, Hannah, wife of the above, d. 10 Jan. 1840, a. 67. Harrison, Joseph, infant son of the above, d. 10 Sept. 1809, a. 8 months. Harrison, George, son of Francis and Hannah Harrison, d. 20 Aug. 1843, a. 38. Hasker, John, d. 4 Feb. 1780, a. 79. Hasker, Mary, wife of the above, d. 23 Dec. 1771, a. 73. Haskins, Edward Pointer, d. 22 Aug. 1841, a. 51. * Hawkins, John, d. 18 April, 1836, a. 69. Hawkins, Thomas John, d. 23 Jan. 1841, a. 30. Drowned in the Isis. Hawkins, Amy Emma, wife of John Hawkins, d. 28 Oct. 1846, a. 75- Hawkins, Ann, d. 14 Jan. 1809, a. 17. Hawkins, Benjamin, d. 10 July, 1825, a. 70. Hawkins, Ann, d. 18 Dec. 1832, a. 73. Havden, Thomas, d. 20 Oct 1844, a. 75. Hayden, Hannah, wife of the above, d. 10 Jan. 1840, a. 79. Head, Martha, d. 19 April, 1809, a. 91. Hervey, Sarah, wife of James Hervey, of Crayford, Kent, d. 8 Sept. 1815, a. 33. HOLDWAY, Francis, d. 16 May, 1836, a. 77. Holmes, WiUiam, formerly of Newgate-street, London, d. 22 Dec. 1830, a. 58. HoPSON, William, d.,27 Jan. 1811, a. 44. Horner, Mary, d. 11 Sept. 1805, a. 32. Horner, Mary Ann, d. 27 Jan. 1824, a. 23. Hughes, Ann, d. 10 March, 1826, a. 31. Jackson, Ann, wife of John Jackson, d. 14 June, t8io, a. 78. Jackson, James, son of the above, d. 26 June, 1817, a. 42. Jackson, Sarah, widow of the above, d. 14 Sep. 1847, a. 64. Jackson, Sabrina, daughter of the above Jas. and Sar. Jackson, d. 26 Nov. 1814, a. 8 months. Jackson, Henry, d. 4 Jan. 1831, a. 38. 485 History and Description of Jackson, Louisa, daughter of Jas. and Maria Jackson, d. 22 Dec. 1842, a. 2. Jackson, Philip Henry, son of Jas. and Maria Jackson, d. 5 Dec. 1846, a. 4. Jackson, Maria Elizabeth, wife of Jas. Porteus Jackson, d. 17 Oct. 1848, a. 31. Keens, Joseph, d. 8 March, 1800, a. 48. Keens, Mary, widow of the above, d. 3 Sept. 1801, a. 36. King, John, son of John and Mary King, d. i Jan. 1775, a. 29. King, Bos well, son of John and Ann King, d. 20 Feb. 1775, a. 18 months. King, Joseph, d. 21. Dec. 1815, a. 60. Knight, Stephen, d. 27 Oct. 1833, a. 40. Langton, Benjamin, d. 10 Sept. 1811, a. 40. Leonard, Henry, son of Thomas and Mary Leonard, d. 12 April, 1844, a. 19. Leonard, Mary Jane, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Martha Leonard, d. 19 July, 1846, a. 10 months. Leonard, Ehzabeth Martha, wife of Thomas Leonard, d. 19 May, 1850, a. 33. Leonard, Mary, wife of Thomas Leonard, sen., d. 5 June, T857, a. 65. Leonard, Thomas, sen., d. 22 Jan. 1868, a. 74. Liddiard, William, d. 13 July, 1824, a. 61. Machin, Mary, wife of John Machin, d. 25 Jan. 1842, a. 30. Machin, John, son of the above, d. 15 Jan. 1843, a. 2 years and 6 months. Martin, Rebekah, widow of William Martin, of Stratford, Essex, d. 17 May, 1840, a. 64. Martin, William, son of John and Rebekah Martin, d. 16 Dec. 1845, a 41. Martin, Mary, wife of John Martin, d. 26 March, 1824, a. 33. Morecraft, Joseph, d. i April, 1825, a. 18. Morecraft, Thomas, d. n Dec. 1825, a. 18 months. MoRRELL, Mrs. Frances, d. 11 Aug. 1785, a. 66. Morris, Ann, wife of William Morris, d. 19 April, 1781, a. ^t,. Morris, Benjamin, d. 20 Dec. 1791, a. 68. Morris, Ehzabeth, mother of the above, d. 8 Feb. 1775, a. 80. NiAS, Sarah, widow of John Nias, d. 26 Jan. 1799, a. 52. NiAS, John, d. 8 April, r7i8, a. 55. the present Parish Church. 487 Peirce, Thomas, d. 20 March, 1781, a. 63. Peirce, Jane, wife of the above, d. 8 Nov. 1778, a. 60. PoTTiNGER, Thomas, d. 25 June, 1764, a. 33. PoTTiNGER, Susan, wife of the above, d. i April, 1787, a. 65. Povey, Geo., accidently drowned, 24 Jan. 1829, a. 17. Purdue, John, d. 14 Aug. 1770, a. 69. Purdue, Mary, widow of John Purdue, d. 29 Dec. 1785, a. 85. Purdue, Thbmas, d. i Feb. 1782, a. 38. Purdue, EHzabeth, widow of the above, d. 28 Jan. 1783, a. 37. Purdue, James, d. 19 Oct. 1827, a. 71. Purdue, Charlotte, d. 26 Aug. 1833, a. 62. Purdue, Robert, d. 31 May, 1841, a. 71. Purdue, Hannah, d. 24 Feb. 1840, a. 80. Read, Richard, d. 28 Oct. 1829, a. 75. Read, Sarah, wife of the above, d. 3 Dec. 1848, a. 88. Reeves, Edmund, d. 2 June, 1784, a. 37. Reeves, Mabel, widow of the above, d. 22 Feb. 1786, a. 43. Rolfe, John, d. 13 Nov. 1807, a. 67. RoLFE, Sarah, wife of the above, d. 2 May, 1813, a. 73. Rowell, Robert, d. 9 Feb. 1839, a. 53. RowELL, Sarah, wife of Robert Rowell, d. 8 May, 1818, a. 22. Satchell, John, d. 15 Feb. 1851, a. 56. Satchell, Mary, wife of above, d. t6 June, 1837, a. 33. Satchell, Charlotte, d. 20 April, 1842, a. 12. Satchell, Mary Ann, d. 10 May, 1846, a. 21. Satchell, Richard, d. 9 June, 1828, a. 3 months. Satchell, Arthur, d. 15 Oct. 1832, a. 6 months. Satchell, Emma, d. 17 Jan. 1835, a. 15 months. Children of the above John and Mary Satchell. Shaw, John, d. 3 April, 1800, a. 50. Shaw, James, d. 29 Nov. 1807, a. 67. Sims, Thomas, d. 24 Feb. 1826, a. 62. Sims, John, d. 18 March, 181 5, a. 26. Skeats, Sarah, d. 14 July, 1785, a. 28. Skeats, Sarah, d. 21 Sept. 181 8, a. 98. Smith, Sophia, wife of Thomas Smith, d. i July, 1822, a. 28. Smith, Hannah, wife of Thomas Smith, d. 31 March, 1806, a. 40. Smith, Ann, daughter of Thomas and Hannah Smith, d. 24 May, 18 1 2, a. 14. Smith, James, d. 13 March, 1834, a. 48. Stillwell, Charles, d. 21 July, 1850, a. 72. 488 History and Description of Stratton, Thomas, d. lo March, , a. 68. Stratton, Rebecca, wife of the above, d. 26 June, 1813, a. 47. TowNSEND, John, d. 7 May, 1780, a. 51. TowNSEND, EHzabeth, wife of the above, d. 29 Nov. 1787, a. 53. Vines, Uriah Bryant, d. 29 Dec. 1842, a. 52. Webb, John, d. 26 Dec. 1797, a. 39. Webb, Mary, widow of the above, d. 16 Feb. 1833, a. 92. Wells, Job (of WalHngford), d. i June, 1831, a. 5/. Wells, Ann, widow of the above, d. 25 Feb. 1853, a. 73. Wells, Ann, d. 17 May, 1832, a. 17. ) daughters of J. and Wells, Sophia, d. i July, 1835, a. 17. ■' A.Wells. Wells, Philip 7'homas, son of Philip and Maria Wells, d. 22 March, 1839, a. 20. Wells, Maria, wife of Philip Wells, died 10 Oct. 1868, a. 77. Wetherall, Maria, wife of William Wetherall, d. 26 Nov. 1840, a. 52. Wetherall, William, d. 21 Nov. 1841, a. 59. Wetherall, James, son of the above, d. 6 Aug. 1842, a. 18. Westcombe, Michael, d. 27 Aug. 1835, a. 74. Westcombe, Mary, wife of the above, d. 14 May 1832, a. 90. Also Temperance Bunce, sister to Mary Westcombe, d. 16 Dec. 1837, a. 7r. Whichelow, John, d. 21 March, 1824, a. 40. Wiggins, Jane, wife of David Wiggins, d. 21 Dec. 1828, a. 53. Wiggins, David, d. i Jan. 1839, a. 49. Willis, Thomas, died 31 March, 1838, a. 29. Willis, Sarah, widow of the above, d. 8 May, 1841, a. 36. Winter, Joseph, d. 26 Feb. 1820, a. 64. Winter, Bithiah, wife of the above, d. 28 Nov. 1823, a. 71. Winter, William, d. 24 June, 1817, a. 23. Winter, Elizabeth, d. 12 Feb. 1791, a. 10. Winter, EHzabeth, d. 30 Nov. 1808, a. 61. Winter, John, d. 21 May, 1809, a. 23. Winter, Mary, d. 30 March, i77i.| Infant children of J. and H. Winter, John, d. 15 Dec. 1775. i Winter. Wise, George, died 16 Dec. 1779, a. 9. n Wise, Charles, d; 18 Nov. 1769, a. 9 months.) Children of William and Elizabeth Wise. Yates, Edward, d. 10 Oct. 182 1, a. 42. On the outer east wall of the Chancel is affixed what is the present Parish Church. 489 apparently a portion of a massive tomb, on which is im- paled the Arms of Philip Weston, Esq., and those of Anne, daughter of Humphrey Dolman, Esq., by Ann his wife, daughter and heiress of John Quarles, Esq., of London. The " New Burial-Ground," On the South Side of the Old Churchyard. Abraham, John, late of Edgware Road, London, d. 24 Sep. 1829, a. 49. Absalom, Eliza, wife of Charles Absalom, d. 27 June, 1838, a. 33. Allen, Thomas, d. 9 April, 1847, a. 77. Allen, Mary, wife of the above, d. 13 Jan. 1834, a. 66. Allen, William, son of the above, d. 24 Dec. 1848, a. 49. Angell, Catherine, d. 1 May, 1839, a. 83. Arnold, Sophia, wife of John Arnold, of London, d. 11 Feb. 1825, a. 38. Arnold, John, husband of the above, d. 25 July, 1827, a. 46. Arnold, Martha, d. 20 Jan. 18 17, a. 4. Arnold, Eleanor, d. 27 May, 1819, a. i. Avery, Richard, d. 28 June, 1849, a. 66. Avery, Mary, wife of the above, d. 15 June, 1838. Avery, Elizabeth, dau. of the above, d. 23 March, 1813, a. 4. Ayres, Joseph, d. 7 June, 1833, a. 75. Bachelor, Wm. Robertson, d. 22 July 1833, a. 24. Bachelor, Wm., d. 9 April, 1836, a. 76. Bachelor, Wm., died 16 Dec. 1857, a. 76. Baggs, Sarah, wife of WilHam Baggs, d. 20 March, 1831, a. 39. Baggs, Caroline Amelia, d. 3 Aug. 1825, a. 3. ) Baggs, Mary Harriett Jones, d. 22 June, 1839, a. 19.} Daughters of the above. Bartlett, George, son of Will, and Ann Bartlett, d. 28 June 1846, a. 42. Bartlett, William, father of the above, d. 25 April, 1847, a. 88. Bartlett, Ann, widow of the above, d. 27 March, 1850, a. 82. Bartlett, Hannah, d. 2 Jan. 1800, a. 66. Batten, James, d. 7 Sep. 1800, a. 59. Batten, Sarah, widow of the above, d. 12 Oct. 18 12, a. 74, Batten, George, d. 23 June, 1823, a. 25. Batten, Eleazor, d. i July, 1809, a. 39. Batten, Ann, wife of the above, d. 7 March, 1829, a. 58. 490 History and Description of Batten, Jesetta, d. 25 May, 1827, a. 16. Beckett, John, d. 19 Feb. 1846, a. 47. Beckett, John Dibley, son of the above, d. 14 Jan. 1828, a. 4. Beckett, Richard, d. 8 Feb. 1838, a. 49. Bell, Ann, d. 31 Dec. 1822, a. 51. Bell, Sarah, daughter of the above, d. 25 May, 1828, a. 24. Bolton, Amy, d. 25 Feb. 1846, a. 91. Bourne, Geo., d. 19 Dec. 1804, a. 26. Brindlev, James, d. 29 March, 1822, a. 49. Brindley, Jane, wife of the above, d. 18 Oct. 1820, a. 46. Britten, Mary, late of Waltham Abbey, died 21 Oct. 1839, a. 63. Bromham, Edmund, d. 21 Sept. 1819, a. 4. Brown, Benjamin, d. 9 Feb. 1800, a. 84. Brown, Richard, d. 18 Dec. 1824, a. 55. Brown, Charles, d. 2 Dec. 1849, a. 44. Brunsden, Charles, d. 12 Aug. 1814, a. 43. Brunsden, Charles, d. 2 June, 18 11, a. 46. Brunsden, Catherine, wife of the above, d. 15 July, 1830, a. 63. Brunsden, Thomas, d. 7 March, 1800, a. 31. Butt, Christiana, wife of William Butt, d. 14 July, 1822, a. 25. Butt, Mary Ann, daughter of the above, d. 30 March, 1822, a. II months. Challis, Benjamin, d. 18 April, 1779, a. 75. Challis, Sarah, wife of the above, d. 31 Aug. 1765, a. 54. Challis, Joseph, d. 23 Oct. 1800, a. 33, and two daughters d. in infancy. Charmbury, Mary, d. 30 Jan. 1816, a. 19. Clayton, Abraham, d. 5 Nov. 1836, a. 46. Clayton, Mary, widow of the above, d. 22 June, 1841, a. 50. Clayton, Susan, d. 7 March, 1832, a. 9 months. Clayton, Sarah, d. 16 Oct. 1835, ^- 4 months. Clayton, Emma Mary, d. 17 Dec. 1835, a. 11. Clayton, Bilbiah Sellar, d. 16 Sept. 1842, a. 22. Clayton, Martha Sarah Winter, d. 18 April, 1850, a. 27.. Children of Abraham and Mary Clayton. Collier, Charles, d. 28 Jan. 1822, a. 20. Cox, Edward, son of Samuel and Janet Cox, d. 8 June, 1821, a. 30. Cox, Samuel, father of the above, d. 19 Oct. 1826, a. 68. Cripps, Elizabeth, d. 15 Jan. 1844, a. 63. the present Parish Church. 491 Cumber, Susannah, wife of Henry Cumber, d. 30 June, 1833, a. 23. Cumber, Mary, daughter of the above, died 26 Sept. 1833, a. 4 months. Davis, EHzabeth, wife of Thomas Davis, Supervisor of Excise, d. 4 Feb. 1809, a. 31. Davis, Henry, d. 16 Aug. 1825, a. 19. Dennis, Martha Joanna, d. 9 March, 1822, a. 2. 1 Dennis, William Thomas, d. 16 March, 1822, a. 6.' Children of James and EHzabeth Dennis. Dyer, Sally, daughter of Samuel and Sarah Dyer, d. 26 Nov. 1790, a. 41. Evans, George, d. 18 Nov. 1845, a. 5. Farrow, Elizabeth, wife of Jonathan Farrow, d. 10 Dec. 1833, a. 59. Farrow, Jonathan, d. 4 Nov. 1837, a. 67. Fentiman, Thomas Harris, d. 3 Nov. 1842, a. 3 months. Fentiman, Alfred, d. 16 April, 1847, a. 18 months. FiDLER, Sarah, wife of Edward Fidler, d. 18 Feb. 1S40, a. 73. Fidler, Edward, d. 23 Dec. 1851, a. 88. FiDLER, Charles, d. i Sept. 1826, a. 31. Fischer, John, a native of Saxony, formerly of the Royal Horse Guards, and at the time of his decease Bandmaster of the ist Reg. Royal Berks Local Militia, d. 9 June, 1812, a. 46. Gosling, William, d. 18 Nov. 1836, a. 85. Gosling, Mary, wife of the above, d. 12 Feb. 1832, a. 74. Gosling, Hannah,wifeofWilliam Gosling, died 31 Oct. i837,a. 51. Gray, Abraham, d. 8 Dec. 1807, a. 62. Green, Arthur, d. 16 Jan. 182 1, a. 70. Green, Sarah, widow of the above, d. 21 June, 1838, a. 87. Green, Thomas, late 15th Lt. Dragoons, d. 22 May, 1797, a. 22. Gregory, Mary, d. 11 April, 1831, a. 62. Hall, James Stuart, son of James and Jane Stuart Hall, d. 18 May, 1833, a. 4 months. Hall, James Stuart, d. 13 May, 1837, a. 11. Hanson, Mary, wife of Thomas Hanson, d. 20 May, 1844, a. 45. Hanson, Mary Ann, daughter of the above, d. 24 Feb. 1843, a. 18. Hanson, Mary, wife of Will. Hanson, d. 30 March, 1824, a. 25. Hanson, Will. Mildenhall, son of the above, d. 25 Feb. 1825, a. II months. Harbor, Thos., d. 14 Oct. 182-, a. 91. 492 History and Description of Harbor, Hannah, widow of the above, d. 23 Jan. 1833, a. 94. Harmsworth, Edward, d. 20 March, 1819, a. 75. Harmsworth, EHzabeth, widow of the above, d. 2 Jan. 1825, a. 70. Harris, Richard, d. 26 Jan. 1849, a. 78. Harris, Sarah, wife of the above, d. 4 Feb. 1855, a. 84. Herbert, James, d. 21 July, 1814, a. 32. Hester, Sarah, wife of James Hester, d. 16 April, 1812, a. 27. Hickman, Martha, wife of J. F. Hickman, d. 2 Dec. 1847, a. 32. Hickman, Louisa, daughter of the above, d. 11 Nov. 1867, a. 26. HiGGS, John, d.ii April, 1833, a. 58. HiGGS, John, son of John and Elizabeth Higgs, d. 8 Feb. 1830, a. 16. HoLDWAY, Richard, d. i Dec. 1824, a. 65. HoLDWAY, Elizabeth, wife of the above, d. 24 May, 1823, a. 70. HoRNE, Harriett, daughter of Thos. and Mary Home, d. I Jan. 1847, a. 33. Hughes, Mary, wife of John Hughes, d. 26 May, 1771, a. 31. Hughes, Mary; daughter of the above, d. 30 May, 1771, a. 8 days. Humphries, Mary, widow of William Humphries, of Caversham, d. 15 March, 1812, a. 53. Jasper, William, d. 8 Jan. 1817, a. 75. Jasper, Francis, d. Aug. 6, 1819, a. 75. Johnstone, Frances, wife of Geo. Johnstone, d. 18 May, 1824, a. 42. Jolly, Francis, d. 14 May, 1837, a. 27. ■' ' ^ t Infant children of the above. Jolly, Harriett. ) Keens, Robert, d. 29 Jan. 1780, a. 108. Keens, Ann, wife of the above,' d. 27 Feb. 1770, a. 98. The inscription on the gravestone of Keens, virho is recorded to have died at such an extraordinary age, and which also commemorates his vifife, whose years were only ten fewer than those of her husband, is as follows : — " In memory of Robert Keens, who died January 20th, 1780, aged 108 years. And of Ann the wife of Robert Keens, who died February 27tli, 1770, aged 98 years. She dy'd first, he for a little try'd To live without her, lik'd it not, and dy'd. the present Parish Church. 493 Kent, James Darlington, son of the late Benjamin Kent, of Clifford's Inn, d. 8 July, 1845, a-. 45- Kermon, George, son of George and Frances Kermon, d. 25 Feb. 1830, a. 11. Kermon, George, father of the above, d. 8 May, 1844, a. 54. Kershaw, Abraham, d. 16 Nov. 1859, a. 61. Kershaw, Mary Ann, wife of the above, d. 13 March, 1849, a. 48. King, John, d. 16 July, 1802, a. 80. King, Mary, wife of the above, d. 25 Jan. 1799, a. 78. King, Jacob, son of the above, d. 12 Jan. 1782, a. 21. King, Mary, wife of Thomas King, of the ' Globe ' Inn, and daughter of Mary Britten, d. 4 June, 1842, a. 45. King, Samuel Britten, d. 4 Sept. 1845, ^- ^6. King, Robert Gilder, d. 1 May, 1848, a. 21. King, Thomas, d. 9 Jan. 1849, a- Si- King, George, d. 11 Oct. 1822, a. 20 months. King, Mary, d. 20 July, 1856, a. 33. King, Sarah Maria, d. 30 June, 1857, a. 21. King, Edward, d. 30 July, 1842, a. 89. Knight, Eliza, d. 20 Feb. 1831, a. 22. \ Knight, Mary, d. 15 March, 1839, a. 37. ) Daughters of John and Mary Knight, Knight, Mary, wife of John Knight, d. 24 April, 1825, a. 61. Knight, John, d. 20 April, 1837, a. 76. Lawson, Hannah, d. 2 April, 1773, a. 68. Lewis, Joseph, d. 17 Sept. 1842, a. 58. Lewis, Letitia, wife of the above, d. 16 May, 1817, a. 29. LiDDiARD, William, d. 23 June, 1836, a. 47. Liddiard, Elizabeth, wife of the above, d. 16 July, 1842, a. 52. LiDDiARD, Jane, d. 10 Jan. 1844, a. ig8. Liddiard, William, d. 26 June, 1838, a. 77. Liddiard, Mary, wife of the above, d. 15 Sept. 1831, a. 66. Martin, John, d. 31 July, 1837, a. 63. Masters, Francis, d. 2 Oct. 1814, a. 59. Masters, Ehzabeth, wife of the above, d. 21 Aug. 1807, a. 57. Matthews, Mary, late of Boxford, d. 9 Feb. 1820, a. 66. May, Ehzabeth, d. 2 Sept. 1842, a. 79. May, Wilham, d. 15 June, 1830, a. 54. May, Mary, widow of the above, d. 18 Oct. 1844, a 71. Melchior, William, late Trumpeter 15th Light Dragoons, d. 24th April, 1799, a. 33. 494 History and Description of Miller, Ann, d. 20 Oct. 1842, a. 90. Miller, Elizabeth, daughter ol the above, d. 30 Oct. 1847, a. 70. MoRRisH, Ruth, d. 28 Nov. 1827, a. 56. Moss, William, d. 6 Dec. 1770, a. 57. Moss, Sarah, widow of the above, d. 5 June, 1775, a. 38. Moss, Sarah, wife of James Moss, d. 3 Aug. 1824, a. 25. Newbury, Ann, wife of James Newbury, d. 7 Sept. 1837, a. 79. Newbury, James, d. 2 Sept. 1841, a. 76. North, Lucy, d. 19 Nov. 1843, ^- 66. North, Johannah, wife of John North, d. 19 April, 1815, a. 22. Osgood, Harry, d. 9 Dec. 1833, a. 30. Palmer, Matthew, late Royal Horse Guards, d. 2 Aug. 1785, a. 35- Parker, Robt., d. 21 Oct. 1778. Parsons, Sally, widow of Thomas Parsons, d. 12 Nov. 1842, a. 71. Parsons, Fred. John, son of the above, d. 10 March, 1855, a. 47. Peck, Geo., d. 27 Oct. 1813, a. 73. Peck, Jacob, d. 5 Aug. 18 11, a. 31. Pegg, Thos., d. 16 Feb. 1818, a. 49. Pegg, Mary Ann, infant daughter of the above. PiNNiGER, William, son of Broome and Elizabeth Pinniger, d. 30 Jan. 1833, a. i year. PiTTMAN, Mary, wife of James Pittman, d. 24 Nov. 1835, 3- 67. Plenty, William, d. 13 June, 1832, a. 73. Plenty, John, d. 8 Aug. 1823, a. 35. ■) sons of the Plenty, William, d. 30 July, 1831, a. 25. / above. Potter, John, son of John- Potter, Officer of Excise, d. 7 Jan. 1801, a. 3. Powell, Ann, wife of Thos. Powell, d. 22 May, 181 1, a. 66. Powell, Thos., d. 18 Feb. 1808, a. 66. Powell, James, d. 13 Dec. 1816, a. 24. Powell, Hannah, d. 2 April, 17 — . Pullen, John, d. 14 May, 1825, a. 49. Randall, Elizabeth, wife of William Randall, d. 28 Feb. 181 1, a. 30. Record, Thos., d. 6 May, 1837, a. 84. Record, Mary, widow of the above, d. 21 May, 1838, a. 74. Record, Joseph, son of the above, d. 11 Dec. 183 1, a. 45. the present Parish Church. 495 Richardson, Mary Ann, d. 22 Jan. 1825, a. 5. RoAKE, Esther, widow of John Roake, of Henley-on-Thames, d. 20 Jan. 1838, a. 76. Roake, James White, d. 27 March, 1840, a. 14. Roake, Mary Stubbs, d. i Dec. 1844, a. 17. Roake, James White, d. 10 April, 1861, a. 65. Roake, Mary, widow of the above, d. 4 March, 1862, a. 66. Rogers, Will., d. 25 Nov. 1847, a. 69. Rolls, Catherine, daughter of Mary Britten, of Waltham Abbey, d. 21 Oct. 1839, a. 63. Russ, Mary, wife of William Russ, d. 13 April, 1827, a. 61. Russ, Ann, daughter of the above, d. 2 June, 1823, a. 28. Sandy, Eleanor, d. 7 Aug. 1818, a. 70. ScoTFORD, Wm., d. 10 May, 18 17, a. 38. Sheppard, Richard, d. 13 July, 1786, a. 53. Sheppard, Mary, wife of the above, d. 15 Oct. 1774, a. 40. Shrimpton, Paul, son of Harry and Jane Shrimpton, d. 23 May, 1846, a. 3. Sims, James, d. 31 Oct. 1842, a. 80. Sims, Mary, wife of the above, d. 12 Nov. 1814, a. 49. Skinner, Francis, d. 30 Dec. 1797, a. 79. Skinner, Sarah, daughter of the above, d. 7 Dec. 1832, a. 78. Skinner, Thomas, d. 10 April, 1820, a. 50. Skinner, Mabel, widow of the above, d. 24 Aug. 1822, a. 59. Smith, Charles, d. 17 July, 1808, a. 28. Also Charles, infant son. Snow, John, d. 23 April, 1808, a. 34. Snow, Ann, d. 11 Feb. 18 10, a. — . Somerset, Thomas, son of William and Mary Ann Somerset, d. 12 March, 1828, a. 2. Stanley, John, officer of excise, d. 3 Dec. 1841, a. 70. Stanley, Modest, widow of the above, d. 6 Sept. 1843, a. 55. Stewart, William, Ensign 3rd Buffs, d. 3 Aug. 1824, a. 25. Stillman, Wilham, d. 4 May, 1819, a. 70. Taylor, EHzabeth, d. 3 Nov. 1837, a. 67. Taylor, Daniel, husband of the above, d. 20 Aug. 1852, a. 82. Tidman, Elizabeth, d. 24 Aug. 1828, a. 79. Tombs, Israel, d. 12 Dec. 1852, a. 63. ToMKiNS, William, d. 18 Aug. 182 1, a. 6i. Tomkins, Elizabeth, widow of the above, d. 9 Nov. 1829, a. 74. Tucker, James Fludyer, d. 28 Oct. 1841, a. 59. 496 History of the present Parish Church. TwiTCHEN, Caroline, d. i6 Nov. 1844, a. 33. TwiTCHEN, Henrietta, d. 10 July, 1845, a. 20. TwiTCHEN, Richard, d. i Oct. 1826, a. 34. TwiTCHEN, George, d. 13 Sept. 1827, a. 7 months. Warner, John, d. 9 July, 1785, a. 40. Weaver, Lucy, d. 20 Jan. 1837, a. 77. Weston, Humphrey, late Bath Coachman, d. 11 March, 1814, a. 57- Weston, Sarah, widow of the above, d. 31 May, 1827, a. 71. Weston, Sarah Ann, daughter of the above, d. 3 June, 1840, a. 59. Weston, Ann, wife of Benjamin Weston, d. 26 Jan. 1817, a 34. Weston, Benjamin, husband of the above. Treasurer of the Borough, d. 23 July, 1848, a. 72. Wheatley, Elizabeth, wife of John Wheatley, d. 13 Oct. 18 ri, a. 52. Wheatley, John Gifford, son of the above, d. , 181 2, a. 24, buried at Bradford, Wilts. Wheatley, William Henry, d. 16 Dec. 1815, a. 23. Wheatley, EUzabeth, daughter of William Henry and Ann Wheatley, d. 6 Oct. 1834, a. 19. Wheatley, Ann, d. 21 Jan. 1858, a. 67. Wheeler, Robt., son of Robt. Wheeler, Wesleyan Minister, d. I April, 1828, a. 8. Wheeler, John Hunt, son of Robt. Wheeler, above mentioned, d. 28 Dec. 1828, a. 2. WiGMORE, Charlotte, d. 8 Nov. 1845, a. 40. Wilkin s. Pleasant, d. 26 Nov. 1837, a. 78. Winter, Martha, d. 19 Jan. 1853, a. 66. Wood, Henry Taylor, d. 11 Sept. r832, a. 35. Wood, Thomas, d. 12 Jan. 1842, a. 82. Wood, Ann, d. 29 Oct. 1841, a. 81. The burial-ground attached to the parish church w^as closed against interments, except in certain vaults, under the provisions of the Burials Act, 16 and 17 Vict., and from this time interments have taken place at the ceme- tery, which was opened for burials in April, 1850. CHAPTER IV. Zbc IRectors an& ©fficers of tbe Cburcb. A List of the Rectors, with Biographical Notes. — A List of the Church- wardens. — The Organists of the Church. Rectors of Newbury. THE name of Gervase, Clerk of Newbury Church, occurs in the composition made with the Abbot and Convent of Reading, 1213-26 (see p. 435). Richard de Warmyngton is the name of the first Rec- tor of Newbury recorded in the Episcopal Registers of the Diocese of Salisbury, who was presented to the Church on the instance of the Abbot and Convent of " Pratell " (Preaux), June 13, 1327. Warmyngton, or Warmington, whence this Rector's name was apparently derived, is a vil- lage in Warwickshire, about five miles from Banbury, where there existed a Benedictine Priory subordinate to the Ab- bey of Preaux. A William de Warmyngton augmented the Chantry foundation of Robert Bullock in Newbury Church. At this period, when so many of the English benefices were held by foreign monasteries, disputes and animosities between English and foreign ecclesiastics were of fre- quent occurrence. We have an instance of this in the case of Newbury. The abbot and his brethren at Preaux had presented Richard de Warmyngton to the Church of Newbury, but the Bishop of Salisbury refused to institute him ; consequently a precept was issued by the Official Principal of Canterbury, enjoining the Bishop to allow every facility to Richard de Warmyngton to prosecute an appeal against the Bishop's refusal or delay in giving him episcopal institution. The result of this mandate was that the right of the patrons was maintained, and War- myngton was duly instituted to the benefice. K k 498 The Rectors and Officers of the Church. Thomas Charles, of " Hadesco," now spelt " Hadisco," a parish in Norfolk, about five miles from Beccles, was in- stituted on June 20, 1349, on the presentation of King Edward III., in right of the temporalities of the Abbot of Pratell, a foreigner, and now held in the King's hands on account of the war between the King and his French ad- versaries. The Church of Hadesco was one of those given by Ernulf de Hesding to the Abbey of Pr^aux. Thomas Newman was the next Rector ; his institution is not recorded in the Episcopal Register ; but in Bishop Waltham's register it is reported that at a Visitation held before the Bishop's Commissary in Thatcham Church, on May 15, 1394, "Thomas Newenham, the Rector of New- bury, did not appear." John Maldon, instituted May 26, 1394, on death of last, by presentation of Lodewyc de Clifford, the patron of this turn. Hugh Clifford, Chaplain, instituted January 30, 1401, on death of last, by presentation of Lodewyc de Clifford, Knight. John Lynes de Stoley (.? Stodey, Norfolk), instituted August 10, 1408, on presentation of Thomas Erpingham, Knight, in right of the temporalities of the foreign priory of Toftys % held by him for this turn by grant from King Henry IV., on account of the war between the King and his French adversary. Robert Langrish, instituted October 3, 141 8, on death of last, by presentation of Prior and Convent of the Car- thusian Order at Witham in Selwood, patrons for this turn, by a grant from the King. John Stretton, LL.D., instituted June i, 1454, on pre- sentation of Prior and Convent of Witham. Thomas Water, B.A., instituted February 26, 1457, on resignation of last, by the presentation of Prior and Con- vent of Witham. Christopher Twynho, clerk, instituted September 4, 1479, • Toftes, CO. Norfolk ; a cell to Preaux, see p. 33. The Rectors and Officers of the Church. 499 on death of last, by presentation of the House of the Blessed Mary at Witham of the Carthusian Order, and of the convent of the same place, in the diocese of Bath and Wells. Twynho, or, as the name is variously spelt, Twyne- hoe, Twynely, Twinkley, was collated to a Prebend at Lincoln, Feb. 11, 1488-9, and became Archdeacon of Berks, Dec. 20, 1507. He was succeeded in the same Archdeaconry by William Grey, about 15 10. John Esterfield, instituted June 7, 1488, on resignation of last, by presentation of Prior and Convent of Witham. John Wayte, M.A., instituted August 8, 15 13, on death of Esterfield, by presentation of Prior and Convent of Witham. Wayte was one of the witnesses to the will of John Winchcombe, to whom the latter bequeathed 40J. in satisfaction for the supposed negligence or omission he had been guilty of in not paying his personal tithes, that is, the tithes of the movable goods and chattels possessed by him at the time of his death. In the Lambeth Palace library there is a Bull of Pope Leo X. to John Wayt, Rector of St. Nicholas, Newbury, dispensative of plurality. He died April, 1539. Edward Hey don, B.C.L., instituted April 6, 1539, o" death of John Wayte, by presentation of John Brydges, Knight, patron, by virtue of a grant of letters of advowson from the former Prior and Convent of the House of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Witham, of the Carthusian Order, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Edmund Alen, clerk, instituted July 18, 1551, on the resignation of Edward Heydon ; by presentation of the Lady Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VHL, and of the most illustrious Prince Edward the Sixth, and now Lord the King. Alen was the first Rector appointed to Newbury after the Church of England had terminated her connection with Rome, and was no doubt the Edmund Allen, Bishop-elect of Rochester, who either died before consecration or declined the office. The following memoir of him is given in "Athenae Cantabrigienses,'' (vol. i. p. 198). K k,2 500 T lie Rectors and Officers of the Church. " Edmund Allen, a native of Norfolk, Fellow of Corpus Christi College, 1536, M.A. 1537, was steward of his college 1539, and afterwards travelled abroad for the sake of study several years with the leave of his college. As he is styled B.D., and no such degree is recorded here, he probably took it in some foreign University. In March, 1545-6, we find him in London. He was a great pro- ficient in the learned languages and divinity, and embraced de- cided Protestant opinions. In 1549 he was in England, and Chaplain to the Princess Elizabeth, afterwards Queen. On Mary's accession, when he was probably ejected as being a mar- ried priest, he again went abroad, and did not return to England till after her death. Queen Elizabeth constituted him one of her Royal Chaplains, and employed him in an embassy. He was nominated to the See of Rochester, and is presumed to have been elected to that Bishopric under a conge d'elire which issued July 27, 1559. He died, however, before consecration, and was buried in the Church of St. Thomas Apostle, London, August 30, 1559. He left a wife and eight children. He was au- thor of: — " I. A Christian Introduction forsouth, containing the Principles of our Faith and Religion. Lond. 8vo., 1548, 1550. 2. A Cate- chisme, that is to say, a Christen instruction of the principal pointes of Christe's Religion. Lond. 8vo., 155 1. 3. On the authority of the Word of God, translated from Alex. Ales. 4. On the species of the Sacrament and the authority of the Bishops. Translation from Philip Melancthon. 5. On the Apocalypse. Translation from Conrad Pelican. 6. Paraphrase from the Revela- tion of St. John. Translation from Leo Jude, minister of Zurich. Lond. fo., 1549. To him is also attributed the translation of an epistle to Dr. Matt. Gribald, Professor of Law at Padua, on the tremenduous judgment of God, i2mo., 1550." In the Fourth Session of the First Parliament of Edward VI., 1549, a Bill was passed to make the wives and chil- dren of Edmund Alyn, and others, clerks, denizens. (Com- mons' Journal, April 4, 1549.) Allen probably married when abroad, and on his return to England, his wife was permitted to be naturalised according to the Act for the confirmation of the marriage of priests. The name of Edmund Allein appears in the list of Doc- The Rectors and Officers of the Chtcrch. 501 tors of Divinity and Preachers given in Strype's " Memo- rials of Archbishop Cranmer " as being in exile in 1553. The funeral of Allen is thus recorded in Machyn's Diary, under the year 1559 : — " The XXX day of August was bered in Sant Thomas Apostylle, Captayn Matsun, with XX Clarkes syngyng, and armes a bowff hym, and bered in the qwyre. " The same tym afterward was bered in the body of the chyrche, Master Allen, neiw electyd Byshope of Rochaster, with a few Clarkes syngyng, and ther did pryche for him Master Hunt- ynton the prycher, the wyche he had a wyf and viij chylderyn''." The two entries stand in the Register of St. Thomas Apostle, for the year 1559, as follows : — " Edmund Clark, no'iated Bishop of Rochest', buried xxvijth day of August. " Captain Matsonne buried the same day." Machyn appears to have erred by three days in the date, but as there is independent testimony as to the name of Allen, it is most probable that when the transcript of St. Thomas Apostle's register was made in 1598, by some accident the surname was omitted. Such mistranscrip- tions are not of infrequent occurrence in copies of these early registers. No will of Edmund Allen was proved in any of the London or Provincial Courts, and it is therefore probable that he died intestate. A memorandum entered in one of the volumes of wills proved in the Court of Archdeaconry of Berks is to the effect that " Edmund Alyn" was inducted to the Rectory of Welford, Feb. 21, 1547-8. He probably came from Welford to Newbury. William Smyth, priest, instituted November 8, 1553, on resignation of Edmund Allen, by presentation of Lady Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VHL, and of the most illustrious Princess Mary, by the Grace of God Queen of England, France, and Ireland. Henry Howman. This name appears in the Parish ^ Diary of Henry Machyn, Camden Soc, p. 208. 502 The Rectors and Officers of the Church. Register as "Pastor," in ISS4-S, but is not entered in the list of institutions. William Forde, B.C.L., of New College, Oxford, was the next Rector. His institution is not entered in the Salis- bury Register, but his composition for First Fruits is dated December 9, 1559. Some very amusing particulars con- cerning this Rector are given in the " Reminiscenses of John Loude, or Lowthe, Archdeacon of Nottingham, addressed to John Foxe, the martyrologist ("Narratives of the Reformation," Cam. Soc. MDCCCLIX. pp. 29—31. Forde was deprived of the Rectory in 1560, on a question respecting the right of presentation. Thomas Bromhead, appointed Rector in December, 1560. His institution is also not to be found in the Salisbury Register, but the date of his admittance to the Rectory is shewn by his composition for First Fruits. Thomas Early. This name is entered in the Parish Register as "Minister" in 1562, but does not appear in the episcopal list of institutions. In the History of New- bury and its Environs, published in 1839, ^^ p. 104, it is stated that " Dr. Whyte, by an entry in the Register, is shewn to have been the incumbent in the year 1566." On referring to the Register of that date we find the entry runs as follows : — " Here endith the plase that was Register'' unto Doctor Wyghte Anno 1566." The explanation of this is that a duplicate transcript of the Register to this date had been sent to Dr. Whyte, the then Chancellor of Salisbury. Hugh vS/^^/Z^y, instituted March 17, 1567, on the depri- vation of Thomas Bromhead, by the presentation of Queen Elizabeth. He died in 1596, and the quaint Eliza- bethan epitaph on his brass is printed with the monu- mental inscriptions. Thomas Coldwell, M.A., instituted in 1592, on the pre- sentation of Queen Elizabeth. Also Rector of Shaw-cum- Donnington. On Feb. 16, 1594-5, a Thomas Coldwell was collated Sub-Dean of Salisbury, where he succeeded The Rectors and Officers of the Church. 503 Richard Hooker, the author of the " Ecclesiastical Polity. ' He resigned this appointment in 1598-9, and died in 16 18. Nathaniel Giles, M.A., instituted March 22, 1618, on death of last, by presentation of King James I. This Rector is thus noticed by Walker "^ : — "Nathaniel Giles, D.D., Canon of Windsor. He was edu- cated at Magd. Coll., in Oxford, as I conjecture; because I find he proceeded D.D. of that House in the year 1625, where he was a Compounder. He was installed in this Canonry March 21, 1623, in the room of Thomas White ; but the patent for it is not entered in the Register of this Church. About three years after he obtained the like preferment in the Church of Worcester, and he was also possessed of the living of Chinnor ; but whether he lost that Rectory or not, is unknown to me. He died in the time of the grand Rebellion ; which is all that I know more of him, save that on the Restoration his Canonry was by Letters Patent granted the 26th July, 1660, conferred on George Evans, A.M., who was instituted therein the 30th of that month." He was the son of Nathaniel Giles, Doctor of Music, Organist at St. George's Chapel, and author of " Divine Services and Anthems sung in the Cathedrals and Colle- giate Choirs in the Church of England," published in 1633. Dr. Giles, the father, was buried in the south aisle of St. George's Chapel, Windsor, and the inscription on his tomb, erected by his son, is given in Ashmole's " Hist, and Antiq. Berks." William Twisse, D.D., instituted October 4, 1620, on resignation of Nathaniel Giles, with whom Twisse had exchanged the living of Newton-Longueville, Bucks, by the presentation of Charles, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall and York, and Earl of Chester. This eminent divine was the son of a clothier at Newbury, who had emigrated from Germany, and was born at Speenhamland about the year 1575. He was educated at Winchester and Oxford, and became a Fellow of New College March II, 1597-8. In the beginning of the Civil War he sided with the Parliament, and was chosen Prolocutor of the Westminster Assembly of Divines. While he was Prolo- " "Sufferings of the Clergy," Pt. IT. pp. 92, 93. 504 The Rectors and Officers of the Church. cutor he was one of the three Lecturers at St. Andrew's Church, Holborn, which was given him for the losses he sustained at Newbury, "he being forced thence, as his brethren said, by the royal party." He died in London, July 26, 1646, and was buried in Westminster Abbey, his funeral being attended by the whole House of Commons and the Assembly of Divines. His remains were included among those of Cromwell, Blake, Popham, and other mag- nates of the Commonwealth exhumed after the Restora- tion and thrown into a common pit in St. Margaret's churchyard. His will, dated September 9, 1645, with a codicil June 30, 1646, was proved August 6 in the latter year. He would seem not to have been so reduced in circumstances as the accounts of him usually represent, for, besides other not inconsiderable legacies, he be- queathed his manor of Ashampstead, Berks, to trustees for the benefit of his younger children. He left four sons and three daughters, but his wife, Frances, daughter of Barnabas Colnett, of Combley, Isle of Wight, had pre- deceased him. There is a portrait of Dr. Twisse in the vestry of Newbury Church, painted in 1644, Twisse being then in his 71st year, which Dr. Ward, the antiquary, mentions as having been much damaged by injudicious cleaning in 1745. It was formerly highly prized, and protected by a curtain. Benjamin Woodbridge, M.A., is considered to have been the successor of Dr. Twisse, but several other Presbyterian ministers were intruded in the interval between the death of Twisse and the appointment of Woodbridge. He appears to have been appointed Rector by Cromwell's House of Peers in 1648, as in the Commons' Journal of May 1 8 in that year it is recorded that a mes- sage was on that day received from the Lords, desiring the concurrence of the Lower House "for making Mr. Ben- jamin Woodbridge Rector of the Church of Newberry." Benjamin Woodbridge was the son of the Rev. John Woodbridge, and was born at Stanton-Fitzwarren, near Highworth, in Wiltshire, in 1622. He became a com- moner of Magdalen Hall, Oxford, in 1638, but the Civil The Rectors and Officers of the Church. 505 War breaking out, he went to America with a party of his co-religionists, and took his degree of M.A. at Harvard, or Cambridge University, in the state of Massachusetts, in 1642, and his name has always stood at the head of the list of the nine who first graduated from Harvard College in 1642, and hence he has enjoyed the distinction of being \}s\s. first graduate. He subsequently returned to England, and as a member of Magdalen Hall he was admitted to the same degree of M.A. in 1648. Shortly afterwards he was appointed Rector of Newbury by the Commonwealth party ; and was constituted one of the Assistants to the Commissioners of the County of Berks, for the ejection of such of the Clergj'- whom the Presbyterians and Inde- pendents termed " scandalous, ignorant, and insufficient ministers and schoolmasters." After the restoration of Charles II. he was appointed one of the King's chaplains, and was also one of the Commissioners of the Savoy. He was also offered a canonry of Windsor, provided he conformed, but hesitating whether he should accept this dignity or not, it was bestowed on another, and Wood- bridge was ultimately ejected from his living for refusing to comply with the Act of Uniformity. He continued preaching privately in Newbury for some time after he was deprived, and was once or twice imprisoned. In Oc- tober, 1665, upon the persuasion of some of his friends he received Holy Orders from the hands of Dr. Earle, Bishop of Salisbury, in the church of St. Peter-in-the-East, Ox- ford, with the intention of conforming with the Church of England. But not meeting with the preferment he ex- pected to be conferred upon him, and being reproached for his change of principles, he returned to his former opinions, and preached in various Nonconformist places of worship in Newbury and elsewhere. After the Proclamation for Toleration, or Indulgence of Religion, was issued, March 15, 1671, Woodbridge preached openly in the market- place at Newbury; and in 1678 preached every Sunday in a chapel at Highclere. Upon the breaking out of what is known as the " Presbyterian Plot," in June, 1683, he re- tired to Englefield, near Reading, and attended, as fre- 5o6 The Rectors and Officers of the Church. quently as his health permitted, the services in the church there. He died at Englefield on Nov. i, 1684, and was buried in Newbury Church, the scene of his early minis- trations, on the 4th of the same month ; his funeral being attended by a vast concourse of Nonconformists and members of the Church of England. It is not clear who was the immediate successor of Woodbridge. In the collection of State Papers there is a Petition from — . Pocock, B.D., to King Charles II., re- questing presentation to the Rectory of Newbury, " Void by deprivation of Benjamin Woodbridge," with a note in his (Pocock's) favour from Gilbert Sheldon, Bishop of London, to which is annexed a warrant for Pocock's pre- sentation to the above Rectory ; but there is no evidence of his institution. A Mr. Hillersden is mentioned as the "late Incumbent" in the report of certain riotous proceedings at an Easter Vestry, in 1664. His name does not occur in the Salisbury institutions, but he was very possibly the John Hillersden, B.D., Fellow and Vice-President of Corpus Christi Col- lege, who was dispossessed of his preferments by the Cromwellian Visitors in 1648, and became Archdeacon of Bucks in 1671. Stephen Fowler, Fellow of St. John's College, Oxford, brother to Dr. Fowler, Bishop of Gloucester, became Rector soon after the expulsion of Woodbridge, but his institution does not appear in the Episcopal Register. Joseph Sayer, instituted October 22, 1663, on the pre- sentation of King Charles II. : — "This divine," says Wood, "was the son of Francis Sayer, sometime minister of Yattenden, in Berks, became commoner {servitor in ist edition) of Wadham in 1647, left it without a degree, taking Holy Orders from Dr. Prideaux, Bishop of Wor- cester, succeeded his brother in Yattenden an. 1656, resigned it to his brother Francis, sometime of Merton College, an. 1665, at which time Joseph Sayer became Rector of Newbury and of Sulham in his own county of Berks. In the month of May, 1670, he became Prebendary of Bishopton, in the church of The Rectors and Officers of the Church. 507 Salisbury, by the death of one WilHam Hobbes, and under the pretence of being ejected, for his loyalty, from his college (which is false), he got himself to be put in the roll of those whom the Prince of Orange desired to be created while he was entertain'd at Oxford. About which time he, by the endeavours of one Sayer, his Majesty's chief cook '^, procured the rich rectory of Northchurch "^ in Hertfordshire. He hath published a sermon preached at Reading Feb. 25, 1672, at the Assizes there holden for the County of Berks, on Rom. xiii., part of the 5th verse, Lond. 1673, qu. On December 8, i68r, he was installed Arch- deacon of Lewes, in Sussex, which is all that I have hitherto known of him"." This Rector was defendant in a singular action brought by the Mayor of Newbury, Mr. Richard Pocock, a solicitor in the town, to shew cause why he withheld a certificate of his having received the Sacrament according to the Statute 25 Car. II., c. 2, commonly called the Test Act. The record of the proceedings in the case are among the Crown and Controlment Rolls (No. 31) at the Public Record Office. John Hinton, M.A., Christ Church College, Oxford, instituted May 17, 1675, on the presentation of King Charles II. Mr. Hinton matriculated at Oxford, from Christ Church, Oct. 26, 1660, as a Servitor. No other particulars are given of him in the Register of Graduates. He was B.A. Oct. 26, 1664, and M.A. June 27, 1667 ; Prebend of Uffculme in the Cathedral Church of Salis- bury, May 19, 1683, and Prebend of Grimston and Yet- minster. May 2, i6gi. Mr. Hinton was also Rector of Shaw-cum-Donnington. He was the author of " A Ser- mon preached in the Parish Church of Newbury, on July "In Berkhampstead Church there is, or was, an altar-tomb of alabaster and black marble, inscribed to the memory of John Sayer, Esq., who was chief cook to Charles II. when in exile, and founder of the almshouse for poor widows in that town in 1 68 1. His widow increased the original eirdowment of ;^i,ooo by the gift of £s°°. " Northcliurch, or Berkhampstead St. Mary, as it is sometimes called, is a large parish adjoining Berkhampstead St. Peter, or Great Berkhampstead. The village is on the high road, about a mile and a half north-west of the former town. ' "Fasti Oxonienses," vol. ii. pp. 322-3. 5o8 The Rectors and Officers of the Church. 26, 1685 ; Being the Day of Thanksgiving for His Ma- jesty's late Victory over the Rebells." The "Victory" celebrated was that of Sedgemoor, fought on Monday, July 6, 1685. Mr. Hinton, who died in 1720, married Anne, daughter of Edward Martin, Esq., of Witney, by his wife Anne Brice, and had, with other issue, a son Edward, who became Rector of Sherring, in Essex, and married Mary, daughter and eventually heiress of the Rev. Francis Bridge, D.D., by whom he had an only child, Martha, married in 1745 to her cousin, the Rev. John Hinton, Rector of Chawton, near Alton, Hants. Joseph Acres, B.A., All Souls College, Oxford, was in- stituted May 7, 1720, on the presentation of King George I. He was the son of John Acres, of East Hagbourne, Berks, and matriculated at Oxford, from All Souls College, Dec. 16, 1684, aged 17, and took his Bachelor's Degree July 5, 1688. Previous to his appointment to Newbury he was Vicar of Blewbury. He was author of " Four Letters written to Lady Burnet, late wife of the Right Reverend Father in God, Gilbert, Lord Bishop of Sarum : concerning the Charity Schools in Blewberry," Lond. 1710. Mr. Acres was also author of two published discourses " On the true method of propagating Religion," 8vo. 17 14. He is said to have died in great poverty on January 4, 1746, and was buried at Hagbourne, near Blewbury. Two of his daughters were in such reduced circumstances as to be compelled to accept one of King John's Almshouses in Newbury, where they both died. Thomas Penrose, M.A., instituted, on death of last, Jan- uary 26, 1746, by presentation of King George IL He was the son of Bernard Penrose, of Helstone, co. Cornwall, and matriculated from Christ Church, April 30, 1734, aged 18. He was B.A. January 24, 1737, and M.A. October 13, 1740. For some time previous to his appointment as Rector he had been curate to the late Incumbent, and was presented to the living of Newbury at the solicitation of the parishioners, and on the recommendation of Dr. Sher- lock, Bishop of Salisbury. Mr. Penrose, who died in 1769, The Rectors and Officers of the Church. 509 was the father of the Rev. Thomas Penrose, well known for his poetical genius, and who for some years acted as his father's curate at Newbury. Richard Davies, M.A., was instituted, on death of the late Rector, June 20, 1769, on presentation of King George III. There were several graduates of the name of Davies at Oxford from 1727 to 1756 (no less than eight), but the only one who became M.A. (according to the catalogue of graduates), whose date would agree with the college course of the Rector of Newbury, matriculated from Christ Church Nov. 7, 1739, aged 18, son of the Rev. Roger Davies, of the town of Carmarthen. He took his Bachelor's Degree June 9, 1743, and proceeded M.A. July 4, 1746. He held the living of Highclere, with that of Newbury, and died at Southampton, October 13, 1796. James Roe, M.A., Brasenose College, Oxford, instituted January 31, 1797, on death of last Rector, by presenta- tion of King George III. He was the son of the Rev. James Roe, of Macclesfield, co. Chester, and matriculated at Oxford, from Brasenose College, May 10, 1777, aged 18. He took his degree as B.A. January 15, 1781, and M.A. June 3, 1793. His father, who had been Incumbent of Disley, in Cheshire, from July 31, 1733, was appointed Minister of Macclesfield in 1756^ and held both livings till his death in 1765. He was of St. John's College, Cam- bridge. The son James, afterwards of Newbury, was bap- tized at Macclesfield Sept. 8, 1758. His mother was Ehzabeth Harpur of Macclesfield, and his parents were married at Sutton, near Macclesfield, January 2, 1753. James Roe, the father, was son of the Rev. Thomas Roe, Vicar of Castleton, co. Derby. Christ Church, Maccles- field, was erected in 177S, at the sole cost of Charles Roe, Esq., uncle of James, the Rector of Newbury, who en- dowed it with ;£'ioo per annum for the Minister. Mr. Roe, who was a wealthy manufacturer at Macclesfield, died May 3, 1781 ; and on the south side of the chancel of Christ Church, in that town, there is a handsome monu- ment, by Bacon, erected to the memory of Mr. Roe, the 5 10 The Rectors and Officers of the Church. founder of the church. It is ornamented with devices emblematic of his mathematical genius, and bears an in- scription commemorative of his acquaintance with the mineral strata of the county, of his having discovered the valuable mine in the Isle of Anglesey, and established the copper works in the neighbourhood of Macclesfield. The Rev. James Roe died July 9, 1838, aged 80, and was the last Rector of Newbury instituted by a Bishop of Salis- bury. At the time Mr. Roe was presented to the living of Newbury he was Perpetual Curate of Dorchester, Oxon, and he retained this appointment until his death — for the long period of 53 years. Hibbert Binney, D.C.L., instituted July 24, 1838, on the presentation of her Majesty Queen Victoria. The name of this Rector does not occur in the list of Graduates at Oxford, Cambridge, or Dublin, but possibly he had the degree conferred by some American, or Colonial insti- tution. His son, the Right Rev. Hibbert Binney, D.D., who is the present Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Ed- ward Island, matriculated at Oxford, from Worcester Col- lege, March 29, 1838, aged 18, and is described as eldest son of Hibbert Binney, " Clerk and D.C.L.," and the place of his birth is given as Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dr. Binney was also Minister of Holy Trinity Chapel, Knightsbridge, London, but there is no account of him furnished in the history of that parish, beyond the dates of his incumbency of the chapel. He is said to have had the living of New- bury conferred upon him for the assistance he gave the Ministry of the day, in connection with the Pluralities Bill, although a Pluralist himself James Leslie Randall, M.A., Christ Church College, Oxford, collated September 5, 1857, on death of Dr. Bin- ney, by Samuel Wilberforce, D.D., Lord Bishop of Oxford. He matriculated at Oxford from New College, May 6, 1848, aged 19, as second son of James Randall, clerk, (afterwards Archdeacon of Berks), and born at Dorking, Surrey. He took his degree of B.A. 1851, and proceeded The Rectors and Officers of the Church. 5 1 1 M.A. 1855. He was Scholar and Fellow of New College, and in 1880 was appointed Archdeacon of Buckingham, and is a Hon. Canon of Christ Church, Oxford. The great Church-work done in Newbury during the time Mr. Randall held the living, and in which he took such an active and decided part, was remarkable ; it being computed that the large sum of ^^40,000 was ex- pended in connection with Church institutions in the parish while he was Rector. Edward Imber Gardiner, M.A., collated March 12, 1878, on resignation of James Leslie Randall, by John Fielder Mackarness, D.D., Lord Bishop of Oxford. He matri- culated at Oxford, from Magdalen Hall, Dec. 3, 1857, second son of Douglas Charles Gardiner, Esq., of Lon- don. He held curacies successively at Taunton, Stowe, and Buckingham, and was Vicar of Aston- Rowant when presented to the living of Newbury. CHURCHWARDENS OF NEWBURY. {So far as their names can be ascertained.) 1552. Thomas Dolman. Anthony Harmer. William Blandy. Richard Coke. 1560. Christopher Lichpole. Thomas Arnold. Humfrey Holmes. Richard Coke. 1562. John Millet. Humfrey Holmes. Richard Coke. 1562- 3. John Millet. Richard Coke. Humfrey Holmes. Thomas Reinolds. 1563- Humfrey Holmes. Christopher Chandler. Richard Coke. Thomas Arnold. 1564. Richard Coke. 1582. John Fuller. William Black. 1583- Gabriell Cocks. Edward Holmes. William Hunt. Richard Cheife. 1594- John Hunt. Bartholomew Yate. Edward Holmes. IS9S- John Hunt. Bartholomew Yate. Edward Holmes. si; The Rectors and Officers of the Church. 1596. John Hunt. Bartholomew Yate. Edward Holmes. 1600. Thomas Newman. I60I. Roger Lynch e. Thomas Holmes. 1602. Christopher Graunte. Thomas Gayger. 1603. Roger Weston. Henry Yate. 1604. Henry Coxe. Humfrey Holmes. 1605. Anthony Child. Thomas Yate. 1606. John Woodes. William Howes. 1607. Thomas Goddard. Nicholas Batchiler. 1608. Roger Saunderson. Henry Lynch. 1609. William Saunders. Richard Waller. t6io. Humfrey Naylor. William Lynch. 1611. John Houghton. Stephen Sparrowe. 1612. Richard Ball. Edmond Joyner. 1613. Roger Lynch. Edward Longman. 1614. Thomas Houghton. William Wilkinson. 1615. Nicholas Batchiler. William Houghton. 1616. Thomas Gyles, sen. Thomas Edmandes. 1617. William Saunders. Hugh Hawkins. 1618. Richard Waller. Thomas Holmes. 1619. Richard Aberye. Hugh Hawkins. 1620. William Lynch. Gyles Emerson. 1621. John Houghton. Thomas Gyles, jun. 1622. Roger Lynch. Martin Brooker. 1623. William Wilson. Griffin Ffoster. 1624. William Houghton. Thomas Mylton. 1625. Thomas White. Robert Bacon. 1626. William Hunt. William Pearse. 1627. Thomas Dove. John Cooke. 1628. Bryant Mascoll. Timothie Averie. 1629. William Weston. Robert Dance. 1630. Benjamin Houghton. Edward Welliar or Whelier. 1631. William Godwin. John Hawkins. 1632. William Nash. Anthonie Lynch. 1633- William Wilson. John Rider. 1634. Thomas Dove. William Bewe. 1635- Bryan Mascoll. Amos Averie. 1636. Timothie Averie. Symon Goddard. 1637. William Pearse. John Edmandes. 1638. Nicholas Nash. Richard Claver. The Rectors and Officers of the Church. 5 1 3 1639. John Burch. 1640. Richard Ffanner. 1 64 1. Bryan Linch. 1642. Thomas Helliar. 1643. Henry Houghton. 1644. Richard Folwell. 1645. John Gyles. 1646. ShufiF Pinfall. 1647. James Heade. 1648. Samuel Smith. 1649. William Waller. 1650. Robert Willson. 165 1. Thomas Pearse. 1652. Nicholas Cloude. 1653. John Edmands. 1654. John Seely. 1655. Thomas Merriman. 1656. Henry Ditton. 1657. John Ffoster. 1658. John Cooke. 1659. Thomas Cowslad. 1660. John Burch. 1 66 1. Richard Pinfall. 1662. John Rider. 1663. John Hedges. 1664. Richard Pococke. 1665. Richard Young. 1666. William Pearse. 1667. Thomas Paradise. 1668. Thomas Aden. 1669. Abraham Stockwell. 1670. Jonas Narraway. 167 1. Francis Coxedd. 1672. Joseph Garrard. 1673. James Pearse. 1674. Thomas Salter. 1675. Richard Cowslad. 1676. Timothy Parsons. 1677. Richard Willton. 1678. John BurchelL 1679. Church Symmons. Thomas Martin. Richard Cooke. Ralph Houghton. William Barnard. Richard Brice. Robert Blunt. John Seely. Thomas Stockwell. Thomas Taylor. Thomas Gearinge. Henry Linch. Richard Sadler. James Bond, jun. George Cowslad. Nathaniel Collins. William Hunt. Henry Gearle. Amos Averie. John Dance. Richard Waller. John Nash. William Houghton. Thomas Gough. Levy Smith. Robert Hyde. Nicholas Shawe. John Pinfall. William Smart. Thomas Tolfrey. John Smyth. Thomas Basford. Robert Tuson. William Ffarrow. Richard Reeves. Thomas Rowland. Joseph Pearse. John Garden. Thomas Pithers. Henry Houghton. Benjamin Averie. Thomas Hughes. Ll 514 The Rectors and Officers of the Church. 1680. John Foster, jun. 1 68 1. John Hore. 1682. Joseph Head. 1683. Abraham Stockwell. 1684-5. Edward Kidgell. 1686. Richard Gray. 1687. Thomas Merriman. 1688. Ralph Shirley. 1689. Thomas Cowslad. 1690. William Rider. 1 691. Richard Blissitt. 1692. Thomas Drewet. 1693-5. Thomas Edmonds. 1696. Edward Serle. 1697-9. Joseph Merriman. 1700-1. Thomas Stockwell. 1702-4. Abraham Stockwell. 1705. Edward Stewart. 1706. John Hughes. 1707. John Parsons. 1708-10. Edward Smith. 1711-14. Robert Nalder. 1 7 15. William Townsend. 1 7 16. Francis Page. 17 17-18. Laurence Head. 1719-21. Samuel Slocock. 1722-4. John Golding. 1725. William Ely. 1726-7. James Butler. 1728-30. John Godwin. 1731-3. Edward Walter. 1734-5- John Cox. 1736-7. Joseph Bolton. 1738-40. Thomas Golding. 1741. William Reeves. 1742. Charles Sutton. 1743. Charles Sutton. 1744-5. Charles Sutton. 1 746-8. Henry Cox. John Beacham. John Hedges. Bartholomew Hughes. Thomas Seely. Adam Hill. Adam Hill. Adam Hill. Adam Hill. Samuel Hoffman. Samuel Slocock. John Rawlings. Matthew Gilles. Richard Cooper. William Tolefrey (died during office, and was succeeded by) William Deale. William Deale. Nicholas Snow. Thomas Wright. Joseph Parsons. Thomas Hull. John Gray. John Gray. Edward Lovelock. Thomas Milsam. Thomas Ffound. Peter Ely. William Russell. John Aldworth. John Hughes. Giles Townsend. John Wellman. John Weeks. John Speed. Nightingale Kimber. Richard Walter. William Lovidge. William Lovidge. "William Reeves. Thomas Golding. George Calverley. The Rectors and Officers of the Church. SIS 1749-52. Samuel Slocock. 1 7 S3- Peter Ely. 1754-6. Peter Ely. 1757. John Kimber. 1758-60. Blandy Bunny. 1761-3. William Withers. 1764-6. Edward Swain. 1767-9. Thomas Green. 1770-2. Richard Skinner. 1773. Samuel Slocock. 1774. Samuel Slocock. 1775-6. Osman Vincent. 1777-8. John Townsend. 1779-80. Lawrence Brown. 1781. James Butler. 1782. Joseph Gray. 1783-4. John Grantham. 1785-6. John Townsend. 1787-9. Benjamin Woodroffe. 1790. Benjamin Woodroffe. 1 79 1. Christopher Butler. 1792. William Wrenford. 1793. Joseph Toomer. 1794. James Bodman. 1795. William Twitchen. 1796-8. William Vincent. 1799-1801. Samuel Grigg. 1802-4. Samuel Grigg. 1805. Richard Atlee. 1806. Richard Compton. 1807. William Green. 1808. William Davis. 1809. George Barnard. 1810. Richard Compton. 1811-13. Alfred Slocock. 1814-16. Alfred Slocock. 1817-21. John Grigg. 1822-4. John Gater Marriner. 1825-30. Edmund Slocock. 1831. John Langford. 1832-5. Robert Fuller Graham. Joseph Gray. John Kimber. Thomas Lovidge. William Annets. William Annets. John Hasker. William Herring. George Kimber. Thomas Davis. Richard Townsend. Andrew Grove. Andrew Grove. George Wright. Richard Baily. Samuel Toomer. Thomas Brown. John Hasker. Edward Pointer. William Bodman. Richard Golding. John Webb. Benjamin Hawkins. Henry Spicer. Richard Andrews. Nathaniel Coster. Nathaniel Coster. Samuel Buxton. Charles Bull. Charles Bull. Samuel Dyer. Samuel Dyer. John Childs. John Childs. Thomas Wilmott. Thomas Wilmott. Richard Holdway. John Fielder. John Lee. Daniel Atlee. Richard Avery. George Gray (died during office) 1 2 5 1 6 The Rectors and Officers of the Church. 1836. Robert Fuller Graham (surviving churchwarden). 1837-8. James Hazell. Thomas Simmons. 1839. James Hazell. Thomas Leonard. 1840. John Hasker. Edward William Gray. 1841-2. John Beckett. Abraham Kershaw. 1843-5. John Beckett. Robert Martin. 1846-51. Jere' Bunny. Broome Pinniger. 1852-5. WilHam John Cowper. Joseph Frederick Hickman. 1856. Christopher Royston. George Adey. 1857. Thomas Gurney. George Adey. 1858-62. James Porteus Jackson. George Adey. 1863-83. James Porteus Jackson. Francis Flower Somerset. 1883. Henry Watson, M.D. William George Adey. (The last-named are still in office.) The Organists of the Church. The appointment of organist of the parish church of Newbury is vested in the Mayor and Corporation, in ac- cordance with the will of Richard Cowslade, a great bene- factor to the town, who, by deed, made provision for pay- ing an organist .^30 a year, in addition to the sum of £^ yearly for repairing the organ. The first organist whose name appears in the parochial records is Richard Goodson, of Christ Church College, Oxford, who graduated Mus. Bac. March i, 1716. He was appointed organist of Newbury Church in 1709, and occupied this position until the year 17 18, when he suc- ceeded his father as organist of Christ Church, and Pro- fessor of Music in the University. He was also organist of New College. His father was buried in Christ Church Cathedral, January 15, 1717-18, as "Mr. Richard Goodson, Professor of Music;" his mother, Mary Goodson, Aug. 31, 1733; and himself, January 7, 1740-1, as "Mr. Richard Goodson, Professor of Music, and Organist." The following are the names of the succeeding organists so far as they can be ascertained : — The Rectors and Officers of the Church. 517 Name. . . Wheeler . Peter Perfitt (of Wells) Joseph Welsh George Henry Arrowsmith John Byfield George Godding Jas. Henry Godding . John Shepherd Liddle Died 1759. Died 1790. May 25, 1790. Res. 1804. Sept. 23, 1805. Died 1812. Aug. 15, 1812. Died 1833. July 9, 1833. Res. 1865. Feb. 3, 1865. Died 1884. May 13, 1884. CHAPTER V. trbe Cburcb 1Recor5s. The Parish Registers. — Collections by Briefs in Newbury Parish Church.— Churchwardens' Presentments. — Extracts from the Churchwardens' Accounts. — The Church Charities. The Parishes of St. John the Evangelist, Newbury, and St. Mary's, Speenhamland. — St. John's Church.— St. Mary's Church. The Parochial Registers. THE Registers of Newbury Church are perhaps as per- fect as any to be found. In marry places the Regis- ters were discontinued after the accession of Queen Mary and resumed at the commencement of Elizabeth's reign, but the Newbury Registers of Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, are complete from 1538, the year when parish registers were instituted by Thomas, Lord Cromwell, lord privy seal, and vicar-general to Henry VHI. The earliest Registers from 1538 to the first quarter of the seventeenth century are transcripts from the originals. After that time the Registers for the most part are regular, and seem to have been contemporary with the event recorded, but during the time of the civil wars the entries are few and irregular. Some portion of the Registers in the seventeenth century has been transcribed in very indifferent hand- writing, and the names being contracted it is difficult for a person who is not familiar with the old Newbury families to decipher what in many cases are little better than hiero- glyphics. Some of the leaves have also suffered so much by damp and constant use that the writing is almost illegible. There are several entries written by Dr. Twisse, Prolocutor of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, and the names of different members of his family frequently occur. The Church Records. 5 1 9 By an Act passed August 24, 1653, by the Cromwellian Parliament, marriages were ordered to be solemnized by the justices of the peace, and no other mode allowed to be valid ; but the Act was distasteful to many, and it was often avoided by having the ceremony performed by the minister, while the justice merely stood by as a witness. There are numerous marriages recorded in the Newbury Registers which took place under this Act. In accordance with an Act passed 12 Car. II. cap. 33, all marriages irregularly contracted after May i, 1642, were confirmed, and those celebrated before justices of the peace, according to the Act of 1653, were pronounced to be of the same force as if they had been solemnized according to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England. In such instances the marriages entered in the Registers are as follows : — Mr. Blunt, Mayor, 1656. " Thomas Howeson and Mary Southwell. 3 Market Dayes and publisht the first time March 27, the second time April 3, the last time April 10, and married April 12. John Farmer, alias Hasell, and Mary ColHns. John of the parish of Welford, and Mary of the parish of Boxford, Have Bin publisht 3 Severall Lord's Dayes in the parish Church of Welford by Francis Mundy, Minister, and also 3 Severall Lords Dayes in the parish Church of Boxford, Edward Hutchins, Minister and was married the 2nd October, 1656. John Harris and Jane Collins, Booth of Stanford Dingly, hath bin publisht 3 severall Markett Dayes at the Markett place, in East Ilseley, and was married the 9 of October, 1656, By Martin Wastell, Register. John Collet and Ann Crooke Have bin publisht 3 Severall Lord's Dayes in the parish Church of Newberry, and married the 16 of October, 1656. Thomas Cripes and Jane Jones, Booth of Sta;iford Dingly, Have Bin publisht 3 Severall Markett Dayes at the Cross « in Newbery, and was married October 20, 1656, ■ The Market Cross is shewn in Stukeley's plan of the town in 1723, to have been then standing on the south-east side of the Market-place, at the south end of the old market-house, or Guildhall. 520 The Church Records. Francis Castilyon, Esquier, of the parish of Speene, and Mrs. Margeret Barker of this parish, Have Bin pubHsht 3 Severall Lordes Dayes in the parish Church of Newbery, without any Deniall By me John Timberland, Register, and was married the 17 November, 1656, Mr. Richard Finchare, Justis." John Gyles, Mayor, 1657. " WilHam George and EHzabeth Money were publisht 3 Severall weekes in the nearest Markett Towne, By William Blandy, Regis- ter, and were married January ye 1 2. William Parsons and Mary Bartholomew, Booth of the parish of Midgium, was publisht 3 Severall Market Dayes at the Markett Cross in Newbery, and was married November 5, 1657, By me, John Gyles, Maior." Collections in Newbury Parish Church. Amounts of many of the collections have been pre- served in the Registers. Those for objects not connected with Newbury were generally by Briefs, or Letters Patent issued by the Sovereign, authorizing the collection of alms for loss by fire and other specific works of charity, and read after the Nicene Creed ; and which were abolished by 9 George IV. c. 28, in 1828. Some of the Brief Collections. 1661 to 1662. For the Tallow Chand- / s. d. £ ^' "■ ler of Maidstone . o 14 4 Ilmmster, Somerset .^86 ■c' ^^ -n ^ ^ ^ r „ , , ' „ J " " Poj. ti^e Protestants of bouthbay (Southwold), y -^u „ „ „ Lithuania . . . i 12 4 Suffolk . . .696 For Dalby - Chalcombe Condover, Salop . . i 17 4 r^i, t, t • ^ „ ^ , "^ ' ^ Church, CO. Leicester 01^ o Oxford .... 2 2 4 Elmley-Castle, co. Wor- cester . . . I 18 2 Easthampstead, Berks o 16 10 For Hixham . . i 16 o For Heslerton, co.York o 16 o Itchin-Abbas, Dorset . 13 Bolingbroke, CO. Lincoln o 15 4 J loo3- Little Melton, Norfolk o 19 10 ^°'^ Grimsby, in the co. Bridgnorth . '. . o 18 6 of Lincoln . . o 8 lo^ Ripon, CO. York . Fleet Street, London Pontefract Church Philip Dandulow . For the Fishing Trade Q J I- Q For East Hendred, Berks 012 ^^ J J g For the repair of Sand- ,-, jg , wich Church, Kent . o 10 3 19 6 1664 to 1667. 1 19 2 For Grantham . . o 12 9 The Church Records. 521 o 12 4 o 10 o 10 o 9 o 13 I o 15 9 For the repair of St. Mi- £ s. d. chael Church, Somerset o 10 8 J For one Henry Lisle of GuisboroughjCO.York on 8 For the building of a Pier and repair of a Church at Cromer For Basing Church For Ilford Bridge Lymington Church For Mr. Butte ForStillingfleet, co.York Flookborough, co. Lan- caster . . . o 14 9 Sheriff- Hales, CO. Salop o 13 o For Thomas Sloper . o 10 loj Chalbury, co. Dorset . 012 6 J East Dean, co. Hants. . o 10 S Warborough, co. Oxford o 8 8J For John Osborne . 0106 Bishops-Cleeve.co.Glouc o 13 2 Melcombe - Regis, co. Dorset . . . o 13 5 ForKington, CO. Hereford o 12 5 Poole, CO. Dorset . . o 11 8 1667. Newport . . . i 4 10 For John Cook, of Wick- ham . . . o 13 9 Loughborough . . o 12 4 1668. Bradninch, co. Devon . 0153 Fovant, co. Wilts . . o 1 1 9 Bicester, co. Oxford . o 18 6 1669. For Captives in Algiers and Gaily [?Galle] . I 17 o Collected for John Stewk- ly, of Paddington . o 1 5 5 1670. Collected for Cotting- ham, CO. Northampton o 18 9 For Inhabitants of Thet- ford, CO. Norfolk . o 17 11 For the Mariners having been in slavery in Gaily o 18 5 Isleham, co. Cambridge 126 £ o o o s. 5 15 18 19 10 9 2 Ripley, in co. Surrey For Michael Fowler, of Gt. Chart, co. Kent . Somersham, co. Hunts 1671. For the town of Mere, Wilts For Enfold . For Steeple-Ashton . 159 For Bygrave, co. Hertford 241 1672. Fordingbridge (Fire) . 9 3 4 1673. Towards Guildford Bridge i For St. Martin's in London 2 For Lawrence-Waltham o Towards Brief for Ed- mund Slingar, of Lit- tleton, CO. Middlesex o I 16 o 10 3i 1675- Watton, CO. Norfolk Basingstoke . 1676. Northampton Newent, co. Gloucester, towards building the church Towards the church of Westbury, co. Salop . Towards the fire of Wy- tham, CO. Berks For the relief of Samuel Field, of Wickham . 1677 to 1684. Eaton Brief . St. Saviour's, Southwark For loss by fire at Cot- tenham Wem .... Rickmansworth . Blandford-Forum . Harlington, co. Middlesex Reigate, co. Surrey Pattingham, co. Stafford o 18 Windlesham, co. Surrey o 14 I I 18 6 14 10 I 17 2 19 9 I 3 I 12 6 II 3 o 9 o o S I 3 522 The Church Records. £ - d. £ s. d. Ludgershall . I 10 Havant 17 4 1684. Wapping Ledbury IS 3 6 12 3 Chagford, co. Devon . 19 Portsmouth Church I 10 1693. Worksop, CO. Nottingham 12 6 Lambeth I 2 7 1685. Staverton, co. Northampto Cawston, co. Norfolk . WooUer, co. Northum- no 19 15 6 II berland Churchhill, CO. Oxford . 15 13 4 Alrewas, co. Stafford . Beaminster, co. Dorset . Bulford, Wilts . Donhead, co. Wilts Alfriston, co. Sussex 18 1 I 14 8 12 4 I 1694. For Dennis Gunton, of the town of Wick- mere, CO. Norfolk For the French Protestants 6 14 9 S 6 Haxby, co. York . 13 4 1695. St. Mary's in the city of Yalding, co. Kent 19 Ely . 13 6 A Church in the City Market - Deeping, co. of Chester 10 Lincoln 19 3i Warwick (Fire) . 17 II 6 Kirklinton, co. Cum- Fire at Gillingham, co. berland 14 "i Dorset 17 8 Sicklinghall, co. York . 13 Fire at Grantchester, Stanton, co. Suffolk 12 CO. Cambridge . 13 3 1 685. 1696. For the FrenchProtestants City of Hereford . Eynesbury Church, co. 31 13 I 7 II For John Avery, of Twy- ford, CO. Southampton (Loss by fire) . 9 S4 Hunts II 3i Broughton, co. Southampton IS 6 1689. St. Olave's, Southwark - 14 3 For the Irish Protestants 50 3 I Streatham, in the Isle 1690. of Ely 12 6 Bungay (Fire) 9 14 I 1698. East Smithfield . I Si Soham, co. Suffolk 15 Stafford 14 2 For the Vaudois and Bishop's Lavington 12 II French Refugees 31 2 10 Morpeth (Fire) . 13 3 For a fire in Derby Thirsk ... 13 Court, Westminster . 1 8 1692. 1699. Hedon, co. York . 19 7i For Laneaster fire I 4 Churchwardens' Presentments. In the Bodleian Library there is a mass of documents which came from the Registry of the Archdeaconry of Berkshire at Oxford, consisting of Act Books, from 1535 — 1795, depositions relating to the proving of Wills, Pen- The Church Records. 523 ances for various sins and transgressions, Pardons, Mar- riage bonds, Excommunications, Sequestration bonds, Fa- culties, Institutions, &c., and are well worth a thorough investigation. The earlier records do not apparently con- tain much information concerning Newbury, but many points of interest will no doubt be obtainable from these official documents when their contents have been properly classified. The following are a few extracts from the later present- ments of the Newbury Churchwardens, — those of a prior date principally relating to certain offences and irregu- larities which these parish officials were bound on oath to report : — "Bill of Presentments made April 4, 1665, by the Churchwar- dens to certain articles delivered unto them from the Worshipful John Rives ^, Archdeacon of Berks. Imprimis to the Articles concerning Churches with the Orna- ments, we have not come to present anything but well. To the 2nd Article concerning Churchyards, &c., we have the same answer. To the 4th concerning Parishioners, we pr'sent that John Woodes, al's Plant, William Harrison, and Mr. John Merriman, have not come to hear Divine Service at our Parish Church for the space of six monthes last, and therefore we suppose they refuse to come, and have not receaved the holy communion there since last Easter. Also the 4lh Article concerning Parishioners, we pr'sent that by reason of some unlicensed preachers being permitted, as we are informed, to preach at Boxford, and p'ticulary one Mr. James "^j a blind man, many of the inhabitants and others of this parish have not resorted to our owne churche uppon such Sun- ' John Ryves, of New College, Oxford, became Archdeacon of Berks on the resignation of Edw. Davenant, Nov. 20, 1634. He died Aug. 19, 1665, and was succeeded in his Archdeaconry by Dr. Peter Mews, of St. John's College, Oxford. ■■ Probably the Rev. John James, M.A., Rector of East Ilsley, who resigned his living rather than comply with the provisions of the Act of Uniformity in 1662. Dr. Calamy mentions that Mr. James was afterwards offered by Dr. James, then Warden of All Souls, Oxford, several preferments, including a, Canonry at Windsor, but he would not conform ; and was much harassed by 'Ca.sfive mile Act in three or four places before he could settle to his ministry at Staines J and describes him as "a zealous and practical preacher." 524 The C/mrch Records. dayes as they have preached there, but have gone some thither, and further to this Article we pr'sent not. To the 6th Article, we pr'sent that as you are enformed there are children in this parish who are yet unbaptized, p'ticularly the children of William Harrison and Mr. John Merriman. To the 8th Article concerning Parishioners, we pr'sent that there are many in this parish who so far from receaving the Sacrament 3 tymes in the yere, that they have not receaved it at all this last yere, namely, John Daws, Richard Brice, Thomas Lovelocke, Thomas Pearse, Xtopher Clayton, Thomas Hill, John Child. We pr'sent that those whose names are underwritten refuse to pay the Clarke his wages, and the dues of the Church. Richard Clements lod., Edward Mills 2od., Stephen Goodall 2od., John Smart sorfl, Thomas Bishop 2,od., Lewis Richardson 30(/., Joseph Gray 10^., with many others we desire a longer time to set downe. We pr'sent that John Child, John Hill, Richard Grant, John Portsmouth, and Wra. Andelin, are excommunicaf^ persons. Item we pr'sent that Richard Young the Cutler, and Abraham Cox, Smith, have not receaved the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper at the ffeast of Easter nor at any time since. Ino. Pinfall, Richard Young, |- Churchwardens." The Presentments of the Churchwardens of Newbury, 1666. " These wee humbly beg to certify that John Seeley the younger, George White, John Daunce, Thomas Lovelocke, James Pearse, and Wm. Hunt, Inhabitants of Newbury, pr'sented in the yeare of our Lord 1665, for not receaving the holy sacrament of the Lorde's Supper at the ffeast of Easter, nor any time after Easter; did not receave the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper at the ffeast of Easter last, nor at any time since, according to the Ecclesiastical Law, In Witnes whereof wee have hereunto set our handes, June 3, 1666. Joseph Sayer, Recf^ of Newbery. John Pinfall, Churchwarden." The Presentments of the Churchwardens of Newbery made the 8th day of June, 1667. "Imprymis wee pr'sent John Childe, Joane Bushell, Robert Tlie Clinrch Recoi'ds. 525 Wilson and his wyfe, John Porchmouth, Richard Write and his wyfe, Will Gierke ffor excommunicated p'rsons. Item we pr'sent John Hollam and Ann Morront for the same. Thos. Tolfrey, ) r „, _ ,. .Churchwardens.'' Ihos. Paradise, " A Presentmemt made by Mr. Abra'm Stockwell, Mr. Thomas Basford, Mr. Jonas Narroway, and Mr. Robert Tewson, Church- wardens of Newbery, at the Vissitacion of the Right Onor'''^ Dr. Peter Mews, Archdeacon of Berks, holden at Newberry aforesaid Aprill rp, 1670. Imprimis we pr'sent that the Church and Churchyard ar not in soe good repair as we could wish it wear by reason that the revenues belonging to the Church suffice not to defray the charges thereof, we do therefor humbly desire that we may be allowed a Rate for y= repairs of y" said Church and for fencing the Churchyard. Item we pr'sent that William Harrison, John Ranee, Thomas Hill, Samuel Gibs, and William Avelin, being Anabaptistically inclined and reputed Anabaptists, and that Thomas Marshe, Joseph Gray, Priscilla Wilson, Mary Osgood, widow, and Thomas Bond, being Quakers, do refuse to come to y'' publik assembly, prayers, and services of the Church. Item we pr'sent that we suspect y' several persons may absent themselves from Divine Service, but in soe numerous a congre- gation we cannot certainly know who indeed are absent. Item we pr'sent that several children are unbaptized, particu- larly the children of John Hill and William Harrison. Item we pr'sent that Mary Nash, William Ketchill, and several others, have not receaved the holy sacrament at Easter last, nor at any time during the year last past. Item we pr'sent Mr. Robert Wilson, John Hill, John Childs, and Abra'm Cox, being denounced excom'icat hath soe continued for several months. Item we pr'sent f ther there are several persons who refuse to pay both their Easter offerings and the Clarke's wages, whose names we desire for further time to set down. Joseph Sayer. Abraham Stockwell. Thomas Basford. Jonas Narroway. Robert Tuson." 526 The Church Records. Newbury. " The Pr'sentment of the Churchwardens of the Parish aforesaid, made at the Visitacion of the Archdeacon of Berks held at New- berry the 5th day of April, 1675. We pr'sent the Persones whose names are under written for not receiving the Sacrament at Easter last. Wm. White, Grocer, and Mary Joseph Gray, weaver. his wife. Samuel Gibbs, tobacco pipe Sarah Child, widow. maker. Robert Cox, weaver. Thomas Merriman, yeoman. Stephen Merrall, butcher. William Harding and Frances Mary Osgood, widow. Slater. Edward Myller, weaver, and John Ranee, taylor. Mary his wife. Mary Champion, the wife John Hill, Grocer. of Brrien Traffelde, wea- Robert Wilson, fHaxdresser, and ver. Mary his wife. Richard Cowslad, ) _,, , •, „ . , _ , \ Churchwardens. John Garden, j In 1693 the following were returned as refusing to pay the Church-rate. Adam Stowers. Anthony Hannington. Thomas Marshe. William Burch, clothier. Thos. Edmonds, ) _,, , , -P, . „ > Ch'wardens. Ric. Cooper, J " Presentment of the Churchwardens of Newbery att the Visita- cion there held April 18, 1694. Wee pr'sent that the Church and Ornaments thereto belong- ing, and Churchyard, are in good repare, y' the minister hath duly officiated and performed his office, and the Parish Clark and Sexton done the same to the best of o'' knowledge and beleife. Y* the Parishioners frequent some the Church and others the meeting houses in the towne, and y' more absent, as we know y' from one or the other, and y' all other matters relating to o' care or charge are in good order and well, as far as wee know. Thomas Edmonds, > „, , , „ '^ "^h wardens. Ric. Cooper, Ich'y The Church Records. 527 At the Visitation held in 1696 several parishioners were presented for not paying Church-rates and Easter-dues. In 1707, at the annual Visitation, Joseph Avery, Parish Clerk, was presented for not giving any account of the Easter-dues to the Churchwardens. At the Visitation held in 1710 the Rev. John Hinton, Rector, was presented for not keeping the parish registers in the church, according to the Canons of the Church of England. The Churchwardens' Accounts. The Churchwardens' Accounts, giving details of re- ceipts and payments for church purposes, entered in two large bound volumes, are in excellent preservation, and they throw a considerable light on the history of the parish during the period over which they extend. They were all passed at Vestry, and are signed by the Rectors, Churchwardens, and others, and frequently, in the seven- teenth century, by the Mayors of the town. The first volume commences in 1602, the earlier account books being either destroyed or missing. The following extracts possessing many points of interest will shew the nature of the material to be derived from these records. Payments made by the Churchwardens of New- bury, EXTRACTED FROM THEIR ACCOUNTS. 1602 and 3. Pd. the Apparitor for renderinge a pre- £ s. d. sentment . . . . . • . .006 Pd. Robert Kystell for 9 ells of hollan for a Surplas 126 Pd. at the Visitation for smoake farthings" and presentment ° 3 7 Pd. to the Ringers on Coronation Daye ^ . .050 ^ Smoke farthings were a yearly rent or service anciently paid in lieu of the customary dues offered by the inhabitants of a diocese at Whitsuntide, when they made their processions to the mother or cathedral church. ' The accession of James I. 528 The Church Records. Pd. at the Lorde Bishopp's Visitation . Reed, for breakinge of the grounde for Mr. Bond f of London ...... Reed, for Seate money Pd. to the Ringers on Coronation Daye Pd. for a thousand bricks .... 1604 and 5. Reed, for the paule for Mr. Henry Winscombes ...... Pd. and given to Mr. Doctor Martinne •• in wines Pd. for the boke of Cannons Pd. and given to the Ringers for the Kinge ' . Pd. to Elniger'' as a Dew to Mr. Doggett Pd. for a Servis Boke ..... Pd. my Lord B[ishop's] Officers . 1605 and 6. Pd. for the frame for the Kinge's Armes and the board against Mr. Mayor's seate . Pd. Thomas Greene for worke about the porche, the window and piller behind y'= pulpitt . Pd. for fiftie brickes and for tymber and sawing thereof for the staires of the pulpitt . Pd. for six hundred of nails for the great door and for the pulpitt staires .... Pd. for a pair of Jemmores ' for the pulpitt door Reed, for Mr. John Dolman's grave Reed, of Jeffraie Bewe " for his wife's grave . 1606 and 7. Reed, of WilHam Howse for his wife': grave in the Church Reed, of John Woddes for the old pulpitt Pd. Ringers on the King's holie Dale . . . Pd. for a Communion booke and a booke of Articles Pd. John Reves for writing the Register and sing- ing on Easter dale Pd. for Ringing on our Ladie eve . £ s. d. 3 4 6 8 I 14 6 5 II 6 I I 5 I 4 4 5 7 6 8 8 18 6 5 4 16 6 2 7 6 6 8 6 8 6 8 I 5 8 2 056 026 ' A member of a very old Newbury family. e Winchcombe. ^ Afterwards Sir Henry Martin, Official Principal of the Archdeaconry of Berks. ' For the King's preservation from the Gunpowder Plot. '' Alnager, an officer whose business it was to look to the assize of woollen cloth. ' Hinges. "' Of the family of Wiliam Bew, Bishop of Llandaff. Imperfect The Church Records. 529 £ s. d. Pd. in chardges bestowed upon Mrs. Crosse and her children in respect she paid for the pulpitt in the churche ° 2 19 8 1609 and 10. Pd. for a Bottle of Wine given to Mr. Martyn . . 014 Pd. for Pentecostalles, otherwise called smoke farthings . . . . . . . -035 Pd. for Quit Rent out of the house by Speenham- land water ....... Pd. to Mr. Long for setting the Chymes 1612 and 13. Reed, for ringing the bells, and for thef* leaves. palle at Mr. Collett's burial ° . . . Pd. the Ringers at the Coronation daie . 1613 and 14. Pd. for Ringing at her ma'^ being at' ShaweP o 5 10 Pd. for Ringing the second tyme her ma"' was at Shawe . . . . . . . .050 1614 and 15. Reed, for the Organs sold by Mr. Child, Maio', and other of the Townesmen, Sept. 10, 1614 . . . . . . .368 1 615 and 16. Pd. for Varnishing the pulpitt . . o 13 6 Pd. for Ringing for the King at sondrie tymes . o 14 o Pd. for 14 yardes of grene cloth bestowed on the seates . . . . . . . .1150 Pd. for a silver bolle for the Comm'yon . .300 1616 and 17. Pd. for amending the tombrel 1 . .004 1617 and 18. Reed, for a Tynne Cupp sold to Mr. Childs 050 Pd. for Ringing three dales for the King's ma''« . 066 1618 and 19. Pd. to three men whose tongues wear cutt out 030 1619 and 20. Pd. the Ringers the daie of the coro- nation and the gunpowder daie . . . .050 1620 and I. Pd. the Ringers on Cowrie's conspi- racie ' 010 ° This refers to Mrs. Crosse's gift of the pulpit now in the church. " Dr. John CoUett, probably a descendant of the above, was an eminent physician in Newbury. T> Queen Anne of Denmark. Her Majesty was entertained by Mr. Dolman at Shaw House. « The "tombrel" or ducking-stool for scolds is frequently mentioned in the accounts. ' The anniversary of the Gowrie Conspiracy, Aug. 6, 1600. M m 5 30 The Church Records. £ s. d. Pd. for amending the glasse before the Visitacon . 31° ^ Reed, for Mr. Thomas Goddard, Mayor, his grave and Clarke and tolle 078 Reed, for the black clothe for a minister buried at Speene . ' 010 Pd. for the Curfew Bell 020 1621 and 2. Pd. to a Poore man's loss by fyre. . 010 Reed, of Guilbert Adey for the greate bell . .010 Pd. for freestone for the magistrates' seates . .100 1624 and 5. Reed, for Mr. Ayres'= burial, one of Sarum 068 Reed, of Mr. Gunter's man of Barton [Kintbury], money that he gave to the Church . . .100 Pd. to a poore man trauvilinge to Ireland . .008 Pd. to a poore man that carne out of Turke . .010 Pd. for ringing Mr. Kendrick's knell ' . . .030 Pd. to the Ringers when the King was proclaimed 016 1625 and 6. Reed, of my Ladie OfhHs'> for the black cloth for her daughter . . . .010 Reed, of Mr. Chokt^ for his wife laying in the Church 078 Reed, of Mr. Samuell Iremonger ", for all the bells for his knell . . . . . . .010 Reed, of Mr. Dolman for his father and his child laieinge in one grave in the Church, and for the black cloth and the greate bell . . . .0118 Pd. to Pocock for ringginge for the Queen's com- minge in first, by Mr. Maior's appointment . 050 Pd. for a blacke clothe of Hollan to serve at the Communion table, an'd makinge of him . .026 Pd. Henry Pocock for ringinge at the King's Coronation daye . . . . . .026 Pd. Robert Bacon for a peale for our King's returne out of Spaine . . . . .026 ' Probably intended for Eyre, a well-known Wiltshire family, one of whom had a long religious disputation with Dr. Twisse. ' John Kendrick, one of the great benefactors to the parish of Newbury. ^ This is intended for Lady Offley, wife of Sir John Offley, of Madeley, co. Stafford, who resided for some time at Chamberhouse, in the parish of Thatcham. The cloth was lent for the funeral at Thatcham. ' A member of the Choke family, of Avington. " Of Donnington Priory. The Church Records. 531 £ s- d. Pd. Baker the Crier for his helpinge at Churche . 050 1626 and 7. Pd. the Overseaurs of the buildings at the Castill^, for Tymber to make the grate at the Church doores . . . . . .120 Pd. Inglefielde for fitting up a shelfe to sett Mr. Hobes [Hobbs] his bread on . . . .010 1627 and 8. Pd. to Travilores Taken by the Turks . 020 Pd. to Benjamin Houlton for bringing a book from Hungerford which a soldier had pawned there . .020 1628 and 9. Pd. for an howre glasse and coloringe him . . . . . . . . .008 1630 and 31. Pd. Brooker for makinge the cover for the ffont 130 Pd. Seelie for paintinge the ffont and cover . .060 Pd. for prosecutinge Younge and his Companie . 0120 1631 and 2. Pd. John Briskett for the Kinge's Armes and other worke . . . . .0100 1633 and 4. Pd. the Painter for the Prince's Armes and painting the rest . . . . .0168 Pd. to a distressed Minister 010 1635 and 6. Reed, for Bell for Baker the Criar .010 Reed, for HoUan clothe for a Welshe-man . .040 Reed, for the grave, bell and clothe for Mr. Trenchardy 020 Reed, for the grave, bell for Mr. Harman Doleman 088 Reed, for the bell and clothe for Mr. John Chamberlayne ^ 020 Pd. Henry Pocock for Ringing ags* the Bishop's cominge . . . . . . • .030 Pd. Edw. Weekes for i gallon clarett, half a gallon of sacke to Dr. Tooker " 048 1636 and 7. Pd. for Shott and powder to kill the birds in the Church 006 1637 and 8. Pd. Henry Dudmarsh for placinge the Kinge's Armes upright *> . . . • .016 ' The remains of the ancient castle of Newbury, near the wharf, were in ex- istence at this time. The "grate" was an outer frameworlc with interstices. ^ Of Normanton, near Amesbury, Wilts. '^ Mayor of Newbury, 1601. » Charles Tooker, D.C.L., of Abingdon. * A very singular and significant entry as taken in another sense, in con- nection with the strife so soon to follow. M m 2 532 The Church Records. 1638 and 9. Pd. for the Readinge Pewe and the Lady Piles' " seate Pd. for Boughes and fflowers Pd. for Sugar for the Bishop's wine Pd. the Messenger for bringing the prayer for the Kinge ....... 1639 and 40. Pd. for a glasse and for Incke [Ink] 1640 and 41. Pd. to John Brisket for y'= Lyon '' Pd. for ringinge the greate bell and at powder treason ....... Pd. for ringinge Coronation day . Pd. for wine ...... Pd. for wine for Dr. Tooker .... 1641 and 2. Reed. Mr. Dunce'', his man, bell and cloth ....... Reed. Mr. Winchcombe the greate bell Pd. for painting the Lyon .... Pd. Smoake farthinges and chardges to Ilsley 1642 and 3. Reed, for bell and cloth for John Tim berlan^ ....... Pd. for ringinge Coronation day . Pd. for ringinge for Prince Rupert Pd. for ringinge the 5 Novembris . Pd. Smoke farthinges and chardges at Ilsley . Pd. for wine for the Communion . 1643 and 4. Reed, for the grave and bell for Tertullian Selden's wife ..... Reed, for a soldier, the grave Reed, for the clothe for a soldier . Reed, for the clothe for Mr. Dolman's mayde Reed, for the grave, bell and cloth for a soldier Reed, for the grave, bell and cloth for Mr. Curtice ....... Pd. to Bushnell for watchinge on the Tower . £ s. d. 4 13 S 008 004 004 0100 o » o 5 9 IS o o I I 4 020 010 068 080 o o 6 o o O » 5 068 010 020 088 088 006 ° This lady was connected with the Piles (Baronets) of Compton-Beau- champ, Oakash, Chaddleworth, Berks, and Axford, Wilts. '' This figure of the ' Lyon,' carved in oak, was originally an appendage to the Mayor's pew, but was removed in the eighteenth century. It was dis- covered a few years since, and is now in the possession of Mr. T. E. Haw- kins, of West Mills, Newbury. ■= Mr. Dunce was the host of King Charles I. at the period of the first battle at Newbury. ' The Parish Clerk. The Church Records. Pd. for watchinge on the Tower . Pd. for ringinge when the King was in Towne Pd. for ringinge on Coronation day Pd. for buryinge the ded soldiers in church-yarde and Wash ..... Pd. for Shrowdes ..... Pd. for buryinge soldiers in the Church 1644 and 5. Reed, for the bell and clothe for Dr, Godwin ..... Reed, for the grounde, bell and clothe for Chris topher Twisse ...... Reed, for the old cloth for a soldier Reed, for the grounde, bell and clothe for John Twisse ..... Pd. for a coffin for a leftenant Pd. for carrying, burying soldier . Pd. for shrowding a soldier, and carrying to Church ..... Pd. for two shrowdes for soldiers . Pd. for carrying soldiers and cleansing the Church Pd. for carrying soldiers and making a great grave Pd. for a shrowde for a soldier Pd. for carryinge and buryinge 3 soldiers Pd. for carryinge another soldier to buryinge Pd. for makinge clean e the Church Pd. for buryinge 2 soldiers more . Pd. for buryinge 6 soldiers more . Pd. for a shrowde for a soldier Pd. for carryinge a soldier to buryinge Pd. for digging graves for soldiers Pd. for buryinge 3 soldiers more . Pd. for buryinge 4 soldiers more . Pd. to Wooldridge digging graves . Pd. for buryinge 2 soldiers . Pd. for buryinge 2 soldiers more, and carryinge them ..... Pd. for ringinge for the Kinge Pd. for ringinge the 5 of November Pd. to the Kinge's Servantts . Pd. for buryinge a soldier . 533 £ s. d. 003 050 030 3 O I 064 3 4 4 o » a 006 088 070 012 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 030 050 050 100 016 534 ^he Church Records. Pd. for diginge 19 graves and clensinge the Church Pd. for buryinge a soldier . Pd. for a soldier's buryinge . Pd. to Smith for travalinge for a Minister Pd. for a comon prayer booke to Wilson 1645 and 6. Reed, for a man y' was hanged the bell Reed, for the Captaine k burial for breakinge the grounde, bell and cloth ..... Reed, of Doctor Barker ffor buryinge CoUonel Smith in the Chancel ..... Reed, for bell and cloth for Liftennent CoUonel Smith ii Reed, for the cloth ffor a soldier .... Reed, for the buryinge of a Liftennant . Reed, of Hatt for the leade of the Wether Cocke . Pd. to Redeeme the tower Leade Pd. to Redeeme the Church Ladder Pd. for Ringenge a coronation day Pd. for buringe of a souldier .... Pd. for buringe of souldiers .... Pd. for Shrowdds to bury souldiers Pd. to souldiers for redeminge the Church Leade Reed, for 2 Surplices sold by the Churchwardens 1646 and 7. Reed, for the buriall of Captaines Smithe's wife ........ Reed, of John Timberland for burials due to the Parson since Mr. Millett went away Reed, for the Surplices ..... Pd. to the plummers for their worke and for new Leade ........ Pd. to John Twisse for dyeing the black cloth Pd. to Richard Jerom for Dr. Twisse his picture . Pd. to Widow Helliar for the curteyne to hang before it ....... . £ s. d. O 2 O I 6 2 3 1 8 o IS 3 o o o o o o o 17 4 o 13 4 o 10 o 080 12 O 42 O O 020 1 IS o 054 K Major Stewart, (here called Captain,) commanded for the Parliament the Kentish regiment then quartered near Newbury. He shot with his own hand in a skirmish Lieut. -Col. Smith, next mentioned. ■" A Cavalier Colonel of Horse. To revenge Smith's death Sir John Boys, Governor of Donnington Castle, with a party of his men surprised Major Stewart as he was sitting at supper by the side of his intended bride, at Greenham Manor House, and the Major was shot dead on the spot. The Church Records. 535 £ s. d. Pd. for two Ministers' dinners to Mrs. Smith . 030 Pd. Dudmarsh for makinge the back of Dr. Twisse picture . . . . . . . .020 1647 and 8. Pd. for a Directory' . . . .024 Pd. for ringinge on Coronation day the 27"" of March 066 Pd. Mr. Brisket for the frame that holds the bason in the Church "^ . . . . . .0150 Pd. for a Bason for the Church . . . .030 1649 and 50. Pd. for Ringinge Queen EHz. Coro- nation Day . . . . . . .026 Pd. for Shrowd for Goody. Penn ' . . .030 1650 and 51. Reed, for breakinge the ground, bell and cloth for Mr. Edw. Barksdall "" . . .088 Reed, for breakinge the ground, bell and cloth for Capt. Merryman's maid . . . . .088 Pd. to Christopher Barnes for new drawinge of a Table- 050 Pd. for Ringinge for the generall Crumbwell ° .026 1651 and 52. Pd. for Ringinge for the Judge . .026 Pd. for Incke . 003 1652 and 53. Pd. Ringers for ringinge on the Thanksgiving Day . . . . . .026 Pd. Ringers for ringinge on the 5th of November 050 1653 and 54. Pd. for 4 yards and a half of Cotton for Mr. Maior's seate . . . . .0100 Pd. to Thomas Grey for nayles and setting of it on 044 Pd. for ringinge for the Lord Protector . .03 o ■ The "Directory for the Public Worship of God," drawn up at the in- stance of the Parliament by the Westminster Assembly of Divines in 1 644, after the suppression of the Book of Common Prayer. '■ In the place of the font removed from the church in accordance with the injunctions of the Puritan authorities. ' The surname of the founder of Pennsylvania occurs in other places in the parish books. " The Barksdales were a notable Newbury family. " For the Communion table. " The Lord General Cromwell passed through Newbury in 1650, on his way from Bristol to London after his victorious campaign in Ireland. His return to London was a kind of triumph, and all ranks of people contended, either from regard or fear, who should shew him the most respect. He was met on Hounslow Heath by many members of the Parliament and officers of the army, and at Hyde Parle saluted with great guns. He then proceeded to the palace at Whitehall, which had been prepared for his reception. 5 36 The Church Records. £ o o 165s "nd 56. Reed, on the rate or tax for repairing of the Church from the Inhabitants . . -47 Reed, of Major FfincherP of gift toward y= re- pairing of the Church i Reed, of Mr. Philip Jemmett 1 on the same acco' 500 Reed, of Capt" Thornhill on the same aeco' . 200 Given by Mr. Dolman eight trees towards the sup- porting of the Church valued to be worth about tenn pounds, Pd. to Salisbury mason 13° Pd. to Crieklade men 220 Pd. to Crismaford ' workmen . . . .0170 Pd. for removing the dead corps . . . .011 1657 and 58. Pd. for the bell and ground for Comp- ton Titchborne, Esq 088 Pd. for Two Acts for the Sabboath . . .010 Pd. to the Ringers for ringinge on the 5 th No- vemb 050 Pd. them more at the Inauguration of y" L,^ Protector 05° Pd. Philip Baker for 2 dayes' work for levelling the Tombe stones in the Church . . . .030 Pd, Bayly for levelling the Chancel and carrying out of rubbish . . . . . . .018 Pd. James Ffoster for 300 tokens for Mr. Wood- bridge = 036 Pd. for 12 dozen of cakes, 43 quarts of drink, to Henry Pearse, and 22 quarts to Jerome Chad- sey, for p'ambulation . . . . .0136 1659 and 60. Reed, for Edward Bridges, a soldier, the bell and cloth . . . . . .020 Pd. John Hines for setting upp the King's Armes 015 o Pd. for drinke . . . . . . .010 Gave to a poore minister . . . . .006 P Major Fincher was a very prominent man for the Parliament in this neighbourhood. 1 The founder of Raymond's Almshouses. ■■ Christmalford, Wilts, now commonly written Christian Malford. ' Small copper coinage for parish purposes similar to the " Tokens" used by private traders at this period. Mr. Woodbridge was the Rector. Traders' and other tokens were prohibited by royal proclamation in 1672. pub birds seate, The Church Records. Pd. for ringing two dayes .... 1660 and 61. Pd. for drink and cakes for the P'am bulation ...... Pd. to the Ringers on Thanksgiving day 1661 and 62. Pd. to the Paritor for bookes lished by Mr. Woodbridge Pd. for ringing on Coronation day Pd. for ringing for the Bishopp 1662 and 63. Pd. for the Service Book . Pd. for the Common Prayer Book Pd. the messenger that brought it Pd. James Ffoster for a nett to catch the that annoy the Church ... Pd. for setting upp a Deske in the Bishopp's and other worke .... Pd. for 3 pints of Sack for Dr. Ward 1663 and 64. Pd. Kible for 2 proclamations 1664 and 65. Pd. to the Ringers extraordinarily Pd. to the Ringers on the King's Coronation day Pd. Wm. Paty for his fees on being sworne into y Clarke's office ...... Pd. for two Bookes of Divine Service for Special Dayes ...... Pd. at Abingdon Assizes for Berkshire witnesses' charges, swearing to the Indictments and other charges concerning the Riott in the Church, executed by my Lord Lovelace his speciall direction ' 1665 and 66. Pd. the Ringers on the Kinge's birth- day . . ...... Pd. the Ringers on the Coronation day Pd. the Ringers on Thanksgiving day 1666 and 67. Pd. the Ringers for the Dutch Victory Pd. the Ringers for the second Dutch Victory 1667 and 68. Pd. the Ringers when peace was proclaimed ....... Pd. for entertainment of Reading Ringers . 537 £ s. d. o 10 6 o 16 6 050 o o o o o o 030 o I 8 030 008 060 068 o s 8 030 040 050 060 o 10 o 060 6 6 o o ' The disturbance alluded to arose out of the election of Churchwardens. Lord Lovelace was the Lord-Lieutenant of the county. 538 The Church Records. £ s. d. o o 1668 and 69. Pd. to the Ringers the 23rd Aprill being his Ma""^ Coronation day . . .08 Pd. to the Ringers the 29th May being his Ma"''^ Anniversary . . . . • ■ . o 10 Pd. to the Ringers when the Lord Bishopp was at Newbury ° 'o Pd. for tobacco and pipes in pambulac'on . .006 Pd. for provision in pambulac'on . . .190 1670 and 71. Gave a Capt. for the King in the Dutch war who came with the King's brief . 026 Gave a Cornett » belonging to the Earle of Cleve- land 010 Gave 3 seamen whoo were in the Turks country . 010 Gave to 5 slaves more who were in Turkey . .010 Gave to 4 slaves more in Turkey . . .01 Pd. for Bradhurst quit rent and chimney money ' 056 1673 and 4. Pd. for Boaxing'' Joane Gearland and the womon and part of the fees and grave and bell o 4 5 Pd. the Ringers for the peace with the Duch . 060 Pd. ifor Linkes at Chrismas . . . .020 Pd. for a cloth to cover the Lyon . . .013 1677 and 78. Pd. the Ringers i"* of Tobacco when the queene was here . . . . .080 Spent in money in Look in after them . .020 Pd. for our Dhmers .... .150 1678 and 79. Pd. for ringinge the 23rd of Aprill being St. George's Day in the years 1678-9 . 0120 Pd. for 2 warrants to arrest James Ffoster and Will. Merriman 030 Pd. and given by Order toward building the Greek Church 050 Pd. and given by Order for a poor man's re- demption out of Turkey . . . . .050 Given by Order to Leuitenant John Dowse . .050 " Cornet in the Earl of Cleveland's regiment. * The hearth or chimney tax. A tax on every fire-place or hearth in Eng- land was imposed by Charles II. in 1662, when it produced about ;^2OO,00O a year. It was abolished by William and Mary at the Revolution in 1689, but was imposed again, and again abolished. ? A coffin. The accounts for this year were written by the Parish Clerk. The Church Records. 1680 and 81. Spent with the Bellfounders severally the 3 and 4 May ...... A Journey to Reading i inland iz"" May to bar- gain with the Bellfounder ..... Paid Mr. Latham for wrighting the Articles be- tween the Bellfounders and us . Spent at the sealing of the Articles Spent att waying the great Bell and fetching the weigts A Journey to Reading at Casting the great Bell . Spent at weighing and hanging the great Bell A Journey to Reading at casting the i and 7 Bell Pd. Henry Knight, Bellfounder, for casting the 6 Bells into 8 1681 and 82. Reed, of the Quakers ' Pd. Goodman Bond for catching a fox . Pd. to Hugh Kettle for pros[ecut]ing the Quakers Pd. for carrying old Mosdell home 1682 and 83. Pd. Daniel Whaler for painting the pulpitt and seates ...... Pd. for burying the child that came down ye River 1684 and 5. Reed, as appears by the Rolls, ffor the repairs to the Church ^ . . . . Pd. to John White for Drums and Collours . Pd. the Ringers when the King was proclaimed Pd. the Ringers when the King was crowned Pd. the Ringers when the Rebells were routed Pd. the Ringers when Monmouth was taken . 1685 and 86. Pd. the Ringers at the Coronation Pd. the Ringers when the King came a progress '' Pd. the Ringers when the Chancellor came ' - 539 £ s. d. 050 012 o 068 0100 046 080 030 080 6700 320 010 0100 030 o 17 o 006 488 8 12 1 O 1 I o o o o 10 6 10 6 ' Fines for non-attendance at church. " This sum was collected for repairing the damage done to the church by the falling in of the roof from the chancel to the pulpit, then placed against the second column of the north arcade of the nave, on Sunday, Feb. 2, 1683- 4, while the Rev. Isaac Milles, Rector of Highclere (who officiated that day), was administering the Sacrament. Fortunately no lives were lost, as the congregation had just left the church, except those who communicated and were in the chancel. The extent of the damage caused by the fall of the pillar is traceable by the difference in the stonework between the arches of the north arcade and the clerestory windows. ^ King James II. ° The Chancellor of the Diocese. 540 - The Church Records. £ s. d. Pd. the Ringers the King's Birthday . . .060 Pd. ffor taking a ffox . . . . . .010 1688 and 8g. Pd. the Ringers when the Prince of Orange came . . . . . . .020 1689 and 90. Pd. the Ringers on the news of Kirks releiving Londonderry 050 Burying a souldier from Hatts . . . .012 Pd. Jolm Englefield for a souldier's coffin — he was buried from Hatts . . . . . .060 Pd. the Ringers when y^ King came by '' . . 070 Pd. the Ringers (Battle of the Boyne) . . .026 Pd. the Ringers when y^ King came by ^ . . o 10 o 1691 and 92. Pd. y^ Ringers for y^ teaken of Athlon . . . . . . . .026 Pd. y^ Ringers for y'' teaken of Limbrick . .076 1694 and 95. Pd. for towhng the Bell when the Queen was buried ^ . . . . . .026 Oct. Pd. the Ringers when the King was landed . . . . . . . .060 1696. Oct. 8. Pd. the Ringers on the King's return home . . . . . . . .050 1700 and 1 701. Pd. for playing the Engin . .016 Pd. the Ringers on the King's return from Holland 068 1701 and 2. Pd. the Ringers on proclaiming the Queen and Coronation day s . . . .100 1707. Pd. John Clark for taking downe the Queene's Armes .0120 Pd. Mr. Jones for painting the Queene's Armes . 200 17 12. Pd. the Ringers when the peace was pro- claimed . . . . . . . . o 10 o 17 14. Pd. for Ringing y^ King's Coronation day . o 10 o 1715. Pd. the Ringers when the Rebells were beate in Scotland . . . . . . . o 10 o '' King William III. when on his way to embark for Ireland. ' The return of the King from Ireland. ' Queen Mary died December 28, 1694. She was buried in Henry VII. th's Chapel in Westminster Abbey the following 5th of March, the body in the interim having Iain in state at Whitehall. The great bell in every parish church in England was ordered to toll for three hours the day of the funeral. e Queen Anne was crowned at Westminster Abbey on St. George's Day, April 23, 1702. The Church Records. 541 They were drowned in each other's arms atGreenhamPound Lock tail. £ s. d. 10 2 6 1 7 16. Pd. for ringing King George's Birth Day 1723. Pd. for ringing Queen Eliz. Day (Nov. 17) 1739 and 40. Pd. for a Fox, Pole Catt, Weesel, and Sparrows . . 029 1740 and 41. Pd. for three Pole Catts, 2 Hedg Hogs, and Sparrows . . . . . .020 Child of Jos. Purdue the Bell . 010 Child of James Clark the Bell 010 Jam. Linch and Miss PHmouth the Bell . . . .020 Child of Jos. Purdue the Bell . 010 Pd. the Ringers for Cathergen ^ . . . .0126 Pd. for papper, and gave a poore object . .010 1742 and 43. Pd. for ringing for the Victory at Detingen . . . . . . . . o to o 1743 and 44. Pd. for trying the new Engine . .040 1 744 and 45. Pd. for Hedg Hoggs, Pole Catts, and Whesells . . . . . . . .024 Pd. for a Bason for the Font . . . .004 1760 and 61. Pd. Ringers the day his present Ma- jesty was Crown . . . . . .110 1796 and 97. Pd. for ringing 25th Oct., 5th Nov., and on Lord St. Vincent's Victory . . .1100 1798 and 99. Pd. Ringers, the Surrender of the Irish army to Marquis Cornwallis . . .0106 1801 and 2. Pd. Ringers on acct. of the Victory at Copenhagen . . . . . . .110 Do. June 4th, King's Birthday and Association Field day' i i o Do. on account of Peace, twice . . . . 1 16 o 1802 and 3. Do. sundry times relative to the Peace 3 3° Exp', illuminating Church and Tower on acct. of do 223 1808 and 9. Ringers for Lieut. General Sir Arthur Wellesley's Victory over the French ^ . .220 1812 and 13. Ringers for Lord Wellington's Victory at Salamanca 2126 •> The bombardment of Carthagena by Admiral Vernon, 1740-41. ' Volunteer Association. '' Vimiera. 542 The Church Records. £ s. d. Ringers on Lord Wellington entering Madrid . i lo o Do. when Prince Regent pass'd through Newbury i i o Do. at Public Dinner i i o 1813 and 14. Ringers on Lord Wellington's Victory at Vittoria ' 5 ° Do. do. do. over Marshal Soult ' . . . .160 Do. for two Victories obtained the 22nd and 25th Nov 2 10 o Do. for another Victory, and at the Illumination . Z Z ° Do. Battle of Waterloo t i o 1837 and 38. Pd. Ringers for King's and Victoria's Birth days 19 Do. Her Majesty's Accession . . . .200 o The Church Charities. The Trustees of the Church Charities are in possession of a considerable estate in land, houses, and rent-charges, called respectively, The Church Estates, The Church Almshouses, and the subsidiary endowments thereof, and the Charities of John Hunt, John Howes, Hugh Hawkins, John Seeley, Anthony Cooke, and John Giles, Hannah Aldworth, Richard Dixon, Henry Hobbes, John Cooke the Elder, the Unknown Donor, and John Child. These charities are now administered in accordance with a scheme established by the Board of Charity Com- missioners for England and Wales, in December, 1883, by which the following persons are appointed trustees : — James Porteus Jackson, Francis Flower Somerset, Robert Birch, Broome Pinniger, Rev. Henry Thornhill Morgan, Walter Money, and Benjamin Smith. The Rector and Churchwardens of the parish of Newbury being ex-ofificio Trustees. New almshouses have been erected in the Newtown Road, under the authority of an order of the Charity Commissioners bearing date February 28, 1879, for the ' Pyrenees. The Church Records. 543 residence of fifteen almspeople : twelve of the said alms- houses to be called " The Church Almshouses," and to be appointed for the residence of six men and six women. The three remaining almshouses to be called " Child's Almshouses," and to be appropriated for the residence of three men. The Church of St. John the Evangelist, Newbury. The ecclesiastical parish of St. John the Evangelist was formed in 1859, out of portions of the parishes of New- bury and Greenham. The Church consecrated in i860 was erected by Miss Hubbard, in memory of her parents, from the designs of Mr. Butterfield, Architect, and is of brick in the Decorated style. It consists of chancel, nave, north aisle, and a bell-turret with two bells ; the church is entirely free, and will seat 500 persons. Under the west window is the following inscription : — -1-AD : GLORIAM : PATRIS : ET : FILII : ET : SPIRITVS : SANCTI-I- IN : MEMORIAM : JOHANNIS : HVBBARD : ET : MARIANNE : VXORIS : EIVS : PARENTVM : OPTIME : MERENTIVM : HELENA : FILIA : EORVM : HANC : ECCLESIAM : SANCTI : JOHANNES : EVANGELISTS : jEDIFI- CANDAM : CURAVIT : A.D. MDCCCLX. The east window is filled with stained glass, and is thus inscribed : — IN MEMORIAM JOHANNIS ET MARIANiE HVBBARD FRANCESCA DVRRANT, D .D . One of the windows in the north aisle is dedicated as a memorial to the Rev. William Medland, a former curate, who died Nov. 23, 1871. St. John's is a Vicarage in the gift of the Bishop of Oxford, and held from 1871 to 1884 by the Rev. Henry Thornhill Morgan, M.A., of Trinity College, Oxford. The present Vicar is the Rev. T. G. Barlow-Poole, M.A., of St. John's College, Cambridge. St. John's Sunday Schools. In the year 1874 a very handsome building for Sunday Schools, in connection with St. John's Church, was erected 544 ^■^^^ Church Records. at the sole cost of the late D. T. Morgan, Esq., father of the then Vicar of the parish ; and opened by the Lord Bishop of the Diocese. St. Mary's Church, Speenhamland. Speenhamland, although forming part of the Municipal Borough of Newbury, is a separate and ecclesiastical parish formed in 1844. The Church of St. Mary was erected in the years 1829-31, from the designs of Mr. Savage, Archi- tect, at a cost of about ;£'7,000, and consecrated August 16, 1 83 1. The church contains sittings for about 800 persons, and has recently been enlarged by the addition of a new chancel, designed by the late G. E. Street, R.A. ; the other part of the building has also been remodelled. The Reredos is a memorial to the Rev. H. W. Majendie, and on a brass plate affixed to the west wall of the chan- cel is engraved : — "To the Glory of God and in grateful memory of Henry William Majendie, Vicar of Speen, in whose Incumbency and by whose exertions this Church of St. Mary was founded a.d. 183 i, this Reredos was erected by his parishioners and friends at the consecration of the new chancel 1879." Below is a small brass plate inscribed to the memory of Eliza Packer by her sister. The large east window of the chancel, filled with rich stained glass, is an offering of Miss Goldfrapp, to the Glory of God, and in memory of her relative Mrs, Eliza- beth Sherwood, who died March 25, 1876. On the east wall of the chancel is a brass plate re- cording that The Paintings in this Chancel are dedicated to the Glory of God. Given by William John Cowper in memory of his beloved wife Georgina Charlotte, who died December 3, 1884. Also in loving remembrance of Major-General Henry Bower, for many years resident in this Parish, who died February 15, 1873. The gift of his daughters. The CImrch Records. 545 The choir stalls were given in memory of Rev. H. W. Majendie; Members of the Pocock family; Philip Childs the younger ; Mary Anne Twitchin ; Austin Champion and his wife ; Rev. John Hartland Worgan ; Mrs. Sparrow ; Cornelius Weaver Doe; Ellen Baker; William Lidderdale; Christopher Royston ; Elizabeth Margaret Vesey. The two stained-glass windows on the west side of the chancel are respectively dedicated by the parishioners to the memory of John Tanner, 50 years Churchwarden, June 8, 1881 ; and James Corbould, 19 years Churchwar- den, Easter, 1884. The window by the west doorway is dedicated to the memory of Frederick and Rachael Tay- lor, Sept. 16, 1879. The following tablets are now placed in a vestibule at the south end of the nave : — Lovelace White, d. Mar. 14, 1863, a. 56. Andrew Eyre, late of the East India Company's Maritime Ser- vice, d. May 2, 1843, a. 63. Benson Higgs, d. April 25, 1837, a. 66. William Elliott, d. Oct. 2, 1844, a. 62; and Elizabeth his wife, d. May 6, 1834, a. 47. Richard Andrews, late Major 81 Reg., d. Oct. 24, 1844, a. 83 ; Ann, his dau. d. Dec. 14, 1858, a. 74, "bequeathing her pro- perty to various Charitable institutions in England and Ireland, this Church and Parish largely participating." Robert Rowell, d. Feb. 9, 1839, a. 55 ; Elizabeth, his rehct, d. May 12, 1840, a. 40. Emma, 4th dau. of Robert and Elizabeth Rowell, d. Jan. 14, 1853, in her 17th year. William Ward Goddard, b. Aug. 31, 1818, d. Sept. 15, 1837; George Goddard, b. Nov. 14, 1803, d. Feb. 19, 1838 ; interred in churchyard of St. John's, Hackney. Rebecca, wife of Thomas Smith, d. Aug. 25, 1838, a. 77. Thomas Smith, d. Oct. 17, 1843, a. 75. Mary, rehct of John Bunce, of Sheepstead in this Co., d. April 15, 1852, a. 71. John Mort Bunny, M.D., formerly of the 76 Reg., in which he served at Walcheren, the Peninsula, and in Canada, d. July 25, 1848, a. 64 N n 546 The Church Records. Sarah Humphris, d. Nov. 12, 1853 ; her dau. Martha Herring, wife of Thos. Darling, d. Dec. 17, 1858; also Thomas Dar- ling, d. May 4, 1865, a. 82. Samuel Hancock, d. May 27, 1835, a. 66 ; Nancy Strong, his wid. d Mar. 21, 1841. George Goddard, born at Chieveley Dec. 22, 1772, d. Nov. 12, 1834; Sarah, his widow, b. May 27, 1774, d. April 21, 1852. Matilda, wife of James Bodman, Jun., d. Nov. 19, 1846, a. 33 ; also James Bodman, d. May 5, 1868, a. 71. William Mills, d. Nov. 7, 1857, a. 90; Elizabeth, his relict, d. June 15, 1865, in her 94th year. Charles Bull, d. Aug. 22, 1831, a. 64; Charles Atlee Bull, his son, d. May 8, 1828, a. 25 ; Hannah, widow of Charles Bull, d. Feb. 15, 1846, a. 83. The Vicarage is in the gift of the Bishop of Oxford, and has been held since 1875 by the Rev. J. G. Gibbs, M.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge. APPENDICES. The Mayors, High Stewards, Recorders, and Town Clerks of Newbury.— Persons of Note connected with Newbury, &c. Mayors of Newbury, from i 596. IT was Queen Elizabeth's Charter of 1596 which, as we have seen in a previous chapter, first gave to the town its corporate character. The Mayor, in accordance with the direction of this Charter, was formerly elected on St. Matthew's Day (September 21), by the Mayor, Aldermen, and twelve Capital Burgesses. This custom was continued till the passing of the Municipal Reform Act, under which, according to a uniform rule provided therein fpr all boroughs, the mayors are elected on November 9, by the Town Council. The term of office of the Mayor is one year, but he is bound to continue in office until his succes- sor has accepted office, and made and subscribed the re- quired declaration. In the 13th of Charles II. (1661), a reign remarkable for the enactment of penal measures, a bill was passed that no person should bear any office of magistracy concerning the government of any town, corporation, &c., who had not received the Sacrament, according to the Church of England, within one year before his election, and who had not taken the oath of Supremacy, &c. A curious case concerning the direction of this Act of Parliament oc- curred at Newbury in 1674, when Mr. Richard Pocock, a solicitor of the town, having been duly elected Mayor, and received the Sacrament according to the usage of the Church of England, the Rector of Newbury, the Rev. Joseph Sayer, refused to give him the usual certificate for certain reasons which are not stated. The case came N n 2 548 Appendices. before the judges at the Assizes held at Abingdon, when the jury gave a verdict on all points against the Crown, so judgment was returned for the defendant Sayer. Formerly the Mayor of Newbury received a sum of forty pounds towards defraying the expenses of the inau- gural feast; but in 1691 the amount was reduced to ^20, until such time as the cost of certain repairs to the parish church, towards which the Corporation voted ;£'20 a year, had been paid. In 1696, this amount having been paid off, the £i,o a year was again allowed; and in 1715 Mr. Richard Cowslade augmented the allowance by granting £ij a year towards the expenses of the Mayor's feast out of certain lands at Kintbury. In 1742 it was ordered by the Corporation that ijio a year should be deducted from the payment to the Mayor, being the annual cost of a large cake it was customary to provide on the feast-day. Sub- sequently £^0 yearly was allowed to the Mayor, but in 1752, owing to monetary difficulties in connection with the municipal charities, the payment of this sum was dis- continued. The only remuneration of the Mayor at the present day is the £'^ a year given by Richard Cow- slade, which is still paid by the trustees of that Charity. The office of Mayor has been frequently avoided, and there are several instances recorded at Newbury of persons who have been elected to the office paying the fine rather than accept the mayoralty. In 1747 Mr. John Head, duly qualified, paid a fine of ^^20 to be excused the office, which was expended in the purchase of the old pewter plates for the corporate entertainments, which were disposed of a few years since. The Mayor on his election is now vested with the chain of office, which was subscribed for by public subscription in the mayoralty of Mr. Robert Johnston. By virtue of his office the Mayor is a justice of the peace for the borough during the time he serves, and, un- less disqualified to be Mayor, continues to be such a jus- tice during the year next after he ceases to be Mayor. He presides at all meetings of the Council, and has a second or casting vote. He is also returning officer for Appendices. 549 the borough. A deputy- mayor, either an alderman or councillor, is appointed by the Mayor at the annual meet- ing on November 9. The Mayor has precedence over all other justices acting in and for the borough, and is entitled to take the chair at all meetings of justices held in the borough, at which he is present by virtue of his office of Mayor. The fine for non-acceptance of the office of Mayor is placed at £100, as the Council by bye-law determine, but if there be no bye-law determining fines, the fine in case of a Mayor is £^0. A List of Mayors of Newbury from the Date of THE Incorporation of the Borough, in 1596. Year of taking Office {elected Sept. 2l), 1596. Bartholomew Yate. 1597. 1598. GabrieU Cox. 1599. William Camber. 1600. 1601. John Chamberlajme. 1602. Edward Holmes. 1603. 1604. Bartholomew Yates. 1605. Henry Cox. 1606. 1607. 1608. William Camber. 1609. 1610. Roger Weston. l6li. Thomas Goddard. 1612. • 1613. Richard Waller. 1 6 14. Anthony Child. 1615. Richard Waller. 1616. 1617. John Hunt, Sen. 1618. 1619. Thomas Newman. 1620. Thomas Goddard. 1621. Thomas Houghton. 1622. Richard Avery. 1623. Richard Waller. 1624. Hugh Hawkins. 1625. Edward Longman. Year of taking Office [elected Sept. 21) 1626. William Howes. 1627. Gabriel Cox. 1628. Thomas Gyles. 1629. John Houghton. 1630. William Hunt. 1631. William Avery. 1632. Richard Waller. 1633. Hugh Hawkins. 1634. William Howes. 1635. Gabriel Cox. 1636. John Houghton. 1637. John Cooke. 1638. Richard Waller. 1639. Hugh Hawkins. 1640. Timothy Avery. 1641. William Pearse. 1642. John Edmandes. 1643. Gabriel Cox. 1644. William Nash. 1645. Philip Weston. 1646. Amos Averie. 1647. John Burch. 1648. John Cooke. 1649. William Pearse. 1650. John Edmandes. 1651. Gabriel Cox. 1652. Philip Weston. 1653. John Burch. 1654. Richard Claver. 1655. Richard Fanner. SSo Appendices. Year of taking Office [fleeted Sept. 21). 1656. Robert Blount. 1657. John Gyles. 1658. Shuff Pinfall. 1659. William Waller. 1660. John Seely. 1661. Henry Linch, died July, 1661. July, i66i. Gabriel Cox (for re- mainder of year). 1662. John Edmandes. 1663. George Cowslad. 1664. John Mundy. 1665. Thomas Cowslad. 1666. John Rider. 1667. Gabriel Cox. 1668. John Gyles. 1669. Thomas Cowslad. 1670. Thomas Wilson. 1671. John Rider. 1672. George Cowslad. 1673. Richard Pocock. 1674. Levi Smith. 1675. Joseph Garrard. 1676. Abraham Stockwell. 1677. Richard Reeves. 1678. Thomas Paradise. 1679. John Smith. 1680. James Pearse. 1681. Thomas Salter. 1682. Thomas Wilson. 1683. Joseph Pearse. 1684. Church Simmons. 1685. George Compton. 1686. Richard Cooper. 1687. Francis Cox (removed). Jan. 1688. John Cooke. 1688. Nathaniel Collins. Oct. 25, 1688. John Burchell. 1689. John Gyles. 1690. John Hore. 1 69 1. Thomas Hughes. 1692. Joseph Head, sen. 1693. Bartholomew Hughes, died Nov. Nov. 1693. Levi Smith (for re- mainder of year). 1694. John Hedges. 1695. Richard Gray. Year of taking Office [elected Sept. 21). 1696. Samuel Slocock. 1697. John Burchell. 1698. William Rider. 1699. Adam Hill. 1700. Abraham Stockwell. 1701. John Rawlins. 1702. Edward Weekes. 1703. Thomas Seely. 1704. Thomas Stockwell. 1705. Nicholas Snow. 1706. Edward Godwin. 1707. Edward Stewart. 1708. John Parsons. 1709. Joseph Parsons. 17 10. Edward Smith. 171 1. John Gray. 17 12. Robert Nalder. 1713. Joseph Head, jun. 1714. Oliver Slocock. 1 715. Richard Berry. 1 7 16. John Beale. 1717. William Townsend. 1718. Edward Lovelock. 1 719. Francis Page. 1720. Laurence Head. 1721. Benjamin Head. 1722. William Cundell. 1723. Richard Cartwright. 1724. Wilham Russell. 1725. John Hinton. 1726. Thomas Stockwell. 1727. Edward Stewart. 1728. John Beale. 1729. William Townsend. 1730. Edward Lovelock. 1 73 1. Robert Nalder. 1732. Edward Smith. 1733. Peter Ely. 1734. John Bond. 1735. Giles Townsend. 1736. John Weeks. 1737. Edward Walter. 1738. John Head. 1739. John Cox. 1740. John Wellman. 1 74 1. Richard Walter. 1742. George Calverley. 1743. Lypeat Bodman. Appendices. 5SI Year of taking Office (elecled Sept. 21). 1744. Richard Budd. 1 745' Jonathan Knackstone. 1746. Richard King. 1747. Laurence Head. 1748. Richard Golding. 1749. Charles Sutton. yune, 1750. Laurence Head. Sept. 21, 1750. Joseph Bolton. 1751. Thomas Golding. 1752. John Townsend. 1753. Samuel Slocock. 1754. Francis Page. 1755. Benjamin Merriman. 1756. George Calverley. 1757- John Cox. 1758. John Kimber. 1759. William Annetts. 1760. Henry Cox. 1 761. William Bodman. 1762. Edward Withers. 1763. Richard Robinson. 1764. Thomas Lovidge. 1765. John Lynch. 1766. George Jones. 1767. Samuel Toomer. 1768. Joseph Fumell. 1769. Israel King. 1770. Jo. Millet. 1771. Osman Vincent. 1772. John Townsend, jun. 1773. Richard BaOy. 1774. Richard Townsend. 1775. Samuel Slocock. 1776. Richard Townsend. 1 777- Benjamin Barnard. 1778. John Grantham. 1779. Joseph Gray. 1780. John Clark. 1781. John Townsend, sen. 1 782. Thomas Lovidge. 1783. Samuel Toomer. 1784. John Grantham. 1785. Joseph Gray. 1786. Andrew Grove. 1787. John Hasker. 1788. John Webb. 1789. William Budd. 1790. Benjamin Hawkins. Year of taking Office (elected Sept. 21). 1791. Joseph Toomer. 1792. James Bodman. 1793. Richard Golding. 1794. William Vincent. 1795. Samuel Grigg. 1796. Richard Atlee. 1797. William Davis. 1798. Andrew Grove. 1799. John Hasker. 1800. Benjamin Hawkins. iSoi. Joseph Toomer. 1802. James Bodman. 1803. William Vincent. 1804. Samuel Grigg. 1805. Richard Atlee. 1806. William Davis. 1807. Richard Compton. 1808. WiUiam Green. 1809. Alfred Slocock. 1810. William Green. 181 1. Richard Compton. 1812. Alfred Slocock. 1813. „ 1 814. Joseph Toomer. 1815. Benjamin Barnard. 1816. James Bodman. 1817. Richard Compton. 1818. Edmund Slocock. 1 8 19. John Hasker. 1820. John Gater Marriner. 1821. John Grigg. 1822. Thomas Wilmott. 1823. Edward Pointer Haskins. 1824. William Mills. 1825. John Satchell. 1826. James Hazell. 1827. John Hasker. 1828. John Grigg. April, 1829. Edward Pointer Has- kins. Sept. 1829. William Mills. 1830. John Satchell. 1831. James Hazell. 1832. James Bodman, jun. 1833. John Alexander. 1834. „ 1835. 552 Appendices. Municipal Corporation Act passed. Mr. Alexander elected, Dec. 26, 1835- Year of taking Office {elected Nov. 9). 1836. Jere' Bunny. 1837- „ 1838. George Payne. 1839. Edward William Gray. 1840. George Payne. 1841. John Lewis. 1842. George Scarr Higgons. 1843. William Dredge. 1844. Thomas Simmons. 1845. Robert Martin. 1846. George Adey. 1847. Edward Laurence Farrow. 1848. Theophilus Verney Turner. 1849- 1850. William Dredge. 1851- 1852. Joseph Frederick Hickman. 1853- 1854. Thomas Deller. 1855. John Hawe Mason. 1856. Edward Wilson. 1857. James Porteus Jackson. 1858. Henry Keens. 1859. Henry Flint. i860. ,, „ Year 0/ taking Office [elected Nov. 9), 1861. John William Randall. 1862. „ „ 1863. James Henry Lucas. 1864. Thomas Fidler. Edward Pellew Plenty. William Henry Cave. Henry Dolton. Robert Atkinson Ryott. Samuel Flint. Joseph Frederick Hickman. 1865. 1866. 1867. 1868. 1869. 1870. 1871. 1872. 1873- „ .. 1874. William George Adey. 1875- 1876. James Absalom. 1877. Charles Samuel Slocock. 1878. Thomas Edward Hawkins. 1879. James Benjamin Stone. 1880. Charles Lucas. 1881. Montagu Henry Campbell Palmer. 1882. Joseph Hopson. 1883. Robert Johnston. 1884. William Hall. 1885. Richard Ravenor. 1886. Benjamin Smith. The High Steward. This office is now become a mere honorary distinction, but there can be no doubt that at one time the High Steward was considered as a necessary check on any abuse of the royal prerogative, and as a means of communication between the Corporate authorities and the Ministers of the Crown. Under the Charter of Queen Elizabeth the Corporation of Newbury have the power of electing " one eminent and discreet man from time to time " as their High Steward, who is authorised to constitute under his hand and seal a Deputy-Steward or Recorder. The following list of those who have had the honour of filling the office has been chiefly compiled from the exist- Appendices. tt-i ing Corporation records, which are, however, very im- perfect. High Stewards of Newbury, from 1596. Sir John Wolley, the Queen's Latin Secretary, was ap- pointed to the office by the Charter of Queen Elizabeth in 1596. For a considerable period after the date of the Incorpo- ration of the town no local records are available to en- able us to supply the names of the succeeding High Stewards. Sir Anthony Craven, Knt., cousin of William, ist Lord Craven, was holding the office in May, 1685, and he no doubt retained the same until his death in 1690. William, Lord Craven, appears to have succeeded his cousin in the office in 1690, but the record of his appoint- ment does not appear in the minute-book of the Corpo- ration. He was eldest son of Sir William Craven, Merchant- Taylor, and Lord Mayor of London ; and entering the army in early life, signalized himself in Germany and the Netherlands, under Henry, Prince of Orange. On his return to England he was knighted at Newmarket, and afterwards, March 4, 1626, raised to the dignity of Baron. In 1631 he was sent to the assistance of Gusta- vus, King of Sweden, who had taken up arms in Germany to support the Protestant cause. In the assault and cap- ture of the castle of Kreuzenach he was wounded, and after- wards taken prisoner by the Emperor's troops in 1637. On obtaining his liberty he entered the service of the Prince of Orange, and resided with him till the Restoration. By Charles he was created Viscount and Earl of Craven, and his confiscated property restored. He continued in the confidence of Charles during the whole of his reign ; at- tended at the Coronation of James the Second ; and was much grieved at being obliged to resign his command as Colonel of the Coldstream Guards, of which he was de- prived by King William III. Lord Craven, who built the 554 Appendices. magnificent mansion at Hampstead-Marshall, which was burnt down in 171 8, was one of the most accomplished gentlemen of the day, was much beloved and equally respected. He died April 9, 1697, upwards of eighty- eight years of age, when the Earldom and Viscounty expired, but the Barony of Craven of Hampstead-Marshall devolved upon the grandson of Sir Thomas Craven, in accordance with the limitation. William, 2nd Baron Craven, son and heir of William, eldest son of Sir Thomas Craven, Knt., and cousin of William, first Lord Craven, above mentioned, was unani- mously elected to the office, April 15, 1697. -^'^ Lordship was Lord-lieutenant and custos rotulorum of Berkshire. He died in 171 1. Henry St. John, Lord Viscount Bolingbroke, was ap- pointed, September 21, 1712, in the place of William, Lord Craven, deceased. Lord Bolingbroke was the celebrated Secretary of State to Queen Anne, and his connection with this neighbourhood arose from his having married, as his first wife, Frances, daughter of Sir Henry Winchcombe, Bart, of Bucklebury. His Lordship was attainted on im- peachment in 1714, and justified the condemnation by entering the service of the Pretender. In 1725 he was restored to his estates without his honours, and conse- quently was not re-admitted to the House of Lords, Wal- pole fearing to give so dangerous an enemy the means of attacking him in debate. He died at Bolingbroke House, Battersea, December 15, 175 1, and was buried in the parish church, which contains a monument to his memory, executed by Roubiliac, the famous French sculptor. Robert Packer, Esq., M.P. for the county of Berks, who married a daughter of Sir Henry Winchcombe, Bart., and sister to Lady Bolingbroke, was elected September 21, 171 5, vice Lord Bolingbroke disqualified. Mr. Packer, who obtained the Bucklebury and other estates of the Winch- combes through his wife, died at his seat at Bucklebury April 4, 1731- Appendices. 555 William, 2,rd Baron Craven, son and heir of the second baron, succeeded Mr. Packer, and was elected April 10, 1731. He died in 1739, without issue, when the barony devolved upon his brother. Fulwar, /^th Baron Craven, was appointed in succession to his brother in 1739. His Lordship died unmarried in 1764, when the title reverted to his first cousin and heir, William, fifth Baron Craven. William, ^th Baron Craven, was elected in the place of Fulwar, Lord Craven, deceased, December 22, 1764, and sworn April 8, 1765. He died in 1769, without issue. William, 6th Baron Craven, nephew and heir of the last, was appointed in the place of William, Lord Craven, deceased. May 3, 1769, and sworn the following May 9. This nobleman married. May 1 8, 1 767, Elizabeth, daughter of Augustus, 4th Earl of Berkeley, who married after his decease Christian Frederick, Margrave of Brandenburgh- Anspach and Bayreuth, who resided at Benham House. He died September 26, 1791. William, Jth Baron Craven, was appointed High- Steward on the death of his father, and sworn September 24, 1792. He was created Viscount Uffington, co. Berks, and Earl of Craven, co. York, June 13, 1801. His Lord- ship, who was a major-general in the army, and Lord- lieutenant of Berks, died July 30, 1825. Henry George, 2nd Earl of Carnarvon, was appointed in succession to the Earl of Craven in September, 1825. He died April 16, 1833. William, 2.nd Earl and ?>th Baron Craven, was ap- pointed in the room of the Earl of Carnarvon, deceased. May 7, 1833. George Grimston, -^rd Earl and gth Baron Craven, Lord- lieutenant of Berks, was appointed in succession to his father, January 14, 1869. Henry Howard Molyneux, \th Earl of Carnarvon, was appointed on the death of the Earl of Craven, February 5, 1884. 556 Appendices. The Deputy-Steward, or Recorder. The Deputy-Steward, an officer appointed for the better direction of the Mayor and other magistrates of any city or town corporate, having jurisdiction and a court of record within their precincts in matters of justice, is distinctly recognised in the Charter of Incorporation of the borough of Newbury, which directs that the High Steward is authorised to constitute under his hand, " one or more men learned in the law," to be the Deputy of the said Steward. This mode of election continued until the passing of the Municipal Reform Act in 1835, but this was again modified in 1882, by the Municipal Cor- porations Act, which directs that it shall be lawful for the Queen from time to time to appoint for a borough having a separate court of quarter sessions a barrister of five years standing, to be recorder of the borough. He shall hold office during good behaviour. He shall by virtue of his office be a justice for the borough. He shall not act as Recorder, or as a justice, until he has taken the oaths required to be taken by a borough justice, and made before the mayor or two other members of the council a declaration as provided in the eighth Schedule. He shall have precedence in all places within the borough after the mayor. Deputy-Stewards or Recorders of Newbury, from 1640. Richard Tomlyns was holding the office in 1640, as we gather from the Court Leet records of this date. He was the son and heir of Edward Tomlyns of Todington in the county of Gloucester, and was admitted at the Inner Temple in May, 1606, after which no more is recorded of him till he was assigned as Counsel to assist Bastwick and Burton in their complaints of the cruel sentence pro- nounced against them in the Star Chamber in 1637. He was rewarded for his exertions by being appointed Cursi- tor Baron of the Exchequer in 1645, and kept his place Appendices. 557 through all the succeeding changes. He either died or was displaced at the Restoration, when Thomas Leeke, who had been Cursitor Baron before him, resumed his office. He married, at Thatcham Church, Nov. 2, 1614, Grace, daughter of the Rev. Thomas Tovye, Vicar of Thatcham. John Barksdale succeeded to the office in 1643. Thomas Flexney was appointed in 1646, and held the office until 1662. Robert (?«rr«ri^ succeeded Thomas Flexney in 1662. Thomas Gunter was holding the office in 1675, but the exact date of his appointment is uncertain. He was ejected with other officials and members of the Corporation by an Order of Council bearing date February 10, 1687. Richard Knapp, a nominee of the Crown, was appointed February 23, 1687, but was displaced October 25, 1688, by virtue of King James II.'s Declaration and Procla- mation. Joseph Cowslad ■W3.S appointed in the year 1689. Richard Cooper succeeded Mr. Cowslad in 17 10. He resigned the Recordership December 28, 1726. Richard Pottinger was appointed December 28, 1726, on the resignation of Mr. Cooper. William Le Marchant was appointed and sworn Deputy- Steward or Recorder of the Borough, September 24, 1739. Robert Vansittart was appointed and sworn to the due execution of the office of Deputy-Steward or Recorder, July, 1764, vice William Le Marchant resigned. James Blackstone, son of the distinguished judge and commentator, Barrister-at-Law, and Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, was appointed Recorder on death of last, February, 1789, and sworn on the following April 23. Charles Dundas, M.P., was appointed Deputy- Steward or Recorder by the Earl of Craven, High Steward of the Borough, November 12, 1824, on resignation of Mr. Black- stone. Mr. Dundas, who was created May 10, 1832, Baron 558 i.,i. Appendices. Amesbury, of Kintbury-Amesbury and Barton Court, co. Berks, died June 30, 1832, in his 8ist year. William Whateley was appointed in succession to Lord Amesbury, September 20, 1832, and re-appointed after the passing of the Municipal Corporation Act, July 9, 1836. He became Q.C. in November, 1841, and resigned the Recordership in January, 1842. Henry Selfe Selfe, Barrister-at-law, was appointed in the place of William Whateley, resigned, February, 1842. George Morley Dowdeswell, Q.C, appointed April 7, 1856, vice H. S. Selfe resigned. The Town Clerk. As the existing Corporation Journals do not commence earlier than 1676 we have no means of ascertaining the names of those who iilled this office for some years after the Incorporation of the town in 1 596. In a petition pre- sented to Charles II. by Gabriel Cox, soon after the Restoration, the latter states that " shortlye after his appointment some factious spirits of the late tyrant's (Oliver Cromwell) faction there, put him out of his Towne Gierke's Office, and put in a necessitous person in his roome, who they knew would better follow their turn." He adds that these " combining togeather, gott into their custody the ancient register books, and ancient deeds of the Corporation, which said books they have tome and defaced, and some deeds they have em- bezzled to the greate greefe and discontent of the petitioner," &c. The Municipal Corporations Act provides that the Council shall from time to time appoint a fit person, not a member of the Council, to be the Town Clerk of the borough, who shall hold office during the pleasure of the Council. He shall have the charge and custody of, and be responsible for, the charters, deeds, records, and docu- ments of the borough, and they shall be kept as the Appendices. 5 eg Council direct. A vacancy in the office shall be filled within twenty-one days after its occurrence. In case of illness or absence of the Town Clerk, the Council may appoint a deputy Town Clerk, to hold office during their pleasure. All things required or authorised by law to be done by or to the Town Clerk may be done by or to the deputy Town Clerk. Town Clerks of Newbury, from circa 1662. Gabriel Cox was probably reinstated in' the office on the re-establishment of the old order of things at the Restoration. Richard Pococke resigned the office in August, 1676, in accordance with an order passed the previous March 31, and was thereupon appointed Senior Attorney of the Borough Court of Record. Mr. Pococke was ' disfran- chised ' and put out of the Corporation on the following January 25, 1677, but was subsequently restored as one of the Attorneys of the Court of Record. Joseph Garrard was elected August 15, 1676, in the place of Pococke, resigned, and admitted and sworn at the annual meeting of the Corporation the following Sep- tember 21. Edward Godwin was appointed on February 23, 1687, during the short and arbitrary reign of James II., when Joseph Garrard, with other officials and members of the Corporation, were displaced by an Order in Council. Joseph Garrard was re-appointed October 25, 1688, by virtue of King James's Proclamation of the preceding October 17, when the old members and officials of the Corporation who had been deposed by the Order in Coun- cil were restored to their offices. Edward Godwin again obtained the office October 21, 1695, "in consideration of a competent sum of money" paid by Edward Godwin, with the consent of the Corpora- tion, to Joseph Garrard, who thereupon surrendered the 560 Appendices. appointment, and Mr. Godwin was declared duly elected as his successor. John Beale, sen., elected in the place of Edward Godwin, deceased, January 8, 1719. John Beale, jun., son of the above, elected in the room of his father, resigned, September 25, 1732. James Head, elected in February, 1/57, in the place of John Beale, jun., deceased. Richard Townsend, elected March 22, 1779, vice James Head, resigned. Thomas Townsend, elected September 23, 1808, in the place of his father, Richard Townsend, resigned. Robert Baker, elected November, 1824, on death of Thomas Townsend. Mr. Baker was re-appointed June 21, 1836, after the passing of the Municipal Corporation Amendment Act, but subsequently became involved in a dispute with the Corporation concerning a petition he presented to the Court of Chancery on behalf of the Trus- tees of the Municipal Charities, he being at the same time Town Clerk to the Corporation, who disapproved of the scheme proposed, and was removed from his office by an Order of the Council, January 18, 1838. Mark Willis, appointed January 25, 1838. Robert Baker was restored to the office May 3, 1842. He died April 6, 1849. Henry Bunny was elected April 16, 1849, vice Robert Baker, deceased. Robert Fuller Graham was elected January 2, 1854, in the place of Henry Bunny. Henry Burke Godwin was elected March 10, 1876, vice Robert Fuller Graham, deceased. Persons of Note connected with Newbury. Ernulf oj Hesding, Lord of Ulvritone at the time of the Domesday Survey, founder of the church of Newbury, died at Antioch, circa 109S (see p. 40, et seq.). Appendices. 561 William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, the boy-hostage at the siege of the Castle of Newbury, in 1152 ; Protector during minority of Henry III.; died May, 1219 ; buried in the Temple Church (see p. 81, et seq.). Geoffrey IV., Count of Perche, and the Countess Matilda, founders of Sandleford Priory, circa 1200. Geoffrey died 1202 (see pp. 62 — 64). Robert Fitz-Roger. Had a grant of the Manor of New- bury, 1204; died 1212-13 (see pp. 102, 103), Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. Married the Countess Dowager of Pembroke, widow of William Mar- shal the younger; fell at the battle of Evesham, 1265 (see pp. 112, et seq.). A certain William of Newbury became Abbot of the great Monastery of Abingdon in the year 1259. In the same abbey at the same time was a certain Robert of New- bury. During his tenure of office the former twice enter- tained King Henry III. The latter seems to have had the confidence of the Community, since he was sent on an Embassy to Rome. The following extracts respecting these two Abbots from the Abingdon Chronicle supply all that is known of them : — "Anno 1259. In the same year John of Blosmevile, Abbot of Abingdon, died ... to whom succeeded brother William of New- bury, then Warden of the Holy Trinity. . . . Immediately after the feast of St. Michael (1260), King Henry came to Abingdon, where he was entertained with honour. . . . The same year, about the festival of St Leonard (Nov. 6), the Abbot and his Commu- nity sent William of the Wick and Robert of Newbury to the Court of Rome, on certain difficult questions touching the Church of Abingdon. "Anno 1261. On the Sunday before the feast of St Barna- bas King Henry came to Abingdon, and stayed there up to the day of St Barnabas, that is for three days, . . . William of the Wick and Robert of Newbury returned from the Court of Rome, bringing many privileges, &c. "Anno 1262. . . . About the day of the Invention of St. Stephen (Aug. 3), William, Abbot of Abingdon, made his resignation, on O o 562 Appendices. the Visitation of Giles, Bp. of Salisbury, and received the Manor of Tadmarton for his maintenance as long as he lived, without the advowson of the said church, or the payment of our pension. Henry of Frileford succeeded him, being elected on the Vigil of the Assumption (Aug. 14) °." William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke, married Joan, or Joanna, granddaughter of the Protector Marshal, and thereby acquired an interest in the Manor of Newbury ; died 1296 (see p. I17, et seq). Roger Bigot, ^tk Earl of Norfolk ; his father, Hugh, 3rd Earl, married Matilda, eldest daughter of the Protector Marshal, and thus became possessed of a moiety of the Manor of Newbury ; died 1270 (see p. 125). Roger Mortimer, married Maud or Matilda, daughter of William de Braose, by his wife Eva, the youngest daughter of the Protector Marshal; died 1282 (see pp. 116, 136, 137)- Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Hertford and 3rd of Gloucester, grandson of Gilbert de Clare, Sth Earl of Hertford, and ist of Gloucester, who married Isabella, daughter of the Protector Marshal ; died 1295 (see pp. 119, 140, 141). William Mortimer, son of the above Roger Mortimer ; died 1297 (see pp. 135, 136). Edmund Mortimer, brother of the above William Mor- timer; died 1303 (see p. 137, et seq.). Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, married Margaret, daughter of William Longespe, Earl of Salisbury ; died 1311 (see p. 141, et seq). Roger Morti^ner, son of Edmund, created Earl of March in 1328; executed and attainted 1330 (see p. 138, et seq). Roger Mortimer, grandson of the last, 2nd Earl of March; died seized of the Manor of Newbury, 1360 (see p. 150, et seq). Sir Richard Abberbury, guardian to Richard H. in his * Chronicon Monast. Abendon (Ashmole Soc, 1844), ed. Halliwell, pp. II— 13. Appendices. 563 minority; built Donnington Castle, circa 1385 (see pp. 152, 153). Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March, son of the last Roger; died 1381 (see pp. 154, 155). ^ Richard Fits-Alan, loth Earl of Arundel. By his mar- riage with Philippa, daughter of Edmund Mortimer, Eari of March, and widow of John de Hastings, Eari of Pem- broke, he acquired an interest in the Manor of Newbury ; beheaded 1397 (see pp. 158, 159). Roger Mortimer, 4th Eari of March, son of Edmund, 3rd Earl, slain in Ireland, 1398 (see p. 155). Edmund Mortimer, sth Earl of March, son of the last Earl; died 1424 (see pp. 169, 170). Richard, Duke of York, nephew of Edmund Mortimer, 5th and last Earl of March; slain at the battle of Wake- field, 1460, when the Manor of Newbury came to the Crown (see p. 169, et seq.). Cecily, Duchess of York, mother of Edward IV., held the Manor and Lordship of Newbury by grant from her son the King, 1461. She died 1495 (see p, 172). Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, engaged in an insurrection against Richard III. ; a Rising of his sup- porters at Newbury in 1483 (see p. 185, et seq.). John Winchcombe, otherwise "Jack of Newbury," the patriotic clothier, who entertained King Henry VIII. and Queen Katherine, at his house in Newbury, and built at his cost the greater part of the parish church; died 15 19 (see p. 191, et seq.). Lady Jane Seymour, Queen of Henry VI H. The Manor of Newbury was granted to her by her husband, the King, as part of her jointure (see p. 189). Eaward VI., King of England. He granted the Manor of Newbury to his sister, the Princess Elizabeth, afterwards Queen (see pp. 189, 190). John Harmar, D.D., Warden of St. Mary's College, Winchester, and Regius Professor of Greek in the Uni- 002 564 Appendices. versity of Oxford, was bom at Newbury in 1553. He died September nth, 161 3, and was buried at the east end of the choir of New College Chapel, Oxford ^ Thomas Hyde, M.A., born at Newbury; Head Master of St. Mary's College, Winchester, and Fellow of New College, Oxford; Canon of Winchester, 1556. He died at Douai, May 9, IS97, and was buried near the altar of St. Mary's Chapel, in the Church of St. James in that city. Anne, Queen of James I. The Manor of Newbury was settled on the Queen as part of her jointure and dower, on her marriage with James I. (see pp. 230, 231). Charles I. The Manor of Newbury descended to Charles I. from his mother (the Queen of James I.), and was by him granted to the Mayor and Corporation of Newbury (see p. 235, et seq). King Charles I. was present at both the engagements fought at Newbury in 1643 — 1644 (see p. 259, et seq.). The Rev. Thomas Parker, M.A., the only son of the Rev. Robert Parker, a prominent member of the Puritan party in the early part of the seventeenth century. He was born in 1596, and admitted to Magdalen College, Oxford, but after the exile of his father he removed to Dublin, where he continued his theological studies under Dr. Usher ; from thence he went to Holland, and returning to England, settled at Newbury, where for some time he was Master of the Grammar School ■=, and also acted as Assistant, or Curate, to Dr. Twisse, Rector of Newbury. Like his father, he was not in sympathy with the doctrines and discipline of the Church, from which he was further alienated by the rigorous proceedings of the Ecclesiastical Courts against ' The inscription on his monument is given in the "Hist, and Antiq. of Oxford," ed. Gutch, p. 200. = On September i, 1620, Mr. Thomas Parker, schoolmaster in the house of Sir Thomas West, of Testwood, Hants, 2nd son of Thomas, 3rd Baron Dela- warr, Governor and Captain-General of Virginia, was elected Master of the Grammar School, Southampton, to vi'hich a Mr. Twiste, as the name of Twisse was then frequently written, had been appointed in i6io-li. Mr. Parker resigned the office in 1624, and there is every reason to suppose that he was the same person who was afterwards Master of the Newbury Grammar School, and the subject of the above notice. Appendices. 565 the Puritans. He left England for America, with a large number of his co-religionists, in 1634, who, upon their arrival in New England, settled first at Agawam (Ipswich), in the State of Massachusetts. At this station they re- mained about a year, and then removed to Quascacunquen (an Indian name which the natives gave to the neigh- bouring " Falls "), which they re-named Newbury, in honour of their first Pastor ; and the beautiful river on whose banks they settled was also on the same account called " Parker's River," a name it retains to this day. The Rev. Thos. Parker continued Pastor of the first church in Newbury until his death, April 24, 1677. The town of Newbury, founded by Parker and his com- panions, is in Essex county, Massachusetts, 31 miles N. by E. from Boston, and in 1850 had a population of 4,500. Newbuiyport, a charming and flourishing town, is seven miles further on in the same direction, a city, port of entry, and one of the three capitals of Essex county. Newbury- port was incorporated as a separate town from " Ould Newbury," as the original settlement is now called, in 1764; and in 18 19, West Newbury was set off and incor- porated as a separate township. The Rev. James Noyesvfd,s a co-assistant at the Newbury Grammar School with the Rev. Thos. Parker, and was the son of the Rev. Wm. Noyes, Rector of Cholderton, Wilts, to which living the latter was instituted in 1602 ^ and who married a sister of the Rev. Robert Parker, above men- tioned. In 1634, Mr. Noyes left England in the same ship as his uncle, the Rev. Thos. Parker, and settled at Newbury in America, where he died Oct. 22, 1656, aged 48. Lord Falkland. Lucius Gary, Viscount Falkland, born ■» His institution is thus entered in the Episcopal Register of Sahsbury, under the year 1602 : — Church. Patron. Clerkus. E. Choldrington Ezedrus Hutchins de Sarum gen. Wm. Noyes, p. m. [that is now ex concess. Joh'is Thorneborough Joh'is Bolde. Cholderton]. de Chaddesden, Hants, armig cui- dam Rob' Noyes yeoman de Chol- drington et per eum predicto Ezedro. 566 Appendices. at Burford about 1610. He was the eldest son of Sir Henry Gary of Berkhampstead and Aldenham, Herts, and of Elizabeth, daughter and sole heiress of Sir Lawrence Tanfield, Chief Baron of the Exchequer. In January, 1 64 1 -2, Lord Falkland was sworn of the Privy Council, and became one of the principal Secretaries of State. He followed the King to York, fought at the battle of Edgehill, and was at the siege of Gloucester. At the first battle of Newbury he served in the front rank of Lord Byron's regiment, and whilst charging the enemy he received a musket-shot in the stomach, and fell dead from his horse. The body of Falkland was conveyed the next morning to the old Guildhall, and the following day removed to Great Tew, Oxon, and interred in the chancel of the parish church of St. Michael, as the register thus records: — '^ The 2^rd day of September, A.D. 1643, The Right Honoitrable Sir Lucius Cary, Knight, Lord Vis- count of Falkland, and Lord of the Manor of Great Tew, Was Buried Here." The night before the battle Lord Falkland slept at the house of a Mr. Head, in Cheap-street, and early next morning, by his express wish, the Sacrament was admin- istered to him by Dr. Twisse, the then Rector of Newbury, when Mr. Head and the members of his family attended at Falkland's request. The room which tradition points out as the scene of Falkland's last communion is in a house now known as No. i Falkland-place. (See pp. 255, 266, 422, et seq.) Francis Barksdale, M.D., born at Newbury in 161 8, Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford ; Bursar, 1649 ; Vice- President, 1650. He was admitted a member of the Royal College of Physicians in 1656. William Bew, D.D., Fellow of New College, Oxford, was born at Newbury, — his mother being a sister of Dr. Twisse. He was a staunch loyalist, and served as Major in a regiment of Royal Horse during the Civil War, and subsequently in the army of Charles X., King of Sweden. At the Restoration he was restored to his Fellowship Appendices. 567 at New College, and in 1679 became Bishop of Llandaff. He died Feb. 10, 1705, aged 90 years, and was buried at Adderbury, Oxfordshire, which Vicarage he held in commendam with his bishopric. Rev. Edward Godwin, a Dissenting Divine, born at Newbury in 1695 ; Minister of a congregation in Little St. Helen's, London, and Lecturer at the Weigh-House Chapel. He died March 21st, 1764, and was buried in Bunhill Fields. Benjamin Avery, LL.D., belonged to a family of this name long settled in Newbury. He was one of the Phy- sicians of Guy's Hospital, and Treasurer of that Insti- tution. He died in 1764. John Collet, M.D., a physician of considerable reputa- tion, who practised at Newbury for nearly half a century. He died May 12th, 1780. Mrs. Elizabeth Montagu was born in 1720, and was the daughter of Matthew Robinson, Esq., of West Layton, Yorkshire, and in 1742 married Edward Montagu, Esq., of Denton Hall, Northumberland, and Sandleford Priory. In 1769 Mrs. Montagu published "An Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespeare," which obtained a considerable reputation. She formed the literary society known as the Blue Stocking Club, from the circumstance that Dr. Stiliingfleet belonging to it wore stockings of that colour. George, Lord Lyttleton was a warm admirer of Mrs. Montagu, and was assisted by her in the composition of his " Dialogues of the Dead." Mrs. Montagu was suc- ceeded in her ownership of Sandleford Priory by her nephew and executor, Matthew Montagu, Esq., M.P., afterwards Lord Rokeby, who published "The Letters of Mrs. EHzabeth Montagu," 4 vols. i2mo., 1809— 1814. Rev. Thomas Penrose, a poet of considerable merit, son of the Rev. Thomas Penrose, Rector of Newbury. He was born in 1743, and married Miss Mary Slocock of Newbury, by whom he had one child, the late Rev. Dr. Penrose, Rector of Writtle, Essex, and of Shaw House, Berks. He died at Clifton in 1779, aged 36. 568 Appendices. Francis Baily, D.C.L. Oxf. and DubL, F.R.S., &c., &c., was bom at Newbury, April 28, 1774. His father was Mr. Richard Baily *, a native of Thatcham, who be- came established as a banker at Newbury. He married Miss Sarah Head, by whom he had five sons and two daughters. Francis, who was the third son, received his education at the old Grammar School, Newbury, then conducted by the Rev. Thomas Best, which at that time had a considerable reputation. The taste of Francis Baily for, and knowledge of, electricity and chemistry was probably acquired from Dr. Priestley, with whom he be- came intimately acquainted, and went with him to Ame- rica. The narrative of his experiences as a traveller is contained in an extremely curious "Journal of a Tour in Unsettled Parts of North America in 1796 and 1797," edited by Professor de Morgan in 1856, twelve years after the death of the author. Returning to England, he entered into partnership with Mr. Whitmore on the Stock Exchange. Soon after he produced his " Tables for the Purchasing and Renew- ing Leases," &c., which passed through several editions. He was also the author of several other works on kindred subjects of the highest value. Astronomical pursuits were, however, the chief delight of his life. He was one of the founders of the Astronomical Society, and the author of various learned contributions on Astronomical science, which are enumerated by his biographer, Sir John F. W. Herschell, Bart.' He died August 30, 1844, and an offer was made by the authorities to inter the remains of this eminent man in Westminster Abbey, but his friends pre- ferred his resting with his father and mother, in Thatcham Church, where a marble tablet is thus inscribed to his memory : — * Richard Baily, father of the astronomer, was Mayor of Newbury in 1 773, and he resided in the house on the west side of JSTorthbrook-street, now known as " Cambridge House." ' Sir John F. W. Herschell, the son of the great astronomer, Sir William Herschell, was in his early youth a pupil in the school kept by Mr. Bull at Newbury. The old schoolroom is still extant, and is now used as a work- shop. It forms part of the premises of Mr. James Edmonds, Upholsterer, Northbrook -street. Appendices. 569 H. s. J. FRANCISCVS BAILY LL.D . R.SS. L. ET . ED. ET . HIB. SOC. SOC. REG. ASTRONOMICAE . LONDIN . PRAESES . ET . COLVMEN . NATVS . NEWBVRIAE . APRIL . XXVIII. M DCC LXXIV. OBIIT . LONDINI . AVGVST . XXX. M DCCC XLIV. AEQVO . SEMPER . ANIMO . MORIBVSQVE . PVRIS . SIMPLICIBVS . COMMODIS . IPSE . BEATVS . CARVS . VIXIT . SVIS . NEGOTIANDI . OLIM . CVRIS . FELICITER . EXPEDITVM . AD . SVBLIMIORES . ASTRONOMIAE . CALCVLOS . SVCCESSV . NON . MINVS . FELICI . SESE . CONTVLISSE . TESTANTVR . TERRA . EXPENSA . STELLAE . EX . ORDINE . NVMERATAE . VIS . GRAVITATIS . EMENSA . MODVLVS . SVMMA . ARTE . DEFINITVS . HVNC . TALEM . VIRVM . PATRIOS . PROPE . CINERES . PVLVERIS . EXIGVI . COHIBET . MVNVS. James Ebenezer Bicheno, F.L.S., Colonial Secretary in Van Dieman's Land, and a writer on economic and scien- tific subjects, was the son of the Rev. James Bicheno, Minister of the Baptist church and schoolmaster at New- bury, who died April 9, 1831, and was the author of seve- ral works. James Ebenezer Bicheno was born in 1785, and spent the first part of his life in Newbury, and here wrote "An Inquiry into the Nature of Benevolence, chiefly with the view to elucidate the Principles of the Poor Laws" (London, 1817), afterwards republished in an ex- tended form. He married a Miss Lloyd, in 1821, but lost his wife within a year. He was called to the Bar by the Middle Temple, May 17, 1822, and was a member of the chief English learned societies. In 1825 he was appointed Secretary to the Linnean Society, which office he held until the year 1832. He contributed to the Transactions, as well as to those of other Societies, and assisted in the publication of several works, of which Jardine and Selby's "Illustrations of Ornithology," Edinburgh, 1830, may be mentioned. In September, 1842, he was appointed Colo- 5/0 Appendices. nial Secretary in Van Dieman's Land, and fulfilled the duties of his office to the satisfaction of the whole of the colonists, and of the home government. He died at Hobart Town, February 25, 1851. His herbarium is in the public museum at Swansea. John Painter Vincent, President of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1832, and again in 1840, was born at New- bury. He died in July, 1852. William Henry Knight, an eminent artist, born at New- bury in 1823. He was cut off in the full vigour of his fame and reputation at the early age of 39. He died July 31st, 1863, and was buried in Brompton Cemetery. Henry Godwin, F.S.A., born at Bath in the year 181 1, and in 1837 settled in Newbury. He was the author of the " Archaeologist's Handbook," " Stonehenge, or the Romans in Britain," "The Worthies of Newbury," and other works. He was co-founder with Silas Palmer, M.D., of the Newbury District Field Club. He died at Speen Hill, June 19th, 1874. Silas Palmer, M.D., F.S.A., well known for his devo- tion to antiquarian and scientific research. He was born at Stirling Castle in 1815, and died at Speenhamland, Newbury, March 24th, 1875. Capt. the Hon. J. S. Roe, R.N., Surveyor-General of Western Australia, son of the Rev. James Roe, Rector of Newbury. He died in May, 1878, aged 81, and as a mark of the appreciation in which he was held by his brother colonists, the Governor-General directed that his remains should be honoured by a public funeral. He was buried in Perth Cemetery, Australia. The Right Rev. Hibbert Binney, D.D., the present Bishop of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, is the son of the Rev. Hibbert Binney, many years Rector of Newbury. He was consecrated to the See of Nova Scotia in 1 85 1. See also in addition to the above the Rectors of Newbury, PP- 497— 511- Appendices. 571 The Population of Newbury. By a return made to Cardinal Pole in 1555, when the clothing trade was at its greatest height in Newbury, it appears that the number of inhabitants was then 1600 only. According to a census taken between October, 1767, and January, 1768, the population was as follows : — Bartholomew Street Northbrook Street Cheap Street West Mills 1,419 1,176 929 208 Total inhabitants 3)732 The following is a table of the population of Newbury (exclusive of Speenhamland) by the subsequent census returns : — 1796 . 4,147 I80I . 4,275 I8II . 4,898 I8IS . 5,309 1821 . 5,347 I83I . 5,960 I85I . • 6,574 I86I . . 6,161 I87I . . 6,602 I88I . • 7,016 The population comprised within the area of the ex- tended borough is now about 10,000. Rateable Value of the Borough of Newbury. The Rateable Value of the Borough of Newbury, as ex- tended by the Act of ParHament 41 and 42 Vict. (1878), is as follows for the year 1886 : — 572 Appendices. Gross rateable Nett rateable value. value. £ s. d. £ s. d. ' Newbury 3o,499 o 9 24,518 i 6 Added portion of the parish of Speen 9,674 18 8 7,875 13 5 Added portion of the parish of Greenham .... 5,145 10 7 4,189 17 5 45.319 10 o 36,583 12 4 ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA. Page 22, line 23 : for " Evrard," read Everard. „ 41, „ 8: for "Gul. Gemmel." read Gul. Gemet. „ 49 : the manors mentioned in Domesday as having churches are in excess of the number here stated, several manors and places having more than one church. „ 80, line 10 : William, Earl of Chichester, is no doubt William de Albini, also called Earl of Sussex and Earl of Arundel. By his marriage with Adelicia, Queen Dowager of England (widow of King Henry I.), in 1138 he acquired the Castle and Honour of Arundel, and became thereby Earl of Arun- del. In 1 139 he gave shelter to the Empress Matilda at Arundel Castle, but afterwards adhered to Stephen. He died in 11 76. „ 102, line 9, in title : for " 1219,'' read 1215. „ 114, „ 14: for "Roger Bigot, Earl of Norfolk, who mar- ried Matilda," read whose father married. (See p. 123.) „ 116, line 27 : for " Eve," read Eva. „ 127, „ 9: for "o," read of. „ 128 : There is another testimony to King John being at Newbury on Dec. 30, 1200, from a Charter Roll (2 Joh. m. 18, dorso) relating to Norman affairs, being dated " Teste me ipso apud Neubiri xxx die Decemb." „ 130 : A further piece of evidence of the early foundation of St. Bartholomew's Hospital is the fact that the historian Gervase, of Canterbury, in his Mappa Mundi, which he must have compiled soon after the year 1200, includes it amongst his list of well-known Berkshire Hospitals. The entry is as follows : — Hospitalia Sancti Johannis, Habindune ; Sancti Johannis, Walinge- forde ; Sancti Bartholomsei, Neuberie '. „ 130 : As regards the grant of the fair to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, there is a charter to a similar effect among the Charter Rolls, 17 Joh. ^ Gervasii Cantuariensis Opera (Rolls Series), vol. ii. p. 421. 574 Addenda et Corrigenda. Page \i^, lines 12, 13, 14, in title: irom "The deadly pesti- lence'' to " 1349," should follow after " 13 13," fourth line in Manorial History. „ 136, line 31: for "Isabel, wife of Llewellyn, Prince of Wales," read Isabel, wife of David, son of Llewellyn, Prince of Wales. (See Pedigree, pp. no and 137.) „ 137, lines 5, 6, from bottom : for "Edmund Mortimer, her late husband's brother," read her son. (See Pedigree, p. 171.) „ 159 : The following list of holders of property in Newbury in the fifteenth century is among the Harleian Manuscripts in the British Museum. It is undated, but as Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, was restored to the Earldom in 1414, and Robert, 5th Baron Poynings, died in 1446, it must be assigned to some time between those years : — Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, Robert, Lord de Poynings, John Bohun, Kt., John Bygot, Kt., Edward Hastings, Kt., William Tirwhit, Thomas Foxle, William Kymttun, William Sydeney, John Lylye, William Home, Richard Pykot, — Molyneux '. „ 167, line II, in contents : for " 1428," read H38. „ 173 : It is shewn by the Patent Roll, 4 Henry VII., 1489, that Thomas Fettiplace had the custody of a rent in New- bury, called Souches, i.e. Zouches, late of Thomas Rogers, of Lamborne, deceased, to hold during the minority of Eliza- beth, daughter and heir of the said Thomas Rogers. Given at Windsor, Aug. 18 ■=. „ 184, line 9, in notes : for " 1463,'' read H6J1.. „ 189, „ II, in contents: for " 1533," read i55 395- Lincoln, the battle of, 104. Henry de Lacy, Earl of, 141, 142, 143, 443, 562. Lindsay, Lady Loyd, 428. London, Trained bands of the City of, 261 et seq. . the anni- versary of the battle of Newbury observed by the survivors of, 579. Dr. John, 212. Lot Mead, 14, 451. ],ovel. Sir John, 155, 168. Ludgershall, 84, 85, 86, 87, 104. Lynes, John, Rector, 498. Lynkholt, or Linkenholt, Hants, 41, 42, 43, 44. Maces, tbe Borough, 328, 329, 344. Machine Riots, 405, 406, 407, 408. Maldon, John, Rector, 498. Mappa Mundi, the, 573. Marchant, le, WiUiam, 557. Marechal, Guillaume Le, L'Histoire of, 80—97. Market Cross, the, 307, 312, 321, 360, 361. Marlborough, 7, 86, 105, 281. Alfifed of, 25, 26. Rockley, near, 86 note. Marsh, Newbury, 320, 356. Marsha, Alice de, 119, 140. Marshal, John, father of William the Protector, 85, 86, 87, 95. William, Earl of Pembroke, the Protector, 81, 82, 86, 87, 95, 96, 97, 104, 105, 106, 114, 117, 121, 123, 124, 125, 136, 147, 561. William, Earl of Pembroke, eldest son of the Protector, 81, 105, 106, 107, III, 112, 118. Richard, Earl of Pembroke, 108. 108. Gilbert, Earl of Pembroke, Anselm, Earl of Pembroke, 108, 109, 116, 117. ■ Matilda, dau. of the Protector, 109. 109. 109. 109. 109. ■ Joanna, dau. of the Protector, -Isabella, dau. of the Protector, ■ Sybil, dau. of the Protector, Eva, dau. of the Protector, -pedigreeof the family of, no. Walter, Earl of Pembroke, Marshal, Walter, partition of his es- tates, 114, IIS, 116, 117. Mary, Queen of England, 208. Mason, John Hawe, 426, 427, 429, 552- Matilda, Queen of William I., 31. • the Empress, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 95, 96, 99. Mayor's Feast, 323, 332, 341, 355. Mayors of Newbury, 547 — 552. Merriman, Baverstock, 260 note. Meyer, M., President of the Ecole des Chartes, 81. Military matters (1 760), 348 ; (1783), 361. Militia, the Berkshire, 345, 346. Local, 383, 384 -386. the Oxfordshire, 358, 359. ■ the Worcestershire, 359. ■ the Leicestershire, 359. the Somerset, 359. . the West Kent, 359, 360. • the South Devon, 366. Ministers' Accounts, extracts from, 440. 445- 448. Mohun, William de, 121, 122. partition of his es- tates, 122. and Ferrers families, pedigree of, 123. Money, J. H., 422, 423. Monk's Sherborne, the Prior of, 434, 435- Monmouth, James, Duke of, his Re- bellion, 305. Montagu, Mrs. Elizabeth, 70, 361, 567. Lady Mary Wortley, 343. Montfort, Simon de, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 119, 120, 121, 132, 561. • — children of, 120, 121. Mortimer, Roger, 116, 136, 137, 562. Matilda, wife of Roger, 116, I3S> 136, 137- Inquisition on the death of, 135, 136. William, 125, 562. Inquisition on the death of, 125, 126. Edmund, 137, 562. Inquisition on his death, 137, 138. Roger, 1st Earl of March, 138, 139, 140, 148, 150, 562. Roger, 2nd Earl of March, 150, 562. ■ Inquisition on the 28, 108, 114. death of, 151. Edmund, 3rd Earl of March, 155, 563. GENERAL INDEX. S87 Mortimer, Roger, 4th Earl of March, 155. 563- Edmund, 5th Earl of March, 169, 172, 563. Inquisition on the death of, 169, 170. pedigree of the family of, 171. Mowbray, Robert de, 45. Municipal Corporations' Act, 409, 410. Records of Newbury, 239, 240, 241. National Association, the, 321, 322. Defence, 375. Schools erected at New- bury, 418. Neufmarche, Bernard of, 21, 22, 23, 24> 26, 27, 28, 29, 51, 58. Geoffrey of, 21, 22, 23. New-Bourg, the, 16, 18, 29, 51. Newbury, the geographical position of, 3- ^— — ^ the beorgh or hill-fortresses in the neighbourhood of, 3, 9, 18. Roman remains in and near. II, 12, 15. the Northcroft, 14, 356. C4^/