NORMAN'S >i8f Mrs uf Clultgnftamj (WITH EIGHTY ILLUSTRATIONS,) cr o ib: zest o-odi zstq- , st. peter's church, Cheltenham. Ornamental Boards ... 5s. Bound in Cloth, gilt iettered 6s. Presentaticn Copies, extra cloth, gilt edges 7s. 6d. QUEEN'S EDITION, handsomely bound in Morocco, ) with extra Views, as presented to Her Majesty and } 12s. 6d. H.R.H. the Prince of Wales ,. ... ) LONDON : LONGMAN, GREEN, LONGMAN, ROBERTS, & GREEN. CHELTENHAM: NORMAN, "EXAMINER" OFFICE, CLARENCS ST. [entered at stationers' hall.J 1863. 3>AW 1/7 X^r 1 % CHELTENHAM: NORMAN, PRINTER, "EXAMINER" OEEICE. TIST bringing before the public this revised and enlarged edition of the "History of Cheltenham," the publisher believes he is supplying a want which has long been felt. The former edition having been for some years out of print, the work has become exceedingly rare and valuable. It has now been entirely re-written and re-arranged, under the personal supervision of Mr. G-oding, who has been enabled to add extracts from many valuable documents which were not available at the date of the former edition. The quantity of new matter thus added, and the introduction of between eighty and ninety views in lithography and wood engraving, — while considerably adding to the bulk of the volume and the consequent expense of bringing it out, — have rendered the work of far more value as a book of reference, and greatly increased its interest to the general reader. It extends to nearly seven hundred pages, and comprises the History of the Town and Neighbourhood, from the dates of the earliest Eecords to the present Time. It embodies a number of rare and interesting documents — extracts from Doomsday Book, from old Charters, from the Archives of Boyal and Noble families connected with the Town, and from Ancient Parish Eecords — and will be, in fact, a complete and authentic Record of the Town of Cheltenham through every era of its History. In order to place more clearly before the reader a consecutive narrative of the History of the Town, a Chapter of " Chrono- logical Events " has been added, extending to nearly one hundred pages of closely printed matter. This Chronology has been compiled expressly for the present publication ; and while affording a convenient index to the events narrated in detail in the body of the work, it will form of itself a complete photograph of the leading occurrences in the town's history, especially during its extraordinary development in the present century. MAUDE S ELM AND CHRIST CHURCH EROM SWINDON BRIDGE. LIST OF VIEWS. Steel Engravings. 1 House of King George III... 2 Jenifer's House (Stevens) ... - 3 View in High-street (Lyford) , 4 Pittville Spa and Lske 5 Town from Pittville Rotunda 6 Iuterior, Pittville Pump Room 7 Pittville Gardens i i miniature b. 8 Lodge gates and Villa, Park 9 St. Paul's Church (South) ... " 10 Thirlestaine House & Gallery 11 Lake House and Grounds ... 12 Promenade from Imp. Circus 13 Lansdown Crescent & Villas . 14 Lacsdown Place (Lyibrd) ... - 15 Royal Crescent (built 1809) .. 16 Parish ( hurch (West view)... ^ 17 Old Wells Walk (South view) 18 Old Wells Walk (North view) 19 Napoleon's Fountain -' 20 View from summit of Bayshill 21 Old Wells Music-hail (Lyford) i 22 St. Mark's Church (Stevens) 23 Christ Church, jl.d. 1838 ... * 24 St. James's Church / 25 Congregational Church (Lyfd) . 2G St. John's Church u 27 St. Philip's Church Wood Engravings. 28 Title. St Peter's Church i. 29 Preface. Maude's Elm... iii. 30 Leckharcptou Hill 31 Old High Street 32 Parish Church, N.W 33 W. 5 row, Leckliampton Hill 31 Devil's Chimney 35 Gallows Oak 36 Imperial Promenade ... .... 37 Lansdown Crescent 38 Lansdown Terrace 39 View in Lansdown 40 Ancient view from Bnys Hill Page. 1 2 4 6 7 64 103 109 110 111 124 Page 41 Bays Hill Terrace 125 42 Modern view, Bays Hill ... 126 43 Fleece Hotel 137 44 Thirlstaine House 140 45 Cheltenham College 150 46 Training College 153 47 Interior of Parish Church ... 158 48 Piscina,ditto 166 19 Ancient Cross 186 50 Aviary, Zoological Gardens... 215 51 St. James's Nursery 216 52 Ancient Bridge over the Chelt 253 53 Old Houses, Higli Street ... 263 54 Ancient View of the Plough . 263 55 Pates' Grammar School ... 264 56 Ancient Cheltenham 265 57 Queen'* Hotel 29"3 58 Bays Hill, 1788 307 59 Bays Hill, 1854 308 60 Autograph of Wellington ... 317 61 Cheltenham lrom Bays Hill... 375 62 Pisc ; na in Parish Church ... 531 63 Portrait of Richard Pates ... 533 64 Parish Church, West View... 535 65 Ye Plough in the olden time 536 66 St. Philip's Church 539 67 Female Orphau Asylum ... 540 68 Waterloo Schools 541 69 Masonic Hall 544 70 Promenade, from Imp. Circus 545 71 Infant School, St. Jaraes's-srj. 647 72 " The Little -pa," Pittville . . 549 73 St. James's Church 550 74 Statue of William IV 550 75 Cambray Spa 551 76 Literary Institution 551 77 "Examiner" Office 553 78 Christ Church 555 79 Trees in Charlton Park ... 556 80 East Hayes, Pittville 558 81 Assembly Rooms 560 ! 82 Montpellier Walk 562 | 83 Old Hou8es,opposite Cambray 568 TABLE OF CONTENTS. Page Introduction — 1 Chapter of Antiquities 6 Chap. I. — The British Period 9 Chap. II. — The Roman Period 14 Chap. III.— Saxon Period ... 24 Saxon Priory ... 3.1 Chap. TV. — Norman Period .. 37 Chap. V. — Owners of Manor since the Con- quest 42 Chap. VI.— Rights and Pri- vileges of the Manor 46 Chap. VII. — Ancient Customs of the Manor ... 62 Chap. VIII. — Visit of King Edward IV.. A. L). 1471 74 Chap, IX. — Eminent Local Families 76 The De Cheltenham Family 77 Earl of Salisbury 82 The Berkeley Family 85 Prinn Family 94 Sherborne Family 102 The DeLa Beres 109 Trye Family 116 Hicks Family 121 Skillicorne Family 124 Jenner Family 130 Smith Family - 137 North wick Family 140 The Close Family 145 Chap. X.— Parish Church ... 154 Date of Erection. Views of Exterior and Interior. Dis- covery of Ancient Coffins. Tombs of Eminent Persons. Amount of Congregational Collections. Chap. XI. — History of the Rectory 187 List of Incumbents from 1602. Property on Glebe Land. Misappropriation of Church Property. Ancient Church. Documents. Page- Chaf. XII. — Town during the Civil Wars 212 LocalNames engaged in them. Relics of the Conflict. Bat- tles in the neighbourhood. King Charles's Prayer for aid from his Steward at Cheltenham. Chap. XIII. — Lo^al Tobacco Plantations 225 Growth of Tobacco in and around the Town. Memo- rials of the Virginian Planters against it. Legis- lative Interference. Con- flict with the Military and fiaal destruction of the Plantations. Chap. XIV.— The Town Prior TO THE ElGHTiENTH Centurtj 233 Chap. XV. — The Town at the Discovery of the Mineral Waters 248 Planting of» the Old Well Walk. Great increase and improvements. Views of Cheltenham past and pre- sent. Chap. XVI.—Since the Visit of George III, .. 269 Chap. XVII.— Visits of Emi- nent i'ERSONS ... 298 King George 111. and Royal Family. View of the Koyal Residence. Duke of Wellington (with auto- graph). The Roy nl Family of France. Shenstone. Dr. Johnson. Handel Lord Byron. Sir Walter Scott. Spencer Pereival. Charles Jas. Fox. The Russian Grand Dukes. Sir John Ross. French Prisoners of War. Romance of Gen. Lefebvre. table of contents. vn. PAGE . Chap. XVIIL— Dramatic His- tory 33i Mrs. Siddons : Copies of her Letters and Journal at Cheltenham : Her strange vicissitudes of fortune. Mr. and Mrs. Kemble. Edmund Kean. Col. Berkeley and the Amateurs. GrimaldL Destruction of the Theatre by Fire. Wm. Macready. Chap* XIX.— Political His- tory 362 Two Members Returned to Ancient Parliaments. Ma- cauly's Testimony to the importance of theStruggle. Events since the Reform Bill Chap. XX.— The Spas 373 Analysis of the Waters. Na- poleon's Fountain. Chap. XXI. — Endowed Chari- ties 393 The Grammar School. History and List o^ Endow- ments. Alms Houses. Cha- ritable Bequests. The Hos- pital, and Orphan Asylum. Chap. XXII. — Ihe Modern Churches 445 PAGE. Chap. XXIII. — Dissenting Places of Worship 4<56 Chap. XXIV. — Celebrated Authors 473 Byron. Scott. Moore. Campbell. Bulwer. Southey. Tennyson. Mrs. Norton. Disraeli. Haynes. Bayley. A ins worth. Marryatt. Dickens. Talford. Sheri- dan Knowl s, &c, &c. Chap. XXV. — Local Instances of Longevity 492 Chap. XXVI. — The Legend of . " Maud's Elm" 498 Chap. XXVIL— Sanitary His- tory 510 Improvement Commissioners 511 Burial Acts 517 Water Works Acts 520 Gas Company , 526 Chap. XX VIII. — Chronologi- cal Evecsts 529 This Chapter con. prises about 100 pages of curious and remai kable events,sorae interspersed among the preceding 500 pages of The History of Chelt- enham, and others extracted fromthenewspapersoltheday. ^> i 1 A & s a IN the History of Cheltenham, as narrated in the following pages, the author has commenced his researches at the earliest period of which we have any written records. He has also availed himself of the light which has been thrown upon the subject by the remains which have been from time to time exhumed of those bygone races who were either the aboriginal possessors of the soil, or the conqueiors by whom those primitive people were driven out and supplanted. Thus in the preliminary chapters on the "British Period" and the "Koman Period," he has collected together all the authentic information, which has been handed down to us, of the state of this particular part of the country during those remote eras ; and he has carried the history during each successive epoch up to the present time. In allusion to the more recent periods of this history — say that embraced within the last few hundred years — it may not be unin- teresting to the reader to summarize in this introductory chapter a few of the leading incidents in the past history of this beautiful INTKODUCTION. town ; — a town which has sprung as if by magic, and within the memory of living witnesses, from the condition of an obscure village, into a state of expansion and prosperity and beauty, which is not surpassed by any town in the united kingdom. A visitor to Cheltenham, some few years ago, would have found in the centre of the present High Street, a running stream, crossed every here and there by rude stepping-stones, as represented in the accompanying engraving. The testimony of persons now living, together with official documents, most unquestionably prove, that less than a century since, the town presented all the appearance of a straggling village. The parish register at this period records but three or four deaths and christenings annually, and there are aged inhabitants yet surviving who can repeat by rote all the once occupiers of houses in the town 1 A more retired, rural, and unfrequented place was not to be found in England, than Cheltenham prior to the discovery of the mineral waters, and the establishment of the Spas as places of public resort. The transformation which that discovery has brought about is certainly one of the most striking facts in modern topography. But the suddenness of these changes, and our familiarity with the incidents which have accompanied them, have led to an impression among the public generally, that Cheltenham, from its being only an obscure hamlet within the memory of the living, never had a more distinguished existence in remoter INTRODUCTION. 3 periods. The facts which we shall here adduce will serve to disabuse the public mind of this too common error. Years of diligent study of the many local and national documents and histories, united with a knowledge of the various relics of antiquity which have been discovered in and around the town, have clearly demonstrated to us that Cheltenham is a place of great antiquity, and that it formerly enjoyed chartered privileges to an extent not surpassed by any other rural town in Great Britain. The result of our investigation has established the fact, that the history of the town is one of no common or monotonous kind, but that it abounds in incidents as interesting as they are numerous and diversified. Our evidences show that the account of the borough is capable of being traced out for the past eighteen centuries — from the periods when the rude pastoral Briton, and the war-like .Roman, made it their temporary abode, down to its occupancy by the liaut ton of the present day. So early as the ninth century, Cheltenham possessed a Priory, and two centuries later it had an endowed Church. From the palmy days of Henry III., down to the chaotic reign of Henry VIII. , the town gave birth and name to several learned natives — the famous I)e Cheltenham family. The history of the Manor commences with the eleventh century. At that remote era, it was chartered, and many and important have been the rights and privileges which it enjoyed through the various periods of time downwards. It had laws which the general Acts of the land could not affect; it had a Coroner, a Civil Court, two Parliamentary representatives, and right of trying and punishing all criminals within the manorial district. Both by purchase and hereditary right, the Cheltenham Manor has been possessed by Kings and Queens, and by individuals greatly celebrated for 4 INTRODUCTION. deeds and abilities, which are amply recorded in the annals of the past. With the history of the civil wars of the Commonwealth era, the town is moreover allied. It was then an important station of the royalists, and by them was garrisoned. The gallant defence of the place against the republicans, caused it to be the scene of a decisive, and there is reason to believe, of a bloody engagement. In the history of the ancient trade of England, Cheltenham also takes a prominent part, having been at one period famed for its extensive tobacco plantations, and its markets for wool and corn. INTRODUCTION. 5 From the reign of King Edward the Confessor, with but little exception, Cheltenham was a very important place, and connected in various ways with personages and institutions of distinguished fame. It maintained its consequence until the latter end of the seventeenth century, when, from the joint effects of the Dissolution of Monasteries, and of that dread enemy to man — War, it gradually fell into that state of decay and obscurity in which it was found at the .discovery of its mineral waters about a century ago. In all human probability it would have continued to this day in that obsolete condition, had not Providence ordained that these health-restoring springs should be brought to light, and their virtues applied to remove the bitter sting of affliction. % Cfjapte flf Mqttifte. SO far we have given an outline of the written history of the town, as it will be found set forth at length in the following pages : but there is beside this an unwritten history of the locality in which we live ; the incidents of which can only be deduced from the researches of science,, and. the epoch of which extends far back into the remote ages of the past, long ere the era of human records, and long ere the region we now inhabit was accustomed to the tread of human footsteps. Geologists tell us that at a certain remote period in the history of our planet, Leckhampton Hill, which rises immediately above the town of Cheltenham, was a lofty cliff overlooking the sea ; that this sea entirely covered the valleys which now extend from the Bristol Channel to the shores of Cheshire and Northumberland ; that the hills in our immediate A CHAPTER OF ANTIQUITIES. 7 neighbourhood — Bredon, Dumbleton, and Churchdown — were solitary islands rising out of this waste of waters, the western- most shores of which were formed by the high lands, now known as the Malvern Hills and the Welsh Mountains. They tell us, too, that at the foot of Leckhampton Hill, and along the base of the adjoining eminence, known as Battle Down Hill, there stretched a muddy shore, washed by the waves and tides of this primaeval ocean, — this mud being, in fact, the salt and impervious clay on which the southernmost portion of the town of Cheltenham at this moment stands ! Geologists go on to inform us, that in the process of ages there occurred a mighty upheaving of the northern portion of this sea-bed, and that thus, being broken as it were into two, by a range of lofty hills, the lower portion of the sea became an estuary, running upwards through Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire, from the great ocean in the south. Standing on the summit of this hill, at the spot above " The Devil's Chimney" as represented in the annexed engraving, the fertile vale below gives striking evidence of these mighty changes. And it would seem that in the course of these upheavings there were strong and ever-shifting currents running from north to south, and carrying with them large quantities of debi-is, some of which lodged itself in its passage in the quiet bay which washed the base of Leckhampton Hill, and thus, these currents and deposits may be traced the beds of gravel which occur in various localities in the neighbourhood, and 8 A CHAPTER OF ANTIQUITIES. to the same causes also, as well as to the action of the waters upon the bases of the adjoining hills, are we indebted for that accumulation of sand which exists in the Cheltenham Basin, and through which percolates a never-failing supply of water for the use of its inhabitants ! It is indeed somewhat curious to reflect, that upon this now beautiful spot, where a noble town has reared itself — the renovator of health, and the resort of fashion — 'there should have existed, in that remote era, a " watering place" of quite another description — the resort of beings of a totally different character ! For we are told by these same Geologists that mighty " Elephants, Hippopotami, Bisons, and other gigantic mammalia, then tenanted these regions," and we can almost fancy that at the very spot where we are now inditing this sentence — where beauty, wealth and fashion " love to congregate "—ages and ages ago, the unwieldly Hippopotamus took his afternoon bath and wallowed in the mud ! while the ponderous Elephant browsed in the adjoining forests ! and herds of Bisons grazed on the surrounding hills ! THE ^tstorg of ©fjeltenJjant* CHAP. I. f&ty aSrtttsS ffixioti. THE number and variety of relics of the British race, which have from time to time been locally discovered, demonstrate that the site of the present Town of Cheltenham was known to the Aboriginal inhabitants of Britain. It must have been a spot fully formed by nature to suit that military and pastoral mixture of life which their own native writers ascribe to them. A high elevation of earth work for a camp in time of threatened invasion, and a verdant vale contiguous with a supply of water for cattle, were what these primitive people required. And here their wants must have been amply supplied. Surrounded on every side by lofty hills which required little art to convert into fortresses, added to a valley watered by the pure stream of the meandering Chelt, it must have presented every inducement to the rude Briton to make it the place of his abode. The adoption of such spots as a settlement, led the Eoman conqueror in after ages to apply the word Dobuni, as a designation, proper to denote, not only the habits of the inhabitants, but the geographical peculiarities of the soil which they occupied ; a name which Martin affirms is derived from the British word " Duffen," which signifies low and deep, and alludes to the situation of those counties which consist chiefly of plains and valleys, and sunk under hills. Posbrooke remarks "that Barrows adjacent, are obvious external tests discovered by simple observation ; and that there were such settlements connected with the fortresses 10 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. mentioned we have every reason to suppose from analogy. That Cheltenham and the vale in the general, were occupied by the Britons, for the pasture of their cattle, is not only a presumption founded upon their known habits, but a reasonable inference from the Doomsday accounts of the Anglo-Saxon era and the conclusions drawn from it." All the usual appendages of a British village — Barrows, burial places, animal bones, coins, pottery, and defensive weapons, have been here exhumed. In the town and the land which surrounds it, extending to, and including the adjoining hills, where these memorials of a Primitive age have been brought to light, they have been found in several instances associated with Eoman and Saxon remains. This proves that the conqueror occupied the home of the conquered, an act which led to the gradual formation of a mixed race. This is apparent upon examining the construction of our local encampment*. Some of them bear evident marks of having been first formed by the Briton, an i afterwards raised and enlarged by the Eoman. W. H. Gomonde, Esq., a local gentleman who has investigated the antiquities of the neighbourhood, and collected many valuable relics belonging to the town and environs, enumerates from personal observation, the remains of two British and one Saxon village, four ancient burial places — British, Roman and Saxon — ten Barrows, five encampments, and two Eoman villas. At intervals, during the past half century, discoveries have been made which prove th? existence of a British burial place in nearly the centre of the parish. The Old Workhouse lane led to a spot called " Paradise," where were located a few cottages in a hollow, surrounded by a bank by which flowed the Chelf. Por a long period brick making was cairied on here, and as the earth was excavated, urns, bones, Hint arrow heads, and the usual contents of a Briton's sepulchre were brought to light. This last resting place of the honoured dead was of the rudest possible character. The mound of earth, formed by nature, was hollowed out, and upright pieces of unhewn stone introduced. In one instance a kind of Cromlech was found which would seem to denote that it contained the remains of a person of note. This was discovered in July 1832. It was formed of three upright stones, making the three sides of the sepulchral chamber, and covered with a massive cap stone. "Within were found THE BRITISH PERIOD. 11 a heap of broken urns and human bones burnt, stone implements, and fragments of personal ornaments." (Adams.) The cap stone formed a portion of a press used in the old cider mill at the Knapp, adjoining where it was exhumed, until the building was taken down, when it was purchased by the late Mr. C. H. Jessop, and deposited in his Nursery Gardens with other local antiquities. The other sepulchres appear to have been placed nearer the hills, and farther removed from the town. The march of improvement has now altered the spot where stood the one we have been detailing. In 1846, the present Great Western Station was erected over the site, and in order to make a good approach for traffic, the ravine was filled up with earth, and the original character of the locale for ever obliterated. " On the hills at Cheltenham a rather low, but very extensive oblong mound, overgrown with fir trees, was a few years ago accidently dug into at one end, and a small Cromlech was brought to light. From the appearance of the mound we are justified in supposing that one or more similar Cromleches yet remain uncovered in the parts that have not been touched" (Wright, 1852.) " To the East is a field still remarkable for two Barrows of British origin, the one round, the other, called by Sir Eichard Hoare, a long Barrow; both of these have been opened, the former by myself, the latter by Mr. Lysons. The firs that crown the top of the long Barrow, are visible from the Boman Villa, allowing the Boman inhabitant to have gratified his pride with a retrospect of the former prowess of his countrymen." ..." Under is a bronze fibula, found near the British Village under Cleeve Camp;" . . . (the fibula was similar to the brooch now in use by ladies.) , . . " British, coins, Boadicea, or Boduni, and two others" (Gomonde, 1849.) " Fortunately, a tradition has been preserved, which, by inviting investigation, has led to the discovery of a British and Boman British settlement, which was the direct predecessor of Cheltenham, it being the custom to remove the place of residence to neighbouring valleys, for the greater convenience of water. The Warcescome about Withington stood in a field, now called by corruption, Wycombe. Bemains of black pottery have been found. A circle also appears, and within this spot excavations were made, and stones were found, cut and worked 12 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. into heads, as if they had belonged to the frieze of a Temple. In a quarry, not far off, were discovered the bones of a Briton, the brass of a shield, six inches in diameter, and the head of a spear, seventeen inches in the blade, and nine inches in the socket. A hearth of floor known to be an appendage of British settlements, was also found. In November, 1824, I visited the site, in company with W. Lawrence, Esq., of Sandywell Park. The spear and brass, as well as numerous other coins found there, are in the possession of Mr. Lawrence" (Fosbrooke.) The place where the adaptation of the British encampment by the Romans may be best studied, is at Nottingham Hill. J. E. Peacey, Esq., Lord of the Manor of Prescott, who resides near this spot, has frequently found British coffins and coins, and also Roman coins in the encampment. The steepest part of the hill is now being excavated for stone, and the original mound of the Britons, and the superstructure of the Eomans, pre laid bare to view. Portions of the bones of a Briton, and also a lance head, and a coin of Boduni, were obtained by the author from the lower mound of the hill in July, 1844, which had been rendered loose by the labours of the quarry man. At length came the decline of the Primitive race and their subjugation, and ultimate amalgamation with a future generation. The defeat of Caractacus, the renowned British Chief, paved the way for the establishment of the Roman power among the Dobuni, and afterwards generally throughout the Island. This event occurred about half a century after the beginning of the Christian era. Erom this period the local occupants were Romans, and so long were they residents that there is hardly a nook in our vicinity where the spade or the plough has not turned up some archaeological treasure of the civilizers of the West. The Romans having been successful in defeating the Britons on their own shores, the latter were obliged to retreat inland. Togodumnus appears to have had the government of affairs of that portion of the British who lived in this district, and being a person highly obnoxious in the eyes of the Roman general, Plautious, that brave man in 43 attacked the British army and completely routed them from this county. The Romans took possession of all the encampments of the surrounding hills, and enlarged, altered, and generally converted them into Roman military stations. The additions made by the last occupiers show THE BRITISH PERIOD, 13 great care and caution in securing watch towers and posts, and they may be easily discerned, even upon a cursory inspection. We have now completed a review of the British period as it has been developed by the local discoveries that have been made. We have been speaking of the first known occupants of this island, and feel impressed with the social and domestic virtues and indomitable courage which they manifested. They lived where we now live ages before the glorious light of Christianity was kindled. When we contemplate the fragments of their heathen altars which lie scattered around us, we are reminded of the scenes enacted, when the priest and the people gathered together to offer sacrifice. These rude memorials may have met the eye of the first apostles of our faith as they journeyed hither from Gloucester in their pilgrimage of proselytism. The coins of that bravest of all British Queens— Boadicea, (collected by Mr. Gomonde), which are found in the neighbourhood, recall to memory the native military skill which our primitive ancestors possessed. They tell us of the time when the Briton, at the sound of wars alarm, hastily fled from his pastoral abode on the banks of the Chelt, and ascended to his camp on the nearest hill, there to prepare to defend his native home from the attack of a foreign power. The imagination may conjure up from their local graves the shades of these departed children of nature, whose forms were once witnessed. We may fancy we see the army of Rome marching on the site of our town, headed with the glittering eagle, and threatening captivity or death to all who dared to oppose their progress. The British camps around us speak their testimony to the fact that the invaders from the classic city, gained not their victory, except after a long and brave struggle on the part of the Briton to defend the land of his birth. But the conqueror and the conquered have long since passed away, and after a lapse of eighteen hundred years the inhabitants of Cheltenham may, by studying the local relics that have been upturned, compare the past with the present, and perceive that the Briton has "'given place to another race of probably more enduring power and grandeur ; and an age of greater peace and light has happily succeeded, wherein the mists of superstition are dispelled, and the usages of barbarism abandoned, and it is our more fortunate lot to speculate upon those which once might have claimed us for their subjects or their victims" (Thompson ) 14 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. CHAP. II. EOMAN power, laws, customs, and manners, had a local reign extending over a period of four hundred years. Yestiges of our Eoman forefathers' creative genius and architectural abilities, still remain on the spot which they formerly occupied, after a lapse of ten centuries. The fashionable and wealthy residents of Cheltenham daily promenade on the same ground that was once tilled by the first conquerors of the primeval race, and beneath their feet they tread upon entombed monuments of Eoinan ingenuity. Like their British predecessors, the Romans selected the watered valley for cultivating the art of agricultural, with a contiguous upland mound for military purposes. This locality must have exactly suited their habits. It is therefore not a matter of surprise that so many discoveries of this once powerful nation should have been found, (and still continue to be found), in Cheltenham audits vicinity. The spot, ever fertile, must have presented attractions which strongly recommended it as a station. The Eomans, as a matter of convenience, did not repair to hills and fortresses except in cases of emergency. Their favourite places were gentle knolls, commanding the adjacent valley, surrounded at a good distance by heights, by which they received communications and the earliest intelligence. If, in imagination, we carry ourselves back to the time when no modern dwellings studded the locality, — when from the hills around was to be seen one continued plain, watered by the purly stream of the Chelt, we can form an idea of how well the site of the present " Queen of Watering Places" must have been fitted for the mode of life practised by the sturdy Eoman. " In selecting a site for their encampments, there is nothing that the Eomans seem to have had a greater regard to, than the convenience of a river 55 (Horsley). Another reason why the place was so well adapted for their purpose was the contiguity of the main roads. " Immediately on Claudius gaining a footing THE ROMAN PERIOD, 15 in this country, he set about the formation of grand military roads, for the purpose of conveying his troops and baggage, and he built a chain of fortresses along the line of the brow of the Cottswold Hills" (Lysons, Romans in Gloucestershire ) The local Roman roads exist to this day in a most excellent state of preservation. The " Ermine Street," or the great highway which communicated Gloucester and Cirencester (the two chief cities at that time) with London, passes through Witcomb and Bii>ilip, and according to Wright, had branch roads connecting it with our own local encampments. The then inhabitants could also travel south and north. The Fossway passed through Cirencester and the Cottswolds to Scotland. The Ickneild Street traversed the county and formed a route for marching into Wales. Other roads united with Lincoln in the north, and Exeter in the West, so that every facility was afforded for the means of transit in case of sudden attack from an invading army. The coins that have been brought to light belong to some of the earliest as well as to the latest of Roman Emperors. This proves that the soil upon which the now fashionable town of Cheltenham is situate, was occupied by Pagan Romans as early as half a century after the Christian era. In 1816, while forming a drain beneath the Arched-buildings, in the High-street, the workmen found two Roman urns, filled with ashes, and many coins. In July, 1818, when som^ labourers were digging a hole for the reception of a post near the turnpike gate in the Bath-road, they met with a perfect jar, containing, it is conjectured, about a thousand Roman copper and silver coins, bearing impressions of different Enperors, and other devices. In 1845, a very perfect second brass coin of Constantine, having on its obverse a representation of Romulus and Remus sucking a wolf, was dug up in the market garden adjoining Sir Cornwallis Rickett's residence, " The Elms," and on the site of the present Church of England Training College. Along with it was found a gigantic tooth, of a horse. During the past twenty-six years the author has collected eighty-three Roman coins which have been discovered during excavations for building purposes in various parts of the town. Mr. Gomonde gives the annexed lists of the names of the Emperor and Empress which occur on the coins found at Cheltenham in his possession up to the year 1549. On reference to them it will be seen that they include Claudius, 16 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. who reigned thirty years, and the tyrant Nero who reigned fifty years alter the Birth of Christ. Thus clearly demonstrating the early occupancy of our locale by the invaders of Britain* " Antonia, Claudius, Nero, Julia Titi, Domitian, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, Gallienus, Victorinus, Tetricus, Maximianus, Helena, Theodora, Carausius, Allectus, Licinius, Constantinus mag, Ditto gur, Constaus, Constantius, Eausta, Crispus, Delmatius, Julianus apos, Yalentinianus, Valeus, Gratianus." At the rear of Bays Hill Terrace, at that point of the Chelt which is now crossed by a wooden bridge, have been found the remains of a Yilla rustica, with its bath. Prom the earliest date down to the present day this spot has been called " The Cold Bath," in consequence of a local tradition respecting its Roman origin. The works of our forefathers appear not to have become useless in this case until the last few years, for there are inhabitants who can yet remember when the Bath was publicly used. About twenty years since, Mr. Johnson, the owner of some adjacent property, erected a house upon a portion of the old ruins, and the banks of the river being raised at the same time, the villa and its hypocaust for ever disappeared from view. During the progress of these improvements many coins, bath tiles, tesselated pavement, and portions of pottery, were dug up, and are preserved by the author and other residents. From the following account in a Cheltenham guide, published in 1781, it would appear that this bath had been in general use. " At a distance of between two and three hundred yards from the Long Eoom, are the remains of a Cold Bath, close beside the Chelt, and originally supplied from its stream, which for many years was much resorted to." In 1847, one of the most important of our new drives was formed out of a very ancient lane. This was " Hale's Road," so named to commemorate the name of the originator of the scheme, Mr. C. Hale, who was then the parish surveyor. During the excavations a number of Roman coins were turned up by the workmen, including several Caesers, and one of the Emperor Claudius, all of which are in the possession of Mr. Hale. The abundance of coins belonging to Claudius, which occur, may be accounted for from the circumstance of that Emperor having possessed himself of this part of the county, first capturing the British city of Gloucester. Counsel, in his " History of Gloucester," bears this testimony THE KOMAH PEBIOD. 17 to the popularity of one perhaps of the earliest local heathen rulers : " His great moderation and kindness to the conquered natives, while among them, raised him to so high a degree of estimation, that they erected a temple to his honour, and worshiped him as a god," " On Tuesday, the 28th, as some^labourers were digging a hole for the reception of a post, near the new Cheltenham Turnpike, they found an antique jar, containing many hundreds of Eoman coins, mostly copper, bearing impressions of different Emperors and other devices. The jar is capable of holding nearly half a gallon, and the whole of its curious contents are in the possession of a lady in our neighbourhood {Cheltenham Chronicle, August 6, 1818.) In the space of ground which lies between the present Great Western Station and the course of the Chelt, and adjoining the spot where British and Eoman relics have been found, are proofs of its having been used as a burial place. From the united testimony of several inhabitants, during the process of brick- making, about forty years ago, the finding of what the workmen termed " long-chests," containing bones, glass bottles, vases, and coins, were of frequent occurrence. These were Eoman coffins, and being made of lead, were of some intrinsic value, and found a ready purchaser in the person of Mr. Gore, a plumber, then residing in the town. From one of the brickmakers employed on this spot the author recovered several of the coins found, together with a curious ring-case formed by first joining a number of pieces of money together, and then perforating a hole in the centre. The most legible of the coins is one of Constantious, who died in the year 306, an Emperor celebrated for his military daring, and for his giving his kingdom to his two wives in succession — the Empresses Helena and Theodora. About the same period of time, stone coffins, containing bones, were found in property adjoining, then occupied by Mr. Weaver, as a market garden. These were probably Eoman or Danish. From the facts which we have now detailed, it will appear that Cheltenham was known to the Ancient Britons, and also to the Eomans, and that it must have been a place of occasional residence with both of those ancient races. This opinion is confirmed by the fact, that there is not a village which surrounds the town but which bears evident marks of having been c. IS HISTORY 01* CHELTENHAM. once occupied either by Britons or Eomans. The number, indeed, of remains of this period which have, from time to time, been dug up from the bowels of the earth within five or six miles around Cheltenham, is truly remarkable ; and considering the former obscurity of the town, and the absence of a local press up to the year 1809, when the Cheltenham Chronicle was established — a time when excavations were going on for building purposes and general improvements- — we doubt not but that very many discoveries have been made which have never been recorded. On Leckhampton Hill there is a large fortress, situate on that side facing the Manor House, and so exceedingly steep as to be almost unassailable. Marks of fire have been traced in different parts of the embankment, and in June, 1844, in the road leading to it, were discovered a part of a helmet, with some human bones and portions of pottery. Cleeve Hill has a double entrenchment, traceable in the form of an irregular crescent for more than 300 yards along the summit. This seems to be about 180 yards from one acute angle to another, and about 100 yards from one obtuse angle to the other. It is on the brow of the hill, which is steep enough to be a sufficient defence to it, and there seems to have been an entrance from the vale. On the other side it is defended by two banks and ditches. The outward bank is low, and the ditch not deep. The situation of this fortress is very remarkable. In approaching it, the ground falls almost everywhere towards the outer ditch, and at the distance of half a bow shot from it, a person may see the area over the bank; while about 200 yards to the eastward, there is a spot of high ground which probably was the watch tower. The largest and most extensive post was on the projection of Nottingham Hill, across which two banks and ditches are made : the station was safely defended by two banks at equal distances around the hill. The other camps of the locality, are Churchdown Hill, Painswick Beacons, Witcomb Hillock, Bredon Hill, and Crickley Hill. " A tesselated pavement has been discovered at Withington, in this neighbourhood, of about eleven feet by five feet ; the pieces under two inches in size, and about an inch thick. " (Cheltenham Chronicle, Sep. 20, 1810.) From the same authority we learn that in 1811, were THE ROMAN PERIOD. 19 u discovered at Cleeve two large earthen pots, which on examination contained a considerable quantity of coin. They proved to be gold and silver coins of several Roman Emperors. The gold coins are of the Emperors Valerian, one of Valentinian, Grantian, and Theodosius. The silver ' coins are those of Constantius, Julian, Yalentinian, Gratian, and Theodosis. The man has acknowledged that he found one hundred of the gold ones, the silver ones most probably greatly exceeded that number." Mrs. Tuberville, Charlton House, was a persevering collector of Eoman antiquities. After that lady's decease in 1844, her unrivalled collection was sold and distributed to all parts of Europe. It contained a large number and variety of Eoman coins, tesselated pavements, jars and other vestiges that had at various times been dug up in Cheltenham and its immediate vicinity. The tesselated pavement usually found is composed of pieces of a quarter of an inch square. And as a proof how the Eomans could adapt themselves to manufacture in a foreign soil, it has been proved by an eminent geologist, Mr. Buckman, that the materials which they used in forming the tessellse were all obtained from the earth around their dwellings, which was coloured without artificial aid — ce all produced from Oolite freestones. The slate colours are likewise varied, yet all from different coloured layers of Lias rock" (Buckman and Newmarch. The local paper during the year 1818, has recorded the finding of other relics. " Another antique apartment has been found this week adjoining the former discoveries of Sir W. Hicks, of Whitcomb Park, this room is considerably larger than the former, and it is thought to contain many curious proofs of ingenuity and magnificence." The late Thomas Henney, Esq., and Mr. Cossens' the Post-Master, are mentioned as having found Eoman coins on the London Eoad. Sireford and Whittington are alluded to as spots where discoveries have been made, and where further excavations are intended. The adjoining village 01 Whittington was also found to be a Eoman Station. " In ploughing up a field a most beautiful tessellated pavement was discovered, the site of a Villa has been ascertained, seven rooms have been traced, and the pavement appears decorated with rud6 designs and drawings in perfect preservation. Mr. Lysons, the celebrated antiquary, who has seen the whole, it is thought will publish a description of it" (Cheltenham Chronicle, July 11,1811). 20 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, In the village of Whittington, not far distant from the scene of the last Villa, a similar building was brought to light in the previous year. " In 1810, a discovery was made at Whittington, and the articles found are preserved in the British Museum. This Villa was accidentally brought to light while ploughing s field, the property of H. M. Brooke, Esq. On excavating the whole of the spot, a villa was traced, 150 ft. in length, containing seven different rooms, the pavements of which were ornamented with drawings, in most excellent preservation, representing Neptune, the God of the ocean, Orpheus, the God of music and animals, birds, fishes, &c. An hypocaust, or bath, with its appendages, similar to those at Witcomb, was also found." At a meeting of the Archaeological Society in 1845, there was read ie a report of excavations made by two of the members in certain of the gravel pits on Leckhampton Hill, in which have been discovered fragments of ancient pottery, snpposed to be Eoman, and extensive remains of bones, &c, deposited in trenches or layers at depths below the surface, varying from three to six feet. Among the objects produced, as found in the excavations described in the memoir read, were a highly curious horse's bit, precisely similar to that figured in the 21st vol. of the Archseologica ; and a portion of a spear or javelin-head ; the former is in a remarkably perfect state, but the latter very much coroded." The most recent discovery of a building was made in 1849, by Mr. Gomonde, in connection with another resident anti- quarian, Captain Bell. This was the excavation of a Eoman Villa on the farm of Mr. Chandler, at Dry Hill— that verdant mound which faces the town of Cheltenham on the Shurdington side, and locally called " The Crippets." This additional fact offers such a practical illustration of the prevalence of Eoman residences so near our Borough that we purpose putting on record the particulars concerning it. The narrative that follows was written by Mr Gomonde, for private distribution, and is from a copy presented to the author. "The name of the farm on which our villa lies, is called the Dry Hill, and is in the occupation of Mr. Chandler, who had noticed that the plough frequently struck something which appeared to be a portion of a wall, on passing over a particular part of the field. With a view to ascertain what the THE ROMAN PERIOD. 21 impediment might be, lie caused an excavation to be made, and discovered, what turned out to be a Roman bath." " We first commenced by clearing out the bath, and found the interior lined with stucco, several inches thick, of a reddish colour, and composed of pounded brick mixed with mortar, which, may at one time have received a good polish ; similar stucco is to be seen in the cold bath at Witcombe. The length within the walls is 10 feet 6 inches, the breadth 4 feet 1 inch ; at one end was a raised seat, which had been filled with clay and smoothed over, and then covered; at a later period a wall had been inserted in the middle of the bath ; the seat at the end of the bath is now hollow, showing the supporting wall, the clay, &c, having been removed, and thus the bath seems to have two walls : the bottom also appears, at the same time, when the middle wall was inserted, to have been flagged with slabs of freestone, a hole arched over was made for allowing the waste water to escape on the north side : even with the wall was a shallow channel for allowing water to run into the bath. " The bath communicated with the hypocaust, by means of a passage, with a solid floor, laid with sandstone, many of the pieces remaining in situ. The upper floor of the hypocaust was quite destroyed, the basis of the piers that supported it were in many cases in tolerable preservation and consisted of square tiles laid in cement ; fragments of the large tiles that had connected the piers together were discovered, as also portions of the flues for conveying heated air into the upper chamber — in other respects time and the plough had utterly destroyed it on the outside. On the north east was a small chamber 3 feet 9 inches by 4 feet, with the use of which I am not acquainted : within were found fragments of a large vase, a foot in diameter at the mouth, and an iron stylus : the hypocaust communicated with a small chamber, through the centre of which passed the great flue leading from the prsefurnium. At the south east side of this chamber were two walls almost close to each other. " The next room is 27 feet by 16 feet 8 inches, the floor was quite destroyed, the clay on which the bricks were laid only remaining : one portion of brick was here found having the letters PEC stamped on it, other fragments were also found, perhaps from the floor ; underneath the clay were large flues arched over, having stucco floors, dividing the chamber at 22 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. right angles, and arched over with mortar : the insides of these flues are full of charred wood and coal. It was likely that this chamber was the kitchen, as also the room set apart for the servants. " The next room was 26 feet 6 inches long, and had a floor of pounded brick and mortar. At the east side was found a large stone, used perhaps as a hearth stone. " The next room had originally been 30 feet 5 inches long, with a floor similar to that last described ; but at a subsequent period another smaller chamber had been inserted, the walls of which were laid on the original floor, and a passage left to the east, communicating with tbe cryptoporticus of this small chamber. Under the floor which had been broken through, were found coins of third brass, of the following Emperors — Constantine mag. Licinius, Crispus, Yalens : these coins being found in this position will, I conceive, give the exact date of the erection of the villa; in the north corner of the room were found, inserted under the floor, two urns, the one black, the other red, both when found were empty ; the black one was much broken, the red one quite perfect, the mouth of this latter had a stone over it. " Returning to the passage, and entering the cryptoporticus to the right, we enter a narrow room 18 feet by 10 feet, having the angles towards the west rounded off. The floor of this room is of a reddish colour, composed of pounded brick miKed with mortar, as was also the floor of the next chamber, which I consider the dining room for the master of the villa ; this must have been a charming little chamber; its dimensions are 20 feet by 16 feet, in its original state it had been stuccoed and painted as we discovered by the fragments mixed with rubbish in the course of excavation. The colours were green, blue, and red of various shades, some of which were of extreme delicacy of tint. The aspect being south and west, we may fairly conclude it was warm all the year through, and the view towards the west could not be surpassed for extent and beauty ; the place where the table was placed is raised a few inches from the ground, and was 3 feet 8 inches wide, covered with the same stucco as the rest of the floor ; close to this, in a small hole filled with bones and charcoal, I found a coin of Yalentinian. This chamber appears to have had a door, formed of a large slab THE EOMAN PERIOD. 23 of free-stone. In the corner of the cryptoporticus, was another large hearthstone : not far from this were found the fragments of a miil-stone, and also the base of a column, and a portion of the handle of a glass liquor bottle. The wall between the cryptoporticus and the north chambers was 120 feet long; the breadth between the walls of the porticus was six feet six inches. On the outside of the villa, about the centre of the porticus, was discovered the base of what may have been a porch : this formed the entrance to the villa from the garden — (hortus) ; which latter had a gravel walk leading from the porch, dividing it into two equal parts. The walk appears to -have been protected on each side by border stones ; one of which was found in situ. The whole villa had originally been roofed over with stone tiles of a diamond form — quantities of which were found lying about in all directions. A stone trough was also found, of irregular form, hewn out of a solid block of freestone : it is still used for its original purpose — 'to hold water, and may be seen in the corner of Mr. Chandler's farm yard" (Gomonde ) After having been connected with the county for upwards of four centuries, the architects of these beautiful monuments of art for ever departed from the scene of their labours. The Horn an power gradually declined in consequence of the migrations of the people homewards to defend their native land from foreign foes. The Saxons, taking advantage of the defenceless state of the country, made attacks at different times, and took possession of portions of land, until, by degrees, they became masters of the entire island. It appears that this part of Britain was conquered in the sixth century. " In 577, Claivlin and his brother Cuthwine, defeated the Eomans in a great battle at Derham, in Gloucestershire, and obtained possession of the three great Eoman cities of Glevum, Corinium, and Aquas Solis, which became known to the Saxons by the name of Gleo-ceaster (Gloucester), Cyrenceaster, (Cirencester), and Bathan-easter (Bath)" (Wright.) After this event the footprints of Eoman skill and power for ever disappear. The kingdom was divided into an Heptarchy, the largest and most important one being the West, which included this part of the county. Saxon laws, customs, and rules, now supplanted what had been established for centuries. "To our contact with the Eoman power we are indebted, 24 HISTOBY OF CHELTENHAM. perhaps, for an earlier amount of civilization than any other part of England, It is not a little singular how fond the Eomans were of Gloucestershire, for out of about 325 parishes, of which our County now consists, Eoman remains have been found in at least one third, a case, I believe, unparalleled in any other county in England" (Rev. S. Lysons.) CHAP. IIL &fre Saxon $wfo&. CHELTENHAM was occupied by the Saxon race for upwards four hundred year3. During that period it seems to have enjoyed a state of uninterrupted prosperity, and to have been well populated for its size. Its adoption by the Germanic settlers was doubtless owing to the natural features which the district presented, for Eosbrooke remarks that ''Anglo-Saxon towns were always in bottoms surrounded by hills." The first local King began to reign in 586, and from that date the Saxon towns of his Mercian Kingdom, including Cheltenham, appear to have commenced their career. The influence of Saxon manners and usages was soon felt in the rise and progress of Ecclesiastical,. Political, and Agricultural institutions, as the quotations hereafter given from national and local documents, will fully manifest. During the Saxon era, Cheltenham, and one hundred other manors in the county, were the property of the Crown. The charters of the age make especial reference to the prosperous state of the place and to the environs. The town then occupied a central position between two Eoyal residences. Winchcomb, and Gloucester, had their Mercian Palaces, and were the chief cities of the county. The amount of taxes contributed by the then inhabitants of Cheltenham, shows a very high state of THE SAXON PERIOD. 25 cultivation, a fact which is recorded by Saxon writers. " They may be considered to have possessed the best system of husbandry then in use, and their lands to have been extensively cultivated with all those exterior circumstances which mark established proprietorship and improvement, as small farms, including fields, regular divisions into meadow, arable, pasture, and wood : fixed boundaries, planted hedges, artificial dykes and ditches, * selected spaces for vineyards? gardens and orchards, connected roads and paths, divided villages, and larger towns, with appropriated names for every spot that marked the limits of each property. All these appear in the earliest Anglo-Saxon charters which refer to this part of Gloucestershire" (Turner). The allusion to local vineyards " selected spaces for vineyards? 9 at this period, is an interesting fact as illustrating the mildness of our climate. Prom the discoveries which have been made of wine making and wine cooling implements in Eoman Villas, as well as the allusions by Eoman writers to the cultivation of the willow " for binding their vines," it is evident that the grape tree was known to our Eoman ancestors. From their time, down to the present day, there is abundant evidence to show that it has continued to be reared wil h profit and advantage to the owner. The tree has become so inured to the soil, that it will grow in any situation, and unlike its more modem type, requires no artificial aids. It is rapid in growth, is easily propagated, and yields an abundant crop. It yet ornaments many an humble cottage and farm house, and some of the dwelling houses of the town. "Walter de Hereford of his stewardship held one vineyard in the Manor of Chintenham (Cheltenham") (Pipe EolL 2 Henry II). The name of " vineyard" has ever been, and still continues, to be applied to a spot in the vicinity. This is a gradually rising ground in the parish of Charlton, which might probably have been the site of one of the ancient vineyards. This conjecture is made upon the fact, that grounds, bearing the same title, occur around many other towns in the county which are quoted as " Vineyards" in old records. Land in Twyning was held of the Lord of Tewkesbury in the reign of Edward III., on condition erf " finding a man for sixteen days in digging in the vineyards, and gathering the grapes for three days" (Fosbrooke). William of Malmsbury, who wrote nearly seven hundred years ago, says £6 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. " that this county is planted thicker with vineyards than any other in England, more plentiful in crops, and more pleasant in flavour.' 3 The old historian Camden, observes, " we have no reason to admire that so many places in this county from their vines are called vineyards, since they formerly afforded plenty of wine ; and that they yield none now is rather to be imputed to the sloth and inactivity of the inhabitants, than the indisposition of the climate. 5 ' At Cromhall, " about the beginning of the last century, there was in the Park a large plantation of vines, which produced ten hogsheads of good wine in one year. The vine plantation was destroyed, in consequence of a dispute with the Eector on a claim of tythes" (Rudge, 1803). " The Vineyard, where was a house of the Abbots of Gloucester, was one of the original vineyards mentioned by William of Malmesbury. Vineyards were begun by the Britons, after the year 280, and became extinct, either by a treaty with Prance, which stipulated their destruction, or Gascony falling into the hands of the English" (Fosbrooke). " After the conquest the vineyards increased in number. The monks, who showed their taste ana judgment by erecting their monasteries in the most beautiful, fertile, and sheltered valleys in the realm, were naturally the most successful growers of the grape. By the middle of the twelfth century vineyards extended over large tracts of the country. Gloucestershire being especially celebrated for producing plenty of excellent wine, almost equal to the growth of France" (Chambers Journal, April 1860), Cyrus Eedding, in his historical account of the vine, cites a number of authorities to show that this county and other parts of England have been noted for the growth of grapes from the earliest period. Palgrane quotes a bGok by Malmsbury, in reference to the local abundance of grapes raised, of such antiquity that the original work is extremely rare— the only known copy being found in the British Museum. The largest and most successful cultivator of the vine in old times was Thomas Lord Berkeley, an ancestor of Col. Berkeley, the M.P, for the town. This nobleman lived in the reign of Edward the third — a time when wine was made for exportation to foreign countries. In 1370, he is described by Camden as the possessor of a large vineyard, " which was very productive, and which he tended with great care," THE SAXON PERIOD. 27 From the traces that remain it would seem that the Saxons had villages and burial places at short distances from the town. The village is invariably found near a stream of water, the best example being the one on the banks of the Isis, which flows from the Seven Springs on the Cirencester road. The burial places are generally located near the foot of a hill, as is illustrated by the discoveries at Leckhampton, Shurdington and Cleeve. At Leckhampton, coins, lance-heads, fibulas (brooch) and the usual contents of an Anglo-Saxon grave are frequently turned up in the gravel beds. Wright records in 1844;, a discovery in this last named place " The ribs or framework in bronze of a defensive Saxon cap, were discovered on a skull dug up at Leckhampton Hill, near Cheltenham. A framework of a helmet, not very unlike that at Cheltenham, was taken by Mr. Bateman from an Anglo-Saxon barrow in Derbyshire," In 1854 another discovery was made, " The men at present employed in excavating the road to Leckhampton Hill, in removing a tumulus, discovered the skeleton of a man, with his teeth entire. From a helmet and several portions of armour being found with the bones, it is conjectured to be the remains of one who, from the manner of sepulture, must have borne distinguished military rank, and which had rested in the peaceful grave for nearly one thousand years. This ccnjecture is the more probable as some few years since a skeleton was disinterred at Shurdington, over which a stone with an inscription denoting whose remaius it covered was found." — Cheltenham Examiner. To the Saxons we are indebted for the first establishment of distinct boundaries in localities. The derivation of the name by which the town is now designated is doubtless of Saxon origin. The most recent of writers on the subject remarks, " Each chief received his share of land, on which he settled with his household and followers. We still trace these original allotments in the names of places in all parts of England, which are composed of the patronymic of the family or race. Thus, when we find such a name as Birming-ham we may be sure that it was originally the ham, or residence, of the Beormnigas, the descendants of the clan of Beorrn" (Wright). The opinions of writers on the subject are various, but they all agree that the Saxon termination "ham" signifies home or town, and if Chilt is a British term for a rivulet, it would lead to the conjecture that the original name 28 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. " Chiitham" might have signified the town near the river. " The name is probably from Chilt, which river runs through it* (Budge).) " A stream of water, the little Chelt — the old British name of the brook, which rises at the base of the hills in Dowdeswell, — running through the Ham — the Anglo-Saxon word denoting a home, a dwelling-place, town, or village" (Bailey). Budder observes — " Its most probable derivation is from the Saxon word Chilt, which signifies an elevated spot, and ham, a town, village, monastery, or place of shelter. Whence, from its geographical situation, the word Cheltenham might have originally implied " the town under the hills." Buff affirms that Chelt signifies, " a place rising to an eminence," and Ham, " a monastery, or minister." Other authors, and among them Atkyns, contend that the name is derived from the river Chelt, originally Chilt, which rises at Dowdeswell, three miles distant, passes through the South side of the town, and empties itself into the Severn at Wainload Hill. Gilpin says that, "The name Cheltenham is derived from the Saxon Chiitham, signifying with them a town." On the Court Boll it is said — " Cheltenham, als Chilteham, als Chiitham, is a towne situate on ye north side of a small purling silver streame or rivulet called Chilt, from which rivulet ye Saxons give it ye name of Chiitham, ye word ham being the same with them as ye word towne is amongt us." Martin records his belief that, "the ancient town of Cheltenham, in Gloucestershire, derives its name from the little brook or river Chelt." And in contrast to the various conjectures, is the opinion of Eosbroke — " There does not remain the name of any village, town, or place, which is not originally of the Anglo- Saxon language, except the rivers, which still seem to retain the British appellations. Ham, whence came our word home, undoubted Anglo-Saxon, implies house, farm or village. If Chilt be taken from the rivulet, it ought to be a British appellation." The orthography, as well as the etymology of the place, has also been variously described. In Doomsday Book it is styled Chintenham. In the records of Cirencester Abbey, of 1120, it is entered as Chilteehe. Neville, who wrote in 1143, designates it Chilt. In the sixteenth century, Holinshed calls it Chiltenham, and Dugdale spells it Chelteham. The earliest document in which we have been enabled to trace the name Cheltenham, as it THE SAXON PERIOD. 29 is at present used, is the Manor Act of 1625, and from that period to our own day there appears to have been no deviation in the spelling of the word. During the long reigns of the 8axon and Anglo-saxon rnonarchs, the town appears to have been in a favourable condition as to husbandry. It seems to have escaped the ravages of the Danes, unlike the other places of the neighbourhood. Through all the successive periods of Saxon history down to its termination, no incidents occur on record to lead to the supposition that the town suffered from the civil contentions then going on. King Edward the Confessor commenced his reign in 1041, and for twenty-four years he was the owner of all Cheltenham. The extent of the Manor at this time was very considerable, consisting of "eight hides and a half,"— equal to a thousand English acres. It had twenty-one "plough tillages. " A tillage was as much land as might be tilled with one plough, in a year, having meadow, pasture, and houses for the householders and cattle belonging to it, and consisted of nearly eighty acres, Among the list of inhabitants at this distant period there were "twenty villeins, ten bordars, and seven servi." "Villeins" were a class of men who had to labour for their Lord without receiving any compensation. "Bordars" where those who held plots of land on condition that they supplied the Lord with poultry and smaller provisions for his board and entertainment. " Servi" were absolute slaves, and not allowed to retain any property in their possession. Each of those classes of persons were little better than bondsmen : how many free-men cohabited with them is not traceable. That Cheltenham must then have been in a prosperous condition, appears evident from its possession of " two mills," and also from the fact of its having paid to the King "J69 5 s., and three thousand loaves for the dogs." The last mentioned sum, which was tax money, is certainly a large amount for the times, — the pound being then equal to £3 2s. of the current coin. The " three thousand loaves" were a payment in aid of the dog tax. This was levied to support the numerous dogs that were kept to celebrate the local chases, which may have been first instituted, not so much to afford pleasure to royalty, as to exterminate those destructive animals which secreted themselves in the thick foliage of the forest during the day, and in the night sallied forth in search of SO HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. their prey ; this surmise is supported by most of the ancient historians. Duncange states that the bread given to these dogs was made of a very coarse descriptions and called panis soj^didiis. Smythe, in his "Lives of the Berkeleys," mentions the grant of forty-four quarters and one bushel of oats, in 23 Edward III., to Lord Berkeley's hounds, for the support of the Mickiewood Chase. Spelman says, that at this period, the Lord of the Hundred used to derive various aids and services, and among these, corn to feed hunting dogs. The reason why this tax was first levied was, he says, that the country might be cleared from wolves, foxes, badgers, and other vermin. cc Deerhurst implies a woody ground, stocked with deer ; and this residence may explain, why in the time of Edward the Confessor, the Manor of Cheltenham was held in the King's hands, and three thousand loaves retained in payment for the dogs" (Eosbrooke). Hunting with dogs was commenced by the Britons, and continued through succeeding ages down to a comparatively recent period. The British and Boman races have perpetuated their love of the sport by representations of their mode of practising the chase on pottery and other articles, the remains of which occur in our county. The reason why the town was so heavily rated, arises from the fact of its manor being vested in the crown. In return for a large contribution in support of the State, the residents on the land of royalty had granted to them special privileges connected with commerce and agriculture. These privileges are referred to in a trial respecting the manorial rights which took place in the reign of Elizabeth, the particulars of which are detailed in another chapter. Upon that occasion charters were cited which prove that Cheltenham was protected by Boyal Grant as early as the eleventh century, — " because the whole of this royal gift is from all service guit, as in the charters of Edward the Confessor, William the Conqueror, and Henry the first, Kings of England, more fully is contained ; but if any one should presume anything contrary to this gift and confirmation, he having been summoned before the Exchequer, shall pay one hundred pounds of gold" (Prinn). The attention which the King gave to the place, was no doubt owing to his residence in the neighbourhood, which might have led to a personal acquaintance. Gloucester was his favourite abode. THE SAXOX PEHIOi;. Til that ancient city lie held his court and summoned his parliament. The description which we have given of the condition of Cheltenham has been principally derived from one of the most valuable records possessed by any European nation — Doomsday Book. This work was commenced by order of William the Conqueror, in 1080, and completed in 1086. It contains a survey of nearly all the lands then in the kingdom, with their value, occupiers, and a great deal of miscellaneous information of value. The facts were compiled by commissioners, who visited every nook and corner of the country, and had full power to summon juries in each locality, and to administer the oath to all who composed them — from the haughty baron down to the manor serf. The original Doomsday Book is still carefully preserved in Westminster Abbey, and it is written in a clear legible hand. It was printed in English by order of George III. and copies of it may be found in most national libraries. The portion of this curious relict of antiquity which relates to Cheltenham, and which we have endeavoured to elucidate, we now present to the reader verbatim : — " Ee»SS 3ME©*5.— Sing ettoattr tylx CpntenJjam. Ojere foere etgljt ftttfeg antr an IjaK. iEeinbaltrt ijoltte one Slttfe antr an Ijalf, iofycl) Mongg to t!)e Cijurri). €I)ere fcere tf)ree 3PIongI) tillage in tremeSne, antr tioentj? VilltixM, antr tm 33orfcars', anft J^eben J^erfct, fottlj eighteen :PIougI) CtllageS. €3je priests [f)abe] tfoo ©louglj CtilagesL Eljere are tfoo JHtlfe of Hi. 3tr« Bing Mtlltam'S ^UioarU atJtretJ to tl)te iHanor tfoo SortrarS antr four TJtUctnS, antr fym ^tlls, of foljtrf) tfoo are tlje Btng'S ; t^e tljtrtf is' tlje J^tetoartJ'S ; anti tljere fe one JBIouglj Ctllage more, in tije time of Sing <£trioartJ tt patt( £9 5$. antr tljree tf)on$an£ loabes for tlje 2Bog$. it nolo paps £20 antr tfoentp Cofo*, anb tfoentg SogS, antr 16a. tnsteatr of tlje JSreatr," This extract, it will be seen, is headed with the words '• Terra Regis," or the King's Land. In allusion to this title, Brady §2 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. remarks, " that what is recorded under it, is said to be in ancient demesne, and consequently to be entitled to certain privileges, such as being exempt from all tolls in markets, fairs, &c." The relative value of money at the time of the Doomsday survey, compared with our own times, illustrates the period under notice. Thus the " 16s. instead of the bread " above quoted, was equal to £3 of the present coin. Atkyns, in reference to this question, remarks — " A bushel of wheat soon after the Norman Conquest was sold for a penny, and because their penny was equal in weight to our threepence, we may therefore allow their bushel of wheat to be valued at three-pence. At this day (1712) a bushel of wheat may be valued at four shillings, which is sixteen times the value of wheat 600 years ago ; the conclusion will be that a man might live in that time as well upon 20s. a-year of our money as on £16 a-year at present." And according to this mode of reckoning, a person might live as plentifully upon £100 under William the Conqueror, as upon £5,000 under Queen Yictoria, especially when we take into account the increased public taxes, and the artificial wants and luxurious mode of living since introduced. It is an interestiag and striking fact that a church was erected and endowed here prior to the Heptarchy. " Eeinbald holds one hide and a half (of land) which belongs to the church." " The priests have two plough tillages." The land thus allotted for *,he maintenance of the priesthood must have amounted to one hundred and sixty acres. The " one hide and a half" which was the property of the church, and appropriated to its maintenance, was equal to about one hundred and eighty English acres. " Priests were not maintained by tithes, but by a certain portion of land, with its stock of servants or cattle. Wherever we find a priest mentioned in Doomsday, we may conclude there was a church" (Dr. Nash) This incident has led to the remark t 18tlj Sag of Spril, 1710. Item. — We do present the death of Henry Jefferies, and that Henry Jefferies is his next haier. We do also present the death of Ann Ashmead, widdew, and we know not the haier. We do continue to order that Thomas White, of Cheltenham^ so keepe his mound in good repair, between John Ellis his foot ball land, and Thomas White, upon paine of six shillings and eightpence for making default. We do present the death of William Eobson, of Charlton Kings, and that William Bobson is the next haier. We do order that no sheep shall be kept in Cheltenham fields until harvest be ended in all the said fields upon paine of thirty- nine shillings for making default therein ; and we do also order that there shall not be any pigs kept within the said fields upon the same penalty aforesaid. We do present George Harris for the breach of an order made the last court for not cuttiug his hedges in Ham furlong, upon penalty of six shillings and eightpence, and we do further order Charles Harris to do the same in fourtown in the day time, on penalty of thirteen shillings and fourpence. We do order that no mannor of cattle shall be kept in Allstone fields until the fields be clearly rid, upon penalty of thirty-nine shillings for every man making default therein. We do order that no man shall keepe any mannor of cattle in Arle fields, until the fields be entirely rid, upon the same penalty before mentioned in the tything of Allstone. We do order that no man shall keepe not exceeding two sheepe BO HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. to one acre of land in Cheltenham fields on penalty of thirty -nine shillings for making default. We do present the death of one William Roberts, a customary tenant, and that his son William is next haier, and that he is twenty-one years of age. John Ellis. Thomas Mason. RlCHAKD WHITHOENE. John Ashmead. John Woston. Queen Mary, upon taking possession of the manor, let it on lease for a term of years. The lessees were the legal representatives of two ancient resident families- — the Lygons. Mrs. Catherine Buckler, and Eoger Lygon, Esq., leased, or "farmed" the estate during their joint lives, and they appear to have taken some interest in their property. To them we are indebted for the commencement of a record of events connected with the manor. The roll of the court is in a good state of preservation. The first entry is in the year 1555, the second year of the reign of Queen Mary. Some of the incidents entered reveal not only the workings and operation of the manorial law, but also the social and political character of the times to which they belong. In relating the descent of a family of the name of Holder, entitled to some land by heirship, some most extraordinary cir- cumstances are brought to light, which, we presume, are without a parallel in any parochial record. The " surrender" was made during the last year that King Charles held the manor, and it was transacted just prior to the sale to the Sherborne family. This curious specimen of the legal and social practices of the seventeenth century is as follows : — At a court held Friday, Sept. 19, Charles I. 1628. i I I ! M)\\ Hotifer 1KB. ^olucr Uoim ioltfcr I I ,; I I I Mm. loltfer jJWm. ©olDer $ic. 1§oUfcr Wlfp i°toer SHtlltam hotter tyt gnat mule Ija&utg a tuife ijtmsur&t&ing, RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OF THE MANOR. 61 W)icl) Imfe marrpetlj one J)ac&er, anil ti)t ttgrtlj, ant* J9^cfecr being a prisoner tu Worcester <©ai)Ie, tfye gaoler marrnetl) Jjtm to lu£ tfaugijter unfcer tlje age of 12 gtartf, anfc prtfmtlj) after tije marrnagc, tlje Same San JJacfeer fcneti), anfc afteriuar&£ one ©oiaer marnnti) tije £atti jaoler'S tfaugljtcr tofyom packer i)atJ -So marrpett, aittJ t\)tv tino afterfoartfS, iul)eu s1)> fame to age, Surrendered tlje tautf in court to otijcvS anti tl;etr l}eir£, anb ©ofoer anft Ijt'3 Satti fotfe are get libtug. barker nefcer pattJ Ijts' fine to ti)e §LorS, nor couljf f)c, because Ijc trietf j#es*«iljri|je sam* mx$i after $ig ntarnjanx ; anir s# 6nlnxr gameir ns thing frjr i\t warrpep, b^rawsje parte fafr hg (is marrjrajgpe Itritfr ijjt foiirxrjfor ^Rrj« Otflir Jris life antr g.ears JfofrijcJ Ijafo IrajJ This remarkable entry is a domestic drama complete in itself, The marriage of a female "12 years of age," and the death of her husband the same day, are enrious incidents, and such as we should only expect to find in the fiction of the novelist. In a rare work which appeared in the reign of Charles I. ; entitled " The Country Man's Councellor, beginning with this yeereof our Lord God, 1630/' (in the possession of G. Hulbert Esq., of this town, and whose family have been for a long period copyholders), the old manorial customs are thus quaintly detailed, • — " In the Manor of Cheltenham, in Gloucestershire, is a custome that a man cannot marry his daughter to any man, 1 neither can a widow marry without the Lord's licence, and if a man by his wife haue neuer so many children and dye, his widow may marry another man, and he shall carry away all the land after the death of his wife from all the former children, and he may many again to be a hundred yeeres old, with a girl of but 13 or 14 yeeres old, and she shall carry away the land from all the heires. Some Mannors doe allow the tenants of the same to let the land for three yeere, some for more without the Lord's licence, when in some others to let the same for aboue a yeere is a forfeiture, and neither, though he let it but for one yeere, may he let it out a second, till he haue kept it a year in his hands, except he haue a licence." 62 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. We have now delineated the legal connection that exists between the owner of the manor and his tenant by purchase. Another very interesting branch of the subject is the ancient customs which the manorial officers practised. The lord and his steward formerly tilled the responsible trust of adjudicating for all criminals and other law business in the borough. This and other curious manorial practices will be found fully detailed in the next chapter. CHAP. VIL ^ntimt ©ustoms of tJje JManor* FROM the first dawn of English History the Manor of Chel- tenham has enjoyed customs and exemptions of a remarkable and important character. From the fact of its being both a place of antiquity, and the property of Boyalty, it has been privileged and favoured by successive owners. So early as the Saxon King, Edward the Confessor, a charter was granted to the place, which was confirmed by William the Conqueror. Among the privileges therein contained, was exemption from tolls throughout England, which was confirmed by successive charters. In the reigns of Henry III., Edward III., and IV., the Cheltenham Manor was invested with additional chartered rights to a great extent ; and it is an interesting fact, that not only our Manorial records, but also the Parliamentary Eolls, detail the whole of those privileges with minuteness at the time they were severally granted. Henry III., six hundred years ago, gave to the borough a market and a fair. In following years, successive grants were made, and ultimately, Cheltenham acquired privileges of greater importance than any place of its extent in Great Britain, A few of these ancient rights will be referred to with ANCIENT CUSTOMS OF THE MANOR. 63 a view to demonstrate that Cheltenham was once as famous for its chartered liberties, as it now is for its Spa waters. The inhabitants of the manor were exempt after the thirteenth century, from the many heavy taxes paid by the country generally, and from the payment of ail toll throughout England. The goods of all felons, felo de sees, and outlaws, within the hundred, as well as all tines, which then, and even at the present day, were the right of the crown in every part of Great Britain, the Lord of the Manor had the power to receive. The Manorial steward was also a justice of the highest authority, having the power to try and commit offenders - T a branch of this local jurisdiction was the holding of a ■' Three weeks' Court' ' for the recovery of debts, and many minor objects. This valuable privilege has never been abrogated by any subsequent act, and it is only lost to us by disuse. After the Court had ceased to be summoned for about a century, an application was made to Parliament for its revival, but without success. The loss of this ancient right is now no longer felt. The New County Court Act gave to Cheltenham the privilege it much needed. The County Court Hall in Begent- street, is open weekly for the hearing of cases, and the presiding judge, J. Erancillon, Esq., resides in the locality. The trial and execution of criminals within the Manor is also a tradition of long standing. Coltham-lane, was sometimes called " Hangman's-lane," and an oak which stood by its side was called " Gallows Oak," from a belief that the condemned criminals were executed upon it. This oak is yet remembered by many of the old inhabitants, and its lofty and gigantic appearance is alluded to by Gilpin, the eminent describer of picturesque scenery. From the documents of the middle ages down to a comparatively recent date, the designation applied to this spot sufficiently indicate its origin. In the Manor Eecords it is styled " Gallows Lane," and in the Enclosure Award "the Ancient Lane called Hangman's Lane." There are various persons in ancient times who resided in the town who are mentioned as having been " attained for high treason," and for other minor offences, and it is therefore probable that the sentence might have been carried into effect on the " Gallows Oak." This judicial tree stood on the angle of the roads leading to Charlton and Sandford, facing the entrance to the 64 HISTORY OF CHELTEKHAM. High-street, and near the site of Paynter's Paper Hanging Manufactory. SK#4S£$ - -- -'-■'-- Sfefe* gi§M^ MfJ Our illustration represents this oak as given by Dalrymple, in Lis plan of Cheltenham, published in 1806. On that map a turnpike is placed near the tree, which is described as " Gallows Oak Turnpike." In the grant of the Manor to the Abbey of Fescamp, in the fourteenth century, the expression " Gallows lands" twice occurs. This would imply that according to the practice of the times, that land was left to the lord of the manor to enable him to maintain the instrument of death. Similar language is used in the manorial records of Sheepscombe, near Stroud ; — " Sir Anthony Kicgston, lord of the manor of Painswick, had a gallows erected on Sheepscombe Green, for the punishment of insurgents in the reign of Edward VI., and a prison built in Painswick for the confinement of offenders, and gave three estates to his lordship, now called Gallows lands ; one to maintain the gallows ; a second to keep two ladders always ready ; and the third for halters ; and provided that the ty thing man of this ty thing should be hangman, and have an ANCIENT CUSTOMS OF THE MANOR. 65 acre of land for his services, which is now called Hangman's Acre" (Rudge). Other privileges were the election of a Coroner, who acted only for the manor ; exemption from supporting the eldest sons of Kings ; the right of sending two Parliamentary representatives, and also of choosing justices of the peace. Cheltenham, indeed, possessed rights to an immense extent ; it formed an independent district uncontrolled by statute laws of the realm, and so many and extended were its judicial privileges, that it had the pow r er of erecting a pillory and a gallows, for the punishment of prisoners tried at its own local court. . These interesting facts, we have before remarked, have been elicited both from manorial and national records. It is gratifying to be enabled to confirm their correctness by publishing their recapitulation from an invaluable M.S. John Prinn, Esq., an ancestor of the well known Prinn family, of Charlton Park, and whose family history will be found in the succeeding chapter, was one of the most indefatigable collectors of unpublished local records in the reign of Charles II. He filled the office of steward of this manor in 1690, and the careful mode in which he registered the manorial proceedings of his day, proves his ability and faithfulness. He left behind him a quantity of manuscript books ; one of the number, written in a clear style, is now in the possession of J. S. Cox, Esq. This M.S. work recites the ancient rights of our manor, with the dates when some of them were first granted, and arranged in the following manner : — " c Customs of the Manor,— -Within this manor are sundry franchises and lybertys, which are very rarely found in any other manor within the realme, viz. — To make justices of assize, justices of coram and of peace, custos rotulorum, sheriffs, high and low — stewards, high and low — bailiffs, high and low — bailiffs of the borough — eccheater and coroner within the hundred and lyberty. And that no manner of out-officers shall have to do within the Franchise or lyberty, but by a special commission from the Lord of the Manor and Hundred. 5 In the 31st of the reign of King Henry the Third, the abbey of Eescamp, in Normandy, exchanged the manors and hundreds of Cheltenham and Slaughter for Winchelsea and Eye. The King granted the said manors to the said Abbeys, with all laws, liberties, customs, pleas, plaints, and causes, without diminution of any secular or judicial power 66 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. or things thereto belonging, and that the same manors and hundreds might be quit from all earthly customs and from every gift and subjection to barons or princes ; and that the abbot and monks might have all royal liberty and customs, and all justice of all things and business, that within the said manors and hundreds might arise ; nor should any except themselves interfere, because the whole of this royal gift is from all service quit, as in the charters of Edw. (Confessor), William (Con- queror), and Henry the Erst, Kings of England, more fully is contained — but if any one should presume any thing contrary to this gift and confirmation, he having been bummoned before the Exchequer, shall pay one hundred pounds of gold. By 40, Edward III., the grant to the abbot and monks of Eescamp is confirmed of the manor and hundred of Cheltenham, and that they might have liberties, viz. — view of frankpledge of all tenants and resiants, cognizance of all pleas whatsoever, as well of the crown as of common pleas — their own gaols to be delivered of whatever homicides and other criminals, by their own proper bailiffs ; return and execution of writs, fines, amercia- ments, &c. ; neither the steward nor marshal shall enter in the same, and that they be quit of toll all over England." The 5th of Edward IV. states the terms of the grant to the abbess of Sion in Middlesex, to the abbess and nuns and their successors, and to all the men tenants residing and not residing, and all others residing in all and singular the manor and lordship of the said abbess and convent ; to wit, " to be free of all toll, carriage of treasure, and to make kings' eldest sons knights, marriage of kings' eldest daughters, aid to sheriffs ; charges of knights and burgesses of parliament, fines to the sheriffs' torns, suit to the sheriffs' torns, views of frankpledge, leets, law days, &c, wapentakes, assize of wine, beer, and bread, tolls of the market, waifs, treasure trove, shipwrecks, deodands, felons' goods, escapes of felons, and that they should erect and have gallows, pillory, and tumbrill for the punishment of malefactors ; and all fines for license of concord, and all fines and forfeitures of bailers and sureties, free warren, courts from three weeks to three weeks of all actions before the stewards or bailiffs, ward, marriage, and reliefs, &c, and all pleas, as before stated, with power to attach by their bodies, and commit to prison ; and that no sheriff or other officer of the crown shall have power in the said lordship." ANCIENT CUSTOMS OF THE MANOR. 67 In the same valuable M.S. work is preserved an account of an event which also strikingly demonstrates the past customs and privileges of Cheltenham from time immemorial. It is the relation of a trial which took place between Queen Elizabeth's Attorney- General and W. Norwood, Esq., of Leckhampton, the then Lord of the Manor, respecting the many claims and exceptions which he exercised . The opening speech of the Attorney- General details the whole of the obsolete rights, as follows : — " Hillary Term, 32nd Elizabeth — Regina v. Norwood. — By a judgment of the Court of Exchequer, John Popham, the Queen's Attorney- General, gave the Court to understand that Wm. Norwood, Esq., useth without any legal grant, within the Lordship of Chelten- ham, the liberties privileges, and franchises following, therein fully set forth— "that all men, tenants, resiants and not resiants, and all others residing and not residing within the aforesaid lordship, &c, and all goods, chattels, and merchandizes of the same and every of them, may be quit throughout England from all pannage, &c, and from all other toll — from all soot and geld, &c. ; and from conducting all treasure, and from all manner of custom, and from all aids to make knights of the eldest sons of kings and to marry eldest daughters of kings ; and from the expense of sending knights and burgesses to Parliament, and from all fines and issues of the county and sheriffs' torn and hundred, and from all tolls, &c, although the same men were tenants, officers, and ministers of our said lady the Queen, &c. And to have and hold within the said lordship, view of frankpledge, leets, law-days, and wapentakes, of all men, &c, in whatsoever places to be appointed by the said William Norwood, his heirs and assigns — by the stewards or officers to be holden, together with assize and assats ; and the assize of bread, beer, and all other victuals, and measures and weights whatsoever, that to the officer or clerk of the market of the Queen's household, belong to do and execute, with all profits therefrom arising, and with soc, sack, &c, treasure trove, wreck of the sea, deodands, chattels of felons, outlaws, felo de se, escape of felons, year, day, and waste, within the lordship ; and that the said William Norwood, his heirs and assigns might erect and have gallows, pillory, and tumbrill, in any place within the said lordship, that to him may seem meet for the punishment and judgment of malefactors, which should happen 68 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. to be apprehended within the liberties aforesaid ; and to have all fines, as well for licence of concord as other fines, and all "amerciaments, redemptions, and forfeitures, as well before the Queen, her heirs or successors, as before the chancellor, treasurer and barons of the Exchequer, her justices and commissioners, to be done, forfeited, and adjudged of all residents in the said manor — and also pledges and main-pernors of the same, although same residents, of the said Queen or others, lands and tenements, had held, and although they, or any of them be officers or ministers of the Queen, her heirs or successors, and although the said pledges or main-pernors were or were not tenants of the said William Norwood, or residents or not residents within the said lordship, and to have free warren in the said lordship, and to have and hold before a steward and his bailiff's from three weeks to three weeks, courts for complaints, all manner of pleas, accounts, debts, detention of charters, writings, muniments, and chattels, of the taking and detention of cattle and chattels of transgressors by force of arms or other- wise in contempt of the said Queen, contrary to the form of the statute, and of agreements, contracts, and personal actions, within the said lordship, in like manner to hold for whatever sums, accounts, debts, chattels, or injuries, transgressions, or agreements, and of any pleas, &c, and persons against whom such like complaints in the court aforesaid should happen to be moved, by their bodies to be attached, and committed and detained in prison, and to hear all pleas, and those by like process, consideration, and judgment execution of judgment, to be treated and terminated, as in pleas of like sort in the court of our said lady the Queen, and to have cognizance of all pleas of any contracts and actions, real, personal, and mixed, and all other pleas within said lordships ; and all other complaints, as well pleas of assize as replevin within said lordship, happening, done, or arising, as well before our lady the Queen as before the chancellor, treasurer, and barons of the exchequer, justices to hold pleas, justices of the common bench, and justices of assize, as well general as special, and that the same pleas before the said steward or bailiffs in court aforesaid, should be had,, held, discussed and terminated, and judgment given and executed upon the same in the manner aforsaid — and to have the return of all writs of every nature, &c, and that no sheriff ANCIENT CUSTOMS OP THE MANOft. 69 or other officers or ministers of the crown should attach within said lordship, but it should be commanded that the said William Norwood or his heirs or ministers do execution thereon, and that no escheator, minister or bailiff of the Queen in the said lord- ship, should enter to do or execute anything ;' of which liberties, &c, the said William Norwood then and as yet doth usurp. Whereupon the said Queen's attorney-general doth seek the advice of the court, and that the said William Norwood be required to show by what warrant, he claimeth the said privilege. Whereupon it was commanded that the said William Norwood do appear." Thus we see that Queen Elizabeth's Attorney- General in framing the indictment specified the whole of the important privileges in use, or claimed to be used by the then Lord of our Manor. There are a few words employed which require explanation — "Tumhrill" — a cucking stool, or ducking stool ; a machine used for the correction of scolds and unquiet women (Crabb's Technological Dictionary). " Click" " guck," or " duck," in Saxon, signified to scold or brawl ; and " ing" in that language, signified water; because a scolding woman was for her punishment soused in that water (Lord Coke). " Ducking stool" — 'The woman was convicted upon an indict- ment for being a common and turbulent brawler and sower of discord amongst her honest and quiet neighbours (Burn's Justice). This was the ancient method of punishing scolding women : — A post was set up in a pond. Across this post was placed a transverse beam, turning on a swivel, with a chair at one end of it, in which, when the culprit was properly placed, that end was turned to the pond, and let down into the water (Manning's Surrey). " Tannage." — The feeding of swine upon masts in woods; also the money paid for the license of having pannage, and a tax upon cloth — (Stat. Westr. 2, 13 Edw. III.) iC Gelcl"-*- The value or price of a man or beast slain ; or a tribute for other customary things (Ibid). William Norwood obeyed the summons, and in person con- ducted his own defence, and in doing so detailed aU the rights, as well as many of the manorial possessors. There is not probably on record an instance of a similar case being so ably argued and explained. The defendant's address which took some time in delivery — travelled through many centuries of history, and manifested the most laboured research, as will be 70 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. seen from what follows ; — "On the octaves of the purification of the Virgin Mary, the said William Norwood appeared, and said that he intendeth not that the said Lady the Queen should be prejudiced, because he saith that long before the exhibiting of the said information, Elizabeth, late abbess of the late dissolved monastery of St. Saviour and the Saints Mary the Virgin and Bridget of Sion, of the order of St. Augustin, in the county of Middlesex, was seised of the said lordship of Chelten- ham in right of her said monastery, the said late abbess being seised, Lord Edward, late king of England the Fourth, on the 24th of March, in the fifth year of his reign, made the letters patent, to the effect hereinbefore stated (vide charter 5th Edward 4th) and he thereby confirmed all privileges to the said abbess or any of her predecessors by any of his progenitors granted ; and granted them powers to exchange the said lord- ships for others, and he granted them all said privileges, and that all the said charters and every of them should be expounded against the said king and his heirs, and applied to the best advantage, profit, and utility of the said abbess and her successors, without any revocation or resumption of the premises by authority of any parliament of the said king or his heirs, — notwithstanding the order, foundation of the said monastery, or the annual value or certanty of the said lordships, or other gifts or grants to the said abbess or her predecessors, by the said king, or any of his predecessors, in any of their charters, should be defective, or stated incorrectly. By pretext whereof the said abbess was seised of the liberties, &c, in the said information specified, and died so seized ; after whose death, Agnes, late abbess of said dissolved monastery, was elected and presided, and was seised of said franchise, &c, &c. ; and being so seised, she, with consent of her said monastery, on the 20th of May, in the 31st year of the reign of the lord, the late king Henry VIIL, by a certain writing, sealed with the common seal, enrolled in Chancery, granted and surrendered to the said late king, as well the said monastery as the manors aforesaid, and liberties aforesaid, to hold to said king, his heirs, and successors for ever. And afterwards by act of parliament of said late king, it was enacted that said late king should have and enjoy to him and his successors for ever, all such monasteries, &c, which after the 4th of February, in the 27th year of his reign, were dissolved, &c. ; or ANCIENT CUSTOMS OF TJIE MANOR. 71 in any way came to his hands, in as ample and large a manner and form as the late abbots, abbesses, &c, previously held or enjoyed the same in right of their monasteries, &c. ; and that the sites of the said monasteries, manors, lordships, &c, rights, privileges, &c, to the same belonging, should be fully and effectually vested in said king, his heirs and successors. And by a certain other act passed in the aforesaid parliament, on the 28th of April, in the 31st year above mentioned, and by divers prorogations, continued to the 24th of July, in the 3 2d year, it was enacted, that all liberties which the aforesaid late proprietors had used or could by themselves, their officers, or ministers, have used, within three months, next before the said sites, &c, came into possession of the said king, were, by said act, revived and vested in said king. And said William Norwood saith, that said abbess, within three months before the dissolution of said monastery, did lawfully use and exercise the liberties, &c, in said information stated ; and that the said late king, by virtue of such surrender and acts of parliament, was seized of said manor and privileges, &c, and died so seised thereof; upon whose death the said lordship and liberties descended to Lord Edward the 6th, late king of England, who also died seised thereof, without heir of body issuing ; upon whose death, the said lordship and liberties descended to Lady Mary, late queen of England, who married Philip, king of Spain, and the said king and queen became seised thereof ; and on the 26th of October, in the first and second years of their reign, by their letters patent, bearing date the same day, granted to Eoger Lygon, and Catherine Buckler, late wife of Sir Walter Buckler deceased, the said lordship and privileges aforesaid, to hold, to said Eoger and Catherine, and their assigns, for their lives and the life of the longest liver, by virtue of which letters they became seised ; and the said Eoger and Catherine being so seised, and our lady the now queen, of the reversion being seised, on the 25 th of June, in the 16th year of her reign, by her letters patent, now produced, reciting the demise and grant to said Eoger and Catherine, granted the reversion of the said lordship, with all rights, liberties, &c, as before mentioned, to hold, to John Woolley, esquire, and his assigns, from the death of said Eoger and Catherine, for the term of thirty-one years, by virtue of which he became possessed thereof; and the 72 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. aforesaid Koger and Catherine, before the usurpation above supposed to have been made, to wit, on the 20th of July, in the 28th year of our said now lady, the queen, died seised ; upon whose death, the said John Woolley became seized, and being so seised, on the 1st of October, in the 31st year of the reign of our said queen, by his writing, sealed with his seal and now produced, granted to the said William Norwood, all his estate, interest, and term of years, in said lordship, &c; by virtue of which grant, the said William Norwood, entered, and was and is seized thereof, and of the liberties, &c, and yet useth the same ; all and singular of which premises the said Wm. Norwood was prepared to verify, and prays judgment, and that he be dismissed.' 5 The voluminous facts proved by Wm. Norwood, were incon- trovertible ; the suit was terminated in his favour, and our manor was confirmed in the use of its old charters, as the conclusion of Mr. Prinn's manuscript clearly sets forth : — " And her Majesty's Attorney-General having seen the plea of said Norwood, and examined the said letters patent, and that it was evident to him that said Norwood used such liberties according to the form of said letters patent, &c 5 the same attorney acknowledges the plea aforesaid to be true, and that he will not prosecute farther ; and judgment was given for the said William Norwood." The Norwood family were long and intimately connected with the place. Mrs. Anne Norwood, in 16 2 8, erected a gallery in the west side of the Parish Church. The churchyard contains many monuments to their memory down to within the last forty years. The Tryes, of Leckhampton, are the family representatives. Another source from whence we derive information respecting our local customs is a manuscript journal of the Eev. Prancis Welles, vicar of Prestbury, and Justice of the Peace for the county from 1715 to 1756, during the whole of which period it is plain that the writer was a most active magistrate, and a diligent and pains-taking attendant at Petty and Quarter Sessions and Assizes. This curious diary was published for the first time in the Law Magazine for May, 1861. The writer was the son of the vicar, and the family have, for more than a century, been connected with the town, various members having in succession filled the offices of Justice of the Peace, and Steward of the Manor. The first entry is — ANCIENT CUSTOMS OF THE MANOR. 73 "December ye 4th, 1714. I was sworn in a Justice of the Peace for the county of Gloucester." As the writer is recorded by his son to have died May 30, 1756, aged about 90, having been above 40 years an acting justice of the peace, he was probably born about the year of the Great Fire of London, 1666, and as he was placed in the commission of the peace, at nearly 50 years of age, and within three months of the landing of Geo. I. the reviewer reasonably infers that he was a staunch friend of the House of Brunswick. This opinion is justified by an early entry in the journal, which tells us that he bound over John Hill, of Cheltenham, and another, in 40/i. for the appearance of Mary Careless, at the next Quarter Sessions, for saying twice King George was a Papist dog ; and Mary Hill for answering, " No, he was a Presbyterian." Another entry is to the same effect. " Thomas Eyres, spectacle maker, of Gloucester, teu : in 20li, to appear at the next Quarter Sessions, for singing a seditious song, and saying he would do it whether it were for or against the government; John Gouddell, of Cripplegate, London, Gent, ten : in £20 to prosecute ; and William Jefferis, of Cheltenham, shoemaker, ten : in 6li. to give evidence." Mr. Welles issued a warrant against " Wm. Lyes, convicted by his own confession of stealing wood from Mr, Eaghot, to pay 2s. or be whipped ;" and in the following Pebruary, he grants a warrant " to whip Jane Clement, of Bishop's Cleeve, for hedgebreaking and stealing wood from Wm. Hobs." Jane Richardson is ordered to be placed in the stocks for two hours for " twice profanely cursing." Margaret Mealing and Jane Arcol are punished for "haunting ale-houses with lewd fellows ; and Prances Williams is ordered to appear before him on 13 April, 1715, "to be examined about her big belly." The examination appears to have been a difficult one, for a few weeks afterwards, she comes before him again, i( touching the aforesaid felony" On tbe 7th April, 171 6, Mr. Welles, granted a warrant against Thomas JNicholls and Richard Bobbins, late overseers of tbe poor of Cheltenham, "for relieving without a badge, and other misdemeanours." This was under the old statute, 8th and 9th Wm. III. c. 30, s. 2, which required, in order that money raised for the relief of the poor might not be misapplied, every person as should be upon the collection and receive relief of any parish or place, and the wife and children of any such person, cohabiting in the same house should, upon the shoulder of the right sleeve of the upper garmeut,in an open and visible manner, wear a large Roman P, together with the first letter of the name of the parish or place whereof such poor person is an inhabitant, cut either in red or blue cloth, £S by the .churchwardens and overseers of the poor should be appointed. 74 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. CHAP. VIII. Ft'sft of mmg ©Stoma IF., a.d, 1471. THE town is incidentally connected with one of the most memorable battles of the fifteenth century. It was through Cheltenham that Edward the Fourth and his brave army marched to the plains at Tewkesbury there to decide the fate of the Lancasterian party. It was here that he rested with his followers and recruited their strength " with such provision of vittels as he had appointed to be conveyed forth with him." It was here that he learned for the first time that the military strength of the House of Lancaster was encamped within an easy march of his soldiery. It was from here that he proceeded upon the receipt of such information, and with his characteristic skill, slumbered not, but hastened onwards his army and won the celebrated battle of Tewkesbury. This event, although of local occurrence, from its very nature is of a national character, and one which at the time affected all Europe. The origin of this battle is referable to the heroism and military spirit of one of the most resolute Queens that ever reigned. Although deprived of her royal husband's aid, Queen Margarett actually fought twelve battles in his behalf. The Queen having been prevented from crossing the Severn on account of the city of Gloucester, which as well as Cheltenham was in the hands of her rival Yorkist, King Edward, hastened to Tewkesbury. She arrived there May 3rd, 1471, having travelled during the preceeding night, thirty-six miles. On the same day King Edward entered Cheltenham. "The news of the approach forced the Queen to make entrenchments, and to prepare for war." The King marched into the future ce Queen of Watering Places," with an army " consisting of three thousand infantry and a large body of cavalry." He arrived in the afternoon, having had a long and tedious journey in a very hot day. He pursued his career, and at day-light next morning, which was Saturday, May 4th, 1471, he faced his antagonists, displayed his banners and blew his trumpets for battle. " As the road from VISIT OF KING EDWAED IV. 75 Cheltenham to Tewkesbury then ran through Elmstone Hardwick and Tredington, we may venture to suppose that at one of those places, King Edward and his army rested for the night" (Bennett's History of Tewkesbury). The visit of King Edward to the town during his march to the far famed battle of Tewkesbury, is detailed by Holinshed in his " Chronicle," and is here quoted verbatim. It confirms the fact that Cheltenham was then connected with w one of the high roads to Bath." The 'brave Queen Margarett had reached Tewkesbury by way of Gloucester through Berkeley. The King had passed the preceeding night at his camp at Sodbury, from whence he marched with his army over the Cottswold Hills to Cheltenham. Messengers had been dispatched from Tewkes- bury to acquaint him that the opposing army were drawn up in battle array, and they made him acquainted with the fact upon his arrival here. Upon his receiving this news, he " took a little refreshment himself," and ordered his army to have provisions given them also. This having been done he marched onward, passing through the villages of Elmstone Hardwick and Tredington en route, and took part in an engagement, which led to results connected with the throne of England, whose influence extends to the present day, by causing the lasting annihilation of the long standing jealousies that had existed between the rival Houses of York and Lancaster. The old and faithful historian before mentioned thus narrates the arrival and departure of this brave and warlike Monarch. " Edward the fourth, on his way to Tewkesbury, to meet Queen Margarett, came to a village called Cheltenham, where he had certain knowledge that his enemies were already come to Tewkesbury, and were incamped there, purposing to abide him in that place and to deliver him battell. King Edward thereupon made no long delaie, but took a little refection himself, and caused his people to doo the like, with such provision of vittels, as he had appointed to be conveyed forth with him for the reliefe of himself and his armie. This done hee set forward towards his enemies, and lodged that night in a field not past three miles from them." In ancient as in modern times the inhabitants of Cheltenham appear to have sided with royalty in all disputes, whether civil or ecclesiastical, and there are circumstances to favour the opinion that they espoused the cause of King 76 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. Edward on this occasion. The King was then the owner of the borough, and he was therefore a sojourner among his own people, and on his own land. By his grant the rent of the manor was received by the Eeligious Institution at Sion, but the lessee was Sir Maurice Berkeley, descended from the fifth Lord Berkeley. This nobleman, according to the accounts of this momentous battle, was one of the adherents of King Edward, and signalized himself by his brave achievements. The royal monarch on the following day, was declared the victor on the battle field. The undaunted Margarett and her unfortunate husband, Henry YL, were soon inmates of the Tower. The heir apparent to the crown, her youthful son the Prince of Wales, was murdered — the Duke of Gloucester, afterwards Bichard III. openly assisting in the act. But such are the revolutions which Providence brings about. Henry, Earl of Biehmond, who was on the Queen's side, fled to the continent, and in fourteen years afterwards, slew this same Bichard III. at Bosworth Field, in the identical " suit of polished steel armour," in which he was victorious at Tewkesbury — ascended the throne by the title of Henry YIL, married a Yorkist, thus uniting the (( white and the red roses,' 5 and for ever put an end to the strife of the rival families. From this noble ancestry, the royal family have sprung, and our present most gracious Majesty is a lineal descendant. CHAP. IX. lEmmtnt Hocal jpamtlus. THE History of Cheltenham is honourably and inseparably linked with incidents in the lives of families, eminent either for their antiquity, moral worth, philanthropy, or exalted position in the scale of society. By birth, manorial possession, residence, EMINENT LOCAL FAMILIES. 11 and the holding of parliamentary, judicial, ministerial, and other local offices, some of the most eminent names in English History, as well as in the annals of Literature, Science, and Religion, have become locally connected. In order to illustrate and more fully develop the past and present account of the Queen of Watering Places, we here place on record biographical and historical descriptions of some of the more ancient as well as the more recent of eminent local families. THE DE CHELTENHAM FAMILY. Cheltenham has always maintained a high character for being an educational town. Prom the time when the light of Christian truth was first kindled in our Saxon Priory, twelve centuries since, down to the present day, institutions have existed whose pupils, by their high mental attainments, have reflected honour to themselves and to the place of their instruction. Prior to the days of the Reformation our town was an importont monastic station, and the great mental influence which its local institu- tions then exercised, is strikingly apparent in the many learned persons that were natives of the place, whose names we here transcribe, with details of their lives and pursuits. The origin of the various christian and surnames by which individuals are designated, has long occupied the attention of antiquarians, and the result of their inquiries has been the revelation of many curious incidents connected with topography. Long prior to the invasion of William the Conqueror, and throughout the succeeding reigns, down to the settlement of the York and Lancastrian rivalry, it was the custom of the reigning monarch, when rewarding those who had become celebrated either by their literary acquirements, piety, or military skill, to append to their previous Christian name the place where they resided or were born ; not unfrequently some important pecu- niary advantage connected with the town attended the bequest, and became an hereditary appendage to the family. It is thus that we find so many of the old and valuable historians who lived during this momentous period, named from places that are now so insignificant as not to be known beyond their own immediate vicinity. In many of the accounts of these marks of honour, it is said that the parties are named after a town or ?8 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. city, in consequence of the very great renown in which it was then held. For this reason, modern historians almost universally consider that the authenticated instance of a local title, is a sure proof of the former importance of the locality from whence the name is derived. When we consider the very early era in which a monastic institution was established at Cheltenham, and the high repute in which it must have been held during the period referred to, we should expect to find that it has given name, like the other places of consequence in the county, to men of eminence. That such is the case will be apparent from the evidence now adduced, and the fact not only adds a new feature to our local history, but it also confirms the idea before broached, respecting the ancient importance of the town. For full three hundred years a family named De Cheltenham had existence, and various of their members stand distinguished as scholars, divines, and as holders of local offices. The word " De " prefixed to the title or surname Cheltenham, is of Norman origin ; it corresponds with the modern French de (of). It was first used in England by the Conqueror, who introduced Norman-French among the aborigines, and in process of time many foreign phrases became incorporated with the Saxon language. William De Cheltenham was probably the first person who assumed the name of the town, for we have not been able to trace any mention of the title prior to his time. He flourished during the palmy days of Henry III., and took an active part in obtaining and drawing up local charters, about the middle of the thirteenth century. That he was an individual of influence and high legal abilities, is evident from the fact that the civic parchment rolls of Gloucester record that he was successively elected chief officer of that city in the years 1248, 1255, and 1270. According to Prynn, he bequeathed the annual rent of a house in Smith-street, Gloucester, for the purpose of founding the chantry which once existed within the walls of St. Mary-de- Crypt Church. William de Cheltenham, a son of the last-named personage, was steward to Thomas Lord Berkeley ; he was also a justice of the peace, and filled various other honourable and responsible offices. Several houses in Southgate"Street, Gloucester, were awarded to him jointly with Lord Berkeley, by Lanthony EMINENT LOCAL FAMILIES. 79 Priory, for the purpose of founding the monastery of Grey Friars on their site, which was carried into effect, and the building existed until the period of the Reformation. In 1341, "Only Thomas Lord Berkeley, Thomas Berkeley, of Cubberley, William Tracy, and William de Cheltenham, were in the com- mission of the peace for the county of Gloucester, which William de Cheltenham, with Lord Berkeley, sat and executed many commissions alone, respecting the peace in this and other years ;" and on the 10th of March in the same year, Lord Berkeley " received the King's commission with William de Cheltenham, to see carefully to the preservation of the sea-coasts of the county." He was also possessed of property in the Pucklechurch Hundred, in this county. " It was found not to the King's injury if he granted license to Ealph, Bishop of Bath and Wells, to give 20 acres here, to William de Cheltenham, in exchange for 20 acres here, granted to the Bishop and his successors. The land of the above William de Cheltenham being held of the Bishop by two shillings per annum for all services ; there remaining to the above William, in Pucklechurch, a mess, and caruc, held by the above Bishop at three shillings per annum for all services." "William de Cheltenham, one of Lord Berkeley's stewards, held part of £40 land and rent here." u William de Cheltenham held in Abboteston, 2 mess, 4 caruc and 20 marks rent." Wooclmancote, in the Berkeley Hundred, having become alienated from the Berkeley family, it was repurchased by Thomas Lord Berkeley, in the name of William de Cheltenham and another of his stewards. A jury of landowners, appointed by Bichard II., to determine upon the rightful ownership of Hawksbury parish, in this county, decided " That the abbey of Per shore obtained certain lands and tenements called Wodecroft and Kildesley, within the demesne of Hawkesbury, from William de Cheltenham, without the King's license." Bichard de Cheltenham. — Great classical abilities, and an exalted piety, were among the chief characteristics of the next individual who is recorded as having adopted the family title. He is the first traceable person to whom the title of " Abbot of Cheltenham" is applied, which occurs in Prinn's account of Cirencester Abbey. He lived during the reigns of Henry V. and Edward IV., and was doubtless one of the Principals of 80 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM* the monastic establishment which existed from so early a period in the town. His successor to the title was one of the most shining literary ornaments of the fifteenth century. He filled the responsible office of Abbot in the place of his birth with such ability and zeal that he was promoted to be the Principal of Tewkesbury Abbey. This marked elevation to the charge of one of the most extensive and richly endowed local religious institutions then existing, clearly testifies the high opinion of his moral worth and intellectual attainments which was entertained by those with whom he lived and died, Richard de Cheltenham was one of the most celebrated divines of the reigns of Richard III. and Henry VII. He was unquestionably regarded as the principal official of the monastic institutions of this county, Leland says " Stanway was almost re-edified and augmentid by Abbate de Cheltenham, tempore Henrici VIL 3 ' Fur many years previous to his death he was Abbot of the rich and extensive Abbey of Tewkesbury, in which Abbey he died in 1509, and was there buried. His tomb is situated in the south aisle of what is now termed the Tewkesbury Abbey, or Parish Church ; a visit to it will convey to the reader an idea of the exalted position which our ancient townsman held in the monastic era. It is a long tomb of altar shape, displaying all around it the genuine Gothic order of architecture of Henry the Seventh's reign ; on the body of the tomb, very richly carved, are various emblems of the dignity of the deceased, besides crosiers, quatrefoils and shields gu which the letters R. C. (Richard of Cheltenham) are conspicuously engraved. In a recess over the tomb, formed by a curious arch, is some tracery of an unique character. The tomb was formerly in a much more perfect state than at present, for Willis relates that he saw the effigy of the Abbot reclining upon it in full proportion, not a vestige of which now remains. This memorial of native worth was restored by order of the authorities of Tewkesbury Church in 1827, an act highly creditable to them, and one which will tend to perpetuate for centuries to come the memory of the distinguished deceased. Richard de Cheltenham was elected Abbot of Tewkesbury Abbey, on August 3rd, 1481, and con- firmed in great pomp in the September following. He assisted in his pontificals at the funeral of the renowned Prince Arthur, eldest son of Henry VIL, who was interred at Worcester in 15 02. THE DE CHELTENHAM FAMILY. 81 Robert de Cheltenham, B.D., was educated for a monastic life, and acquired the degree of a bachelor of divinity. He was for many years an inmate of Tewkesbury Abbey, and was employed to transcribe the history of the period in connection with the accounts of the institution to which he belonged. In modern language he may be called a secretary, — " who was the registrar and chancellor of the Abbey " — a trust of some importance when the extent and income of the building is taken into consideration. At the time the Abbey passed into the hands of the Protestants our townsman was an inmate. As a mark of esteem of his past most exemplary career, the commissioners who seized the edifice on behalf of Henry YIIL, awarded to him an annual pension of £10. Eichard de Cheltenham stands distinguished as the third Prior of Tewkesbury Abbey ; he continued to hold office until the monastic dissolution, and had presented to him an annual pension of £6 13s. -kl. He was the last native of Cheltenham connected with this Abbey prior to its final destruction. The office of Prior was next in importance to that of Abbot. John de Cheltenham was coeval with bis two last named relatives, and, like them, was connected with the once extensive and richly endowed Tewkesbury Abbey. His occupation was that of chief sexton, and, at the confiscation of the Abbey, be bad a pension bestowed upon him of the same amount as was given to his last named contemporary. With John de Cheltenham our brief history of ancient local titles must close, for we cannot find any further mention of the name after the reign of Henry YIIL In the copies of the Parliamentary roils of Philip and Mary, quoted by Willis, and in the original book of pensions still preserved in the Augmen- tation Office, London, and belonging to - of manners and disposition. Her early loss will be long and severely lamented by her friend, and in a more particular manner by her afflicted husband, who, with the deepest regret* inscribes this marble to her memor\ . 8he left two children, too young to be sensible of their great loss, and died Aug. 13th, in the 30th year of her age, a.d 1780." William the Conqueror having resolved upon taking possession of this country, marched from Normandy with a large number of soldiers, commanded by the flower of the Norman nobility. William having captured our island, rewarded the nobles who accompanied him, by gifts of land and estates in different quarters of the kingdom. From these nobles have descended the De la Bere, Sherborne, and various other families of our locality. The original De la Beres obtained an estate at Kennersley, in Herefordshire, where they resided in great splendour. By inter- marriages, they became connected with some of the most dis- tinguished families of the " feudal ages; 55 among the number weie the Talbots, the Scudamores, and the Huddiestones. The last-named relationship with the De la Bere family was effected in the reign of Henry VII , — Sir John Huddlestone 5 s only daughter, E len, marrying Kinnard De la Bere, Esq. By this marriage, the adjacent mansion at Southam became the property of the De la Beres and continued in their possession until it was . sold some few years since to Lord Ellenborough. The fifth descendant of this ancient family, Richard De la Bere, Esq., was appointed by Edward III. Sheriff of Herefordshire, for ten successive years, viz., from 1362 to 1372. Another Richard Dela Bere also enjoyed the royal favour of Henry VII., and, for his heroic Gonduc* at the battle of Stoke, was created a baronet in the field by that monarch. To form a just idea of the many honourable marks of distinction that have been bestowed on successive members of this illustrious family, the reader should visit the family tomb at Cleeve Church. The various heraldic honours which adorn this memento, are far more convincing proofs of their greatness than the historian can adduce. In Prestbury church and yard, there are also tablets erected to the memory of the more recent members of the family, particularly the female branches. Some of the more ancient branches also repose within the precincts of the Cheltenham THE DE LA. BEEE FAMILY. 113 Parish Church. The De la Beres were connected on the female side with some of the early kings of England and Scotland, By marriage the family is descended from VVillliam of Scotland, and united with the line of PJantagenet. Stephen De la Bere married Matilda, daughter of Thomas Pye, Esq , by whom he had a daughter, Joan, who became the wife of Humphrey Bohun, Earl of Hereford, Essex, and Northampton, and high constable of England, by whom she was mother of two daughters, Eleanor and Mary. The former married to Thomas Piantagenet, surnamed of Woodstock, son of King Edward III., and uncle to King Eichard II. ; Mary married >to Henry Piantagenet, surnamed Bolingbroke, who was proclaimed King of England, by the name of Henry IV. Henry Y. was born from this marriage. Many other illustrious descendants on the female side might also be narrated down to a very recent period. Several of the early members of this family died without male issue, and the next of kin assumed the name and arms. In this way the surname Bagott became adopted. Kinnard De la Bere, Esq., dying in 1735, without a direct male descendant, the property and title devolved to his nephew, William Bagott, Esq., of Prestbury, whose descendants adopted the name of Bagott De la Bere. This title, however, also became extinct, in consequence of a want of male issue. " The labt of their race," on the male side, Thomas Bago.t De la Bere, died on Dec. 5, 1821, at the advanced age of 93. The crest of the De la Bere family was five ostrich feathers issuing out of a ducal coronet. This honourable mark of distinction was obtained by a very early ancestor — Sir Eichard De la Bere, at the ever memorable Battle of Cressy, for saving the life of Edward the Black Prince. This circumstance forms the most interesting portion of the history of this ancient family, as we shall endeavour to illustrate. Edward III. having laid claim to the crown of Prance, determined to prosecute that claim by force of arms ; he sailed from the port of Southampton with a thousand battle ships, containing thirty thousand men. He was accompanied by his son, who had just then attained his sixteenth year, and by the principal nobility of England. Among those who belonged to this locality, were — Sir Eichard De-la-Bere; Lord Chandos, whose remains are interred at Sudeley Castle ; and several members i 114 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. of the Berkeley, Sherborne, Hicks, and Trye families. The French army, which Edward III. had to encounter, was threefold more numerous than his own. By stratagem, the English king passed several of the great rivers, although closely pursued by the enemy, and landed on the opposite shore. The two armies were now in view of each other— the river forming the mark of separation. Edward III. spent the night in surrounding his position with trenches. The next morning, August 26, 1346, he drew up his army in three divisions, near the village of Cressy. The command of the first division he gave to his son, the Black Prince, giving him for his guides, Lord Chandos, and the brave Earl of Warwick. At three o'clock in the afternoon, the French army advanced. The attack was commenced by fifteen thousand Genoese cross-bowmen. But a shower falling, wetted their bow- strings, and their volley had no effect. The English archers,, whose weapons had been protected from the rain, immediately discharged their arrows, which told so well, as to throw the whole body of the enemy into confusion. The first blow decided the fortune of the day. The remainder of the affair was a rout, rather than a battle. The Genoese were trodden under foot, and cut to pieces, principally by the French themselves, who were pressed on every side by these, their allies, as much as by their enemies. At length, however, one of the divisions of the French army 3 having got clear of this tumult, suddenly attacked the Black Prince with great fury. At this important crisis, Sir. Richard De la Bere rushed to the rescue of the youthful prince, fighting sword in hand most valiantly, and preserved his life. This attack was followed by another, directed against the prince, by three fresh squadrons of French and Germans, On this, the Pari of Warwick despatched a messenger to King Edward, begging him to bring up his reserve, and save his son, * 5 Is the Prince dead, or wounded, or felled to the ground ?" inquired the King ; and on being told that he was still alive. " No, 53 said he, u the glory of this day shall be his own, as he deserves it should ; while he lives I shall not interfere." In a few minutes the French army were driven back : tbe Black Prince now in turn advanced witht iris men ; the English army bore down all before them. After the victory, the father arid his &on i«et, and embraced each other, their hearts exulting with joy and thankfulness. " God give grace, my dear son," said the father, " to preserve you in the THE DE LA BERE FAMILY. 115 work you have begun ; you have acquitted yourself nobly, and deserve the imperial crown for which we have fought." The youth bowed to the ground, and said nothing. With all his fire and daring in bat tie, he had none of the father's presumption ; and throughout his life, he never showed an inclination to take merit to himself, or to trample upon the rights of others. Early on the next morning, many thousands more of the enemy were slain, by a body of horsemen whom Edward sent forth to clear the country. It is said that altogether thirty thousand of the French fell in that memorable battle, among whom were the two Kings of Bohemia and Majorca, the nephew of the French King, three other sovereign princes, twenty-four baronets, twelve hundred knights, fifteen hundred gentlemen, and four thousand esquires. The English lost only three knights and one esquire, and but very few of the common soldiers. Victory being now decisive, and the scene of carnage ended, the nobility who had fought so nobly in the battle-field, were summoned into the presence of the King and his son. Title upon title, honour upon honour, estate upon estate, were bestowed successively upon all, according to their respective merits. The youthful Prince presented Eichard De la Bere to his father, and related the manner in which he had saved his life. The King first created him a knight, and then, in a most solemn manner, placed upon his head a ducal coronet, having fiYe ostrich feathers — a prize won from the enemy by the prince himself. A very curious old painting on pannel, which is engraved in Bigland's collections, still exists, representing Sir Eichard De la Bere, in a kneeling posture, receiving the crest after the battle, from Edward. This is supposed to have been executed soon after the introduction of oil painting in England, and is in good preservation. It is a remarkable fact, that a portion of the army that served under the Black Prince were " volunteers " from this county. They were three hundred in number, and commanded by Maurice Lord Berkeley. Of the valour of these Gloucestershire " rifles" in the olden time, Smith, in his " Lives of the Berkeley s," thus speaks, — " And I may avouch that the genius and natural courage of these my country Captaynes, and their soldiers, thus for ever renowned in this wonderful battle, liveth in their posterityes that now flourish, as the next ages will declare, when they have such a king and a prince to follow." 116 HISTORY Or CHELTENHAM. In later times this nam.3 and royalty were again brought into contact. Miss Burney, the maid of honour to Queen Charlotte, in her Journal of the Royal visit to Cheltenham in 1788, remarks, "The sweet Miss P received me with her usual kind joy, and introduced me to her friends, who are Mr. De la Bere, the master of the house and chief magistrate of Cheltenham, and his family." THE TRYE FAMILY. The Trye family have been most intimately connected with Cheltenham for several centuries. Many of their members have held local offices, and have taken an interest in promoting the welfare of the tjvvn. The Tryes are identified with the manor as owners, and with judicial and parochial institutions. In past times they have rendered great service by assisting in the establishment of benevolent societies, when the small population of the town rendered such a work one of difficulty. In order to increase the means of accommodation in the Parish Church, a female member of the Tryes — Mrs. Anne Norwood — in 1628 erected, at her own expense, a gallery at the west end. Several members of this ancient family are interred in the Parish Church and yard. One of their ancestors, William Norwood, Esq., was lessee of the manor of Cheltenham from 1589 to 1603, and was a person of considerable legal ability. In the 32nd year of Queen Elizabeth's reign, he was the defendant in an action brought against him by the Queen's Attorney-General, respecting the rights and customs of the manor. His knowledge of local records enabled him to obtain a verdict in his favour, as will be seen on referring to the account of this truly important trial, which will be found fully detailed in another part of this work. A more recent descendant stands distinguished as a medical practitioner, and as the author of many practical and useful schemes in the town and its vicinity. This was Charles Brandon Trye, Esq., E.K.S., many years Senior Surgeon to the Gloucester Infirmary. As a surgeon he attained the highest eminence in his art, in which he was deeply skilled. He died in 1811, and THE TRYE FAMILY. 117 a large and handsome monument is erected to his memory in Gloucester Cathedral. "The late Charles Brandon Trye "(writes his relative and biographer, the late Rev. Danl. Lysons) " was the elder son of the Rev. John Trye, of Haresfield and Leckhampton. He was born, August the 21st, 1757. At the age of seven he was placed at the Grammar School at Cirencester. His father died when he was in his ninth year, and his mother, of whose pious care in instructing him from his earliest childhood in religious duties he ever cherished the most grateful remembrance, survived him about two years. He was distinguished at school as a boy of bright parts, and soon acquired the common attainments of scholastic education. A facility of writing Latin, which he then possessed, he retained through life, as appears by a medical book which he left behind him in that language, and a brief memoir of himself found among his papers." This facility of writing Latin was kept up by him in after-life, by a constant perusal of the classics, although he was not urged, like many of the clergy who are classical preceptors, to refer to them so frequently and attentively for the purpose of instructing pupils. But he lets us into the secret of this penchant for literary pursuits, by saying that he was " scientiae amantissimus " [most fond of knowledge], as well as from his good mother's early instruction, " religionis verse observans" [observant of true religion]. No wonder, then, that Trye, ever joining together religious and secular learning, should have left behind him many devout prayers and meditations in English and Latin, which he had written and used for his own help and direction, and that he should have been capable of writing a work in Latin for the press, and of publishing in English several pamphlets on professional subjects of great merit. Such devotion to the Most High, united with devotedness to a most useful profession, produced, as might be expected, sentiments and services which will probably continue to be so many sources of blessing to many generations yet to come. Dr. Trye, during his residence in the locality, took an interest in the welfare of the town. He was one of the personal friends of the immortal discoverer of vaccination — Dr. Jenner, then a local practitioner. Dr. Trye warmly espoused the theory of Jenner, as to the value of innoculation by cow pox ; and th e 118 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. pages of the Cheltenham Chronicle down to 1817, contain many eloquent letters written in Jenner's defence, and against the prejudices that then locally existed. l)r. Trye was not alone celebrated for his medical knowledge ; he was of a philosophic turn of mind, and suggested and carried into effect many important improvements in this loc dity. He formed the plan by which the barren rock of the adjoining hill of Leckhampton was rendered profitable, by opening quarries, which he found to contain stone of durable quality, and capable of being worked with great facility. He projected, and at his own expense constructed the tram-road leading from the quarries on Leckhampton hill to the Cheltenham and Gloucester tram- road. The present family representative is the Eev. C. B. Trye, the resident rector of Leckhampton. Like his ancestor, Dr. Trye, this gentleman devotes much of his time to the promotion of works of practical utility. The Eev. C. B. Trye is one of the Cheltenham Magistrates, and a valuable member of the Board of Guardians, rendering assistance and support to all disinterested schemes for improving the pauper, morally and socially. He has for many years been a constant attendant at the weekly meetings of the Guardians, and has filled the office of chairman. With other local institutions of a benevolent character, he is also connected. As a preacher, Mr. Trye is highly acceptable, and evinces earnestness and simplicity. The wants of his poorer parishioners also occupy his attention, as is manifest by the establishment of a Free School for the rising generation, and the adoption of the allotment system for adults. In an agricul- tural parish such institutions must undoubtedly be a great boon. The Trye family are of ancient origin, and derive their name from the town of Trye, in Normandy. The surviving members are descended, collaterally by the female line from the Norwood family, and lineally from the Norman Tryes. In more ancient times, the Tryes have been associated with events of national interest. Beginald de Trye was slain in a battle near Bruges, in 1302. Matthew de Trye did homage, as marshal of France, to Edward II. , for lands in Ponthein, and Sir James de Trye was taken prisoner and brought to England in the reign of Henry IY. Kawlin de Trye, the first of the name resident in Gloucestershire, married in 1380, an heiress of the house of Berkeley, and became invested with a manor in that parish. THE TltYE FAMILY. 119 His third descendant, John Trye, married Elizabeth, daughter and co-heiress of Sir Almeric de Boteler a Park, and in 1449, obtained as her dower, the manor of Hardwick, which remained rested in this family for five generations. Thomas Trye, Esq., who possessed Hardwick in 1730, having obtained the per- mission of Parliament, sold it in 1733 to Sir Philip Yorke, then Attorney-General, who on his being appointed Lord Chancellor of England, was created Baron, and afterwards Earl of Hardwick. John Trye, Esq., was twice chosen M.P. for the city of Gloucester, and was the first Mayor of that city, to which office he was appointed in 1483, by Bichard III., when he granted the charter by which the civil government was altered. John, the second son of William Trye, Esq., married Elizabeth Gourney, niece and co-heiress of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, the favourite of Henry VIII., and distinguished by the attachment of that King's sister, Mary, Queen of Louis XL The Eev. John Trye, vicar of Haresfield, married Mary, daughter of the Eev. Thomas Norwood, then Lord of the Manor, and patron and incumbent of the Leckhampton rectory. Their son, Charles Brandon Trye, Esq., became possessed of the manor and advowson on the death of his cousin, Henry Norwood, Esq. A very celebrated member of this family is distinguished for his heroic conduct in the history of the protracted civil wars ; this was Colonel Henry Norwood : — " He was most warmly attached to Charles I., and shared persecutions with that monarch's partizans. In the reign of Charles II. he was made governor of Tangiers. He was once, with a ship's crew, reduced to such an extremity for want of provisions, that — " Out they spoke for lots of flesh and blood, And who should die to be his fellow's food. ***** The lots were made, and marked, and mixed, and handed In sileut horror !" and the victim was permitted to descend into the hold and prepare himself for death — but the very horror of his situation saved them the necessity of shedding his blood ; he expired from actual fear as soon as he descended. Notwithstanding his fate, their hunger overcame all scruples, and they devoured the body." 120 HISTOHY OF CHELTENHAM. " Colonel Henry Norwood, who held the estate in the reign of Charles L, was eminently loyal to that ill fated monarch, and distinguished in the civil war by his valiant spirit." cc His third descendant, John Trye, married Elizabeth, daughter and co-heiress of Sir Almeric de Boteler a Park, and in 1449, obtained as her dower, the manor of Hard wick, which remained vested in his family for five generations. Hardwiek, pursuant to an Act of Parliament obtained for that purpose in 1730, by Thomas Trye, Esq., was sold in 1773, to Sir Phillip Yorke, then Attorney-General, who, upon his being appointed Lord Chancellor of England, was created Baron, and afterwards Earl of Hardwiek in Gloucestershire" (Griffiths). The first settlement of the family in this immediate locality was by possession of the Leckhampton Manor, in 1486. Pudge says that the property at that date, "came by marriage of Eleanor, daughter and co-heiress of John GifFard, Esq., to John Norwood, from whom it descended in right line to Henry Norwood, Esq., who dying in 1797, left it by will to Charles Brandon Trye, Esq., of Gloucester, great grandson of Thomas Trye, Esq , of Hardwiek, who married Mary, daughter of Thomas Norwood, Esq., of Leckhampton. Both are very ancient families. The former trace their origin from the Norwoods of Kent, in the reign of Henry II., and the monument of Jordan Norwood, the ancestor, is still to be seen in Minster church. The Tryes, as appears on the family monument at Hardwiek, in this county, derived their name and origin from a town called Trye, whence they came into England about six hundred years ago. Pawl in Trye was the first of the family, and Charles Brandon Trye, Esq., the thirteenth lineal descendant from him. Hardwiek (four miles from Gloucester), in 1449, came to John Trye, by right of marriage with Elizabeth, the co-heiress, in which family it continued for more than three hundred years. The South Chancel of Hardwiek church is the dormitory of the family of Trye, and has many monuments and memorials of their family." HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 121 TriE HICKS FAMILY. The Hicks family are connected with the past history of our religious and judicial institutions. During the seventeenth century, the rectory was purchased of King James by Sir Baptist Hicks ; and ever since that period successive members have, by their residence and aid, assisted in advancing the welfare of the town. The collateral descendant, Lady Cromie, is often a sojourner, and her name (like her ancestors,) is to be found on the " contribution list" of many of our local charities. AVithin the past half century, the sole administrator of justice in Cheltenham was the late male representative of the Hicks family, then William Hicks, Esq. At this period he resided in a house situated near the site of the present Belle Yue Hotel ; and, in more recent times, after he became, by heirship, possessed of the title of Sir W. Hicks, Bart., he was the senior magistrate. In 1798, he formed and commanded, for several years, the Cheltenham Volunteer Infantry — a body of inhabitants associated together on account of the contemplated French invasion, and who received from George III. special thanks for their services. In 1830, in consequence of a circular from Lord Melbourne, a public meeting was held at the Assembly Rooms, to take steps to prevent the incendiary riots then so prevalent. Sir TV. Hicks, as senior magistrate, presided. The Bev, E. Close proposed this resolution, — " This meeting has the satisfaction to be enabled to declare, that the general conduct of the inhabitants of this town and district, so far as their experience goes, has been loyal and peaceable." By possession of the rectory, officially and by residence, the Hicks family have now been connected with Cheltenham for upwards of three centuries. Various branches of the family stand distinguished for valiant deeds and good qualities in the annals of the past, and it is a singular coincidence, that the first time the Hickses were celebrated, was during the same engage- ment which called into notice an early ancestor of another ancient local family, the De la Beres. Sir Ellis Hicks, who was a favourite at the court of Edward III., received an appointment to attend Edward the Black Prince in his warlike tour, which so triumphantly ended with the battle of Cressy. Sir E, Hicks 122 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. displayed such valour at that memorable battle, that in consequence of his having taken a standard from the enemy, the king gave him ihreefeurs de lis for his armorial bearings, and created him a knight banneret. His descendant, John Hicks, settled at Tortworth, in this county, where he died in 1486, and his estate devolved to Robert Hicks, of London, who had three sons, Michael, Francis, and Baptist, The former of these, who died in 1612, purchased the Witcomb Manor, which has since been possessed by his descendants, all of whom have been intimately connected with this town. His brother, Baptist Hicks, who was knighted by James I. in 1620, and created Viscount Campden by Charles I., purchased the Cheltenham Rectory. He was a man of great enterprise, and accumulated considerable wealth. He built Hicks Hall, in London, and a mansion at Campden, in this county, of a very remarkable character. Its site covered eight acres of ground. It had four fronts, and a large dome issued from the roof, which was lighted during the night, and formed a guide to the weary traveller. The building of this princely abode cost Sir B. Hicks £30,000, yet it was all destroyed by its owner during the civil wars, that it might not form a garrison for Oliver Cromwell's troops — an act to be lamented, for the house was never approached by insurgents. The elder brother of Sir Baptist was Michael Hicks, who was an eminent lawyer, and became secretary to the Lord Burleigh. He received the honour of knighthood in 1612. His son, William, was created a baionet by James I. in 1619, and was a warm partizan of that monarch during the period of the rebellion. He died in 1680, leaving issue, two sons, William and Michael, who were knighted in their infancy by Charles II. Sir William, knight and baronet, died in 1703, having issue — Henry and Charles. Sir Henry died in 1754, leaving two sons, Robert and Michael. The latter died unmarried in 1764, and Sir Robert in 1768, without issue. The title was next enjoyed by Sir John Baptist Hicks, the son of Charles, who dying without issue in 1791, was succeeded by Sir Howe Hicks, grandson of Sir Michael. Upon the death of Sir Howe, the title and estate devolved to Sir William Hicks, Bart., who died on October 23, 1834, at the age of 82. His daughter, Lady Cromie, resides at the ancient mansion at Witcomb, six miles from Cheltenham — a locality the most charming that can be THE HICKS FAMILY. 123 conceived, and which comprehends a routine of mountain and vale scenery, little inferior to any landscape view in fair Italy. Sir William was succeeded by Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Bart., M.P. for the county, who died in 1854. " The late baronet was grandson of Michael Hicks, second son of Sir Howe Hicks, who assumed the surname of Beach upon marrying, in 1779, Henrietta Maria, only daughter of W. Beach, Esq., of Nertheravon. Their son, Michael Beach, born in 1780, married, 26th January, 1809, Caroline Jane, eldest daughter of W. Mount, Esq., of Wasing Place, Berks. To them was born, in ] 809, Michael Hicks, the late baronet, who had consequently, when he died, but just completed his 45th year. Sir Michael married, 14th August, 1832, Harriett Yittoria, daughter of John Stratton, Esq., of Northamptonshire, by whom he leaves Sir Michael Edward, born 23rd October, 1857, the present baronet, and a family of six other children, one son and five daughters. 55 (Clieltenham Examiner, Dec. 6, 1854). Sir Baptist Hicks, Bart., who was so long connected with the Impropriate Rectory of Cheltenham, was thrice returned Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury. In Bennett's History of that ancient borough, it is recorded that " Sir Baptist Hicks, Bart., that mirror of his time, was created Yiscount Campden by Charles I., in 1628. He was a great mercer in London, at the accession of James I., and acquired so large a fortune, principally by supplying the courts with silks, that he left his two daughters JB1 00,000 each. He built a large house in St. John's Street, for the Justices of Middlesex to hold their Sessions in : this, although it is now demolished, still gives to the sessions house the name of Hicks Hail, In Campden Church is a stately altar tomb, on a raised slab of black marble, with the effigies recumbent of Yiscount Campden and his lady, in their robes of state and coronets. The canopy is supported by twelve pillars, of Egyptian marble. The following is a part of the inscription on one of the tablets : — " To the memory of her dear deceased husband, Baptist Lord Hicks, Yiscount Campden, born of a worthy family in the city of London, who, by the blessing of God on his ingenious endeavours, arose to an ample estate, and to the aforesaid degree of honour ; and out of those blessings disposed to charitable uses, in his life time, a large portion, to the value of £10,000, who lived religiously, virtuously, and 124 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, generously, to the age of seventy-eight years, and died Oct. 18, 1629." His lordship left, by will, considerable property to charitable purposes, particularly to the poor of Tewkesbury, Campden, and places adjacent. THE SKILLICORNE FAMILY. At the early part of the eighteenth century, the Parish Church, Grammar School, Alms House, two markets, a few inns and straggling houses, denoted the High Street. The native stream of the Chelt passed by ; and one pump, or fC common fountain," (as the manorial books record) was placed in the centre, for the use of its rural inhabitants. Without the line of this main street were farms and pasture lands, with all the accompaniments of a rustic life. The " church stile" across the mead led to a miry lane, bounded by a brook overshadowed with trees. On the opposite side of the rivulet a green field might be seen, where nature revelled unadorned save by the hay stack and farm stead. Beneath a sandy surface, a thick blue clay was exposed to view, and a spring of water oozed out, which spread itself a few yards upon the ground, and then was evaporated by the heat of the sun, leaving salt crystals behind, as if to mark its course. Flocks of pigeons came daily, as well as the cattle of the farmers, to drink at this alkaline well. At length its curious particles scattered on the earth, attracted attention, and its medicinal virtues were made known. It was then circumscribed by a kind of mound, surrounded by a rude fence, and a small THE SKILLICORXE FAMILY. 125 shed thrown over it. Such was Cheltenham south of the Old Church, in 1716. And what is the condition of the same ground in this the nineteenth century ? — It is covered w T ith stately mansions, elegant villas, groups of terraces, as repre- sented in our sketches, spas, and ornamented w r ith its Promenale of lofty elm trees, pronounced by Moreau to be "the most beautiful artificial walk in England." Where was once the rude team driven by the whistling carter along an almost impassable road, is now a beautiful drive, upon which the equippage of the great and wealthy hourly appears. Whence th ; s change and wonderful transformation in little more then a century of time ? By whose aid and help was the farm yard supplanted, and the fashionable promenade substituted in its stead ? — It was the work of an individual, whose name and family pedigree we here record. We trust that it may be the means of perpetuating the memory of one to whom the town at large stands so deeply indebted. The mineral waters had been discovered, but it required a man with spirit and enterprise to make the world acquainted with the fact. There lay the treasure in the bow T els of the earth, surrounded by unapproachable roads, and used by the rude population, or conveyed away to distant villages by the uncultivated carrier on his horse and pillion. These almost untoward circumstances seemed to present insur- mountable obstacles to any change, but they were all overcome 126 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. by the indomitable perseverance of Captain Henry Skillicorne. This noble minded man first came to the town (whose fortunes he so improved) in 1738. The ground which contained the spring of water, was the property of a Mr. Mason, whose daughter Captain Skillicorne had married. Upon that gentle- man's death, the Captain, who was residing at Bristol, became, in right of his wife, the owner. Upon his settlement in Cheltenham he turned his attention to his estate, and commenced and perfected those improvements, which will for ever identify his name with our local history. He laid out the Old Well walks, planned the roads and drives around, and planted that stately row of elm trees which have been so much admired by visitors. These beautiful elms have now withstood the rude blast for nearly a century ; and beneaih their shady repose many an invalid has enjoyed the invigorating breeze and shelter from the summer's heat. " Hear nature's voice, and share in her delights ; To taste pure joy she every one invites, To every sense has she not cater' d well ? Are not her pleasures more than tongue can tell ? Choose ye the shade ? my ancient walk will suit ; With which for rivalship who will dispute ? Its towr'ing elms their leafy heads display, And quite exclude the sultry heat of day. When at my earliest fount, you turning trace The vista's length, see with what pleasing grace, It seems to finish with thut time worn srire, A termination doubtless you admire." Tovetfs " GhdienkamP THE SKILLICORNE FAMILY. 127 " Captain Skillicorne planted those noble elms which now adorn the Upper and Lower Walks of the Old Spa, and which excite the admiration of every visitor. I honour the compre- hensive mind, that, like John Evelyn in his rambles, saw the giant oak in the tiny acorn, which he planted as he strolled aLng ; and I never repose under the shade of these stately trees, which overarch the wide promenade leading to the Koyal Old Well, but I invoke a blessing on his memory, and murmur to the w r hispering leaves a sufferer's gratitude." (Letters on Cheltenham). Captain Skillicome erected a pump room, rooms over the different wells that he formed, and ultimately established the first Spa. He lived to the patriarchal age of 84 years. In twenty-five years after he had passed away, his labours were justly appreciated by royalty, when George the Third and members of the royal family drank of those waters which he had been the means of making known, and the result has been ever since a progressive population, which has now reached to 40,000 1 He was indeed a remarkable man The manuscripts which exist in his handwriting, and which we have frequently quoted, have afforded us most valuable information in preparing our work for the press. Captain Skillicome died in 1763, and the work of improvement which he commenced was carried on by his descendant, William Skillicorne, Esq., w T ho was gathered to his fathers in 1803. This gentleman erected the late Bay's Hill House, which was the residence of King George the Third during his visit, and of which we give a beautiful illustration in our frontispiece. He let it on lease to the Earl of Fauconberg, which accounts for its having been called Fauconberg Lodge ; and that nobleman placed this mansion at His Majesty's disposal. The King was so pleased with the fine situation, that he built additional rooms at his own expense. Wm. Skillicorne, Esq., died unmarried, and his sister Elizabeth married the Rev. Thos. Nash,,D.D., Rector of Salford, Oxon. The issue of this marriage was three daughters and one son — the Rev. Richard Skillicorne Nae-h, B.A., who held the same rectory as his father. This divine was the heir to the family estates, which he inherited under the will of William Skillicorne, Esq., and henceforth took the name of Skillicorne. The Rev. R S. N. Skillicorne married Anna Maria Ballinger, only daughter of William Ballinger,Esq., IBS HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. of Cheltenham, and had issue, two daughters and one son, the present William Nash Skillicorne, Esq , Magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant of the county. This gentleman, like his ancestor, Captain Skillicorne, has effected some most beneficial changes on the estate. The ground which surrounded the King's residence had all the appearance of a country field, and its grove and rows of oak trees, and foot paths and rude stiles yet live in the memory of many. This rural drive is now converted into one of the most beautiful and valuable estates on the south side of the town, and known as the Bays Hill Estate. It com- mences at the Royal Old Wells and extends to the boundaries of Lansdown and the Gloucester road. It is covered with the mansions of the wealthy, and the taste of the architect has been developed in the order and variety of the style of building. It is now one of the most fashionable localities, and the property of the highest value. To the present family representative, W. N. Skillicorne, Esq., we are indebted for this great improve- ment. He it was who first planned and devised the laying out of the ground which has now become an ornament to our beautiful town. Mr. Skillicorne also takes a great interest in all local institutions of a benevolent nature, takes an active part, and bestows his patronage upon whatever is promoted to advance the interest of the town at large. Miss Skillicorne married the Rev. J. Bricknell, rector of Enysham, in Oxfordshire. James Eallon, Esq., barrister at law, is a collateral relative (having married Miss Skillicorne, Mrs. Bricknell's sister, and daughter of the Rev. R. Skillicorne), and like the family to which he is allied, he takes an active part in promoting every movement set on foot for benefitting the town in which he resides. During his occupancy of Bays Hill house he was honoured with a visit from H.R.H. the Duke of Cambridge, in 1835, and conducted the Duke through all the apartments occupied by his royal parent, George III. The Duke took a deep interest in every object that was allied to the King's memory. The memory of a man like Captain Skillicorne, who has done so much to advance the interests of the locality, deserves to be for ever kept up. The influence which he exercised induced one of his descendants to order in his will that his executors should erect a monument to him, and the desirable object was carried : 'i m THE SKILLICORNE FAMILY. 129 into effect. It is situated in the Parish Church, not far from the pulpit, and is a well executed large white marble tablet. In a historical point of view, the inscription is of the highest value, by supplying dates and particulars that tend to elucidate the modern History of Cheltenham. We here transcribe it verbatim, with the assurance that the reader will feel how deep a debt of gratitude we owe to the subject of the memorial. "In memory of Captain Henry Skillicorne, born at Kirk Lonnon, in the Isle of Mann, in 1678, taught by Dr. Wilson, bishop, and justly called the good bishop of that island. When young he went to sea, and was many years in the employ of and concerned with Jacob Elton, Esq., merchant, in Bristol, whose relation, Sarah Goldsmith, of that city, he married. She dyed in childbed with two children. He, in 1731, married Elizabeth Mason, then of Bristol, daughter of William Mason, of Chelt- enham, gentlemen, by Margaret Surman, daughter of John Surman, of Treddington, in this county, Esq, He, qui ting the sea after forty years service, they resided together some years at Bristol, and in 1738 came to live upon their estate in this town, where he gave his mind to encrease the knowledge and extend the use of Cheltenham Spa, which became his property. He found the Old Spring open and exposed to the weather. He made the well there as it now is, made the walks and planted the trees of the upper and lower Parades, and by conduct in- genious and manners attentive, he with the aid of many worthy persons in the town and neighbourhood, brought this most salutary Water to just estimation and extensive use, and ever presiding with esteem in the walks, saw it visited with benefit by the greatest persons of the age, as so established its reputntion, that his most gracious Majesty King George the Third, with his most amiable Queen Charlottee, and the Princess Eoyal Augusta and Elizabeth, their daughters, visited it, drinking the waters, and residing, from the 12th July to the 16th August, both inclusive, 1788, in the Lodge House, built by William Skilli- corne, the proprietor thereof, and of the Spa, son of Captain Skillicorne, on his Bays Hill, near thereto, for, and then, and now in Lease to the Eight Honourable Earl Eauconberg, who, receiving benefit from this water, for many years spread its good name. Wm. Miller, Esq., the tenant of the Spa, and others of the town, erected new buildings, paved, cleansed, and lighted ISO HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. the street, encouraged by the gentlemen of the neighbourhood making new roads. The King discovered the New Spring like the Old, which his Majesty steaned and secured, and built Seventeen Booms at the Lodge House at his own expense, and graciously gave to Mr. Skillicorne, in whose ground, near the House, it was, at the instance of Earl "Fauconberg. Captain Skillicorne was buried the 18th October, 1763, with his. son Henry, by his last wife, at the west door on the inside of this church, aged 84 years, he was an excellent sea man of tryed courage. He visited most of the great trading ports of the Mediterranean, up the Archipelago, Morea, and Turkey, Spain, Portugal, and Yenice, and several of the North American ports, Philadelphia, and Boston, and Holland, and could do business in seven tongues. He was of great regularity and probity, and so temperate as never to have been once intoxicated. Beligious without hypocrisy, grave without austerity, of a cheerful con- versation without levity, a kind husband and tender father. Tall, erect, robust, and active. From an ill treated wound, while a prisoner, after an engagement at sea, he became a strict valetu- dinarian. He lived and died an honest man. Mrs. Elizabeth Skillicorne, a Quaker, was buried in the Quaker's Grave Yard,, upon the 14 April, 1779, a virtuous woman, a good wife, and tender mother. William Skillicorne, Esq., died April 12, 1 80S, aged 66 years." THE JENNER FAMILY Dr. Jenner, the celebrated discoverer of vaccination, resided for many years in Cheltenham, and his family have been connected with the county for nearly two centuries. This great philan- thropist, who discovered the means of preventing the spread of a life-destroying disease, was born at Berkeley, on May 17, 1749, died on Jan. 26, 1823, at the age of 74, and was buried at Berkeley Church. " It is worthy of remark," says Dr. Fosbroke, " that the house which Dr. Jenner inhabited on his first settling in Cheltenham is situated opposite a drug shop, in the lower part of the High- street, then considered a capital, now an inferior residence. 55 Afterwards he resided at No. 8, St. George's-place. Eov bomQ years he was the sole physician of note in the town. THE JENNER FAMILY. 131 "Dr. Jenner was one of the original Commissioners named in the Cheltenham Improvement Act of 1821. He was also a local Justice of the Peace. To the late Dr. Barron of Cheltenham, the world is indebted for one of the best memoirs of the great philanthropist. The work was published in two volumes, and contained his private correspondence. From the close intimacy which subsisted between the author and Dr. Jenner, the every- day life of the latter is amply revealed. The life of Dr. Jenner is the history of an amiable being, whose, sphere was amid the creations of nature aud the pursuits of a benignant and placid philosophy — a gentle spirit full of tranquil thoughts and tem- perate impulses In establishing the cause of vaccination, Dr. Jenner showed the wisdom of one well versed in the disposition of men, and the knowledge of such modes of conviction as are most acceptable to the human mind. In 1824, a marble statue, to the memory of Dr. Jenner, was erected in Gloucester Cathedral. It is situate at the West end ©f the nave, and is the first object that meets the eye upon entering the edifice. It was executed by Siever of London, and is stated by Chantry to be, " among the modern monuments of the Church, the first in distinction and merit." The Doctor is re- presented in the gown of his Oxford degree, which gives a fine display of drapery, and adds height and dignity to the figure. In his right hand he holds a scroll; and in his left the appro- priate academic cap. The whole figure is beautifully distin- guished by classical elegance and simplicity. The statue is seven feet in height, placed upon a pedestal and base of eight feet. Upon the die of the pedestal is simply inscribed tc Edward Jenner," with the time and place of his birth and death; eulogium being an unnecessary accompaniment to a name which is never breathed but with blessings, and which has won its way into the remotest corner of the habitable globe. A glass memorial window has also been now added to the list of testimonials. The Crystal Palace displays a beautifully executed plaster, and the streets of London a bronze statue, of colossal dimensions, of Dr. Jenner, designed by William Calder Marshall, A K. A. The family of the great philanthropist had long been con- nected with the county. The first known ancestor is buried at Standish Church, in this county, and from the inscription on the 132 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. monument, it appears that he died Dec. 16, 1667, at the age of 56. From this person the pedigree commences, and continues seriatim to the subject of the present sketch. The next descendant was Stephen Jenner, who was born at Slimbridge, and was buried there in 1727. At this village the family con- tinued to reside for a number of years, and the greater portion of them are buried in the Church. The Eev. S. Jenner, M.A., of Pembroke College, Oxford, Vicar of Berkeley, and Eector of Bockhampton, who died in 1754, married the daughter of the prebendary of Bristol, and sister to the Eev. H. Head. M.A. y Eector of Cranford, and Dr. Head, the Master of Saint Catherine's Hospital, London, and had issue a numerous family , some of whom will be noticed. The Eev. S. Jenner, B.D., was Eector of Tittleton, Wilts, and many years perpetual curate of Stone. He died in 1797, distinguished alike for his learning and benevolence. Gardner, in his " Miscellanies" thus pour- trays his character : — " He was a man of excellent good sense,, of a retired turn of mind ; but which never prevented the exercise of the very liberal and generous virtues of his heart. The most shining part of his character was a quiet amiable modesty, which shrunk from everything bearing the most distant resemblance to ostentation ; . for nature seemed to have formed him for the uniform practice of that Divine religion whose revelation he sincerely believed. His critical observations were peculiarly penetrative and judicious ; and his learning and general abilities, were much greater than his modesty would permit him to display." The Eev. Henry Jenner, M.A., who died in 1798, was chaplain to the Earl of Aylesbury; he had a a son, ^ person of eminence in the army, who was unfortunately shipwrecked off the Island of Portland, Nov. 18, 1796, on his way to the West Indies. In a narrative of the event by Mrs. Charlotte Smith, 8 vol. 1796, it is said that " Lieutenant Jenner was the representative of an ancient and much respected family in Gloucestershire. He had been many years a lieutenant of marines, but had engaged in Colonel Whitelock's regiment, on the promise of a company which his long services entitled him to. He possessed all those engaging and manly qualities which belong to the gentleman, the soldier, and the friend ; and it may with truth be said, that he was esteemed by all who knew him." Henry Jenner, M.D. and F.L.S., who died in 1798> was pro- THE JENNER FAMILY. 133 vincial grand master of the Freemasons for the city of Bristol. His daughter married the Eev. W. Davis, Eector of Eastington. Their youngest child was the celebrated Edward Jenner, E.R.S. and M.D., who, 1788, married Catherine, daughter of Robert Eitzhardinge Kingscote, Esq., of Kingscote. " In the list of discoveries and inventions for the relief of suffering humanity, no man can overlook the world-wide debt of gratitude owed by mankind to Dr. Jenner, the first to apply the discovery of vaccination to the mitigation of that awful pest, the smallpox, by which millions, informer days, were hurried to their graves. I will not call him the inventor— he did a better thing for us — he made use of the discovery, and taught us how to apply it ; and as long as the world stands, I believe the name of Jenner will be remembered not only in England, but all over the world. — (Rev. S. Lysons). Dr. Jen nee. — In his latter years he was not a very early riser ; but he always spent some part of his time in his study before he appeared at the breakfast table. When in London and at Cheltenham, he generally assembled his scientific and literary friends around him at this hour. Some came for the pleasure of his conversation ; some to receive instruction in the history and practice of vaccination. In the country, where his guests were generally his own immediate connexions or his intimate friends, the originality of his character came out in the most engaging manner. He almost always brought some in- tellectual offering to the morning repast. A new fact in natural history, a fossil, or some of the results of his meditations, supplied materials for conversation; but, in default of these, he would produce an epigram, or a fugitive jeu d'esprit ; and did not disdain even a pun when it oame in his way. His mirth and gaiety, except when under the pressure of domestic calamity or bodily illness, never long forsook him ; and even in his old age, the facility with which he adapted his conversation and his manners to the most juvenile of his associates was truly interest- ing. To have seen and heard him at such times one could hardly believe that he was advanced in years, or these years had been crowded with events so important. — Baron s Life of Jenner. Charles James Eox. — The celebrated Charles James Eox, during a residence at Cheltenham, had frequent intercouse with 134 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Jenner. His mind had been a good deal poisoned as to the character of cow-pox by his family physician, Moseley. In his usual playful and engaging manner, he said one day to Jenner, " Pray, Dr. Jenner, tell me of this cow-pox that we have heard so much about :— What is it like?" " Why, it is exactly like the section of a pearl on a rose leaf." This comparison, which is not less remarkable for its accuracy than for its poetic beauty, struck Mr. Fox very forcibly. He laughed heartily, and praised the simile. The first manifestation of that talent which was afterwards so pre-eminently conspicuous, was in a series of papers read to the members of the Eoyal Society, more especially on the habits of the cuckoo, a bird whose characteristics were before unknown. After a cautious examination of the disease called cow-pox, which was particularly prevalent in this country among the cows, Dr. Jenner discovered that the inoculation of persons with this disease was a preventative to the ravages of small-pox. He tried the experiment, and the result fully established his fame, and has spread blessings on a large portion of the civilized world. Dr. Jenner made known this important discovery with all the simplicity and modesty which ever mark the man of merit ; he sought not riches for his trouble, but finding it would benefit the human race, freely made it known, and the only public emolument he received was a small parliamentary grant. To record on the tomb that he was the inventor of vaccine inocu- lation is enough permanently to designate him to future ages as the greatest contributor to the physical interests of mankind, in this or any other country. No antecedent improvement in medi- cine can rank in direct utility with this single one. In every qurrter of the globe where it has been actively disseminated, it has effected an immense saving in the destruction of human life, and of human suffering and deformity. In our Eastern and Western colonies, and all over the continent of America, the small-pox has been universally checked. In the European nations of Russia, France, Prussia, Austria, Sweden, and Holland, the small-pox is nearly extinct. The solid basis upon which vaccination now rests, leaves not a doubt of its ultimate success in liberating mankind from a physical evil of the greatest and most horrible description, and produces the convic- tion that the acumen of Dr. Jenner's reputation is now bu THE JENNER FAMILY. 135 incipient, and that at its highest it will stand elevated and unrivalled amongst ancient and modern contributions to the good of humanity. An Institution was established some years since in London, with a view to carry out the benevolent inten- tions of the subject of this sketch, under the title of the " Eoyai Jennerian Institution." There is a summer house on Cieeve Hill, in the midst of a wood, which Dr. Jenner used to visit for the purpose of obtaining the vaccine from the cows belonging to the farmers in that neigh- bourhood. Alpha House, on Bayshill, was also used by the philanthropist for the purpose of gratuitous vaccination. So strong was the public prejudice at the first introduction of this new discovery, that the premises referred to were for a long time known as the "Pest House." This residence was after- wards used as a Seminary by Mr. Wilderspin, one of the most zealous promoters of Infant Schools, who resided there for a great number of years. It is now occupied by Mr. G. Norman, the proprietor of the Cheltenham Examiner. " Few persons have brought their talents to bear with more effect in promoting the health and life and vital activity of multitudes of human beings, in almost all parts of the civilized world, than the immortal Dr. Jenner, of Berkeley, in this county. His career, from beginning to end, was one undeviating course of study, which resulted in investigating and making generally known a remedy against the virulence and danger, and ulti- mately against the prevalence, of the small pox. This horrid disease, we all know, was so sudden in its approach, and so deadly and disfiguring in its usual results, as to occasion a general mortality and panic wherever it was not speedily and skilfully counteracted, like a complete plague. Dr. Jenner, by degrees, and after years of anxious meditation and actual observation, applied what, from an early period, his well-trained genius had led him to consider an antidote to a most infectious and des- tructive malady. ' In attempting to unfold character, (writes his able historian, the late eminent Dr. Baron, of this city), ' it is not less instructive than it is interesting to find in the private history of a distinguished individual the successive links in the chain of events by which it pleased Providence to conduct him to that eminence where shines the splendour of his genius and his intellect. This progress, in the case of Jenner, can luckily 136 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. be delineated with much accuracy. While yet a youth, and just entering on his elemenary studies, that impression was made upon his mind which laid the foundation of all his future researches respecting vaccination ; and with the constancy of a character fitted and fashioned for great achievements, it was never permitted to escape from his consideration till it terminated in that wonderful discovery, the effects of which all nations have enjoyed.' The mind, I may add, which always and uninterruptedly teemed with this happy discovery, was kept up in due action by every kind of analogous study, nor was it ever allowed to grow feeble by indolence, nor empirical by experience alone. No ; Dr. Jenner conjoined study and experi- ence as inseparable companions, being both together, though not apart, productive of sound and rational improvements. And he constantly made additions to his stock of knowledge and general information, as subservient to his grand project, the extension of human life and usefulness. Thus he studied ornithology and geology, with the Jaws of physiology and pathology; and he made himself acquainted with the classical and French languages ; while he occasionally relaxed in playing on the flute, and in taking a leading part in musical entertainments. These various pursuits, besides his medical profession, tended to draw out and keep in harmony his strong intellectual powers in a right direction, and issued in forming a model of perpetual admiration for literati of every class to imitate. "Asa man may be known from his companions, so Di\ Baron's turn of mind may be inferred from his association with Dr* Jenner. We see in the former, as well as in the latter, a mind enlarged and invigorated by daily habits of thought and research. Dr. Baron, having passed through school and college with credit and distinction, made constant progress in general knowledge, as well as in professional attainments ; and he showed his multi- farious learning in his publications, and particularly in his life of his friend, Dr. Jenner. He may, perhaps, be said to have been a medical philosopher, analysing causes as well as observing results, and applying inventive remedies in difficult cases, where ordinary prescriptions would not be likely to succeed. In prac- tical divinity, too, he was also conversant ; and with the aid of a good understanding he made a name worthy of a British physician, which this neighbourhood, and even distant counties, will not soon forget." — (Dr. Claxson.) THE SMITH FAMILY. 137 THE SMITH FAMILY. For several centuries, a family of the name of Smith have been residents in the town and neighbourhood. One of their number was the Lay Impropriator, and other branches, in more modern times, have followed the medical profession and the pursuit of merchandise. The more recent members were located at the u Fleece," at a period when that establishment made little pretentions to greatness. The house, then, was whitewashed within and without. Kudely painted letters on the sun-dried shutter, informed the passer-by that the landlord followed the joint occupations of selling " Newmarch and Gwinnetts Strong Ale/' and practising the art of " Whig: and Peruke Maker." The Fleece Hotel, in the High-street, which, when viewed RllmilRl from Henrietta Street, bears evident marks of having been erected in the olden time, is celebrated on account of its former occupancy by several members of the Smith family. The scene of the exploit which has perpetuated the Smiths' renown, lies in the parish of Deerhurst, but a few miles from Cheltenham, and the axe, the instrument which brought about the event, for many years ornamented the walls of the inn. The house originally formed the commencement of a solitary lane leading to a common waste called the Marshes, and now bounded by the 138 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. mansion of the late Lord Dunally. A rudely carved figure of a sheep was suspended over the doorway ; the pure stream of the Chelt flowed by, and stepping-stones formed a communication with the neighbourhood. In those days, for ever past, when the Cotswold farmer, on his slow pack-horse, was the only person who could be called an " arrival," the Eleece was a favourite place of resort. It was as celebrated then as a rendezvous for the rustics who indulged in the marvellous tales of a bygone age, as it now is as an hotel fitted up with all the comforts of civilization. The extraordinary tale which has identified this house with the past, and caused "mine host" to be treasured up in the memory of many an old inhabitant, belongs to the six- teenth century. In the palmy days of Henry VIII., an enormous sea-serpent was washed on shore at the overflowing of the Severn, and soon became a great grievance around Deerhurst, by poisoning the inhabitants, and destroying the cattle. So serious was the annoyance caused by the monster, that at length the people petitioned the king for relief, and a proclamation was issued, offering a reward that any person who should kill the serpent should enjoy an estate at Walton-hill, then at the disposal of the crown. This was a great stimulus to exertion, and many an inhabitant, both rich and poor, tried their hands at destroy- ing the serpent, but without success. At length, a labouring man, named Smith, undertook the perilous task, and by adopting an ingenious yet simple stratagem, succeeded. He placed a large quantity of milk in a vessel, and having secreted it in a spot where the animal frequented, the serpent gorged it up, and then stretched himself out to sleep in the sun, with his scales ruffled up. Smith thus seeing the common enemy within his power, advanced cautiously, and striking between the scales with his axe, cut off the serpent's head. This narrative is somewhat ■confirmed' by the fact, that the estate has directly succeeded to the present descendant, from the hero of the story, and the axe which achieved the memorable event is now in a good state of preservation, having been handed down from father to son as their heir loom. These events are not to be wondered at when the uncultivated state of the country, four centuries ago, are taken into consideration. Local records bear testimony to the fact, that various parts of Gloucestershire were once so infested THE SMITH FAMILY. 139 with poisonous and ravenous animals, that a local tax was instituted in order to enable the legislature to exterminate them. The following account of a visit to the Fleece appeared in the Cheltenham Chronicle, of Nov. 23, 1809, in the form of a letter to the Editor : — " Many centuries ago, a Monster or Fiery Dragon, so infested the neighbourhood of Deerhurst Walton, near Comb Hill, that the farmer and the traveller, passing and re-passing, found it of so dangerous a nature, that all commercial intercourse was daily at an end. In consequence of this Serpentine Sus- pension of trade, the noble Monarch of the day offered a con- siderable reward for the destruction .of the enemy ; but not immediately finding a hero bold enough for the undertaking, at last made it known by Eoyal Proclamation, that the estate on which it was destroyed would descend to the destroyer, to him and to his heirs for ever. A man at last named Smith under- took the awful task of annihilating this terriffic reptile, in which he succeeded by a wise and well-concerted stratagem. Having been informed that Mrs. Smith, widow of the late Mr. Smith, of the Fleece, had in her possession the very identical instrument that put an end to the Dragon, curiosity led me to call on her for a sight of it. It was very carefully wrapped in paper ; gold surely never formed a more precious relic." The Smiths were direct descendants of the person who origi- nally achieved this marvellous feat. The late eminent antiquarian, Mr. Counsel, the author of the "History of Gloucester," purchased the axe of Mrs. Smith, at the Fleece, and it was added to that gentleman's celebrated collection of local anti- quities. He was of opinion that the instrument, from its workmanship, belonged to the date assigned for the execution of this most remarkable deed. Rudgesays : — " Tradition has handed down a story that an estate at Walton-hill was formerly granted by the Crown to an ancient proprietor as a reward for having killed a vast serpent that infested the country, and the axe with which the beast was killed is still shown (1803). A similar tradition prevails in the county of Durham, where the represensative of Sir E. Blackett is obliged to render service to the bishop, on his first coming into the county, by presenting a faulchion, with which the ancestors of the family slew a monstrous reptile ; the faulchion thus presented secures the possession of a large estate held by this tenure." 140 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. That romantic and beautiful spot, known as Hartley Bottom,, which, from its close proximity to the Seven Springs, is so much frequented, has also its serpent associations : — " In the church at Cubberley, are the recumbent figures of a Berkeley and his wife, fourteenth century, 1340. This knight is said to have killed a huge serpent which infested Hartley Bottom." — (Gomonde). THE NOMHWICK FAMILY. Thirlestaine House, in the Bath-road, near the Proprietary College, will for ever stand distinguished in the annals of local history, ljb was for years a source of attraction to pictorial connoiseurs, and the paintings and articles of vertu, which once were contained within its walls, enjoyed an European celebrity. In magnitude, as well as in its architectural details, this build- ing may be classed first among the private mansions in the town. It was built and designed by Mr. Scott, a gentleman of great artistic taste, at a cost of £80,000. We give a view of the noble classic pile, which may be justly called a model of Ionic architecture. In the centre is a suberb portico, an exact copy of the celebrated Temple on the Ilissus at Athens. The paintings and articles of vertu, which formerly were deposited in this noble mansion, occupied the entire life of the late Lord North wick in their collection, and in value they were the THE XOHTHWICK FAMILY. 141 largest in England, and were freely shown to the visitor. Of their extent and value, we can form a correct idea from the amount which they realized at the respected nobleman's decease. " The disposal of Lord North wick's pictures, collected during a life extending for nearly a quarter of a century beyond the aver- age term allotted to man, occupied eighteen successive days, attracted buyers or buyers' agents from all parts of the king- dom, and realized a sum amounting in round numbers to nearly £1 00,000. So extensive a collection has not been sold for many years. The residents and visitors of Cheltenham knew its value, and will long lament its unfortunate dispersion. The galleries at Thirlestaine House were the pride of Cheltenham. They were to this thriving town what the National Gallery is to the metropolis. They were open all the year round without fee or charge of any kind, and their liberal owner had no greater pleasure than that of knowing that his pictures drew visitors by the hundred. In like manner, at Northwick Park, near Campden, his lordship had built a spacious gallery, which was never closed at any hour of the day to the public, and, being the only gallery for many miles round, was greatly valued by all the neighbourhood. Until within the last year or two Lord Northwick spent much of his time every day among his pictures, and took great delight in pointing out their beauties to any intelligent visitor who might ask permission to see the collection. He had a kind way of getting into conversation with young people, and would explain the difference between one school of painting and another, and show how to discern the great points in a picture, where to look for merits, and how to distinguish between good and bad. It was a pride and pleasure to him to know that either at Cheltenham or North- wick Park his treasures were appreciated by the public. Few men of his rank and retired habits had more public spirit. Not his pictures only, but his whole house and park were at the service of the public. They who have frequented that lovely spot for pic-nics or parties of pleasure know well the hospitality with which its noble owner would send out choice fruit or other refreshment by way of welcome to his often unknown visitors. As for Thirlestaine House, it was, for all practical purposes, a public institution, of which Cheltenham and its visitors reaped the benefit. These splendid collections are now scattered to the 142 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. winds. They were brought together in the course a very long life, they cost immense sums of money, and repaid their owner by the gratification they afforded to his own refined taste, and the pleasure they afforded to others. But they were scattered, and it may be a whole generation before another collection at all approaching to it in number, value and public usefulness, shall be formed. And it is this thought that suggests these remarks. We contemplate the dispersion of these pictures with two painful reflections, which, by way of caution or suggestion to other collectors, we wish to impress upon the public. The first is the comparative uselessness in collecting works of art without some provision for their preservation. Here was a most accom- plished nobleman devoted to art, especially pictures. He spent enormous sums of money in the collection of choice specimens, and was a liberal patron of young artists of ability and promise. In the course of years he had galleries of which any peer or millionaire might be proud. Now where are they ? He has gone, and his pictures are scattered all over the, country and the continent. They are no longer a school of art. The galleries of Thirlestaine and Northwick no longer form a school for the student or a refreshment to the amateur. The purpose of a life is dissipated, and a new illustration is given to the preacher's moral, " Vanitas vanitatis et omina vanitas." It was the belief in Cheltenham, we know not on what authority, that the pictures at Thirlestaine would be left for the benefit of the town, or, at least, that some provision would be made by which they would be preserved there for the use of the public. This turns out to be a mistakeo Those works of art have gone to the highest bidder, and their sale is regarded as a great calamity. Un- doubtedly, he who collects treasures of art, in the way Lord Northwick did, and gives the public the benefit of. them during his life, does a great service in his day and gener- ation ; but it is impossible not to remember how much greater a service he renders who not only forms a collection, but provides for its perpetuity. To collect pictures at great cost s and then sell them by auction, is to throw to the winds a large amount of money. The difference between purchase and sa ! e is the price of the owner's enjoyment during his life, and a costly price it often is : whereas a comparatively small addition to this expense would save the labour and thought of years from the auctioneer's THE NORTHWICK FAMILY. 143 hammer, and what is worse, from uselessness and oblivion. In the next place, see the duty of making a will. These collec- tions are dispersed because they form a portion of the personality of the deceased, and there being no instructions as to their dis- posal, there is no choice but to sell them and appropriate their proceedings among the heirs-at-law. Next to the mischief of making an unfair will, is that of making none at all. Had Lord Northwick ordered by will the sale of his pictures, how- ever disappointed the world might have been, it would have been felt that he had a right to do as he liked. But dying intestate, the sale follows as a matter of course, and the results of a long life and large fortune devoted to works of art are just nowhere. Many of our readers are men of fortune and collectors of art treasures ; we think the fate of Lord Northwick's pictures is a lesson to them. A gallery of pictures left to a family or the public is an offering at the shrine of art ; but, sold by auction, and dispersed among innumerable private purchasers, is sheer vanity and labour lost." — Morning Post. This celebrated sale occurred in July, 1859, his Lordship having died in the January previous. Death of Lord Northwick. — It is with the most unfeigned regret that we this week record the demise of one of the most venerable and venerated members of the British peer- age, and one of the most munificent patrons of the fine arts of whom this country could boast. We allude to the Eight Hon. Lord Northwick, who departed this life on Thursday morning last, at his lordship's seat near Moreton-in-Marsh, after having attained the patriarchal age of four score years and nine. — Cheltenham Journal^ January 22, 1859. This literary and artistic nobleman belonged to a family of high connection. John Eushout, Baron Northwick, of North- wick Park, io this county, Thirlestaine House, Cheltenham, was born on the 16th February, 1770, and succeeded to the peerage on the death of his father, the first Baron Nortlrwick, on the 20th of October, 1800, he being then in his 30th year. Of his lordship's lineage little is known prior to the reign of Charles the First, when John Eushout, Esq., a native of France (lineally descended from Mareschal de Gamaees, grand master of the horse tu Louis XL) settled in England and established himself as a merchant in London. This John Eushout married Anne, 144 fiistaRY m cfliL^NfiAM, the daughter of Joas Godschalch, and at his decease left only one- surviving son, James Eushout, Esq., of Milnst Maylands, in the -county of Essex, who was created a baronet on the 17th of July, 1661. Sir James Eushout married Alice, the daughter and (heiress of Edward Pitt, Esq., of Harrow^on-the-Hill, and relict of Edward Palmer, Esq., and was succeeded at his decease in 1698, by his eldest surviving son, Sir James^ who married Arabella, daughter of Sir Thomas Yernon, and died in 1705 c. He left only one son, Sir James, who died in 1711 without issue. The title then reverted to the uncle of the deceased, the Eight Hon. Sir John Eushout, who at that period filled the high and honourable office of treasurer of the navy. Sir John- married the Lady Ann Compton, daughter of George Earl of Northampton, and died in 1775, leaving a daughter, Elizabeth,, who married Eichard Middleton, Esq., of Chirk Castle, Denbigh,, and an only son, who was born on the 12th July, 1738, suc- ceeded to the estates of Sir John Eushout on the death of his- father, and was elevated to the peerage on the 26th of October, 1797, by the title of Baron Northwick. His lordship married on the 8th of June, 1766, Eebecca, daughter of Humphrey Bowles, Esq., of Wanstead, Essex, by whom he left issue two sons, namely — John, the late peer, born the 16th of February, 1770, and George, who took holy orders, born the 30th July, 1772 ; assumed the surname of Bowles, in addition to and after Eushout, 20th of June, 1817; married, in 180$, Caroline, daughter of John, seventh Earl of Galloway, and died in 1842, — and three daughters, viz., Anne, who died on the 4th of April, 1849, ; Harriet, who was married on the 3rd of February, 1808, to Sir Charles Cockerell, Bart., and died the 30th October 1851 ; and Elizabeth, married first to Sydney Bowles, Esq., on the 24th June, 1797, and secondly to John-Wallis Grieve, Esq., on the second of August, 1819. The late peer was never married, and consequently left no direct heir. His brother George, at his decease, left four children, namely, George, born the 30th of August, 1811, now a captain in the 1st Life Guards ; Caroline, who died in 1822; Georgiana and Harriet, who died in 1852. Captain Sir George Eushout (nephew of the deceased peer) is therefore heir to the title and estates, and is the present Lord Northwick. For many years he represented Worcester- shire in Parliament. \V 4! THE CL09E FAMILY. 145 THE VERY RE?. BR. CLOSE, DEAN OF CARLISLE. Cheltenham has acquired an almost national celebrity, on account of the many and extensive public educational institu- tions which it supports. These valuable establishments have all been erected within the past twenty years ; and prior to that time, the institutions in connection with the Church of England were limited to congregational efforts. The large increase of new churches is also equally as remarkable. During the past thirty years, eight edifices, mostly of a spacious and expensive character, have been erected and consecrated according to the rites of the Established Church. In the same porportion has the amount for charitable objects in connection with the congre- ations increased. During a period of ten years, the collections at the Parish Church alone, amounted to £11,709 16s. 8^d. ! To what cause can we justly attribute so satisfactory a state of things ? We reply, to the influence and indomitable perseverance of one whose name will for ever be identified with the religious history of the town — Francis Close. This popular and earnest Evangelical preacher was for thirty -three years amongst his parishioners, taking, during that time, the most active part in every local movement of importance. He was encouraged in these efforts by the success which marked his career, and he witnessed the population of his parish double itself in number during his abode. He commenced his local career when there was only one edifice beside the Parish Church, and no public scholastic building. When he was about removing from the scene of his labours it was stated that he had contributed to the erection of public buildings, schools, colleges, &c, no less a sum than £100,000. His earliest efforts were directed to the formation of the Proprietary College in the Bath-road, which now numbers 600 students, so many of whom have obtained University and military honours. He next laboured most intensely to establish that noble Institution, the Church of England Training College, with its branch institutions. Here, again, he was eminently successful, and by its means Cheltenham has sent forth to ail parts of the world, well educated teachers of public schools. The ancient Grammar School had fallen into a state of apathy and was nearly devoid of scholars. His untiring spirit was once more called into action, and with the 146 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. aid of a parochial committee, he lived to witness upwards of 300 scholars reaping the advantages of a nearly decayed bequest. During the time he was thus actively employed, he published a great number of sermons and other works which commanded a wide circulation. The Rev. Francis Close was first connected with Cheltenham in the year 1824. He was then assistant curate at Trinity Church, and at that youthful period of his life gave evidence of that natural oratory in his preaching, for which, in after years, he was so distinguished. The death of the Eev. C. Jervis, the incum- bent of the parish, in 1826, caused a vacancy. The living had been purchased by the Eev. J. Simeon, with a view to the spreading of Evangelical sentiments. That benevolent and wealthy man had formed an acquaintance with Mr. Close whiJe at Cambridge, and he presented him with the Cheltenham Incumbency. He was "read in" on November 29th, 1826, and continued to hold the important position until he was elevated to be Dean of Carlisle in 1856. His popularity is evident from the fact that his income, which averaged £1200 per annum, was derived from voluntary offerings and fees — only £40 being the yearly fixed stipend for the minister. In token of respect towards him, the congregation, in 1838, by subscrip- tion, erected the spacious residence, " The Grange," and presented it to him absolutely—" to him and his heirs for ever. :> The Eev. P. Close, by a singular circumstance, was a native of Somersetshire, and as such entered the University of Cambridge, He was born in a village near Bath in 1797, at the residence of Dr. Eandolph, where his mother was then on a visit. He had three brothers— Major Close, of the Artillery ; Major M. J. Close, of the Fourth Dragoon Guards; and Captain Close, in the Eoyal Artillery. He was instructed at Merchant Taylors School in London, at the time Dr. Cherry was Head Master. After he had finished his course at this ancient establishment, he was placed under the private tuition of the Eev. Thomas Scott, of Hull, the well known Scripture Commentator. He entered the Cambridge university in 1816, at the age of 19, as a commoner of St. John's College. He graduated B.A. in January, 1820, and in course of the same year was ordained t kartell GDi)tra!). '"Twas the sweet and blessed Sabbath, God's own holy hallowed hour, And the bells were softly chiming, in Saint Mary's time worn tower, fiush'd was the voice of labour, no harsh sounds disturbed the air, And the rows of stately lime trees bowed their heads as if in prayer !" Byrne's " Cheltenham Church." THE ecclesiastical history of Cheltenham commences with the ninth century. Eor six hundred years following, its religious temple was dedicated to the services of Eoman Catho- licism ; and its manor and hundred were successively the property of the once rich and extensive Monastic establishments THE PARISH CHURCH. 155 of Cirencester, Lanthony, Pescamp, and Sion. The order of architecture, displayed both in the interior and exterior of our truly venerable Parish Church, demonstrates that it was erected centuries prior to the abolition of the Papal power in this country ; and its large dimensions and general structure indicate that Cheltenham must have been a very important ecclesiastical station at an early period. History has, however, placed this interesting fact beyond doubt. Prom the first conversion of the Saxons to Christianity, down to the present day, the town has been celebrated for its religious institutions. The high position which Cheltenham occupied in the early monastic period is evident from the fact that Horton, the renowned Sacrist, who, in the fourteenth century, commenced the beautiful cloisters, who rebuilt the high altar, aisle, and other parts of Gloucester Cathedral, received his ordination at the Parish Church. " He received the benediction at Cheltenham from the Bishop of Hereford, by leave of the Bishop of Worcester."— (Kudder). The present Parish Church must, indeed, have been a most important building before the introduction of the Protestant faith. The various religious edifices in the locality were subordinate to it for centuries, and eren the now large churches of Charlton and Leckhampton were Ci made subject to the mother Church at Cheltenham, by William, Bislnp of Hereford, in 1190." Besides the chantries, two chapels were also con- nected — one at Arle and the other at Hatherley ; and at the time the manor belonged to the nuns of Sion, the recently restored Norman chapel at Southam was under the same jurisdiction. The chapel at Hatherley was situated on the estate at present rented by Mr. Pickernell, and tomb stones, cross steps, and other vestiges of the ancient structure have been discovered there. After the Reformation, Queen Elizabeth granted an annuity of twelve shillings, annually, to be paid by the owner of the property for the time being, to Richard Pates and his heirs, to enable him to support the Cheltenham Alms Houses, in Albion Street. Prom an ancient lease of Hatherley Parm (in the author's possession), it appears that this incident is introduced and made legally binding, and the payment is continued to the present day. The chapel at Arle was, no doubt, abolished at the establishment of the Reformation. Budge, in 1803, says: — "The date of 1250, found on a beam, belonged to a chapel here." 156 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Hatherley Chapel was, in after years, created a chapelry of Badgworth, and continued so until its demolition. The chapel at Southam was annexed to the Cleeve district. The church at Cheltenham yet retains many vestiges of its ancient architecture. The north side of the building is, unquestionably, the oldest portion now standing. The north porch retains, unaltered, its original characteristics, and was probably at one time the only means of entrance. The roof in the interior displays the ball flower decoration — a style prevalent in the reigns of Edward II. and Edward III. — five centuries since. This beautiful order of architecture was finely developed in this county, and all the best authorities cite as examples the windows of Gloucester Cathedral and Badgworth Church, and the North porch at Cheltenham. —(Knight). " The porch was a very ancient appendage to the church ; and although it has been usually considered as a mere ornament, yet it had, in ancient times, its special uses. In that part of the will of Henry VI., relative to the foundation of Eton College, are these words : — ' Item, in the south side of the body of the church, a fair large door with a porch, and the same for christening of children and weddings. 5 " — (Nichols). Another peculiarity in the North porch is the fact of its having been chambered. With the exception of Cleeve Church, we believe it is the only instance to be found in the county of a chamber over the porch. This, and the one at Cleeve, are almost unique specimens of the residence of a recluse of some importance, as is evident from a separate doorway being formed for his use. The edifice, which is dedicated to St. Mary, is 117 feet in length, 65 feet in breadth, and is capable of seating upwards of a thousand persons. Tradition has assigned the period of its erection to the eleventh century. The foundations and main walls may probably belong to that early era, but the windows have been introduced at later intervals — from the twelvth to the fifteenth century. The w r est window was erected in 1703, the former one having been struck with lightning. The most admired portion of the sacred pile is the marygold, or circular window, in the Early Gothic style, and very similar to the one in York Cathedral. Its general design represents the expanded leaves of a flower. It is divided into 33 compartments, and its THE PARISH CHURCH. 157 diameter is 15, and its circumference 45 feet. There are inhabitants now surviving who can remember when the "rood loft" occupied its ancient position, between the nave and the chancel ; 11 Bright burned the waxen taper, upward curled The clouds of incense towards the mimic cross, Loud swelled the solemn authem, as unfurl* d The mystic signs became." Directly beneath the spire, the rood loft was displayed on a gallery platform* It acquired its name from the great crucifix which was erected upon it, with its front towards the congrega- tion. Beside the rood, or crucifix, it . was also customary to introduce figures of saints, The bell-ropes passed through this platform, and the ringers peformed their task upon it until the year 1813, when the Rev. C. Jervis suggested the formation of the present belfry. The ancient lofc was then removed, the royal arms put up it in its stead, and the massive Gothic arches which support the tower, left unexposed and unencumbered, as at present. On August 5th, 1813, at a vestry meeting convened for the purpose, it was decided " to remove the belfry from the body of the ofcttfcl*." The accompanying view of the interior represents this precise spot (which, in fact, forms the arches that support the tower and spire), and also the truly beautiful circular window before alluded to. The many alterations which have been made have tended to destroy many vestiges of antiquity within the memory of the living. The remains of a beautifiul Sedilia and canopied Piscina of the Early Gothic era, existed until the South Porch was introduced into its present position. A large and ancient baptismal font, belonging to the same period of architecture also located near the same place, was removed to the Sun Inn, in the High Street, where it formed for many years a watering trough 1 A similar fate befell the oldest font in the county, which originally stood in the Saxon Church at Deerhurst, and the stone coffins, in which were interred the Abbots of Winchcomb ! The carved figures, which graced for so many years the Com- munion in our Parish Church, found a local habitation in a builder's yard ! The Early English style, prevalent from 1190 to 1245, is 158 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, developed in the arch of the North aisle, connecting it with the transept. The small circular window in the gallery of the North transept belongs to the Geometrical era and the time of its introduction into the main wall could not have been later than the thirteenth century. The decorated style is finely illustrated in the South transept* and the windows, especially, may be referred to the period when it was in general nse, between the years 1215 and 1360, The greater part of the present edifice was erected at the time these orders of architecture were in their highest state of development. This was at the time when monastic institutions were in the heighth of their prosperity, as is evidenced by the local Abbots of the De Cheltenham family that were once connected with the edifice, and some of whom represented Cheltenham in Parliament. THE PARISH CHURCH* 159 A Porch formerly existed within the East door, which was Removed in order to create more pews. It was in the Early Gothic style, and is in the possession of Mr. J. Alder, of this town. The crucifix^form of the building proves that it has under- gone no external alteration since the rites of the Eoman Church were practised within its walls; its interior must, there- fore, bave had an imposing appearance " When the proud Papal baud Came summon' cl by the sacred vesper chime, To pa} r their gorgeous worship at the shrine Of the pure Virgin and her Son divine. '* A convincing proof of the ancient importance of the Parish Church, as a Monastic edifice, is derived from the fact ihat it formerly contained two large and well-endowed chantries. The first of the devotional altars was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and was so well endowed that a separate priest and parsonage house were connected with it» The second chantry was dedicated to St. Catherine, and its founder also bequeathed property for its regular maintenance. Of the value of these endowments we may form some idea, from the fact that in the reign of Henry VIL, according to Pope Nicholas, they were worth 24s. annually—a large sum for that period : and the property now realizes twenty times as many pounds, from the circumstance cf it being land on which some of the most valuable houses of the town are built. This now forms a portion of the estate which was bequeathed by Eichard Pate for the support of the Free Grammar School, in the High Street. To the original grant of Mr. Pate, dated 1578, is appended — " A true and perfect rentroli" of all the estate, and the annual value of each separate portion, in the year 1586. In that document the chantries are thus entered: — " Cheltenham one tenement and close, payable at the feasts of the Annunciation of our blessed Lady the Virgin Mary, and St. Michael, the Archangel, some time belonging to the chantry of the blessed Virgin Mary, in the Parish Church, at Cheltenham, 13s. 4d. For the Mansion-house, or Priest's-chamber, payable in like manner, 12s. One tenement, with the appurtenances, payable in like manner, sometime belonging to the late chantry of Saint Catherine, in the same Parish Church of Cheltenham, 12s. 160 HISTOttY OF CHELTENHAM, One parcel of land sometime belonging to the chantry of the Virgin Mary aforesaid, 16s. 8d» One parrel of ground, some- time belonging to the chantry of the blessed Virgin Mary, given for the finding of holy bread, in the same Parish Church, £2 13s. 4d., of which Thcmas Ball was the last Incumbent. " — (Atkyns). In common with all the property left by Catholics, that which has now been described, reverted to the crown at the Reformation. It was granted by Queen Elizabeth to Mr. Pates for the purpose of establishing a Pree School, and the original building yet exists, displaying on its frontage the ancient inscription—" Schola Grammatical 5 It may also be adduced in illustration of the subject, that the Principal of the edifice at this era became one of the most distinguished men of his day. This was a townsman, named Eichard De Cheltenham He died in 1509, and the rich tracery displayed on his tomb at Tewkesbury, of which Abbey he was Abbot, proves the exalted rank which he sustained. The Parish Church continued a monastic edifice until the general dissolution of Henry VIIL, and the remains of the chantries were visible until within the past half-century. These chantries, as indicated by the closed mortuary doorway, seem to have been located near the North Porch, and the Priest's house was, probably, without the churchyard in the High Street, on the site of the old market, where Norman ecclessiastical remains have been found. These chantries were in full use at the latter period when the Komanish faith was about to be non- legalised by the act of Henry VIIL " These chantries were choirs in miniature , and had their raised altars, tapers, crucifixes, and all the utensils of Catholic worship, only on a smaller scale than in the platform of the church. These endowments were very considerable; varying according to the number of masses for the dead to be said in them by the appointment of their founders ; which, commonly, had respect to their ancestors and descendants, as well as to the immediate benefit of their own souls. 55 — (Knight). The power which destroyed, or rather suppressed, the ancient ecclesiastical institutions of our land, and our own parish church among the number, must have been almost miraculous. It was brought about by a series of events unparalled in their nature and magnitude. The love of ambition and wealth was no doubt the THE PARISH CHURCH. 161 first thing which promoted the crusade against monastic property ; but this movemnt, although unjust in itself, by robbing the Catholics of their property, yet, fortunately, brought about the right of private judgment and religious liberty ; and on the ruins of papal temples, it raised the standard of the illustrious Chillingworth — " That the Bible, and the Bible only, is the Religion of Protestants" About midway between the North door and the large circular window are the remains of two altar tombs ; and from the coffins that have been previously found, it is evident that four of these mementoes of conventual life musit have once existed. The form of these ancient relics was fully developed in 1860, when the whole of the flooring was dug out and the vaults concreted over by virtue of a Sanitary order issued from the Privy Council. These tombs are of high antiquity, and one of them yet retains its original position. The canopied arches are still entire, which were raised over them, and from the style of architecture which they display, evidently belong to the reign of Edward II. The existence of these tombs (which contained the Abbots belonging to the Monastry) testifies to the former extent and importance of the sacred building. Similar tombs are only to be found in cathedrals or large edifices, such as Tewkesbury Abbey Church. These coffins were all found without lids. This is no uncommon occurrence, for the Abbots where generally buried in full canonicals, and the tombs were opened and plundered for the sake of the gold and silver ornaments which they contained. These altar tombs were enriched by presents from devotees. When Henry VIII. seized the one erected to Becket, besides works of art, and precious stones, he found the sum of £954, which had been presented by way of c offering' for one year. This amount is large, when it is remembered that Counsel has proved, from authentic sources, that at that period (the Eeformation), in this county, it cost "only Bl 6s. 8d. for the vicar's diet for the whole year, so that JB5 a-year, then, would maintain anybody in honour and credit ." The altar tomb of Edwaid II. , in Gloucester Cathedral, received sufficient contri- butions to rebuild and beautify many parts of the edifice, besides two ships of gold, and a cross of gold, containing a ruby. The altar tomb to Becket is still in Trinity Chapel, Cirencester, 162 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. and the promises held out to devotees in return for their offerings ■ are yet preserved. The work of destruction was effected in two epochs in history — after the Reformation and at the time of the Civil Wars — when the Puritan soldier defaced everything that favoured of the Ecclesiastical that came in his way. The altar tombs at Tewkesbury were erected at the same time, which is to be expected when we consider that one of our townsmen was elected to be the Abbot of the Tewkesbury Convent. With two exceptions, the tombs at Tewkesbury have been opened and their contents removed. One of those which remained entire was examined by Mr. Lysons, and as its dimensions and architectural details so correspond to those in our own church, we can form an idea of what they once were. Mr. Lysons states that, when the lid of the stone coffin was first taken off, the body appeared surprisingly perfect, considering that it had lain there for nearly six hundred years ; the folds of the drapery were then very distinct ; but when exposed to the air, the whole soon crumbled aw T ay, and left little more than a skeleton. The boots, however, still retained their form, with a certain degree of elasticity, and hung in large folds about the legs. On his right hand lay a plain crosier of wood, neatly turned, the top of which was gilded, having a cross cut in it ; the handle was five feet eleven inches in length, and remarkably light ; and on his left side was the fragment of a chalice. " In the course of the excavations, two ancient stone coffins have been discovered in the South aisle, and as they w T ere free from human remains they have been removed iato the enclosed portion of the churchyard, where they continue open to inspection. These coffins, which are upwards of six feet in length and very massive, are formed of the weather stone still found in the neighbourhood. They are evidently of ancient date, probably about the beginning of the 13th century. They are supposed to have been the coffins of Abbots buried in the Church under the Catholic regime. Another stone coffin has been found in the north aisle of the building, but as it is firmly imbedded in the main wall, and offers no obstruction to the sanitary works now in progress, its removal has not been considered necessary." — Cheltenham, Examiner, May 30, 1S60." We have no doubt that the coffins thus recorded belonged to local Abbots. Prinn, in his MS account of Cirencester Abbey, THE PARISH CHURCH. 163 refers to Richard de Cheltenham, Abbot of Cheltenham, who died in the reign of Edward IV», and other authorities quote the same title as late as the reign of Henry VII. "DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT COFFINS AT CHELTENHAM. In conformity with the order issued by the Privy Council, the Churchwardens are causing to be removed all the pews and monumental stones within the walls of the Parish Church. In taking up the floor in the South isle and in removing the wains- cot forming the end of a pew in the North aisle, three stone coffins were found of evident antiquity. These relics doubtless belong to the monastic era. They are of surprising thickness and of great w T eight. Hewn out of a solid block of native oolitic free stone w T ith a tre-foil head piece and internal central gutters, terminating with an crifice, they are all of the same architec- tural design, and measure, in length, six feet three inches. Two were found in the South isle, in parallel lines and close to the surface. One was entirely empty, and the other partly filled with bones of different sizes — thus indicating that they had been previously opened and the original deposit removed. No covering or lid was found. The coffin in the North aisle is firmly embedded in the wall of the sacred edifice, and is surmounted with a canopied arch. On reference to the work of Gough on " Sepulchral Monuments," it will be seen that these remains are ascribed to the "1 3th century. This date is confirmed by the order of architecture which surmounts the mural coffin in the North aisle — being Early Gothic, with ball flower decor- ations. The former existence of Altar Tombs within this edifice in the palmy days of Catholicism, is referred to in Goding's " History of Cheltenham, " where a list of endowments for the support of the same is recorded. It is not, therefore, impro- bable that what have been exhumed during the past week belong to this class, which was generally erected to the memory of the Abbot or some person of ecclesiastical note. Two of the coffins have been removed to the churchyard, w T here they may be inspected by the public at large. The other still retails its 164 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. original position as an Altar Tomb, attached to the main walls. The entire of the monumental stones forming the flooring have been placed in the outer yard prior to the concreting over of the vaults " — {Cheltenham Mercury ', May, 1860). Similar discoveries have also been made at Gloucester, and the coffins found are of precisely the same style of architecture as those now described. In Gloucester Cathedral, three of these old relics of the past are preserved, which were found upon removing the old screen. " When these ancient parts were being removed, three stone coffins were found near the surface, containing the remains of three Abbots, with part of the gloves- and robes remaining. Nearer to the cloister door, another stone coffin was found, containing a sword, a pewter chalice, a staff, and two skulls." — (Counsel). On reference to Clarke's Archi- tectural work on Gloucester, it will be seen that in an engraving" of the chancel in St. Mary de Lode's, is included an altar tomb of exactly the same age and design as those which occur in our own Parish Church, and located like them, beneath a window. The discovery of lids at different times of the same age as these coffins, further proves how they have been disturbed in past times. " In the late improvement in the churchyard of Cheltenham, a large solid stone was found of the same shape as the coffins, or lids of coffins, now to be seen in Tintern Abbey — tapered from end to end ; there was no inscription remaining, but an Abbots staff or crook running its whole length, and elaborately carved round the edges. It has been preserved, and now lies on the left of the ancient eastern pathway." — (Graves of our Fathers, 1858). The very ancient custom of using branches of the Box tree in interments was also practised in this church. The box was regarded as emblematical of eternity by the Romans, and as such, at the present day, is used in various forms in the Holy Land, Smyrna, and Normandy. The poet Wordsworth shows that the box is still used at funerals in the North. In one of his beautiful poems occurs the following passage and foot note : — * The basin of Box wood just six months before, Had stood od the table at Timothy's door, A coffin through Timothy's threshold had past, One child did it bear, and that child the last." THE PAEISH CHURCH. 165 "In several parts of the north of England, when a funeral takes place, a bason full of sprigs of Boxwood is placed at the door of the house from which the coffin is taken up, and each person who attends the funeral takes a sprig of this boxwood and throws it into the grave of the deceased." — (Wordsworth). In the year 1857, two vaults, near the Clerk's pew, in the middle aisle, were opened, and nine skeletons discovered without any vestige of coffins. Under the head of one was a board fourteen inches square, covered with a thick matting of the branches of the box tree, preserving a perfect moisture, and adhering to a skull, which had all the flesh preserved upon it as if it had been embalmed. The rest of the skeletons, which were noti nterred in boxwood, were perfectly dry, and appeared of ancient date. In Normandy, box was formerly used as a bedding fur coffins ; the corpse being laid on a bed of sprigs of the box tree. The classic carved altar piece and the communion table have only occupied their present position during the past half century. They were removed from Gloucester Cathedral, in 1807, and at their erection, the remains of a stone altar of high antiquity were pulled down, and a wall painting w T as discovered. The carved altar piece is in the Elizabethian style, and until the past few years, was surmounted with figures and devices, life size, which were removed in order to give effect to the chancel widows. According to a minute in a book in the Chapter of Gloucester Cathedral, it was carved by Michael Bysack in 1704, and " that £20, free gift, was granted to him for extraordinary work to the altar." As a work of art it is admirable, but it is not in character with the Early Gothic edifice which contains it, and it has been proposed to remove it and to supply its place with a stained glass window. To the right of the present com- munion table is preserved the original Piscina, probably the largest and most perfect of its kind in England. This relic of the past, which is doubtless six centuries old, is in the Decor- ative Gothic and Canopied form. Its base is basin form, and perforated with holes. It held the consecrated water, with which the numerous articles used in administering the sacraments were continually purified. The water in which the priest's hands had been washed, that in which the chalice had been rinsed, and the consecrated host which time or accident had rendered impure, were also discharged through the same channel. 166 HISTOKT OF CHELTENHAM. Budge., the county historian, observes — " The Piscina in the chancel is very handsomely finished. It was used for holding or draining the holy water; in some churches it was very plain, but in others, as in Cheltenham, highly ornamented." We give an illustration of this ancient relict of sacerdotal custom. The spiral tower which rises from the centre of the noble pile, is a prominent object for miles round the town. It is 167 feet in height, and reposes upon a square basement, on the west side of which is inscribed — "Anno 1622: J. W.," which probably refers to some extensive reno- vation at that date. The architectural details of the spire are very beautiful, and justify us in assigning the period of its erection to the thirteenth century — • about 1250. It was anciently ornamented with the Royal Arms* as appears from the following entry in the Vestry Book i — ■ "Memorandum, that in this year, 1695, was the steeple of Cheltenham repaired from the upper hole to the top, by James Hill, of Cheltenham, stone mason, and in the same year was the King's Arms taken down and set on the west side of the said steeple or tower." The same authority also records that on June 7, 1810, a contract was signed with Messrs. Nash and Morgan, of London, " for taking down and rebuilding 30 feet of the steeple of St. Mary's Church, Cheltenham/' In the tower is a musical peal of ten bells. Eight of these bells were erected on April 26, 1824, at the expense of the parish, and the other two were added by contributions from the ringers. On the Tenor bell, these lines are engraved : — " T in prayer do combine ; The dead must hear A greater sound than mine/* On a tablet in the church is recorded that " Lodowick Packer* gent., gave in 1603, the third bell to this parish." From various entries in the Vestry Book, it appears that the first bells were cast by the same firm as executed those at [resent in use* the celebrated Rudhalls, of Gloucester. At this company's THE PARISH CHURCH. 167 foundry, all the old bells were recast in 1697, and made into eight. On the original Treble bell was inscribed : — "{Abraham Iludhall cast all we, One thousand six bundled and twenty-three." These bells continued in use until within the past twenty-eight years, when, by a singular coincidence, after a lapse of two centuries, they were finally melted down at the original establish- ment. In 1S21, the Tenor bell was cracked during the ringing for Sunday morning service. On it was the verse annexed : — " I, to church the living call, And to the grave do summon all." In the tower is preserved a Sanctus bell of ancient form, called " the Saints' beil." It weighs about a hundred weight, and until recently, was used as a lire bell A fire engine and buckets for holding water were formerly kept in the entrance to the north porch, aud when the "little fire bell/' as it was called, was rung, the inhabitants at once repaired to the church. On a tablet facing the marygold-window, it is recorded that " The Right Hon. Lord Gage gave a fire engine for the use of this town. In the year 1721, Sir John Dutton, Bart., gave a fire engine for the use of this town." The following is the weight of the bells as recorded in the belfry: — 1st — 6cwt. Oqrs. 191bs. ; 2nd — 5cwt. 2qrs. Olbs ; 3rd. 6cwt. Oqrs. 1 21bs. ; 4th— 6cwt. 2qrs. 21bs. ; 5th— 7cwt. Oqrs. 31bs. ; 6th— 8cwt. lqr. 31bs. ; 7th— 9cwt 2qrs. 261bs. ; Stli— 12cwt. Oqrs. 151bs. ; 9th— 15cwt. Oqrs. 25lbs. ; I Oth— 22cwt. 2qrs. 2 Gibs. A society of ringers have been for some years formed, and regularly ring peals on Thursday evenings, as also on special occasions. Since the completion of the new set of bells, this society has performed upon them peals of a remarkable character— at one time amounting to 6000 changes. " St. "Mary's bells are chiming— Chiming with solemn air — The fleeting minutes timing To the hour of morning prayer. And as from tower and stee, le The weh ome music pours ; See ! crowds of ( hiisLian j eople Throng through the opened doers/' 168 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. The present appearance of the interior, with all its modern innovations, can convey but a faint idea of what the original edifice was when first completed by the Early English archi- tect. What a beautiful edifice it must have been, with its variety of altars, and altar tombs, and chantries, and chapels, all amply endowed, from one or the other of which Matins, or Vespers, or praise, were continually ascending to the Eternal, Well might the many Abbots of Cheltenham, who adorn the historic page, in this hallowed temple, surrounded with such scenes, nurse the flame that kindled their devotion, and which led them to prefer the cloister to the tumult and strife of the outer world. Well might the recluse select his chambered room in the North Porch, so near the devotional altar tombs, as fitting abode for the man of a studious and retiring disposition, there to seek that quiet and calm which the world with all its vanities can never confer. Well might the pilgrim, devotee, and resident worshipper, have been awe struck, as their eyes rested upon the numerous altars with their attendant priests, the illuminated picture with its mystical device which surmounted the high altar, the rood loft which exalted the sacred emblem of the cross before it at the elevation of the host. Well might they have been lost in feelings of wonder, devotion, and humility. In the Vestry Book it is said — " Memorandum, that in the yeare 1699, the chimes in the Parish Church was then erected, and the first tune set upon them was the 113th Psalm." In after years the chimes were still further improved, and played in addition, the Morning and Evening hymns, and the 104th Psalm. They continued to play regularly, and were repaired by the churchwardens up to 1821. The original "Cheltenham Guide," published in 1781, mentions that the Parish Church " is noted for a musical peal of eight bells, and a tuneable set of chimes, which play every three hours." The chimes still exist in the church tower, and their restoration would be a most desirable work. We trust that the attention of the parochial authorities will be directed to the subject, and that the ears of the present inhabitants will be once more enlivened with the sound of the old church chimes. The organ at present in use, which has recently been enlarged, was erected by voluntary contribution in 1810. It was first opened by a performance of Sacred music, in May, 1811. We THE PARISH CHURCH. 169 put on record the original subscribers to the organ, as a proof of the benevolent spirit then existing among the attendants of the sacred edifice. The list is taken from the advertisements acknowledging 'the contributions, which appearedin the Chelt- enham Chronicle of May 24, 1810 : — Mr. Minster Mr. J. Wildey Mr. J. Townsend Mr. J. Jones Mr. J. Nicholson Mr. Ruff Mr. J. Bishop, Jim Mr. W. Mayers Mr. G. Davis Mr. R.White Mr. W. Bastin Mr. E. Mathews Mr. W. Selden A. and B. Rogers Mr. R. .Foster Mr. Mid.ileton Mr.S. Hulbert Mr. Merrifield Mr. W. Haynes ... ... ... Mr. Bishop, Sen Mr. Hinks Mr. Heuney Mr. B. Jones Major Rail ... Mrs. Hurnphris Mr. Roberts Mr. Freeman Mr. Forty - Mr. Jordan 2 2 Mr.J. Higgs 5 5 Mr. S. Thornton 1 I Mr. Capstack 2 2 Mr. Harris 1 1 Mr. Saanders 1 1 Mrs. Miller 2 2 Mr. Sheldon, Hotel 1 1 Mr. Cox 1 1 Mr. Moody 1 1 Mr. Pricker 1 1 Mr. Trinder 110 Mr. T.Billings 10 Mr. B. Humphries 1 1 Mr. M.Hale 110 Mr. Kelley 110 Mr. Bartlett 110 Mr. Jennings 1 1 Rev. Mr. Foulkes ... 5 5 Rev. Mr. Hughes ... 10 Mr. F.Wells ... 10 Sir R. Herries ... 10 Colonel Riudell ... 10 o Mr. Newell ... 5 Mr. Pruen ... 5 5 Mr. H. Thompson ... 5 5 Mr.AbByrcb ... 5 5 Mr. T. Gwinnett ... 10 o Mr. Gardner ... 10 o Mr, G. Jones ... 3 Mr. Bickliara ... 10 o Mr. Stiles ... 1 Mr. T. Smith ... 2 2 Mr. Newman ... 3 3 Mr. Kidman ... 1 1 Mr. Langbridge ... 1 1 Mr. C. Newmarch ... 10 o Mr. Leager ... 1 1 Mr. H. Fowler ... 1 1 Mr. T. Jones ... 5 5 Mr. W.Stone ... 1 1 Mr. Liffully ... 1 ] Mr. E.Smith ... 2 2 Mr. W. Hands ... 1 1 Mr. M. Yearsley ... 1 1 Mre. Lighton ... 5 5 Mr. Cox ... 1 1 Mr. Lawrence ... 1 1 Mr. Lambert ... 1 1 Mr. B. Buckle ... 2 2 Mr. Barrett ... 1 1 Mr. Clutterbuck ... 2 2 Mr. W. Mecey ... 1 1 Mrs. Havden ... 1 1 Mrs. Arkell ... 1 1 Mr. J. Arkell ... 1 1 Mr. F.Fuger ... 1 1 Mr. Brawn ... ... 1 1 Mr.Tork ... 1 1 Hon. Miss MoDson ... ... 1 1 Mr. R. Pruen ... 5 5 Mr. J. Ballenger ... 1 1 Mr. B. Chapman ... 1 1 Mr. G.W..ou ... 1 1 170 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Mr. Smith, Bank 5 5 Mr. R. Paul Mr. Erieker 2 2 Mr. R. Hughes Mrs. Harward 2 2 Mr. John Wildey Dr. Burney 2 2 Captain Brisac Mr. S.Morris ... 5 5 Mr. Hurlston Mr. Dangerfield 110 Bev. Mr. Skillicorue ... Mr. Richatdson 110 Dr. Boisragon Mr. Hazelton 2 12 fi Mr. Brawd Mr. J. Byrch ... ... ... 2 2 Mr. Joseph Smith ... Mr. Hastings 110 Mr. Wra. Bishop Mr. Bennett 110 Mr. Welchraan Mr. Haseldine 110 Mr. V Morris Rev. Mr Fuwler 110 Mr. Reilly Mr. H. Jessop 2 2 The Parish Church congregation established a Sunday School in July 1787. The children were taught in a small room over the North Porch, which, in the week, was used as a free Day School. The Sabbath School was supported by private contri- butions, and the very early date that it was commenced is an interesting and creditable fact— being only six years after Eaikes had first planned them at Gloucester — and before the scheme was publicly known. The Cheltenham Chronicle, of August 24, 1809, contains the first notice (in its advertising columns) of a public appeal on behalf of these excellent institutions, which was introduced, locally, by the benevolent Eobert Eaikes, of Gloucester. . " Cheltenham. — A Sermon fof the Benefit of the Sunday Schools supported by Public Subscription, will be preached in this church, on Sunday next, August 27, by the Rev. John Hep worth, A.M., late Fellow of Caiub College, Cam- bridge. The Number educated at these Schools amounts to One hundred and twenty, who are partly clothed. It is requested that the inhabitants will give orders to have their Pews opened on the occasion." The same local paper of the 31st August following, informs its readers that Mr. Hep worth preached in the Parish Church from Ecclesiasticus xxix chap. 11th verse : — " Lay tip thy treasure according to the commandments of the Most High, and it shall bring thee more profit than gold." — The Editor observes that — "A Sermon more admirably calculated for the occasion, or better delivered, we believe, we have never heard, Mr. H's address to the public in behalf of the objects of the charity, was extremely impressive, and his address to the children themselves, was marked by a judicious, though energetic simplicity. The Collection amounted to £-68 15s. lid., THE PARISH CHURCH. 171 and while we presume to return our thanks to the preacher, who also read the whole service, we cannot avoid remarking that, although the inducements to spend money are not more scanty at Cheltenham than at other Watering Places, the company have always evinced a very great degree of liberality on these occasions. " Another most important object wbich the congre- gation attained was the establishment of an Auxiliary Bible Society. Owing to the influence of the Incumbent, Dr. Foulkes, a public meeting was convened at the Town Hall, on September 13, 1814, which was presided over by Thos. Baghot de laBere, Esq., J. P. The collection, after the meeting, amounted to one hundred guineas. The members of the congregation supported the society solely, until 1821, when the then Incumbent, the Rev. C. Jervis, convened another public meeting at the Assembly Rooms, at which the following persons were appointed a committee : — Dr. Thomas, Dr. Murley, Dr. Bradshaw, Mr. B. Newmarcb, Mr. Hall, Mr. Bromfield, Mr. Roughton, Mr. Henney, Mr. Jas. Fowler, Mr. Gyde, Mr. Colt, Mr. J. Fisher. Two only, of this committee, now survive — Dr. Murley and Mr. Gyde. Dr. Murley has ever been a most active member, and, since his retirement from medical practice, has devoted his time to the very benevolent work of circulating the Scriptures among the blind ; and besides Cheltenham, visits the greater part of England. According to the minute book in 1822, the order to the Parent Society was for 50 Testaments and 12 pica Bibles for distribution, and the selling price of the Bibles were seven shillings and sixpence. Such has been the success which has marked this truly excellent institution, that it has long since been enabled to support a Depository of its own in Clarence Street. According to the annual reports issued of the working of this society, it appears that from 1851 to I860 the following is the quantity of the Holy Scriptures circulated in Cheltenham : Bibles, 20,114; Testaments, 15,187; in Foreign languages, 1268; Total 36,569. The Communion Service belonging to the Church is another proof of the liberality of the worshippers. It is, perhaps, one of the most beautifully executed Sacramental services in England, and was supplied to the Parish by the late Mr. Reviere, silversmith, of the town, at the time the Rev. C. Jervis was Incum- bent in 1825, at a cost of £200. Through the influence of the 172 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. same minister, a new pulpit was erected ; the former one was piesented to the congregation by N. Berkeley, Esq., M.P., who further embellished it with crimson velvet hangings at the time of the royal visit of George III. The Parish Church congregation have always been noted for the liberality of their contributions. In 1816, when it was proposed to found a Provident Society for the Indigent Poor, the sum of £400 was raised after a sermon by the Eev. C. Jervis. During ten years that the dean of Carlisle held the living, the following sums were collected for the different objects named : — Irish Societies Distressed Irish Church Missionary Society Cheltenham Hospital and Dispensary National Schools and National Society Cheltenham Infant Schools Old Charity School Pastorial Aid Society Church Building Society and St. Paul's Church Magdalen Asylum aud Female Refuge Jews Societies Orphan Asylum C hristian Knowledge Society and Propagation of the Gospel Colonial Church Society Provident and Clothing Society New foundland Schools and for Eire at St. John's Several Collections of small sums amounting to Sacramental Alms and for the Poor 1065 6 6 135 19 7 910 16 H 872 2 10 863 6 6i 655 5 5 271 11 4 568 17 8* 409 11 6* 352 11 7 304 1 5| 112 13 1 27± 9 10 101 4 8| 232 5 3 184 12 10£ 429 19 7 3955 9 Total £11,709 16 8£ Making an average of £1170 19s. 8d. per annum, for the ten years. The annual statement of collections and charities, as issued in March, 1861, showed that the congregation had contributed £2052 Is. 2|d. during 1860. According to a parochial report in 1860, the number of sittings in St Mary's Church was 1175, and in the Temporary Church 1600. The Parish Church has always been most fully attended as a place of worship. The desire to obtain sittings in past years has been such that from £10 to £15 per annum has been paid for the rent of a pew. The parties who received this high rental were the owners of what is called '• faculty pews." This owner- ship was claimed by virtue of some old agreements and faculty THE PARISH CHURCH. 173 records. The Vestry Books, under dates June 14th, 1786, April 20th, 1791, September 27th, 1791, and January 30th, 1793, report meetings of the inhabitants upon the subject. It would appear that by a majority of votes, it was on those occa- sions agreed that certain additional galleries were to be erected by private contributions, and that the builders were, in return for such expenditure, to have certain pews allotted to them : — €i To them, and to their respective families, and to the future owners and occupiers, and possessors of their said respective messuages or dwelling houses aforesaid, and their respective families, wherein they might respectively sit, stand, kneel, and hear, and attend Divine service and sermons, exclusive of all other persons whomsoever." This act of the parishioners, although it increased the means of accommodation for public worship, yet, in an architectural point of view, it destroys the good effect which the interior would have to the eye of a visitor, the galleries having been erected without regard to the original style and plan of the sacred edifice, — an evil which has been noticed by most of the old historians. The system of letting and of selling these faculty pews was abolished after an Arch- deaconal Visitation in 1846, and " the owners or occupiers'* now use them. The only payment upon the holders since that period is one voluntarily agreed to, which amounts to a few shillings annually, and is applied towards the incidental expenses of conducting public worship. In 1628, Mrs. Ann Norwood, the wife of the then lessee of the manor, erected, at her own expense, a gallery at the west end. It was removed in 1813, and several others with it, which were located in the nave, in order to make room for additional pews on the ground floor. The residue of the pews not facultied, or claimed by prescriptive right, belong to the parishioners, and are vested in the Church- wardens for the time being. " It is to be lamented that the want of accommodation for the numerous families attending Divine service has rendered it necessary to erect so many galleries, whereby the beauties of the interior are totally obscured, or lost in confusion." — (Kudge.) " Cheltenham Church displays, externally, much architectural beauty. The handsome interior is entirely spoilt by galleries and pews." — (Gomonde). " The original building was a truly fine one, and rich in its 174 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. architecture. The pews and galleries of the Church greatly disfigure it." — (Hugall). On September 8, 1835, the Parish Church was honoured with a Triennial Visitation of Dr. Monk, Bishop of Gloucester. No visitation had previously taken place here since 1801— a period of thirty -four years — the Bishop having transferred that honour to Tewkesbury. On Dr Monk restoring it to Cheltenham, on this occasion, a deputation of the inhabitants waited upon his lordship to thank him for his mark of favour, and afterwards invited him to a public dinner. Dr. Baring, the next Bishop, preached his first sermon in this church, in Nov. 1856, after which nearly £80 w T as collected for Church Extension. The large attendance at this place of worship, united with the necessity of closing it during its sanitary purification, led to the erection of, in 1859, a very elegant Temporary Church, in St. George's Place. Since the re*opening of the parent edifice in 1861, services have been conducted at both buildings to full audiences. Such has been the increase of the population, that the original structure now contains about half the congregation. We have no doubt that some future historian will have to record the erection of a more spacious structure for the worshippers in St. Mary's district. The Monuments. — From the history and architecture of the structure we pass on to notice the monuments. From the discoveries of ancient coffins, which we have detailed, there is every probability of its having been used as a place of sepulchre for the past thousand years. It is this fact that engenders so many pleasing associations. We have many beautiful churches in our town, displaying their architectural details as designed by modern artist, but we have but one Parish Church, with its endearing ties of long departed mortals. W T e know of no greater pleasure than to enter it alone and unmolested— to pace the dim aisle, interrupted by no other sound than our own foot- steps. The solemn stillness of the sanctuary enters the recesses of our mind ; the world and its giddy doings are for awhile forgotten, and our spirits hold communion with those who have long been gathered to their fathers. The study of history, and the fulfilment of parochial duties, have caused us to spend many an hour within the precints of the church wherein we worshipped in our boyhood. We have called to mind the many thousands THE PARISH CHURCH. 175 who have in succession offered up their Sabbath sacrifices — we have gazed upon the cold and monumental effigies that meet us here and there — empty and silent images of the once great and titled of our town — until, in imagination, we became lost to the material world. We have thought of the ties of kindred and of home, that they tell us must have been rent asunder. "VYkat different feelings animated the breast of thos3 whose names are sculptured? The warrior* the faithful pastor, the affectionate parent, the devotee of literature and science, all meet the eye in " marble arrav," and seem to warn us that "The sculptur'd marble shall dissolve in dust, And fame, and wealth, and honours pass away j Not such the triumphs of the good and just, Not such the glories of eternal day." The " Good Samaritan" window, as it illumines our path with its "dim religious light" across the sacred precints of the Holv Communion, reminds us of one, who, but yesterday, held the lordship of the Manor ; and who, in the midst of a virtuous career, was suddenly summoned, in the prime of life, from earth to heaven. The reverence of worshipping generations — the breathing of devotional prayers, century after century; the charitable tablets o( the piously disposed, have each and all hallowed the place, shedding over it a holy and and silent calm. There is attached to the Parish Church a reverence proportionate to its antiquity, which suggest a train of ideas and sympathies that would not be engendered by viewing the most costly build- ing that the artist of to-day can rear. The mural tablets, as well as monuments are numerous, and their style and inscriptions prove that they commemorate those that were once the wealthy of their race. This fact, added to the size of the structure, demon- strates the former importance of the parish, both in a parochial and religious point of view. The oldest memorials are the flat stones covering the vaults which form the floor of the church. The continual tread of foot- steps have defaced these to a great extent, but here and there the name and heraldic distinction of the once great and noble are decipherable. William Piinn, and members of that celebrated race, have their last resting place denoted by a recently restored flat stone, nearly opposite the communion table (as detailed in the chapter on the history of the Prinn family.) 176 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Adjoining, is the family vault of the Greville family* This is unquestionably the oldest memorial stone now in the church that is clearly traceable. It is a relict of one of those fine brass mementoes for which this county is justly celebrated. It denotes the burial place of the renowned Judge Greville, who sat in the Common Pleas during the reigns of Henry VII. and Henry VIII., and other branches and descendants, including a Kector of Whittington. They resided at Arle Court— a mansion that yet retains, both externally and internally, marks of antiquity. On the chancel floor is the effigy, in brass, of Greville, time of Henry VII. The monumental brasses afford a most valuable history of art, from 1392 to 1626, exhibiting a view of the costume worn by our ancestors, both civil and military, rarely to be met with so perfect in any other county in England."— (Gomonde). Considering its exposed situation, the Greville incised slab is not badly mutilated. On it may yet be clearly traced the effigies, in brass, of the Judge in his judicial robes, his wife, his three sons, and seven daughters ; round the margin of the stone, on brass, is the remains of the original inscription as follows :— — — Slaughter, totycfje TOilliam tfecessto t!)e XE flam of J^arrfje, in u> EEHti) gere'of tl)e reign of Itinglenrrj SJIEEE. An interesting memorial also occurs in the chancel on the left hand side of the Communion Table. This is in the form of a sunken Tablet, having two pannels, and the arrangement of the letters on the body of the stonework is remarkably curious. This ancient mural relic was erected by a former Incumbent of the parish to the memory of his wife, who Was a daughter of Lady Sandy's, and also " to Maria, his second daughter. " The affectionate inscription upon it is in harmony with what history has recorded of the inner life of the writer. It is " the sad memorial of John English, Dr. in Divinity, 53 who, out of love to the cause of religion, filled the office of Incumbent when the salary was only £20 per annum, in the reigns of James I. and Charles I. Dr. English was a martyr to the cause of Evan- gelical truth, and was one of the many who suffered confinement in the common gaol during the Puritanical persecution. The tablet alludes to this painful incident, and sets forth that his wife died of a broken heart, in consequence of his separation THE PARISH CHURCH. 177 from her u by eighteen weeks' close imprisonment." So highly was Dr. English esteemed, that his tablet to his wife's memory was originally placed directly over the Communion Table, and in that position the remains of Mrs. English and her daughter were found at the time the Church was concreted in 1860. When the classic altar piece was erected, the churchwardens had the tablet carefully removed to its present place, beneath the small chancel window. We give a copy of the inscription in the form in which it occurs on the following page. Among the many tablets and monuments which adorn the walls of the sacred pile of a modern character and worthy of note, may be mentioned those intended as memorials to the following persons : — Rev. C. Jervis, M. A., former Incumbent of the parish, and Chaplain to the Duke of Cambridge ; Sir W. Myers, Bart., who died at the Battle of Albuera, and his mother, Lady Elizabeth Myers; General John Pennycuicke, C.B, .K.H., and Alexander, his son, who were both killed at the Battle of Chillanwallah ; Lieut.-Colonel W, R. Elliott, K.H. ; Lieut. - Col. W. C. Lennox, H.E.I.C.T. ; Diana, the wife of Sir John D. Oyly, Bart. ; Lieut. -Col. Berkeley, Royal Marines ; Letitia Baroness Clonbrock ; Sir R. Le Poor Erench ; Sir Ralph "Woodford, Bart., Envoy Extraordinary to the Court at Denmark ; Mrs. Entwisle, mother to the Duchess of St. Albans ; T. Griffiths, Esq., solicitor, &c. Near the centre of the edifice and not far from the pulpit, there is a large tablet that deserves a special notice here. It is to the memory of one that the town owes a debt of gratitude to — Captain Skillicorne, who first planned out the walks of the original Spa, which was soon to be patronized by the King of the realm. The inscription on this memorial is of great length, and gives dates and particulars, in reference to the first discovery of the Mineral Waters, that are of local interest. The historical associations connected with it will be found fully detailed in the account of the Skillicorne family given in a previous chapter. Not far from this monument is a small marble tablet, which is also connected with the same period. It denotes the resting place of an humble, but significant person — Mrs. Eorty — who was pumper at the Original Spa at the period His Majesty King George III. drank the waters ; and, at whose 178 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. .£3 Qg § * ■5.5' 8 I 5 Us OT * err**- gss l — " E". CD *<« 3 g. ^ ~ I-. |T-gg 3 *0q GO - ,„ ^ 9. I.fgff 2 p S-° ® S» k*. o* ». •*.«*. a k *-< 2 a < o S = «• r- CD CD •-< r «cd p- E'^2 5 • » CD - 5'» 3 — 3 OS ^ " ►- 00 CD 53" » =-C» a 3 - ?? $ £ 5 o « 3 S rsb," according to Moreau's Tour to Cheltenham Spa, was one of the earliest drives for visitors. " The most common ride," he says, " has generally been in the Marsh at the back of the town, a mile round, with a pleasant view of the neighbouring hills." The Marsh, being thus a public road and waste land, was selected as the spot for the exhibition of the retribution of offended justice. In the centre of the Marsh, a lofty gibbet was erected, and lest it should become mutilated by time or by any malicious persons, the posts were pierced with pieces of iron and massive cc hob nails. 5 ' On the cross-bar of this gibbet, was suspended, in strong chains, the body of Armstrong, the murderer. The body was publicly brought from Gloucester on a low, open four-wheel truck, drawn by a horse. A considerable number assembled to witness its being placed on a gibbet, which was done with all the usual formularies of an execution. The office of hangman was performed by Mr. Artus, to whom was awarded the fee of half a guinea for his unpleasant task. When the corpse had been suspended about an hour, in consequence of the weight of the chains, the cross-bar broke, and it fell to the ground. A strong piece of oak having been procured, the body was again raised, and finally remained. The Marsh became deserted as a public drive ; its name was associated with terror and superstition in the minds of the inhabitants generally ; no one would pass that way when evening had once set in, for fear of sharing a like fate with ei Tarn O'Shanter." The precise spot where the gibbet stood was where a gate has been erected in the by-lane behind Lord Dunally's residence, leading to the Marie-hill estate, and in almost a direct line with Dunally Street and the present Henrietta Street, the ancient "Fleece Lane." Mrs. Court lies buried in a vault near the south entrance into the Old Church- yard. Over the vestry door in the Parish Church, at the spot we have been describing, her afflicted husband erected to her memory a neat white marble tablet, on which is the following inscription, by the celebrated Westmacott : — 182 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. To the Memory of KATHEBINE, The "Wife of William P. A. Court, of Heytesbury in the County of Wilts, Esq., Who departed this Life on the 23d day of Sept. 1776, in the 32nd year of her age. The strictest Honour and Virtue, Elegance of Manners, Integrity of Heart, and Delicacy of Sentiment, Endeared her to a Select Circle of Friends and Acquaintance. She was cherished as an only Child by an indulgent Father, Beloved from Infancy by a tender Husband, In whose Arms She Died an unnatural Death Effected by Poison, Administered by the hands of a Cruelly Wicked Livery Servant Whose Resentment, at being detected in Theit, Prompted him to Perpetrate this horrid and Execrable Crime. The relatives of the murderer, who resided near this town, were of respectable origin, and had but recently settled here from Dublin, and were, of course, annoyed at the public exhibition that was being made of the corpse. One morning, about twelve months after the erection of the gibbet, the body and the ponderous chains were missing. It was believed at the time that the friends of the deceased had removed it ; the ground was broken up by the hoofs of horses, so that it appeared to have been forced down by horse power, but all search for the body proved fruitless. The posts continued to remain in their original position until the ground became private property, under the provisions of the afore-named Enclosure Act. When these posts were in the act of being removed for the purpose of planting hedges and enclosing the ground, the chain and the bones of the murderer were found directly beneath the cross-bar from whence they had been suspended, a few feet below the surface. The man (a very young one) who made the discovery, was so terror stricken, in consequence of so many superstitious tales that were then current on the subject, that he died in a few days afterwards ! The skull of the murderer was purchased, at the time of its exhumation, by Dr. Minster, and the remainder of the skeleton by Dr. Newell, both eminent medical men residing in the town at the time. The spot is, even to this day, a very solitary one, and some idea may be formed of its desolate character when it is stated that it formed a " Marsh," without a THE COURT FAMILY. 183 single habitation. The main posts were removed to near the present Clonbrock House, and were used as gate-posts. The spirit of enterprise which characterised the residents of this *' Queen of Watering Places" some years ago, led to the removal of all that was unsightly or not calculated to accord with the taste of the fashionable visitor. These gibbet-posts formed the gate entrance to a boarding-school whieh then existed, and not only their removal, but their final destruction was resolved upon, for fear they should again conjure up some more " midnight spectres," This was ultimately accomplished by committing them to a bonfire, specially kindled for the purpose ; and thus €nds the last link in the .chain of the history of the tragical murder committed at Cheltenham ! Like the interior of the edifice, the churchyard without is the silent depository of many families of distinction. Here are monuments to the memory of Mrs. Entwisle, the Mother of Her Oraee the Duchess St Albans ; Sir Isaac Heard, Garter, King at Arms ; Sir John Maclean, &c, members of the Napier family, lie interred near the central entrance from the High Street. On a tomb, to the memory of Captain G. Young- husband, is the following additional inscription: — "In 1851, was renewed by Lady Napier, the only sister of the late €aptain G. Younghusband, E.N., and wife of Admiral Sir Charles Napier, as a sincere tribute of affection to her lamented brother." The ancestors of the rich and eccentric banker of Gloucester, James Wood, Esq., are buried about midway along the path which leads from the High Street to Chester Walk. At the time the vestry was enlarged, the remains of two old head- stones were built in with the outer wall, bearing date 1607 and 1614. Amongst so many mementoes of the dead which record the resting place of the titled and wealthy, are the remains of a few that belong to the humbler ranks in life. "These are fast fading away, and, in order to rescue them from oblivion, and to illustrate the period when the town was occupied by the usual residents of a country village, we transcribe a few epitaphs, noteable for their quaintness and eccentricities. About midway along the path leading from the High Street to the chancel, is a flat-stone, forming the burial place of one of the old families of the town. The following inscription, 184 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. which used to attract the attention of visitors, was once clearly legible upon it. It is now nearly defaced by the continual tread of footsteps;— iC To the memory of John Higgs, died 28'2&, Here lies John Higgs, A famous man for killing pigs, For killing pigs was his delight Both morning, afternoon , and night, Both heats and cold he did endure, "Whieh no physician could e're cure ; His knife is laid, his work is done, I hope to heaven his soul is gone." Not far from this vault is a headstone* on which is inscribed : — 46 To the memory of John Paine, blacksmith, died 179&v My sledge and hammer lies reclined. My bellows pipe has lost its wind, My fire's extinct, my forge decayed, And in the dust my vice islayed, My coal is spent, my iron's gone, My nails are drove, my work is done." On a small broad headstone are the following brief bitt curious lines : — ''Tothe memory of Isaac Bellinger, died 1721. Keader! pray covet not this world, Out of it you may soon be hurled,. For as a wheel it turns about,, And it was a wheel that turned me out.'* An Innkeeper who was connected with the * Crown'* and H "White Hart," thus chronicled in witty terms his worldly connections .— •' In memory of Amos Quimby, My * Crown* to God I do resign, My children to a faithful friend^ My wife was left to weep When I the * Crown' forsook. " A Church House existed at the Chester Walk entrance to the churchyard until August IS, 1813, when it was removed by an order of the Vestry, in consequence of its dilapidated condition. Upon taking down the key stone of the arch of the doorway, the date a.d. 1507, was discovered. It afforded shelter for four indigent inhabitants, and formed a sort of Alms THE RECTORY. 185 House without an endowment. This relic of the monastic era is thus alluded to in the Jurors' Report at the Manor Office, in 1625: — "That there is no land or rents, to their knowledge concealed, detained, or denied, other than the Church House, which standeth for the most part in the churchyard 55 These houses were built before the monastic dissolution ; and when Protestantism was first the law of the land. They were in operation until the old poor law introduced poor rates to relieve the locally distressed. The poor inhabitants were regaled in them, and the sums collected for that object yielded more than was necessary, and prevented any appeal to the public for a local tax. Eosbrooke shows that the surplus in some local parishes was sufficient to keep the church in repair. He says that two modes were resorted to to raise the money spent in Church Houses ; the Offertory, every month, which, in the case of Dr. Hammoud, of Westridge, was so successful in his parish, "that there was little need of ever making any tax for the poor, he even got a stock for apprenticing poor children, and a surplusage to assist neighbouring parishes." "The Church- wardens' wives used to collect ; a custom still used in Catholic countries. 55 " Here, also, was a Church House ; the lower rooms of these were habitations of the poor ; in the upper room was held the Manorial Court and Vestry ; every Sunday morning a market was held for all kinds of provisions, and here the inhabitants had their music and dancing. 55 — (Fosbrooke.) Aubery tells us that in his day no rates for the poor were levied, but that the church ale of Whitsuntide — to use his own words — " did the business. " In every parish there was a place called the " Church House, 55 to which belonged " spits, crocks, and utensils for cooking. 55 In these houses, once a year, the people of the parish were wont to assemble. " Before the Reformation, there were no poors 5 rates ; the charitable doles given at religious houses, and church ales in every parish, were sufficient. In every parish there was a ' Church House, 5 to which belonged spits, pots, crocks, &c, for dressing provisions. Here the housekeepers met, and were merry, and gave their charity. The young people came there too, and had dancing, bowling, shooting at butts, &c. 55 — (Antiquarian Repertory). 186 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. The churchyard was originally exposed, and being a place of public thoroughfare, much injury was done to the tomb stones. ♦Several very ancient conventual flat stones, with Lombardic inscriptions, by the North Porch door, were gradually mutilated. This was further effected by the spot being used as a play ground, by the scholars attending the Charity School which was carried on over the porch, until the room in Devonshire Street was erected. The present enclosure of the yard by iron railings was effected in 1 855, through the exertions of C. Hale, a former town surveyor, at a cost of £650 : half was raised by voluntary contributions, and the rest paid out of the Commissioners 5 Rate. The author of a " Tour to Cheltenham Spa," 1806, observes : — " The churchyard is, by Mr.|Moreau, called the most beautiful in England, extending from East to West, about three hundred feet, and rendered particularly agreeable by its walks being shaded with double rows of lime trees, which surround and cross it. At the South- West gate, a neat gravel walks leads to the Church Mead, and through this, another to the Chelt, over which a draw bridge is thrown to form a passage to the public walks, planned by Norborne Berkeley, Lord Bottetourt. The church spire, rising from the walk, forms a very pleasing point of view from the Well " The Cross. — In thechurch- yard is a stone cross of high antiquity. The basement evi- dently belongs to the early part of the thirteenth century. The cross consists of a single shaft, rising from the centre of a pe- destal, on each side of which is a flight of massive stone steps. Until within the past few years, two sun dials were placed on the apex, as represented in our sketch. The origin of these parochial crosses are referable to various causes, both of a local and national character. They were placed in churchyards " to inspire reverence for the THE RECTORY. 187 mysteries which the people were about to witness." " Crosses . were sometimes boundaries ; sometimes erected to record remarkable events, as where a battle had been fought, or persons slain therein ; sometimes placed on the spot where any singular instances of God's mercy had been shown ; or where a person had been murdered by robbers, or met with any violent death, where the corpse of any great person rested ; and very often in churchyards to remind the people of the benefits vouchsafed to us by the Cross of Christ ; and in early times at most places of public concourse. At those crosses the corpse, in carrying to church, was set down, that all the people attending might pray for the soul of the departed. It was customary for mendicants to station themselves at crosses to solicit alms for Christ's sake, and pennances were sometimes finished at them, which concluded with weeping and the usual marks of contrition." — (Archaeo- logia). M Crosses in churchyards, seem to have had other uses ; for, in the earlier ages, in some places, where they had no church built, Divine service was performed under a cross in some open and convenient place." — (Rudge). "Here stood a cross upon the void ground, and that the same cross was worshipped by the parishioners there, as crosses be commonly worshipped in churchyards." — (Vestry Eecords, Nov. 25, 1449, Mary- Magdalen, London.) CHAPTER XI. ©f)e 3ttUctorg. The past history of the Incumbency of the parish is replete with incidents which illustrate the different phases of religious faith through many successive ages. The enquiry divides itself into two separate branches — the period before, and the period after — the Reformation. Prom the first local establishment of religious institutions by the early Saxon converts down to the 188 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. overthrow of Catholicism by Henry VIIL, Cheltenham had ample endowments for the support of ministers to its ancient church, chapels, and chantries. From the days of Protestantism downwards, the property forming these endowments passed into private hands, and as a consequence, the maintenance of religious worship has been fraught with some difficulty. The lands connected with the living were of considerable value, and where leased out from time to time to parties by the reigning monarch, on condition that ministers were supported out of the income so arising. The non-fulfilment of these conditions has caused most injurious effects. This has arisen in some measure from the practice of sub-letting io individuals who were called " farmers of tythes." During the early reign of the Protestant faith, one of the longest lessees was the celebrated philosopher and statesman, Lord Chancellor Bacon. And during the same period another notable character, in religious history, was Incumbent — the persecuted Puritan Divine, Dr. English. The churches of Cheltenham and Charlton were one united living, and are both referred to in the same documents. The ancient ecclesiastical history of Cheltenham unfolds many very curious incidents, which fully demonstrate the former antiquity and importance of the town. A prominent portion of that history is the evidence which proves the early establishment and subsequent endowment of our local curacy. The great extent and celebrity of this " Queen of Watering Places" renders it desirable to ascertain, as far as possble, every parti- cular concerning its past vicissitudes, and the erection of many modern places of worship has increased the antiquity and interest connected with the original living. It will be therefore not an uninteresting task to trace out the first endowment and subsequent vicissitudes of the perpetual curacy of Chelten- ham. The history of the Cheltenham incumbency may, in fact, be said to commence with the first traceable account of a local Christian institution. At the period Doomsday Book was written, in the eleventh century, " priests" are mentioned as supported by land, and " Beinbald holds one hide and half, which belongs to the Church." Thus it is evident that, long prior to that date, a corporate ecclesiastical body must have been in existence. Of one of the priests thus recorded, it is said that THE RECTORY. 189 " Keinbald was Deau of the Collegiate Church of Cirencester, and in 1065, 23rd, Edward the Confessor, Chancellor of England, set his hand as a witness, subscribing himself such, to the Charter of Privileges, granted by that King to the Abbey of Westminster. Reinbald lies buried in the body of the church of Cirencester. — (Cheltenham Guide, 1786). From these authentic sources we learn that endowments for the support of a church had existed in the Saxon era, and from that early age down to the rejection of Catholicism as the religion of the State, ample provision had been made for the maintenance of a local priesthood. The property which Saxon and Norman, in succession, gave for the support of religious rites, was enhanced by further bequests in following age?. Henry I. gave a mill and various lands in the vicinity, then producing annually £24, as an endownment. At this time the rector of Leckhampton had to contribute two shillings every year in aid of the endowment. The next possessor of our curacy was the then flourishing abbey of Cirencester, it having been given to that institution by Henry in 1133 ; and the gift was confirmed with great pomp and ceremony by Pope Celestine, in 1289. It would appear that the Cheltenham curacy at this period w r as an object of peculiar interest, for, immediately after it came into possession of Cirencester Abbey, the value of the endowment was enhanced by the gift of seven large estates by six celebrated noblemen ; among the number was Sir Walter Hawkes, the first local crusader. The records of Lanthony Priory (the ruins of which still exist near Gloucester) relate, that some of the lands forming the endowment, and situate in Down-Hatherley, w T ere rented by that edifice for domestic purposes, and an annual rental paid for the same in 1251. The lamentable civil wars which took place during the succeeding reigns of Henry IT. and Henry III., caused great reversions in the religious property of the country. In 1415, the second year of the last reign, our curacy w r as possessed by the richly endowed Nunnery of Sion, which w T as situated at Brentford. At length came the memorable reign of Henry YIIL, and with it the dissolution of all monastic property — and, as a conse- quence, our curacy once more became invested in the Crown. Like all similar curacies, it was succesively let on lease on May 22, 1560, to Sir Henry Jerningham; on May 10,1592, to Sir 190 HIST'OfiY OS* CHELTENHAM* W k Greenwell ; arid on February 27th, io97> to Francis Bacon, Esq., afterwards the Lord Chancellor, and the renowned states- man and philosopher ; and ultimately it wa3 granted by King James to Sir Baptist Hieks . In previous chapters, we have had to refer" to the services which a former Steward of the Manors of Cheltenham and Charlton has rendered as a recorder of local events. To John Stubbs we are again indebted for the preservation of some of the most curious and interesting documents belonging to the Curacy since the days of Protestantism* The manuscripts, from the facts they contain, are most invaluable, as elucidating the early struggle for support made by the Anglican Church. We print these documents verbatim, feeling assured that they will be read with interest* on account of the light which they throw upon the history of religious institutions at the dawn of the Eeformation : " Extract of a Letter from J* StuVbss, to Dr. Mansell, Principal of Jesus College, Oxford, dated Charleton Kinges, June 25, 1633, as to the state of the cures and their maintenance in Cheltenham and Gliarleton Kinges* " Eec'oria du Cheltenham cu capella de Charleton R'g eidem annexat. com. Glouc'r, "40 Eliz. 27 Pebi\ The premises were granted to Prances Bacon, Esq., for 40 years, under the rent of 751bs, 13 4, and under these exceptions and coven'ts, except the advouson of the Church and ChapeL The Lessee to find two fit and discreet Chaplains, and two Deacons* to celebrate Divine service, and also to find bread and Wine for the Sacrament, and straw for the Churches, and Bopes and Bells," which lease was to commence presently, if no former Lease were theretofore made thereof, if yea then from the determination thereof. "Prances Morrice and Prances Phillips purchased the premises of King James for the use of divers contracts in fee farm amongst divers other impropriations. " The premises came to the hands of Sir Baptist Hicks. King James graunted the same unto the said Sir Baptist and his heirs in fee simple upon his surrender of the fee farm thereof into his Majesty's hands, together with the parsonage of Cambden, excepting the advousons of Churches and Chapels. THE RECTORY. 191 " About the year of our Lord, 1609, 1 showed Dr. Parry, the Bishop of Gloucester, the true Copy of the Lease granted to Mr. Bacon, afterwards Lord Chancellor, and desired his aid for the settling of preaching Ministers in the said Churches, and for the allowance of sufficient Stipends (which I was informed was in his Lordship's power), for their maintenance, who shortly afterwards preached at Cheltenham, and dealt with Mrs. Badger (the mother of both of the Higges menconed in your Deede,) about the encreasing the Minister's stipends, and that learned Preachers might be provided, for the said Churches. But finding her obstinate, the Parishioners peticoned the Erie of Salisbury and Sir Juliu3 Csesar, Chancellor of the Exchequer (who have alwayes commission to deale for the King's Lands and revenues and all things thereunto appertayning), to take some speedy course for reformation of the said abuses, and the said Lord Bishop delivered the peticon with his own hands. Whereupon my Lord Tre'r directed his L're to the said Mrs. Higges, the farmer of the premises, as it folio weth, viz. : — " { After my hearty comendacons, having receaved from my * good Lord, the Lord Bp. of Gloucester, a complt. against you * in the name of the Parishioners of Cheltenham and Charleton, * that whereas by a Covenant contained in your lease of the c ympropriat Eectory, there, you are bound to maynteyn at your *own costs and charges, two discreet Chaplains, and two * Deacons, for the service of God and instructing His people in 'the sd. Churches, you have, notwithstanding, raaynteyned * only two reading Ministers there with the only allowance of * 121b a year to the scandall of the Church of God, and the c defrauding of his Majesty's subjects of the Spiritual food of c their souls. Although I might call you to strict account for ? the same by processe to answer the breach of your Coven't, I c have, notwithstanding, thought good for this time to let you c know by this my letter what complaint is made against you, * and do require you either to reforme the abuse forthwith by < allowing two sufficient Preachers comp'tent stipends, with the c speedy knowledge of the Lord Bp. there, or else to make your c speedy repaire unto me to the Court, to shew what reason you * have to continue such an abuse, which, if it be true, as is c informed, I think myself bound in duty to his Majesty and in c conscience towards God, speedily to reforme. And so be, I 192 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. c committ you to God, expecting to receive an answer how you c mean to proceed therein. " * Your loving Friend, " * R. Salisbury.' "'From the Court, 10 April, 1610/ "Mrs. Badger's Nephewe, Mr. Thomas Stephens, then Prince Henry, his Attorney-Generall, did labor the Bishop of Glour. being one of the sd. Prince's Chaplaines to be favourable to his Aunt in the matter albeit his Lordship was resolved to allow sufficient stipends to the Ministers. But before any thing was effected the Lord Treasurer died, and the sd. Lord Bisp. was removed to Worcester. And notwithstanding that Mr Stephens had promised the Lord Bp. that his Aunt Badger should willingly allowe 201bs a yere to the Ministers, after many delays, he answered plainly that he could not procure her to give the sd. Ministers any increase of their stipends. "About the yere 1620, the inhabitants did peticion the Lord Chancellor Bacon, to whom Queen Elizabeth granted her said Parsonage for XL yeres, that his Lordship would compel his Assignee to perform the sd. Covts. and to allow good stipends, seeing the said Parsonage was worth 6001b per annum. His Lordship answered that she might as well so doo, because he had but 1000 marks for the whole term of 40 yeres, and thereupon, wrote her a letter to the effect following, viz. : — * { The Copy of my Ld. Chancellor's Letter to Mrs. Badger. " c After my hearty comendacons. Whereas you are tyed by Covent. with me to find 2 fit and discreet Chaplains, and 2 Deacons, Bread and Wyne and other necessaries for the Churches and Parishioners of Cheltenham and Charleton, and to perform all other things which on my part are to be done by virtue of the Lease granted unto me by Queen Eliz., I am informed by the Peticon of the inhabitants of the sd. Parishes, that you have notwithstanding, defrauded them, not only of the 2 Deacons, Bread and Wyne, other necessaries that you ought by the Covent. to provide at your owme charge, but also have deprived them of the spiritual food of their souls, allowing yerely unto two Curates X lbs a year. Although you have given me cause to call you to accompt, for breach of your Covent. by a legal proceeding, yet have I thought good at this time to THE RECTORY. 193 admonish you thereof, and to require you presently to reform the said abuses, by allowing unto 2 such discreet Chaplains as shall be no'iated by his Majestie or his Highness assigns 401b yearly unto either of them, and duely to perform covenant of the said Lease, so as there be no further cause of complaint in that behalf against you. So expecting your conformity herein, without delay, I bid you farewell. " ' From Yorke House, the 19 Nw, 1620 " ' Your loving friend, " ' Pra. Yerulam.' — (Lord Bacon). " The Lord Chancellor was removed out of his office at the Parliament, before Mrs. Badger had returned any answer to the sd. Letter. The Parishioners then exhibited a Petition to the King, praying his Majesty by his leave to command Thos. and John Higges, the present farmers to performe the said Covenants, and to allow unto such Chaplains and Deacons as his Majestie and his assigns should nominate such competent stipends as should be thought fit by his Highness. Thereupon the said farmers and Parishioners submitted themselves to the award of Mr. Endimion Porter, and Mr. John Parker, who ordered the said farmers to to pay 301b per annum to the Ministers, and yet upon relacon of their Debts, the sd. arbi- trators abated :201b per annum for 5 years, and then Mr. Jno. Parker abated 51b more for the sd. 5 years, in the consideration that the sd. farmers did voluntary agree to the order recited in your Deed, which 51b per annum the Parishioners did supply at his request, as far as I now remember. " Then we caused the sd. covenants to be decreed in the Chancery ; and because we could not procure Mr. Walker, our Minister of Charlton, to leave that place upon the increase of the stipends by virtue of the Covenant as he had faithfully promised, and for that neither of the Ministers was Master of Arts, and for that cause not capable of the increase of the stipends by virtue of the Covenant the Lord Keeper upon the Parishioners Petition did decree 201bs of the sd. allowance to Mr. Pantow, then Minister of Cheltenham, and the rest to Mr. Brooke and Dr. English, who was placed in Mr. Panton's roome at Cheltenham, as by the decree and order of both, which I send you the true copies verbatim, may appear. Afterwards 194 HISTOBY OF CHELTENHAM. the President of Trinity College, bestowing a preferment upon> Mr. Brooke, he acquainted his Parishioners that he intended to leave that place, I would to God that others would do the like, that we might procure learned divines to succeed them. Then Mr. Murrell, our now Minister, without our privities, got the place as he saith, from the Lord Keeper and the Lord Cambden, where he hath continued ever since to our good lyking, but now having gotten other preferment he doth not imitate Mr. Brooke in leaving this. " I will trouble you no more at this tyme. If upon consider- aeon hereof anything shall be wanting, I will be ready upon notice to inform you better for either the originall or true copies of every thinge that hath been done concerning the business are in my custody. This only I request, that as you have shewed me the Deed passed from my Lord Cambden to you, so that you will vouchsafe to be pleased to send me the copy thereof, that I may enter it in my book wherein I have registered ail the passages of this business to the intent that posterity may here- after know how to inform you of any thinge that shall be here done contrary to the intent of our ho. and pious Benefactor. And so not doubting of your readiness to yield to this my reasonable peticon, I humbly take my leave. " Yor. Worships in all service to be commanded, "J. STUBBES. " Charleton Kinges, June 25, 1638." Both in a local and national point of view, these documents reveal facts of the deepest interest. The correspondents were of no ordinary character, including the immortal Bacon. " Mr. Thomas Stephens," Attorney-General to Prince Henry,, eldest son of King James L, was of the family of that name, situated at Lypiatt, Eastington, &c, in Gloucestershire, who mainly supported the Parliamentary interest in that county during the Civil War. The arrangement as to the Stipends, settled by Mr. John Parker on behalf of the inhabitants, and Mr. Endinson Porter, on behalf of the Higges, farmers, of the impropriate Rectory, at £40 for Cheltenham, and £i0 for Chariton, was effected by Deed of Covenant, 17 Eeb. 19 Jac. 1, confirmed by Decree in Chancery, 30 June, 22 Jac 1, in Lord Keeper Williams time,, and still subsists. THE RECTORY. 195 The great philosopher and statesman, Bacon, when taking his 40 years' lease of the living of Queen Elizabeth at the rate of £75 annually, had certain conditions to fulfil. He had to rind "two fit and discreet Chaplains" for the churches at Cheltenham and Charlton, besides "two Deacons," and also "bread and wine for the sacraments, and straw for the churches, and ropes for the bells." The living was, however, sublet by Lord Bacon to Mrs. Higgs, of Charlton, who " farmed" the estate, and paid only Ten Pounds annually to "two reading Ministers." The inhabitants very properly asked the aid of the Bishop of the Diocese in the matter, and more especially as at that time the female Impropriator was realizing £600 annually out of the estate. The Bishop came and preached at the Parish Church and remonstrated with Mrs. Higgs, but to no effect. The next step was a petition to the Earl of Salisbury, and Sir Julius Csesar, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, "to take speedy course for the reformation of the said abuse." The Earl of Salisbury, in his letter to Mrs. Higgs, points out that ^10 a year salary for two Ministers is a " scandall to the Church of God, and the defrauding of his Majesty's subjects of the food of their souls." Not succeeding up to this time, the Spiritual parishioners appeal direct to the great Bacon. His reply, as will be seen on reference to his letter, is characteristic of the man. He reminds the Impropriator that he could call to his aid the strong arm of the law, but that he prefers an appeal to conscience. It appears that the curacy w-as no source of profit to the statesman, for that he had been paid " but 1000 marks for the whole term of 40 years." As time rolled on, little or no increase was effected in the Ministers' stipend, and even to this day, the Incumbent of the " Queen of Watering Places" is " passing rich with forty pounds a year," from the ancient endowment we have been detailing. The original grant in Latin from Elizabeth to Lord Bacon is recorded in Dixon's History of that Statesman, and upon the transaction the author observes that, — " In 1598, Francis Bacon promoted a Bill to prevent the enclosure of land, and restore enclosed lands to tillage — and at length the measure passed, chiefly owing to Lord Bacon. Only two weeks after signing her name to his Bill for replacing the yeomen on the soil from which they have been driven, Elizabeth sets her hand to a grant 196 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. of a third estate to Bacon. This act of her princely grace confers on Bacon the Eectory and Church of Cheltenham, together with the Chapel at Charlton Kings, in the lovely valley nestling under the Cleeve and Leckhampton Hills ; a valley not yet famed for those mineral springs, those shady walks, those pretty spas, and gardens, which, in the days of Victoria, have transformed Lansdown and Pittville into suburbs of delight ; yet rich in the voluptuous charms of nature, and blest with a prodigal fertility, of corn and fruit, of kine and sheep." — (Dixon's Personal History of Lord Bacon.) Cheltenham was not the only place that suffered by the deprivation of spiritual instruction. Many of the adjacent parishes, which were lay Impropriations, had to depend entirely upon the feeling of the proprietor in the matter. In some cases Divine service was occasionally performed, and, in others, not at all. The adjacent parish of Withington offers a striking and melancholy illustration of the state of ecclesiastical affairs locally, in the sixteenth century. The inhabitants presented to Queen Elizabeth a petition praying that the Eector, the Eev, J. Knowles, might be removed from his office, " because he had neither preached himself in the Parish Church nor employed another, for seven years !" The Cheltenham Eectory passed into the Hicks family, whose descendants have ever since been connected with the town either by residence or by the holding of judicial offices. The impropriation was granted to Sir Baptist Hicks, on con- dition that he should allow a yearly stipend of £40 to the officiating minister. SirBaptist delegated the power of electing therninister to the Principal and Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford. The following extract from the deed of investment will show the restrictions imposed by Sir Baptist on the power of the electors : — cc The parties recommended by the College, must be sufficient preaching ministers, masters of arts of two years standing, at least, and unmarried persons. The College, upon any avoidance of either of the said churches, to present to the heire of the Lord Campden three of the fellowes, and he to nominate and elect who he pleaseth. If after such presentment made, the heire shall not, within six weeks, elect out of the persons so presented, the nomination for that turne, shall be in the College ; and on the other side, if the College present not within two THE RECTORY. 197 months, the lieire shall name for that turne. None to be elected by the College, or presented by the heire, but fellows of the College, and they to continue but six years at most ; unless by a new presentment or election. The said ministers to preach once every Sabbath, not to be absente both together, to have no other benefice, and to remain unmarried." Thus it will be seen that Sir Baptist Hicks gave the power of nominating the minister to Jesus College, Oxford, subject to the restriction that the elected were to be M.A.'s of two years standing, to hold no other benefice, and to remain unmarried. This last item was fully carried out, and the register book in the vestry records the names of twenty-three Welsh Bachelors who have held the living from the time of Sir Baptist down to the Eev. E. Eoulkes, in 1799. Erom this manuscript we are enabled to publish the — Names op the Incumbents of the Paeish Church op Cheltenham from the Eestoration of Charles II. 1662 — Rev. R. Bowen, 1663—" Henry Maurice. 1671 — '* Henrv -Lloyd. 1673— "Ralph Weld. 1688 — " Kenrick Palestone. 1692—" Luke Williams. 1709 — "Henry Mease. 1716 — " Humphrey Lloyd. " Thos. Ray. " H umphrey Maurice. 1724 — « Thos. Edwards, 17^9 — "Geo. Stokes. 1' 731— Rev Edmund Meyrick. 17-11-' 'Th os. Morgan. 1' 754—' 'Jo nes Reid. 1767—' ' John Lloyd. 1778—' ' Huq q 4, and lor putdug on a crank on ye filth day of April 16/9 J Paid Win Yard one pound oi Butter at 5 Paid now for 26 lb. of Bread 2 2 Pd A, Elmior to buy a breed pyg for Margarett Powell 5 In a De-la-bere MS 8. is this entry : — *' 1720, Wheat sold at Cheltenham Market 6, Bushel at 4s. 8d....£l 8 „ „ „ 15, Ditto at 4 8 ... 3 10 12, Ditto at 4 10 ... 2 18 A butcher's bill dated October 5th, 1739, and addressed to " Master Thos Pope, ye Plough," has the following items : — Ye Lamb quarter 111b. at 2£d. ... ... .. Loyn Mutton , A leg of lam A pound Suet A pound Mutton "Ye contents of ys Bill Reed per me The Gregory family were tanners and butchers. The tan yard was located near the banks of the Ghelt at the top of the town, on the site of the present new road, uniting the High Street with the Bath lload. The " Cirencester Plying Post" of May, 1744, announces a good supply of grain in the market, rnd adds — " Price of Corn at Cheltenham : — Wheat from 2s. 3d, to 2s. 4d. per bushel; Beans, from 2s. to 2s. 2d. per bushel." The village-like character of Cheltenham during the past century is further illustrated by the manner in which the local poor were taken care of. The small number chargeable to the parish is evident from the poor-rates not amounting on an average to more than £12 annually. Under the old Poor Law, relief was given at the dwelling-house of the applicant, to parties who in some instances resided in their own freehold — of s a. ~Z 3i 11 1 Oj 3J • •• . 2i 4 8 X Rich Gergory, his mark. 238 EISTOUY OF CHELTENHAM. so little value was property at that period in the town. In con- sequence of this system, alter death, the parish took possession of the property, and there are notices on the parish books of the same being ordered to be sold. In one case it is recorded that the parties died of " sweating sickness," and the Overseers effect a sale to reimburse themselves. The most recent instances of the kind was in the years 1811, 1812, and 1818. In ac- cordance with an order of Vestry, four houses of this class, situate in Day-lane (Grove- street), were sold by public auction. The purchaser was the late B. Jones, Esq., but not afterwards liking the " sweating sickness" title, he was exonerated from his agreement. In 1812 the property was again brought to the hammer, and "ordered to be sold for £100, with such title as the parish had." In the same year, and in 1818, houses and a cottage and garden at the Knap were sold, and the proceeds ordered to be applied towards liquidating the debt on the oid workhouse. The purchaser was J. Pitt, Esq. The inexpensive and simple manner in which our ancestors administeied parochial relief may be inferred from this entry in the De-la-bere Journal, (before quoted) of the year 1678, the writer being the only local magistrate : — The 13th of March, Elinor Powell, a poore woman had 6d., being then allowed by Walter Phillips and Thomas Waite's to have some reliele out ol ye parish. Elinor Powell's accompts. the 5th March, pd. Elinor Powell the 19th of March, pd the 26th of March, pd the 2nd da) of April, pd the 9 th of April, pd The old custom was to rent a house to receive inmates, and then il that should "happen lo be lull" other houses were engaged. In the rate-book of 1722 the rent of the workhouse was £8, and in the rate-book of 1763 the rental was £10 annually, The Cheltenham Chronicle of JSov. 22, 1810, thus announces the labours of the Poor Committee, as reported to Vestry : — Two days in each week are specifically set apart, the whole of which are employed by the churchwardens and over- seers in ascertaining the rents or value of houses and lands within the parish and hamlets connected with it, in order to effect the first great object in view, the equalizing the rate. Us. 6d. b u 6 6 6 THE TOWN PRIOR TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURA 339 They are preparing to establish a rope walk in the ground at- tached to the poor-house, which wilL probably be a source of very beneficial employ to the poor. Several families who have at different times been improperly admitted, are now directed to be dismissed from the poor-house, in order to make way for the admission of others in more necessitous circumstances, and for whose accommodation as to places of residence, an unreasonable expense by the rems of houses now directed to be abolished, has been incurred.' 5 The vestry-book of this parish bears witness to many praise- worthy efforts of this kind waich have been made in former years. The following extract from one of the many entries will illustrate the manner in which our local trade was generally in- troduced : — •' At a vestry meeting holden in the parish church on July 26th, 1796, we, whose names are underwritten, do agree that Henry Smith, one of the overseers of the poor of this parish, shall agree with Messrs. Haines and Co., of the city of Glou- cester, to establish the pin trade in the w T orkhouse of this parish/ 5 Another means adopted at this period, was the bind- ing out of parish apprentices. Many of these, in after-life, were thus enabled to become resident tradesmen, and in several instances died in opulence. In the parish chest are preserved hundreds of indentures of past apprenticeships ; and the care and judgment in selecting the trades reflect credit on the con- duct of the then officials of the parish. Houses were occasionally rented as circumstances required, until the increase of the local poor necessitated the erection of a separate house. The last premises rented was Allstone villa, which was afterwards converted into a fashionable boarding- house, to which was attached a spa. The old workhouse occu- pied the site of the Parish Church School-room, by the Great Western Station. It was the first erected, and after being leased for years was purchased by the Guardians, and when the New Poor Law came into operation it was altered to meet the provi- sions of that Act. But even this building, which was of some extent, proved inadequate for the purpose, and a more spacious one was erected. It was begun in 1840, and occupation by the inmates commenced on October 30th, 1841. Its accommodation then extended to 581 inmates, and since that period additional wings have been built which have matenallv increased its size. 240 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. The district over which the Board of Guardians have controul in the Cheltenham Union — comprises thirteen parishes, which, according to the census of 1861, contained a population of 49,682, and occupying an area of statute acres of 24,303. Under the oid Poor Law, just prior to its abrogation, the annual sum expended for the relief of the poor was £5,770. Under the New Act the average expenditure of the Union is above £20,000 per annum. The introduction of the New Poor Law led to an organized system suitable to the large increase of the population. The administration of the provisions of the Act have been judiciously effected by a Board of Guardians elected annually. I he orderly and healthy character of the inmates of the workhouse, and the remarkably clean and comfortable manner in which the estab- lishment has been kept, is a matter of notoriety both among visitors and residents. From the commencement of the New Act, records ot all receipts and expenditures properly audited exist, so that we are enabled to present to the reader the sums which have been collected in tabular form, as also the latest re- turns of how the sums thus collected are dispensed. In 1840, Mr. Thomas Boodle was elected assistant-overseer, and from that period to September in the year 1 86 1, that efficient officer collected the large amount of £327,877 9s. 9d., which is in fact the contribution of the past twenty years and a-half of the inhabit- ants of Cheltenham towards the poor-rate. We annex a copy from the assistant overseer's books, of the poor-rates collected under the New Poor Law Act up to September, 1861, and since 1840. The account is presented in tabular form, and the amount given is the net sum raised after abatements have been made upon the original assessment in consequence of appeals, and " void and excused." The sum of £20,296 17s. Oid. was the net proceeds ot that portion of the collected rate for the Union for the year ending March, 1861. The average of the sum allowed tor abatements may be inferred from the half-yearly report for Cheltenham, viz.: Excused, £479 17s.; void, £335; this was upon a shilling rate, and the reduction of assessments are in proportion to the amount of the rate. The sum here put on record is according to what has been received for the year* and like the audited accounts of the Guardians, contains the receipts THE TOWN PRIOR TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 241 within two half-yearly periods, but not the entire rate, the balance being carried on to the next account. The two latest fully-collected rates for this parish only, of one shilling, and one shilling and threepence in the pound, amounted to £19,000 18s. 9d. POOR RATES FOR THE PARISH OP CHELTENHAM. Year when levied. Net amount collecte -1 £ s. d. 1840 10,358 5 3 1841 9,663 18 5 1842 ..* 12,402 5 2 1843 12,165 8 1844 11,060 1 2 1845 9,441 8 6 1846 17,913 19 3 1847 17,148 6 . 1848 16,069 17 9 1849 17,895 17 6 1850 ... ' 14,326 2 10 1851 15,951 6 5 1852 15,471 1 6 1853 12,397 19 3 1854 16,889 11 9 1855 18,705 14 9 1856 16,470 6 3 1857 1.8,145 5 3 1858 .. 16,200 5 1 1859 16,404 16 1860 15,642 16 1861 22,489 11 11 Total collected ia 21 years £333,213 16 8 The prosperous state of the town causes full employment to all resident labourers, consequently, the only parties who receive parochial assistance are those who are either enfeebled by disease or old age. This was clearly proved by statistical returns pro- duced at a meeting of the Board of Guardians held in July, 1861. Mr. Downing, the chairman of the Board, in presenting the return observed, "that of the paupers who were in receipt of out-door relief, 764 were over 50 years of age, and 371 over the age of 70, There were 218 men, and 546 women, whose ages varied from 50 to 94, which last-named age was that of the oldest pauper out of the house, there being one above that age in the house* With reference to the workhouse itself, there 24? HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. were in it at the time the revision took place, 44 boys, 49 girls, 18 infants, 18 men, 78 old men, and 19 under the age of 50. There were also 43 old women, 35 being under the age of 50, and 4 tramps, making a total of 291. Out of the 863, whose individual cases were enquired into, he found that there were 456 widows, 32 deserted women, 162 married women, 61 single women, 79 widowers, 7 single men, 162 married men, 13 paralysed, 11 bed-ridden, 12 blind, 8 idiotic, and 22 cripples. The Guardians sometimes heard the cry raised of impositions being practised on the Board, but it would be seen from the statement he had read, that most of the relief given, was bestowed on persons who were really aged." The expenditure of the Cheltenham Union for the year ending March 25th, 1861, was £20,313 12s. 9fd. ; the number of persons receiving out-door relief for the same period was 3,675, and the total of all classes relieved was 5,373. Oat of the poor- rate various sums of a miscellaneous nature are paid, and in order to illustrate the way in which our Union rate is distributed, we here put on record the amount of the EXPENDITURE OE THE CHELTENHAM UNION EOR THE YEAR ENDING MARCH 25, 1861. £ s. d. In-Maintenance 2,168 6 7| Out-Relief 7,391 6 6 Pauper Lunatics at the County Lunatic and other Asylums 1,548 5 5 Extra Medical Fee 152 13 6 Common Charges 1,800 15 11} Ditto Irremovable Paupers ... 2,841 5 7i Ditto Wanderers and Wayfarers 54 10 2 Kepayment of Workouse Loans 281 16 11 Interest on Ditto 53 12 8 .Registration Pees 124 18 6 County Rates, Police, &c , 3,374 4 8 Collectors' Salaries ... 481 11 10 Sanitary Expenses 6 4 Premiums of Apprenticeship 11 Puneral Expenses 26 7 Other Expenses 116 £20,313 12 9J The average weekly cost per head for the in-door paupers is 3s. lid. f for food, and 2^d. for clothing. The average for the THE TOWN PRIOR TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 243 year of the in-door relief list for the Union is 1,296 adults and 402 children. The only item in the list of expenditure that has materially increased, and over which we can of course have no control, is for the maintenance of the unfortunate lunatic. In common with the rest of England, this Union has had this charge to meet on an increased ratio during the last fourteen years commencing in 1849, whilst the numbers have increased threefold . It is worthy of remark, and the fact strikingly proves the prosperous condition of the town, that although, as shown by the last census returns, Cheltenham increases 500 annually in population, yet, pauperism has decreased. In 1849, when the number of inhabitants was about 6,000 less than at present, 9,669 persons were receiving relief, whilst in 1861, with the increased population, only 5,373 had been relieved — nearly one- half less in number. The cost for in-door maintenance of those directly connected with the parish is £1,800 8s. 2d., and for those receiving out- door relief £6,078 12s. 2|d. In 1860, the maintenance of lunatics cost £1,269 2s. 9d., and in 1861, £1,243 13s. Id., and for the Union £1,458 5s. 5d. The county rate for police, &c. chargeable to the parish, is £2,666 13s. 4d., and to the entire Union £3,374 4s. 8d. The salaries of officers and com- mon charges for the parish is £3,461 9s. 0d., and for the Union £4,696 lis. 6fd. Out of the poor-rate of 1861, the sum of £599 14s. lOd. has been paid towards the expense of concreting the floor of the Cheltenham Parish Church, and other sanitary purposes in con- nection therewith, in accordance with an order of the Privy Council. This item is one, among others, which occurs in the Overseers' accounts, and although levied upon the rate, is not a payment made by the Guardians. From incidental allusions, it appears that stocking-knitting and malting were the only known trades down to the close of the eighteenth century. In 1712, says Atkins, " Cheltenham is a town considerably engaged in the malt trade. " And Martin, who in 1759, published a Natural History of England, describes the town as " having a good trade in malt." Various other trades were afterwards established here by the aid of the paro* chial officers. Their plan was, to engage with certain persons, 244 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. to teach the inmates of the workhouse how to manufacture various articles, and thus the inhabitants had an opportunity of relieving themselves from the burden of poor-rates, a ad assisting in making Cheltenham a mercantile town. The malting trade formerly carried on in the town was evi- dently considerable, both from the allusions which is made to it in history, and from the number of buildings or " malt houses'* which was known to have existed here.* The traffic in corn required a public and convenient place for the parishioners to assemble in, and this want was supplied at the expense and through the benevolence of a resident. The account of this building will unfold to us the commercial and social condition of the place in the middle of the seventeenth century. In the centre of the road between the original "Plough" as represented in page 263, and the equally ancient " Crown,'" stood the com and wool market, which was taken down in 1786, and the materials sold for £64 10s. under powers of the first Commissioners' Act, when, at the same time, the Chelt that flowed by it was diverted into its main course The erection of this market was effected by a sum of money bequeathed by a former master of Pates* Grammar School. This benevolent individual, who lies interred in the south aisle of the Parish Church, was the Rev. Christopher Bailey, M.A., who died in 1654, after having honourably filled the office of master for thirty-two years. The particulars of this bequesc are contained in an entry m the Court Rolls at the Cheltenham Manor Office, of which the fol- lowing is a verbatim copy: — 9 October 1654. To the right worshipful John Dutton, Esq., lord of the libtie, hundred, manner, and market of Cheltenham, in ye county of Gloucester. The humble petition of Nicholas Ashmead, and Edward Johnson, executors of the last will and testament of Christopher * The old rate books show that a fourth part of the town was malt houses. It was a local custom to rate to the poor all out-houses andstablts besides dwelling- houses. As proof that the trade was a lucrative one, is the fact that Giles Cox. who founded one of our local charities in 1727, which is still in operation, is described in his will as churchwarden and maltster, and as having Cl obtained his substance thereby," THE TOWN PRIOR TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 245 Bayley, Schoolmaster of the Free Schoole in Cheltenham, afore- said, deceased. Whereby they humbly show that the said Christopher Bayley, out of his pious desire to advance the good of the town of Cheltenham, where he gained the greatest part of his estate, did by his last Will devise and appoint ffourescore pounds, to be employed by yo r petitioners, his Executors, for the erecting of a Market-house for sale of Come within the said Towne which yo r petitioners by the assistance of Almighty God, and your wor pps lycence, doe intend forthwith to build, with a convenient room over the same, for a woll market, and for keeping of the Court Leets, and other, yo r Wor pps Courts, with the s d maner, and for other publique uses of the Inhabitants of the said Towne. To r pet rs doe therefore humbly beseech yo r Wor pps to be pleased to give them lycense to erect and build a market- house in the said towne of Cheltenham, To the uses afores d , and to assigne them some convenient place within the said Towne, in, or neere the place where the old market house before it was taken downe did stand, and also to be pleased to give direction that yo r Wor pps favour in this behalf may be at the next Court to be held for the View of Frankpledge and Court of the said Manner of Cheltenham inrolled in the Eolls of the s d Court for a perpetuall record thereof And y r Pet rs shall pray &c. Upon the exhibiting of the Petition above s d The Lord of the said Manor ordered as followeth — I do hereby appoint Thomas Eoberts of Cheltenham, Gent, my Chiefe Bayliefe there, to set out and appoint a fit and con- venient place for the building a Market House as is desired to such uses as are above mentioned. And my Will's that this petition with this my answer be the next Courtered into the Bolls of the said Manner and made a record. John Dtjtton. 22 Septembrisiebi. TheMorning Post of the dates 1725 and 1745 contains adver- tisements which refer to this old house of traffic. One of these appeared in May, 1725, as follows : — " Thomas Harvey, who served seven years 5 apprenticeship to a Yintner in London, and kept the George Inn, in Cheltenham, 246 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, Gloucestershire, for these nine years last past, is now removed to a new, large, handsome and commodious Inn, of his own building, opposite the Market-house, in Cheltenham aforesaid, called the Swan, where all noblemen and others, who shall be pleased to use his house, shall be sure to meet with good enter- tainment and civil usage from their most obedient humble seiwant, Thomas Harvey. N.B. — He has a large commodious yard, with stables for upwards of sixty horses, stalled and bail'd ; and coach-houses answerable. Note also, — He continues the Coash Way from the Hill, through the grounds, to this Inn as usual." The Swan, alluded to in this advertisement, stood nearly opposite to the Plough, at the corner of Winchcomb- street, and the premises are now occupied by Mr. D. Gibbon, chemist. This ancient market was doubtless the most public place in the town, and was the scene of many a rural gathering. It is often incidentally alluded to in connection with the mention of events which illustrate the village characteristics of the place. It was in this building that the indefatigable founder of the now influential body of Wesleyan Methodists preached his first sermon in Cheltenham. John Wesley's visit was on August 4th, 1744, and in his " Journal" he says, "Here I addressed one of the largest audiences that ever assembled there." This market is thus noticed in an advertisement in 1745— " To be let and entered upon immediately, or at any time be- tween this and Michaelmas — The Crown Inn now kept by Josias Cooke, opposite the Corn Market House at Cheltenham. An hundred horses may be taken in at a fair." To this structure the old inhabitant brought his produce and found a purchaser. And such appears then to have been the principal profession followed. It was an agricultural town, and manifested all the quietude of country life. The men were occupied in tillage and preparing for future crops, while the dame and her daughters manufactured stockings, and about the quality of which history speaks in terms of praise. Such was ec Cheltenham in ye olden tyme." The poverty and obscurity of the borough, except at short intervals, from the Commonwealth down to the dawn of the eighteenth century, is strikingly apparent in all local documents of that period. But the dark gloom of the past becomes dis- pelled by an event which, when viewed in its great results, has THE TOWN PRIOR TO THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 247 perhaps no parallel in any local history. We allude to the first discovery of the Spa Waters. That remarkable incident paved the way for placing Cheltenham in the sunshine of prosperity, and causing it to be known throughout the civilized world. From this interesting epoch, it has been gradually progressing in population, fame, and stability, as the next and following chapters will fully demonstrate. We have been reviewing the period When Chelt's bright streamlet, glistening in the sun, Adown its only street was wont to run, And stranger doves, from far, on weary wing, Sought the loved waters of their favourite spring. How altered now ! farewell, thou fabled stream, For thy existence is but as a dream ! — Farewell the ancient fisher wont to ply Thy sport-fraught waters with the fatal fly,— Farewell the lily and the rushy sedge That erst adorned thy once so verdant edge, — Farewell the sunny meadows, and the trees That whispered softly on the Vesper breeze j— No more the happy cottagers are seen Disporting, as of yore, upon the green ; No more the echo wakes each joyous tone — Ooid are the hearths — the merry voices gone ! And yet, why mourn them P fcr in Time's great race, My native town has gained the proudest place, Kings have proclaimed her, thronging 'round her throne, Queen of a beauteous empire, all her own ; And wandering pilgrims rapturously rove In silent wonder through each fragrant grove. Cheltenham has now higher claims for public patronage than that of a commercial town. It cannot boast of extensive manu- factories of art, with modern application of scientific discoveries, but it can prove its title to the possession of a natural manufac- tory, hourly at work in producing those wonderful Mineral Waters, which have scattered the blessings of health among millions of suffering invalids for upwards of a century. " It has been said, but I do not admit it, that we have no manufac- tories in Cheltenham. I admit, the manufactories we deal in are not transportable, but I strongly contend that Providence has blessed us with means for the manufacture of that which is most essential to mankind. The salubrious springs, the mild air, the shelter from the northern blast afforded by the CottsvVold hills, render it a place particularly adapted to supply health to 248 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. the invalid, peace and quiet to the old, and amusement to the gay and youthful. These are the manufactories of Cheltenham ; and I am happy to say that they cannot be conveyed from her. To be enjoyed persons must come to them, because they cannot be found in the same degree in any other place. It is ihe posi- tion of the place which, under Providence, has raised Cheltenham from the insignificant village it once was to the proud position it now holds." (Speech of the Lord Lieutenant of the County, Earl Fitzhardinge, at the public meeting at the Assembly Eooms, in 1850, upon introducing the Rev F. Close as the mover of a resolution in favour of a town subscription in, aid of the Great Exhibition in Hyde-park). CHAPTER XV. @ri)t ®oton at t!)e IHgcobwa of tfte ifffline'ral Waters. On the spot now known as the Royal Old Wells, a spring of saline water discharged itself, which in its course left deposi- tions of a salt character. The quantity of saline matter thus scattered upon the ground attracted occasional flocks of pigeons. This circumstance was at length noticed by some of the inha- bitants, who occasionally drank of the spring, but the matter occasioned no surprise beyond the immediate locality. The period toVhich we are now alluding is the year 1716, and in order to perpetuate the alleged discovery of the waters by the pigeons, two carved representations of these birds are placed on .the entrance pillars to the Old Well Walk. It is a striking fact that the inhabitants of Cheltenham should not have appreciated these health-restoring waters for so many years after they were first known. They flowed from their " well head" unnoticed, and it was not until their properties were examined by eminent medical men, and the result of their analysis published, that they were used by invalids, THS DISCOVERY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 249 We purpose to put on record copies of local documents that will unfold the state of the town when the mineral waters were first discovered. From these authentic sources we shall be en- abled to form correct data for deciding the history of " old Cheltenham — at the time " "When it could only claim More than the passing mention of its name, When it, a humble hamlet in the dale, Nor 'pointed moral, nor adorned a tale/ When Chelt's hright streamlet glistening in the sun, Adown its only street, was wont to run." We give several illustrations that will help to elucidate the period now under review, taken from original drawings. The first discovery of the mineral waters was an event as im- portant to the future interest of Cheltenham, as the discovery of gold was to the future progress of Australia. The medicinal treasure was in existence, but it was but little known, and wanted to be appreciated. It required a " local habitation and a name" to give it a start in the fashionable world. It wanted " the right man in the right place" to do this great work. Providence, by a singular train of events, brought such a man to the town. This was Captain Henry Skillicorne, the architect of his own fortune, and honourably distinguished as one of the society of " Merchant Adventurers." The ground upon which the Old Well stands, devolved to him by heirship, and upon taking pos- session of his new estate, he immediately set about improving it. By this act he laid the foundation of Cheltenham's future greatness, and we proudly class Capt. Skillicorne amongst the greatest of our local benefactors. He lies interred in the parish church, and the extraordinary improvements which he effected are perpetuated on a monument erected to his memory within the edifice. Captain Skillicorne was no ordinary man. He entered in a clear legible hand the every-day transactions of his life. This manuscript folio journal is now in possession of his lineal descendant, W. N. Skillicorne, Esq.> J.P., (to whom his valuable property devolved), and it affords the only correct data upon which we can arrive at the first establishment of the original Spa. It is our privilege to be enabled to publish the following extracts from this MSS. : — " In the winter of 1739, I made the 250 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. upper walk, planted elms and lime to the number of 37, and made a new orchard adjoining. The winter 1740 I made the lower walk, planted 96 elms, at the expense of £56. Had that summer 414 subscribers at the Wells at 1 2d. per piece. Built a yard round it, and 18 little houses. The summer 1 740 proving very dry, I had 46 of the trees dead ; set 44 in the room of the 46 died the summer before, and had that summer 674 sub- scribers at the Wells at 12d. per piece. The summer 1741, proving very dry, 30 trees died, and a great part of quick-set hedge planted by the walk, and several other sorts set, as elms, ashe, sally, and crabsticks, sets, and withy and pollards set about Ashmead and other parts of the estate died, which I planted again. 1742, built another room two storys high; this year had but one tree dead, which I have planted. Had this season 667 subscribers. In the year 1743, 644 subscribers ; 1744, 502; 1745,500; 1746,510; 1747,451; 1748,655; 1749, 643." In the formation of the grand walk at the Old Wells, Captain Skillicorne was aided by the following contributions, which are entered in his journal under date 1739 : — £ s. d. Mr. Tibbitt 110 Jesus College, Oxford 2 2 Mr. Cobb, Gent 110 Mr. Gardner, baker 10 6 Edw. Timbrel (churchwarden) 5 Edw. Slatter 2 6 John Pope (Plough) 5 Walt. Ireland 7 John Hayes 5 Barth. Edwards 5 Mr. Pruen 5 Hon. Sir J. Dutton, bart. ... 5 5 Rev. Francis Welles 1 1 Thos. Holder 110 RoltCox,Jun 110 Mr. Stratford, Mr. E Gale, and Mr. Sandford. four teams, with Mr. Ailway... 14 Wm. Wills, his team day ...0 6 Widow Mills team day ... 6 Tho. Clark team day 6 Mr. Stratford team day ...0 6 An experimental trial as to the quantity of water in the well is thus recorded to have been made in the presence of some £ s. d. Rev. G. Stokes ... 1 1 Rev. Mr. Longford 1 1 Rev. Mr. Mace 1 1 6 Rev. Mr. Prinn 1 1 Rev. Mr. Meyrick (Rector) . 1 1 Rev, Dr. Peerdt 1 1 Rev. Mr. Jones 10 Madam Dormer 2 2 Robt. Cox 1 1 J. Trevanian, Gent 10 6 Wm Norwood, Esq 1 1 Walter Smith, barber. (Fleece] 10 6 Mr. Surman, barber 10 6 Mr. Jones, sadler and church warden 10 6 Mr. Lattimer 10 6 Ezra Wells 5 Mr. Ovenhall 5 Mr. Shuller 5 Widow Surman 5 Mr. Benfield's clerk 2 6 Mr. Jones of Teuxbury 10 6 THE DISCOVERY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 251 distinguished persons: — " 1762, June 23. Memorandum this 23rd of June, 1762, being a very dry season, I made a second tryall on ye Spaw to see if it produced less water then it did the 6th day of Jany last, when it was very wett weather, and found it to produce 1 8 quarts, beer measure, which is rather more than 5 gallons, or 20 quarts beer measure it produced ye 6th Jany last in wett weather. Present at this tryall, Sir Thomas Stanhope ;• Phillip Sharpe, Esq,, Clark of the Privy Council ; Thos. Bliss, Apothecary, all of London ; and Rev. Mr. Speed, of Bridgewater." Manuscripts of the date 1749 and 1763, give the following account of the first discovery of the mineral properties of the waters : — "This water owes its discovery to a slow spring being observed to ooze from a strong, thick, bluish clay or marie, under the soil, which, after spreading itself a few yards upon the surface, disappeared, leaving much, of its salts behind ; to feed on which, flocks of pigeons daily coming, induced Mr. Mason, the then proprietor of the ground, to take more particular notice of it, when it was further remarked, that in hard frosty weather, when other springs were fast bound, this alone continued in its fluid state. Upon trial, it was found to be cathartic. Others again say, that the virtues of this water were first shown on a horse which grazed there, who, by drinking at this place, and rolling himself in the grass where the spring oozed out, was cured of a violent humour, and other disorders he laboured under. The ground was originally the property of Mr. Higgs, of Charlton Kings, but not knowing of a medicinal spring being on the spot, he sold it, with the adjoining lands, in 1716, to Mr. Mason, who discovered the spring, which for some time after its discovery was open, and the people of the town and neighbour- hood drank of it. In the year 1718, it was railed in, locked up, and a little shed thrown over it ; and in consequence of some experiments made on the water by Dr. Baird, of Worcester, and Dr. Grevil, of Gloucester, its virtues became more generally known, and it was sold medically till the year 1721, when leased to Mr. Spencer at £61 per annum. After the decease of Mr. Mason, his son-in-law, Captain Henry Shillicorne, becoming proprietor of the spring and premises in right of his wife, the daughter of Mr. Mason, in the summer of 1738, not only built the old room on the west side for the drinkers, with other 252 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. necessary conveniences, but secured the spring from all extraneous matter, erected a square brick building on four arches, as a dome over it, with a pump on the east side, rising in the form of an obelisk." The Spa was taken on lease by a Mr. Thomas Hughes, who seems to have sent the water in large quantities to different parts of the country, where he had appointed agents. The idea of personal drinking and musical promenading at the* establish- ment would, at that period, if it had been proposed, been considered Utopian. It will tend to illustrate the state of the times if we here record the following resolution, passed at a vesiry meeting, which exempted the future Eoyal Spa from paying the poor-rate :— At a Vestry Meeting holden the 11th day of Octoher, 1753, it was agreed hy us whose names are underwritten, (being the major part of Ihe said Vestry), that the appeal of Thorns Hughes, of the Tything of Allstone, in this parish, touching the inequality of the Poor-rates with respect to the said Thomas Hughes, for his Spring, or Well of Mineral Water, he not opposed. We, the said major part of the Vestry, being willing and desirous that the said Spring, or Well of Water, be not rated or taxed to the relief of the poor. Edwd. Timbkell, Churchwarden, Thos. Harvey, Overseer. The allusion to the -tything of Allstone shows the rapid increase of buildings since that time. The original well was situate in that ancient tyth- ing or hamlet, which main- tained its distinctness until modern enactments united it with this parish. The brook which formed the parochial boundary flowed by the rear of Pro- menade-terrace, was open, and presented a most rustic ^3fe£ '1§S|5 HHPI* appearance. The commu- nication was r made by means of a bridge of very humble pretensions, which we have sketched as it stood in 1821. It was long called "Jemmy Wood's bridge," from some legendary association with the rich banker's family, who owned the upper part of the town known as Sandford. THE DISCOVEEY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 253 The New Road by St. Luke's Church is called after Sir Matthew Wood, one of the branches. From the above documents it appears that the first analysis of the waters was made in 1721, by Drs. Greville and Baird, and from that time to the present, they have been examined by nearly all the celebrated medical men in Europe. The result of their united investigations has clearly proved that these waters are composed of muriate of soda, sulphates of soda, lime and magnesia, oxide of iron, chloride of magnesium, and iodine and bromine. These various properties are solely referable to the geological character of the locality. The clay beds are inter- sected with a great abundance of iron pyrites, or to speak in more familiar language, sulphur and iron, besides magnesian lime stones, and other saline matters. The springs, which at a great depth are only sea salt in solution, in forcing themselves to the surface come in contact with the matters we have been noticing, and decomposition ensuing, their properties are imbibed, and the far-famed Cheltenham waters thereby formed. The true origin and source of these far-famed waters are very clearly described by Sir E. Murchison, E.G.S., in his " Geology of Cheltenham." Waters possessing the same mineral properties as our own, occur in the vicinity w T herever the red stratas of red-sandstone (the depository of sea salt) and lias make their appearance. In consequence of the non-fashionable character of the places where the waters have been traced, all attempts to establish spas have failed. The saline springs extend in every direction round the town, as may be seen by following the geological map ; for besides those in Cheltenham itself, the following were examined by Dr. Jameson, who found the precipitations to correspond, in a great measure, in all cases, Hyde spring, strongly recommended by Dr. Lindon, in his book on the Mineral Waters, published in 1750. Cleeve spring, at Gotherington, near Woolstone, contains a large proportion of muriate of soda. Arle spring, scarcely a mile from the town, is described by Dr. Short as equal to that of Hyde, and a bitter aperient water. Stoke Orchard, four miles distant, between Elmstone Hardwick and Tredington, is a pure saline, as are also Allstone spring, at xillstone villa, near the Great Western Goods Station, and Gloucester spring, nine miles oil. iNaunton .barm spring, which was discovered fifty years 254 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. ago, but producing salts too black for use, nine miles distant, north-west of Toddington. Walton spring, described by Dr. Johnstone as having a sulphrous smell, with impregnation of iron, between Aschureh and Tewkesbury ; and Barnwood spring, discovered in 1802, in digging blue clay, so hard as to require the use of gunpowder, two miles on this side of Gloucester ; on the London road through Cirencester, Charlton spring, at Charlton Kings. Dr, Shoit's " History of Mineral Waters" was published in 1740, previous to which the Old Well waters, as mentioned by him, had been analyzed in 1721 by Dr. Granville, of Gloucester, and Dr. Baird, of Worcester, and, according to the joint testimony of those gentlemen, they possess medicinal properties superior to any in the kingdom. In 1803 appeared Dr. Jameson's excellent " Treatise on the Cheltenham Waters, 5 ' and which still continues to be quoted as paramount authority. Mr. Bell, the late eminent surgeon of Edinburgh, considered the waters and climate beneficial in pulmonary complaints, the latter in particular from the shelter of the Cotswold hills, being as mild as that of the coast of Devonshire. Dr. Gibney's most useful " Medical Guide to the Cheltenham Waters," has reached a second edition. Dr. M'Cabe's " Observations on the Cheltenham Waters" appeared in 1820. Dr. Thomas, in 1820, visited, in company with Mr, Erskine, surgeon to the 22nd regiment of foot, then at Cheltenham for the benefit of his health, upwards of thirty of the mineral springs, or wells, to ascertain by personal inspection, if they produced a supply adequate to the demand ; and if not, whether any, and what were the means artificially employed to supply the deficiency. The result was the most satisfactory, for, in his words, " there is abundance of water in those wells, prepared in nature's vast alembic, without the aid and concurrence of man. A spring of similar quality to Cheltenham was discovered, a few years since, on the Park estate : a pump room has been erected over it. Another has also been discovered at Charlton Kings. A knowledge of the medicinal virtues of the waters had begun to spread about 1738, as is evident from the following handbill, which was circulated by the then renter of the well, and two printed copies of which are preserved in the Skillicorne Journal: — THE DISCOVERS OF THE MIiNERAL WATERS. 255 <: Cheltenham Spaw. " Whereas large quantities of Spurious Waters have for some Time beea sold, in divers Farts ot the kingdom, under the name, and some even under the counterfeited seal of the Cheltenham Spaw 5 In order therefore to prevent so gross an imposition upon the public, it is thought proper to advertise, That ihe genuine Spaw is sold only by Thomas Hughes, Keeper of the Weil, and by such persons as are undermentioned, whom he supplies with large quantities of the same ; viz. Mr. Thos. Davies, at his Water Warehouse in St. Albans Street, and Mr. Eyres, at Temple Bar, London; Mr. .Richard Leversage, in iN'amptwich, Cheshire; Mr. Peter Eilons, Druggist, and Mr. Bouker, .Draper, in Chester; Mr. T. Bateoyle, Apothecary, in Salop, Mr. .Randal Kaey, Grocer at Whitchurch, Shropshire; Mr. iNath. Maule in Oxiord ; Mr. T. Wakeman, in Worcester ; Mr. James Rumsey, Grocer, in St. Mary Ports St. Bristol; Mr. W. Allen in Bath; and Mr. Charlton, hatter, in Gloucester. " Note also that Kussell Langer of Worcester, Mr. John Purneli, in Peter St. Bristol, and Mr. Pat Broders in Berry St. London, do not sell the genuine water, having none from the real Spaw. And the proprietor of the Spaw doth hereby declare, that if any person or persons shall be discovered to sell any water under the name and seal of his Spaw, oesides those already named, he will prosecute them as far as the law shall direct. Notice is hereby given to the public, that neither the Water nor Salts, carried by John Gregory, the Tewke&bury Carrier, and John Baylis, the Cirencester Carrier, is the true Cheltenham Spaw Water or Salts ; the keeper of the Spaw being determined not to let them have or carry any more. And that any Gentle- man, that has any occasion for the true Cheltenham Water and Salts, may apply to Thomas Hughes who keeps the Spaw, who will take care to answer their orders." In the Morning Post is a letter thus curiously addressed : — • " To the Author, &c. " Cheltenham, Aug. 11, 1743, " Sir,— Publick Diversions in the Summer Season were never so universal through this Kingdom as they have been the three 256 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. last years ; but the most useful meetings are generally esteemed to be at Bath, Scarborough, Tunbridge, and Cheltenham, in the county of Gloucester; at the last of which places a most Sovereign Calibat (chalybeate) Spring of Water, not understood till about 14 years ago, nor in high reputation above four years, having given within these few years such relief to the disorders of several thousands of the quality, gentry and others of this Island, the company has been larger this year than in any one before, having annually increased from the first discovery of the spring, and tis thought that Cheltenham will in a few years, from the great blessings attending the effect of the water, become one of the first Wells in reputation in Europe. As an instance of the increase in the number of quality and gentry at our Wells this season, we hereunder give you the names of some of the quality, amongst the number of above 600 persons of great fortunes and gentility who are at present here, viz., Their Graces the Duke and Duchess of Argyll, and Lady Mary Campbell ; Earl of Chesterfield, Lady Suffolk, Lady Caroline Lennox, Lord Hobart's daughter, Lord and Lady Westmorland, Lady Archi- bald Hamilton and her daughter, Lady Juxol, Sir William Codrington, Lady Codrington and her three daughters, Lord and Lady Tracy and their three daughters, Lord A. Hamilton, Sir Thomas Moslyn's Sisters, Mr. Berkeley, Knight of the Shire, Lady Stapleton, Lady Masell, Lord Shelburn, Lord Bulkley, Sir W. Young, his Lady and two daughters, Lord Chedworth, Sir Erancis Dashwood, Judge Eortescue and his lady, Sir Henry Slingsby, Lord Gage, Sir Eobert Austin and his lady, Sir Eobert Williams, Lord Say and Seal, General Peter Campbell, Lord and Lady Somerville and their daughters ; and the two Priors of Brecon and Thetford." The contents of this curious letter reveals the very rapid manner in which the fame of the mineral waters must have spread through Europe. The names mentioned include the most titled and fashionable families of that day, and they form the first account that we have been enabled to trace of " Arrivals" at modern Cheltenham. The following appeared in the Gloucester Journal for 1720, and at intervals in the London Press for several years after- wards : — THF DISCOVERY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 257 Advertisement. " Whereas, the famous purging mineral waters at Cheltenham, in the county of Gloucester, have not been for some years last past, so much resorted to as formerly, from a report that the inhabitants of the said town were exorbitant in their demands, and no convenience to be had reasonably : By an unanimous meeting, consent, and agreement of the gentlemen, tradesmen, and innholders of the said town, This is to certify that all gentlemen, ladies, and others, may meet with kind reception and good usage, with convenient lodgings and ordinaries kept, if encouraged, at reasonable rates. c ' Note. — 'Tis a pleasant town, situate in a fine sand, and in a fine air ; and many persons of quality and distinction have been there, and received great benefit. The chief virtues are in rheumatism, sciatica, scurvey, stone and gravel, internal and external ulcers, and asthmas. " The season holds all the summer. " There is a good bowling green, and billiard tables for the gentlemen's diversions." The habits and customs of the inhabitants were those of rustic villagers, as is evidenced by the following advertisement, which appeared in the Gloucester Journal of August 11, 1741 : — n Notice is hereby given — that there will be a Cudgel Match opposite the Plough in Cheltenham, on Friday the 14th inst., (beginning half an hour after two, and ending at seven the same evening). He that breaks the most heads in three bouts, and comes off clear, to receive a good hat, and a guinea in money ; the second best player, hali-a -guinea; and every person whose head is broke, one shilling. Every player to enter himself at the Plough, aforesaid, by two in the afternoon. N.B. — Betwixt the hours of 10 and 2, there will be a gown jigged for by the girls." The practice of cudgels was kept up for some time after this date upon market and fair days. A stage was erected in front of the Bell, and the spectators were located on the Plough side of the High Street. During the same period bull-baiting with dogs is advertised. These exhibitions took place in the High Street, in front of the 258 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. present Arched Buildings. Even down to tht; establishment of the Cheltenham Chronicle, in 1809, cock-fighting, as appears from advertisements, was regarded as a fashionable amusement. The following is a copy of a handbill dated July 26, 1757, which announced one of these exhibitions : — cc A Cock Match by Subscription, To be fought in Cheltenham Street, by the Gentlemen of Gloucestershire ; to weigh on Saturday the 30th, and to fight the 1st of August. Any person or persons, that are willing to add to this Match, may send in their Cocks as above mentioned and may depend upon having particular care taken of them by Edward Sarsons, feeder. Gloucester. Printed by E. Eaikes, in the Black Eryars." The small number of inhabitants just prior to the first estab- lishment of the Eoyal Old Wells is apparent on reference to all the parochial records of that period- In order to elucidate this portion of our subject, we purpose to transcribe verbatim the entire contents of the Poor Rate Collector's book for 1727. This will be -the means not only of preserving a list of the inhabitants that were living just previous to the mineral waters becoming famous, but also of illustrating the small value of property in the town. " The Levy Book made for ye releife of ye Poore of Cheltenham Parish on the 18th of April, 1727." The name of the ratepayer and the amount contributed are placed together as in the original ; the first list is the charge upon the houses, of threepence, and the latter upon the unbuilt land, of fourpence in the pound. ve Ratepayer. s. D. Henry Wells 1 1 Oba Arrowsmith 4 Wm. Ellis 1 1J John Humphreys 2 2 Sarah Key 1 8 Widow Hooper 6 William Brook 4 Margery Ireland 1 John Cox 7 Tlios. Higgs 4 Saml. Ellis 10 Chas. Haynes 11 Sarah Beckett 2 3 Richard BayLffs (heires) 2 William Strouds (heires) 2 ye Ratepayer. s. D. Berg, Barnes 6 John Tavlor 6 Thos. Kear 1 8 Widow Dance 10 Wm. Rogers 4 Edw. Church .0 4 Richd. Mason 1 Nath. Chester 2 4 Thos. Nicholas, inn 2 Mary Holder 3 Richd. Cox 2 Paul Crump 4 Giles Webb 6 Walt. Goodrich 5 J oh u Rotter 3 THE DISCOVERY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 259 ye Ratepayer. s. D. Mrs. French i 1 8 Dr. Kean (heires) 6 Jesse Bliss 4 And for his sister Bettv 2 Wm. Wood 7 8 Giles Cox 1 James Wood 2 9 Walt. E#la-bere Z ". 7 4 Mrs. Ireland 2 JohnBallinsjer 5 Thos. Pope "The Plough" ... 2 Edward Mitchell 3 2 Charles Perkins 1 4 Richd. Coules 8 Mrs. St. Leger 2 2 TobySturmy 16 5£ Walter Mason 5 10 Wm. St, Leger 6 Walt. Long 2 Mrs. Ashmead 4 2 Sarah Teale 7 Thos. Surman 3 Mrs. Walters (heires) 1 4 Sam Drinkwater 1 4 JohnCook 1 6 Edw. Wells (heires) 1 2 Thos. Smith (signor) 10 Thos. Smith (junr.) 6 Hall Smith 1 3 WidoA Finch 2 Dan Chester 4 6 Mr. Ludlows (heires) 5 11| Ethell Perks 1 6 Giles Ashmead 1 2 J. Mason (Old Wells) £117 James Par.* on (heires) 4 Isaac Morell 6 Jacob Holder 1 4 Thos. Beufield 10 Mrs.Parkes 2 7 Rich.Parkes 1 2 Walter Cox 6 James Beckett 2 5 Dr. Smith 2 6 J-iltn Mawk 2 11 Thos. Leach 6 Ezra Wells 1 4 Wm. Holder 6 Mrs. Stevens 1 1 Dan Cook "Crown" 1 4 Wm.Cook 6 John Humphreys (signor) 10 Barth. Edwards 5 ye Ratepayer. s. John Robbius Mrs. Packer 6 Widow Mills T.ios. Wells 1 Ricd. Teale 1 James Nicholas (heires) 1 JohuSkey Edward Timbrell Hester Macock Widow Hurst Widow Jefferies Isaac Cole Adam Wills 1 Walt, Mathews Thos. Clark 1 Clerk* "heires 2 John Wills 1 James Carpenter Widow Newman John Hamline James Hill Edw. Arktll John Oakey Joseph Bliss's heires Richard Robins 1 Riehd. White '. Wilim. Slatter Sam Cook (signor) Sam Couk (juu.) 1 Israel Slatter T. Nicholas (signor) 3 And for Church Mead A. Chester (signor) 1 Wm. Chester 1 Widow Elisse 2 Walter Ireland 2 Ricd. Blisse 1 Widow Forty's heires Job Smith Franc Spencer Giles Head Edw. Nicholas 1 Giles Cox 14 Robt. Ell.sse 7 Robt. Cox 5 And for the Moors 2 Eleanor Keramitc 1 WiJow Milton 1 Wm. Ballinger W. Mills John Chester 9 Autho. Chester, jun Widow Ashrnead's heires D. ¥ 4 4 4 8 2 5 7 6 101 8 8 11 6 4 11 2 6 H n 6 11 1* 6 1 10 10 11 8 10 5* 2 6 7^ 4 6 260 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. ye Ratepayer. s. D. William Meakius 1 John Sturray 10 Wm. Hyett 7 Bar. Hyett 1 Hi chd. Gregory 6 Thos. Oakey 4 Nichl. Ashmead 1 4 Thos. White 5 6 Thos. Shewell 4 John Hyett, jun 4 6^ John Hyett, signor 6 Neighhour Ashraead's widow... 4 ye Ratepayer. s. D. Wm. Page 5 John Ashmead 1 4 John Page 8 Wm. Hill 2 8 Christ. Mayer 3 Thos. Giles 3 Wm. Milton (Lamb) ft 1 4 Widow Dawson 6 Wm. Lyes 2 Alice Roper 4 Charles Finch 1 Saml. Surman 1 4 Amount of Lands belonging to ye Town. ye Ratepayer. S. D. Kinner De-La-Bere, Esq 8 Wm. Bapgott 6 4 Pra. Wells 8 Edw. Goodrich 3 Edw. Pemberton's heires 7 Edw. Welch 1 4 John Prinn, Esq 3 % ye Ratepayer. Saml. Whithome 1 Thos. Higgs John Gregory Richd. Hooper 2 Thos. Buckle Widow White's tenant Mrs. Parker s. D. 6 Prom this document it would appear that in 1727, there were 158 heads of iamilies in the town who were rated to the poor. Besides these there were a few tenants whose names do not transpire, as it was then the custom for the landlord to pay the Poor Eate, and accordingly the entry runs " and for his tenant." Atkyns, who visited the place in 1712, mentions 250 places in the town rated, but this included malt houses and outbuildings. From the number of " untenanted " entries in a subsequent rate book we must infer that the population of the town was on the decrease at this time, which was four years prior to the first discovery of the Spa Waters. We have seen that in 1727, there were 158 heads of families, and in order to show the increase that has since taken place, we may mention that in 186 L, when the census was taken, there were 9,320 heads of families, and 7,236 houses liable to berated, besides 39 in course of erection ! The Poor Eate Book for 1763, which is thirty six years later than the last quoted, shows a sign of a slight increase in the number of inhabitants. The Eate Book of the intermediate period 1741, manifests no alteration. At the first mentioned date 490 properties are rated to the poor, which comprise 300 dwelling houses, and 190 malt houses, stables, outbuildings, and THE DISCOVERY OP THE MINERAL WATERS. 261 farm lands. 24 houses out of the number are entered as "untenanted," and the occupants of 5 houses are excused as "very poor." We make a few extracts to shew the value of property at that time : — ,c An assessment for the necessary relief of the poor, and for other purposes in the several Acts of Parliament, mentioned relateing to the poor for the parish of Cheltenham, made and assessed the ninth day of December, 1763, being the third rate since Easter last, at fourpence in the pound, on lands, and three pence on houses. YEARLY RENTS. OCCUPIERS' NAME. ASSESSMENT £ s. d, £ S . d. 2 0... Giles Ashmead lor his Casting Houses and Gardens... 6 18 O...Mr. De-La- Bere for his House (now Royal Hotel) ... 4 6 3 0... Ditto for the Old Park (now Suffolk road and St. James's square) ... ... ... ... ... 1 18 18 0... Richard Peachey fjr the Tolls of the parish 6 3£ 18 0... Thomas Davies lor the Crown Inn 4 6 2 0...Dr. Iremonger for his stable 6 45 0. .. John Nickell for the George Inn and Lands belonging 12 1 6 0... Samuel Showell for the Bolt Ale House 16 6 0. ..Widow Page for house and lauds belongingdown Street 2 20 0...Mrs. Hyetr, the Coffee House and adjoining House untenanted (site of Pittville street) 16 0. .. Thomas Meekings for his house (uow Lance's, draper) 4 2 0... Giles Mathews for his hoase (now Dunn's, draper) ... 6 3 0... William Barrett for a Malt House he rents 9 17 0...Dr. Smart for his house 4 3 7 7 0... Richard Peachey for the Greyhound, North street ... 1 10 8 0. ..John Gregory for the Right Bells Ale House ... 2 4 4 0...W. Norwoon, Esq. for the house he live-, in (descen- dant of a Lord of tne Manor) 1 0| 9 G... Miss Spikes for her house 2 3 2 0...Danl. Forty for his house 6 11 0. ..Mr. Chester for the Free Grammar School House ... 2 9 23 0...Robt, Jesseit fir the Eieece Inn 5 11 2 10 0... Samuel Km, for the Brick Kilns 10 5 0... Thomas Pruen tor his*house ... ... ... ... 1 3 5 0. ..John Pointer for the nouse he lives in ... ... 1 3 1 10 0...John Stroud for the house he lives in ... ... 4^ 3 10 0... Thomas riaselton for his house 10£ 1 4 0... John Preston for tii t* house he is in ... ... ... 3 10 0... The Workhouse 3 1 10 0...Saml. Higgs for his house 6 1 9 0... Harry Stone for the ho ube he lives in 4^ 26 0... Rev. Mr. Chester for his lands 8 8 30 0...Mr. Nettleship for his house (Hobbs's Birmingham house) 7 6 £ ■'. d. I 11 6 1 3 2 10 6 3 8 3^ 1 if 4 3 10J 15 2 4 6| 2 2 5 ] 1 2 1 o* 262 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. YEARLY RENTS. OCCUPIERS' NAMES. £ s. d. 4 O^.Bevil Blizard for the house he lives in 46 0... Thomas Pope for the Plough Inn ... 5 0-.. Thomas Jordan for the house he lives in 151 10 0... William Bury for the Tythes (Lay Rector) 14 0...J°hn Humphris for his house and mills (Barratt's) ... 1 4 0...Danl. Belcher for a house ... 4 10 0... John Pott r for his house 1 0... William Benfield for land he rents of Mr. Prinn 15 10 0...Thos. Stone for the house he lives in... The outside of the Town. 60 0...Mrs.Pield for the Great House (Clarence Hotel) ... 6 0... Prank Ballinger for the Church Mead (Crescent) ... 13 13 0...John Hathawav, jun., for the Poor's Grounds 6 10 0. .. John Bastinf'or tythes ... 20 0. .. James Arkell for Sandford Mills 3 0... Mr. Prinn for land he rents of Lord Essex 5 O...Edvvd. Ireland, sen., for land 9 10 0.. Arthur Spencer for his house and homestead (The Knapp) 4 4 0... William Cook for the Ale House at Allstone 2 0. . .Miss Staphton, the Cold Bath, void ... ... The third rate for the year since Easter last for the Relief of the Poor of the Parish of Cheltenham, made the 9th December hy us whose names are under- written, 1763. J. Ranspord ") Charles Hathaway > Overseers of the Poor. X The mark oe Edmd. Dance) KT } Churchwardens We two of his Majesty's Justices of the Peace in and for the County of Gloucester, one whereof is of the Quorum, do consent to allow of this Assessment, Witness our hands this 10th day of Deer., 1763. W. Baghot De la Bere William Prinn. To form a correct idea of the former state of the town at this period we must refer to authentic plans and records. We compare Ogliby's "Dalrym pie's" and the enclosure maps with the rate books, and we arrive at correct data respecting the buildings in existence and occupied at the early part of the eighteenth century. Taking the maps for our guide we enter Cheltenham, at the Charlton end, at a spot marked as " Gallows Oak Turnpike," and by a its side a fine spreading tree is represented with the designation " Gallows Oak." Passing onwards towards the venerable spire of St. Mary's, which guides us from the distance, we meet with a few irregularly built bouses, straggling THE DISCOVERY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 263 without any view to connection. The mill at Cambray stands isolated, and the nearest neighbour is LordCapePs " man that fartnes his tythes," who resides in all that remains of the once Saxon Priory at Cambray Meadow. Nearly opposite stands the old domain of the Saunder's family, which we have here sketched in order to preserve to future generations. Tluve ancient Inns appear clustered in a short space — the Plough, the Swan and the Crown. In the midst of these in the open road, stands a market supported on massive stone pillars. Not far from this place of traffic, on the north side, a large antique building is prominent, with a chapel attached, where a pendant bell indicates that the solemn rites of religiouvS worship are celebrated within its hallowed walls. A greensward ornaments the front, and following the path upwards 264 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. to the doorway on a sunken tablet of stone we read this inscription, "Alms Houses of the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, founded by Eichard Pates, A.D., 1578." The Inns of the George and Lamb we meet with in our journey onward, and a few more scattered dwellings and a malt house in Coffee House Yard. Up a narrow passage adjoining the last named place we can discern in the distance the small old English Presby- terian Meeting House. Still further on, a few stray thatched cottages are passed, and another Market House, ruder and smaller in appearance than the upper one, presents itself. In its rear is a round building of stone with an iron grating for a window, and within this " stone cage" there is a man in durance vile. A painted board over the doorway, has upon it the words "Blind House," and on the walls are rudely carved the words, " Do well and fear not." The church stile next meets our eve, and from it we can behold the noble and imposing structure of the Parish Church, and the antique Church House on the boundary of the grave yard. Still walking onward, past a few isolated homesteads we can discern amidst a thick cluster of trees, " The Great House," and its rural approaches over the old bridge. We have now reached the long and substantial range of stone buildings which bespeak the Elizabethian age; and over the door way of which is hewn out of the stone in rude letters, " Schola Grammatical' Passing under the pendant sign of the " Fleece," we wend our way to the left and observe, not far from each other, two old and retired places of worship, — " The Friends Meeting House," and " Old Bethel Chapel." On our right the Marsh, with its horrid THE DISCOVERY OP THE MINERAL WATERS. 265 and ghastly gibbet posts looks sad and desolate ; and in the distance the wide spreading branches of Maud's Elm wave aloft in the air as if to triumph over the remains of injured innocence. We have been journeying through a village, where the dwellings have been adapted to meet the comfort of the inmates, and not to attract the eye of the visitor. We have seen nothing to indicate the design of a regular street. Through the centre of the highway, on either side of which the houses stood, a stream branching from the Chelt, by Cambray Mill, held on its rippling course, refreshing as it went, and cooling the air above it in the summertime, whilst it ministered at once to the cleanliness and comfort of the inhabitants. At intervals a passage, from one side of the street to the other, was afforded by stepping stones. Not far from the Old Market House, a large tree partly overhung the stream, and in no slight degree heightened the rustic beauty of the scene We passed through the Church Mead, and ascending Bays 5 Hill, we viewed Cheltenham as represented in the accompanying sketch. " Oh. in that day thou beauteous wert, for all Was simple ; then not thine the grand hotels — Thy glory now ! nor lofty pillar'd hall, Nor high-arch'd dome ; yet oh, thou had'st thy dells, Where violets lurk'd." — Byrne. " There is in this town an individual who remembers the violets growing, and the horses grazing in the High Street. — Oheltenham " Free Press" 1834. The first Cheltenham Guide was published in London, in 1781. It is a very detailed work for the time, and forms a valuable standard of reference. It was entitled, " The Chelt- 266 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. enham Guide, or, useful Companion, in a journey of health and pleasure to the Cheltenham Spa." In order to illustrate the state of the town at the period of its issue, we shall publish a few extracts from a copy in our possession, which was purchased at the sale of the library of his late Koyal Highness the Duke of Sussex. " The public breakfasting is at the Long Eoom every Monday morning at 10 a.m., during the season; each person pays one shilling. The balls begin at 8 in the evening, and country dances close them at 11 ; they are constantly kept from Mid- summer to Michaelmas. Each person who drinks tea, or a dish of chocolate, pays sixpence; ladies who dance excepted, the gentlemen, their partners, paying for them." " The London Post to Cheltenham goes out Monday evening at 10, Wednesday at 12 at noon, and Saturday evening at 10, and comes in on Monday, Thursday and Saturday mornings." tc At present the street is greatly encumbered with certain old coarse buildings supported on stone pillars ; these are called the Corn Market and Butter Cross, and another below them neither has nor merits a name. It is to be hoped that objects so very unsightly will soon be removed." " A stage coach holding six, and a diligence, carrying three passengers, set out every evening at 6, Sundays excepted. The coach goes from the Bolt and Tun, Fleet-street, London, and the diligence from the Swan with two Necks, in Lad-lane, and proceed to Gloucester. The coach fare is a guinea, and that of the diligence, one pound four shillings ; they stop to change horses at Frog Mill, seven miles from Cheltenham ; and from thence, passengers are regularly accommodated with good post chaises, at a small expense. A stage waggon goes to and from Cheltenham and London once a week. Sets off on Friday morning at 11, from Snow-hill, London, and reaches Cheltenham Tuesday evening at 8. Also sets out from hence on Monday morning at 6, and gets to London about 3 on Thursday after- noon." The first coach that conveyed passengers from the metropolis to this town, {via Frog Mill, en route to Gloucester) of which we have any account, was called " The Gloucester Flying Machine." The journey was accomplished rrr three days, which Was THE DISCOVERY OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 267 considered a very marvellous achievement for the time. The Gloucester Journal of Nov. 23, 1738, contains an advertisement to the effect that " If God permitted, the Gloucester Flying Machine would perform its journey in the short space of three days." The undertaking was considered a dangerous one, and six horses are announced as a necessary accompaniment. This is apparent from several wills of this date in the Gloucester Registry. One of the name of "Dormer, an old local family, thus commences : — " Whereas I am about to take a journey to London, and whereas it is uncertain whether or not I may live to return, I do therefore think it necessary to make my last Will and Testament. " The advertisements which appear weekly in the Gloucester JournaHor 1758, show that the " Flying Machines" were considered a marvellous mode of conveyance, and the only one, "if God permitted, " which enabled the inhabitants of Cheltenham to reach London. In 1736, when Sir Edward Seymour visited the town, his biographer, (as elsewhere stated), relates that for want of accommodation, he had to proceed to Gloucester to obtain s'eeping apartments, and that to effect this he had to bespeak a post chaise in the " fay re city"— the only one that it possessed, none at that time existing in the Inns at Cheltenham. There was also but one conveyance to arid from Bristol, and before that journey could be effected a passenger from the town had first to reach Gloucester. This is further confirmed by Counsel, who observes in his " History of Gloucester," that "There was but one stage coach only that travelled from Gloucester to Bristol ; it was drawn by four hordes, with ropes instead of traces, and performed the journey in the short space of one day. The writer also remembers the first post chaise that was set up in Gloucester ; it had three wheels only, and the entrance was by a door behind the carriage, the ascent to which was by a step ladder. The proprietor was a person of the name of Barnett Hughes, whose son afterwards distinguished himself at Astley's Amphitheatre, London." In " A Tour to Cheltenham Spaw, 1782," it is announced that, " 'Tis usual for those who have not their own carriages, on coming to Cheltenham, to take post chaise, from Frog Mill thither, the Gloucester vehicles setting them down at this place, as the next stage to Cheltenham. The Cross Hands is a neat public house. Close by the house, on the right leading from Frog 268 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Mill towards Gloucester, is a good Summer bridle road to and from Cheltenham, through Dowdeswell and Charlton Kings. The direction post here is about five miles from Cheltenham, and this road saves two or three miles to the rider." From these extracts it is apparent that there was then no direct road from the metropolis to Cheltenham. The journey must have been a long and tedious one, as " the Stage Coach, holding six, and the diligence, carrying three passengers," left its patrons within seven miles of their destination, exposed to all the unpleasantness and uncertainly of procuring another conveyance onward. How changed are matters now ? By the Great Western Railway, London may be reached in three hours ! and other important places are, by the formation of various railways, placed within reach of the inhabitants; and at no distant period, Cheltenham will doubtless become the centre of a great system of railway communication through the medium of the projected East Gloucestershire Line. The celebrity of the waters attracted many persons of note, and amusements began to be established. The first notice that we have been able to trace of a public concert having been given was in the year 1757, as appears by the following adver- tisement in the Gloucester Journal of July 26th, of that date : — " For the benefit of Mr. George, at Mr. Pope's Great House in Cheltenham, on Wednesday the 10th August next will be performed a concert of Vocal and Instrumental Musick, and a Solo of Signor Degiardino's will be performed, on the violin, by a gentleman. Performers from Bath, Bristol, and other places. After the concert will be a Ball for the Ladies gratis. Tickets may be had of Mr. Hughes, at the Well, and at Mr. Pope's Coffee House." The " Great House," was the recently pulled down Old Clarence Boarding House, with stood on the site of the present Temporary Church. The " Coffee House," was located near the present Pittville Street, in Coffee House Yard. The state of the town at this period may be gleaned from the annexed extracts from the Gloucester Journal ; — " W r e hear from Cheltenham, that there is a great appearance of Gentry at the Balls there every Monday and Thursday, and at their Card Assemblies every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and THE DISCOVERT OF THE MINERAL WATERS. 269 Saturday. There is more company every morning, at the Well and upon the Walks, then has been known there for some years past, a band of Musick attends constantly from eight o'clock until ten. We hear Mr. George's Concert will be about the middle of next month. Mr. Williams's company of Comedians is arrived and will act three times during the week in the season." (July 25th 1758.) " Gloucester July 8, 1758. We hear that there is a prospect of a very large season this Summer at Cheltenham Spaw, several lodgings being taken, and the following persons already there, viz., Lord Wenman and family, Lord Ched worth, Lord and Lady Tracy, Hon. Captain Tracy, Sir Leicester Holt, Lady Holt and family, Mrs. Matthew and family, Mr. and Mrs. Garbett and family, Eev. M. Lloyd and family, Eev. Mr. Allen and family, &c." Under date of August 8, in the same year, the list of arrivals include the Karl of Massareen, Mr. Fararkerley, M.P., Mr. Gore, M.P.,Mr. Kynaston, M.P., Hon. and Eev. Mr. Noel, the Kev. Dr. Boucher, &c, Such was Cheltenham up to nearly the close of the eighteenth century. Emerging from obscurity, it yet retained all the characteristics of a rural village. The celebrity of its health- restoring springs attracted the attention of Eoyalty, and an enfeebled Monarch sought relief at nature's fountain. Thus, those waters which had already become famous, were now patronized by the highest personage in the realm, and the result was the restoration to health of the King of England, and the gradual formation of one of the largest Watering Places in the Kingdom, as the next chapter will demonstrate. CHAPTEE XVI. ®fy VLoton %intt tfje Fisfi of eSeotge ML THE discovery of the waters did not appear to alter the sanitary state of the place. It was not until seventy years afterwards that the brook which flowed down the High Street was diverted into another course, and a wide carriage road (as at present) formed. This was only effected two years 270 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM before the Koyal visit of George III. Id making the main sewer in the High Street in 1834, the stepping stones, which enabled the inhabitants to hold communication with the oppo- site sides of the street, were dug up. Several flights of steps were found, of massive oak, opposite the Plough and Crown, and so sound that snuff boxes and other ornamental devices were made from them, and preserved as relics of the past. The engraving in this work, " Cheltenham in the Olden Time," represents the High Street in 1786, and the scene is described in Byrne's Poem on Cheltenham : — " If but a century since I could have stood Where now, deep musing o'er the past, I stand, Mine eye had fallen on stream and bow'riug wood, And straw-roof'd cots strewed o'er the pleasant land, " Thy wide and straggling street a babbling rill Did channel, and the rosy bare-foot maid Would oft her earthen pitcher come to fill, Where o'er the stones its crystal waters play'd." It appears that the inhabitants first attempted to stop the course of the Chelt down the centre of the High Street, by a private subscription in 1784. In 1785, " That with the per- mission and consent of the Lord of the Manor, an application would be made in the next Session of Parliament for leave to bring in a Bill for the paving, repairing, cleansing and lighting of the street of Cheltenham ; and for removing the present, and preventing future encroachments, nuisances, and annoyances therein," Cheltenham Guide of 1786, records that until " these few years the water ran through the middle of the street, and in a scarcity stagnated and was offensive ; but at present there is a good road through the town, with a channel on each side for the water ; and the streets, by a subscription from the inhabitants, assisted by donations from the company, have been in great part new paved." The water which flowed down the High Street in the gutters was used to water the streets. The contract was taken by William Hayward, a mender of chairs, and his wife, under the Old Commissioners' Act, who performed their task by the aid of bundles of straw tied upon a rope. Such was the primitive mode of watering Cheltenham little more than half a century since! The son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Hayward was the sole lamplighter, under the same obsolete THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF QEOUGE III. 271 Act. "Till 1786 a stream ran down the middle of the Eigh Street, but in that year an Act was obtained for paving, cleansing, and lighting the streets, and removing obstructions and nuisances. The Commissioners have faithfully discharged the trust reposed in them by this act of the legislature, and now there is an excellent road through the town, with a channel on each side for the water ; the houses are numbered, and every improvement is adopted to render the place desirable." — (Longman's Guide to Wateriyig Places). The town, by altering the course of the stream, did not lose its ancient right to the use of the water so necessary in a sanitary point of view. The owner of Cambray Mill, now called* Barratt's, in after years claimed the whole of the Chelt, but, according to the Town Commissioners' reports, which from time to time appeared in the early numbers of the Cheltenham Chronicle (1809 to 1817), the Act of 1786, had wisely provided that the surplus water was to be at the service of the parish, for watering and cleansing the streets, and until within the past forty years, it flowed down in a channel now formiog the gutters. The land without the High Street, .was cultivated as farm property. There are many residents who can well remember when the ground now covered with the beautiful estates of Pittville, Montpellier and Lansdown, were devoted to agricultural purposes and considered of little value. The inhabitants at that time had a large quantity of commonable land for their use which must have materially helped to support their local poor, while they also had theprivilge of leazing in the fields. " The Good Old Times. — The harvest in this neighbourhood is pro- gressing most favourably. An old inhabitant informs us, as contrasting with the present abundance, that just 57 years ago, his mother, who is still in the enjoyment of. a green old age, gleaned with her own hands, in fields within a mile of the Parish Church, sufficient ears of wheat to yield when thrashed, upwards of five bushels of grain. So high was the price of wheat that year that her husband was offered five pounds for these five bushel of ieazings. It would be difficult now to glean five bushels within one mile of Cheltenham Parish Church." (Cheltenham Examiner^ Aug . , 1858.) " The town of Cheltenham runs in almost a straight line one mile in length, having one principal street, with some returns, 272 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. lanes, and adjoining houses. Till within these few years the water ran through the middle of it, but at present there is a good road through the town, with a channel on each side for the water ; and the street by an Act of Parliament, obtained in 1786, with permission and consent of the Lord of the Manor, has been new paved, cleansed and lighted, the houses numbered, the market houses, signs and spouts pulled down, and other nuisances removed. A New Street is begun, designed to run from the centre of the town to the Spa, (St. George's Place), and besides the accomodations for the reception of visitors in the town itself, lodgings have been tilted up at Charlton, Sandford, Arle, Alstone and Prestbury, and there is no doubt but the inhabitants, who, from the neglected state of this place for near 30 years had been fearful of risking any expense, will, from the great and regular increase of company resorting to it, be convinced that it is their interest to render their lodgings as commodious as possible. 5 ' (Moreau, 1805). The only Promenade at this period was a long extended walk from the Parish Church Yard through Church Mead, (now occupied by the Royal Crescent), across the Chelt to the old Old Wells. It is thus described in the first Cheltenham Guide 1781 — seven years before Royalty had paid a visit. " On quitting the Church Yard at the S.W. gate, a passage is opened towards the Cheltenham Spa ; to which you are conducted first through a well constructed gravel walk, 106 yards long, and ten feet wide, planted on either side with a neat quickset. To the right of this walk within the Grove, in a pretty inclosure shaded with lofty trees, is the Great House, let out in commodious lodgings for the company. Its vicinity to the Long Room and Well renders it a convenient resort for cards, dancing, tea drinking and otuer parties, who meet here every evening in the week during the season, Mondays excepted, and make a subscription for Mrs. Field, the possessor. You next enter a pleasant field called Church Mead, through this a gravel walk, six feet wide, and above 270 feet in length, leads to the river Chelt ; which winds its humble current round the bottom of the Well-walk and other grounds adjacent. A slight draw bridge is thrown over the stream, and introduces to the public parade, whose beauty must strike the most common observer, extending in a straight line J old Well walk, morning. Saturday evening, at 10 (. Saturday ) " The Cross Post to and from Gloucester, Goes Out Comes In Sunday afternoon, at 4 C Monday ~\ Wednesday night < Thursday > afternoon Friday „ (. Saturday ) Mr. Entwisle, the step-father of the Duchess St. Albans, was post-master until 1816. One of his notices was as follows: — " Letters delivered generally at the window of the Post Office at about a quarter before twelve." Mr. Hutton, a grocer in the High Street, was another post -master, but no organized system of delivery was adopted at either of the establishments con- ducted by these individuals. Mr. Cossens, who was afterwards a post-master, at the High Street entrance to Grosvenor-street, published a very excellent map of the town. Mr. Stokes Heynes, carried on a Post Office in Hegent Street. The site of the present Imperial Circus, on the Clarence Street side, was the last place where the office was conducted (by Mr. Wall), prior to the erection of the present establishment, which is very centrally situated. Even so recently as 1814, the postal arrange- ments were extremely precarious, as is evident from the following paragraph in the Cheltenham Chronicle of January 27 of that year : — " Yesterday, the mail arrived in this town with six horses from London — the first time for the last seven days." For a number of years, down to a comparatively recent date, there was only three communications in the week with the metropolis, and the same number of mails in return. Now, indeed, a mighty change has come over the locality. There are now employed in the Cheltenham Post Office a large number of efficient persons, under the management of Mr. J. Nicholson, postmaster, and Mr. Oakden, chief clerk ; and the rapid manner in which letters are received and delivered is almost marvellous, and surpassed only by the quicker motions of the Electric Telegraph. The excellent manner in which the establishment is conducted, renders THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 277 it an important appendage to the town. The amount of postage stamps received, and Post Office stamps sold at the Cheltenham, office was, in 1855, £9,691, and 1856, £9,760. The amount of monev-order business transacted was — 1855, issued £53,076, paid £28,525 :— 1856, issued £57,227, paid £41,239. In 1859, the postage stamps sold exceeded £10,000, and in 1860, amounted to upwards of £11,000! This return is from the Post Office only, and does not include the stamps sold at the sub-distributor's office, or those obtained by commercial firms from the metropolis. In 1861, the staff of the Cheltenham Post Office consisted of a Postmaster,* six clerks, twelve letter carriers, four auxiliary letter carriers and two stampers. The letter carriers deliver one mile and a quarter from the Post Office, the auxiliaries being employed in the morning only. The number of bags received daily are 51, and the same number of despatches. There are two deliveries daily. The postal district is upwards of 60 miles in circumference, ex- tending to Stanton, Ford, Naunton, Sherborne, Winson, Combe End, Bentham, Badgworth, Barrow, Leigh, Hardwick, Stoke Orchard, Wolstone, and Oxenton. This district is delivered by twenty-three messengers, six of whom start from and return to the chief office, the others starting from and returning to the branch offices at Charlton Kings, Andt>versford, Northleach, and Winchcomb, from whence the letters are conveyed to the chief office in mail carts. There are also twenty-one sub- post-offices in different parts of the district, from which the letters are collected by the messengers on their return. The number of letters on au average delivered weekly are 39,226 in Cheltenham, and 5,969 in the district, giving a total of 45,195. The number of newspapers delivered weekly in Cheltenham and district is 8,142. The number of money orders issued at the Cheltenham office for the six months ending June 30, 1861, was 15,175, and the amount £28,409 6s., the commission paid being £249 15s., giving a total of £28,659 Is, The number of orders paid for the same period was 12,450, and the amount £23,140 4s. 2d. We thus see by comparing the present large amount of business transacted at our local office, with what was done by the single-handed letter-carrier of half a century since, further proof of the rapid increase in population which the town has made. Within the memory of the living, a poor old 278 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. woman met the postal requirements of the inhabitants by devoting her evenings to the delivery of letters after her daily work was over. Now, upwards of two millions ot letters are delivered to the Cheltenham residents in a year, and the delivery gives permanent employment to twenty-three persons, besides those engaged upon the district mails, where no railway commu- nication has been established. The health-diffusing springs which scattered with no sparing hand that gift which constitutes the chief blessing of life, were made manifest in the restoration to health of the Eoyal family. It was a rude building, indeed, which received the morning visits of Eoyalty at our primitive Spa. There was then no modern town to astonish the sojourner. Nature was the only enchanter, save the virtues of the waters, which could engage the attention of the Eoyal visitants. It is surprising to con- sider the smallness of the population and the dearth of houses at this period. When George III. and suite arrived in the town, the number of lodging-houses did not exceed thirty, and the entire Hundred contained but 300 habitations. But, from the time of the Eoyal visit, there has been a rapid increase both in the number of inhabitants and houses. The annexed table exhibits at one view the population of the ancient Hundred of Cheltenham, from the time of Charles II. to the reign of Queen Victoria. The Hundred included most of the parishes now connected with the Cheltenham Union under the New Poor Law Act. CENSUS WHEN NUMBER OE INHABI- NUMBER OF TAKEN. TANTS IN HUNDRED. HOUSES. 1666 1,500 321 1797 2,700 530 1801 3,076 710 1811 8,325 1556 1821 13,388 2411 1824 17,647 2914 1825 19,160 3464 1826 21,376 4027 1831 22,942 6014 1841 36,617 THE PARISH ONLY. 7365 1851 1 35,062 6343 1861 39,590 7013 THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OP GEORGE III. 279 This return for the past twenty years, is confined to the parish only, and does not include those contiguous places which may be called a continuation of the town, such as the Park Estate, portions of the Pittville Estate, and parts of the London and of Hale's Eoads. These out-parishes in 1861, numbered 10,098, so that the entire population of the Cheltenham Union, and over which the poor's rate is levied, amounts to 49,688, as shown by the official return annexed : 1851. 1861. Increase. Cheltenham Parish 35,062 39,590 4,528 Charlton Kings 3,171 3,443 270 Prestbury 1,315 1,297 — Leckhampton 2,150 2,622 271 Badgworth 874 1,038 174 Shurdington 173 164 — Up-Hatherley 50 68 18 Uckington 173 195 22 Swindon 221 227 6 Cubberley 243 343 100 Cowley 315 311 — Great Witcomb 167 165 — Staverton 276 315 39 Totals 44,190 49,688 5428 This return is a most convincing proof of the growing popu- larity of the " Queen of Watering Places" in public estimation, and we need no stronger argument in its favour than the exact results of the census of 1861, so far as regards the Parlia- mentary borough of Cheltenham. At the last decennial census the population of the burough was returned at 35,062. It is now 39,590. Of these the number of males is 16,474, and of females 23,116, showing a fair majority of 6,642 ! The total increase of the population in this decade is 4,528 ; and our townsmen may well be congratulated on a fact which affords such gratifying proof of the healthy developement of the town. Nor is the result of the numbering of the people in what we may call the suburbs of Cheltenham at all less satisfactory. Leckhampton has now 2,522 inhabitants, against 2,150 in 1851 ; and Charlton Kings has 3,443, against 3,171 in 1851. Prom these statistical facts it will be apparent the average annual increase in the town alone is about 500, and the population during the ten past years have exceeded by 5,000 persons, the previous ten years. This is a striking proof of the steady 280 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. progress that the place has been making. Another additional incident also proves that a still further acceleration of numbers is going on. This is the fact that there are few vacant houses, and those that are " to let," have many competitors, and the result is an increased rental and consequent enhancement in the value of property. According to the census during the ten years preceding 1861, the number of new houses that had been erected amounted to 670, and those were of an expensive character. And if additional proof was wanting, it will be found in the Registrar's Returns for the year ending in July, 1861, which shows that during the past twelve months 1082 births had taken place in the town, being an excess of 400 over the deaths for the same period. The marriages for the same time exceeded 500 in number. Miss Porter, the eminent authoress, in her " Memoirs of Sir Edward Seward," relates, that when that gentleman was journeying from London to Gloucester, in the year 1736, lie arrived at Cheltenham late in the evening and desired to remain for the night, but could not obtain a lodging, and was obliged to proceed on to Gloucester ! Fosbroke, the county historian, thus describes the condition of Cheltenham in 1798, — when he first visited it : — "A double range of buildings above the PJough, were considered to be the only habitations fit for the reception of high wealth and title. These High-street houses had. balconies, for there was not a verandah in the whole town. The two turnpikes were indeed soldier drest with whitewash, paint, gay lamps, and cheap tawdries of strong effect. The High Street was of motley character, the houses being of all heights, forms, and descrip- tions. A low thatched house with a gable end, and antique bay windows, of horn coloured glass, and leaden reticulations, adjoined a flat dwelling, and displayed two shop windows, and next to this was a slim London three or four storied house, with a railed area, ascent up steps, narrow passage, and front and back parlour. The footway of the street was partially paved ; but towards the Gloucester end, there was only a gravelled causeway, intersected at short intervals by open drains." With the exception of two small Dissenting burial grounds, the whole of the past interments of the parish were confined to the Established Church, as were also the Baptisms and Baptisms. Marriages. Burials, 20 6 32 31 21 32 44 7 44 26 14 32 90 49 83 667 197 332 635 258 415 THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 281 Marriages previous to the passing of the New Begistration Act. We are therefore enabled to further illustrate the rapid progress which has been going on in Cheltenham, by extracts from the parish register, which will reveal the number of Marriages, Baptisms and Burials registered from the reign of Queen Elizabeth : — Year. From November 1558 to November 1559 From November 1559 to November 1560 From March 1630 to March 1631 From March 1730 to March 1731 From January 1803 to January 1805 From December 1830 to December 1831 From December 1831 to December 1832 Mr. J. Shenton, a printer, of the town, whp commenced business in 1786, and grandfather of Mr. T. B. Shenton, pub- lished a Cheltenham Directory in 1800. This work, the first of its kind, contains a complete list of the then inhabitants, and the entire number of names are printed on 24 pages — each page averaging 16 names. Contrast this state of things with the contents of "Harper's Directory," published in 1844. This work was a copy from the Poor's Bate Book, and the oaly one which classified the trades verbatim. It contained 400 pages, with an average of 70 names on each page. Prom that work it will be seen that there were 4,323 persons engaged in trade, while the number of inhabited houses were upwards of 7000. The same authority also enables us to compare the past and present state of the town in reference to particular trades. There were then 56 bakers and confectioners; 88 grocers and tea dealers ; 50 butchers; 173 licensed victuallers ; 43 librarians and stationers; 167 milliners and dress makers; and 300 lodging-house keepers. Sixty years ago, there was only one resident physician in Cheltenham — the celebrated Dr. Jenner, and but one dispensing chemist! In 1844, there were 80 medical men, and 30 chemists and druggists. "Davies's Annuaire" for I860, in its list of the principal tradesmen in the town, mentions the names of 926 persons. " Edwards's Directory" for 1862, enumerates 924 persons engaged in retail trade, and 229 persons following professions. At the period the mineral waters were first becoming known, Dr. Smith, from Oxford, resided here during the drinking season, and gave advice to the visitors. He is entered in the Poor Hate Books from 282 MSTOSY OF CHELTENHAM. 1722, and for many years afterwards, as the sole resident medical man — " Dr. Smith, surgeon, two shillings and sixpence 5 ' — the amount of his annual rate. On a tablet in the Parish Church, he is recorded to have given a sconce, or pendant chandelier, to enable the inhabitants to have an evening service. This was used until the Gas Company gratuitously lighted the church in 1828, when the Doctor's bequest was set aside, and a few years since, as may be seen on reference to the churchwardens' accounts, it was sold for old metal, and the proceeds applied to the parish account. Dr. Jameson, the author of the first local " Treatise on the Waters," appears to have been an early resident, and was an opponent of Dr. Jenner, on the question of vaccina- tion, and regarded the theory, then first broached, as visionary. Time has however proved which of our two townsmen were right. In a " Cheltenham Guide," published in 1783, and which details all the then tradesmen in the town, for the infor- mation of visitors, no resident baker or confectioner is named, but the tourist is politely informed " that just below the Well is a farm-house, called ' Gallipot,' where parties may be accom- modated with c Syllabub.' " In a speech made by the Bev. C. B. Trye, the respected rector of Leckhampton, at a public dinner given in January, 1862, to celebrate the extension of the public gas lights from Cheltenham to Leckhampton, the rev. speaker remarked — " I well remember, when a boy, there was only ten houses from Leckhampton to Suffolk Square, which at that time was the site of the thatched cottage, called c Gallipot Farm,' and when the only carriage road to Gloucester was over the Crickley Eoad." The past and present history of the town is further developed by the gradual rise in the assessable value of the property within the parish. We have seen in a previous chapter that in 1727 there were 158 heads of families entered on the Poor Rate Book, who were charged " fourpence in the pound on their dwellings, and threepence on their unbuilt lands." The entire sum col- lected amounted to £12 14s. l^d. At this date, the Plough, then occupied by Mr. Pope, was rated at d£6 per annum. The Eate-book of 1741 presents no alteration in point of numbers, or in the assessments, but the Eate-book of 1763 shows an increase of the number of rate -payers, but no improvement in the value of the property. In 1806, Mr. Thornton was elected THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OP GEORGE III. 283 Poor-rate collector, with a salary of £5 per annum. According to the original Kate-book, the amount realised was only £19 9 19s. Id., at ninepence in the pound — a proof of the small number of rate-payers in the town at that period. The value of property in the town in 1811, as set forth in the Eate-book, is interesting and curious, and shows a rapid increase in the rateable value of local property. The Old Commissioners issued a rate of two shillings and sixpence in the pound, under the Paving Act, from Midsummer 1811 to Midsummer, 1812. From the collector's book it appears that, in that year, there were 1261 houses assessed in the town, 25 in Westall, and four in Alstone. The total amount of the rate was £2,334 13s. O^d. In this book the annual value of the undermentioned places are thus assessed: — Plough Hotel, £133; Assembly Eooms, £88 ; Public Office, £44 ; the late Mrs. Agg's residence, £35 ; Clarence Hotel, £44 ; the Grammar School, £15; Gardener's Brewery, £84; the Fleece, £71. The following localities are described as being " Outside the town" : — Sherborne Street, Gloucester Place, North Parade, back part of Lamb Inn, Portland Street, Portland Place, and the Hon. Miss Monson's, now known as Monson Villa, and once the residence of the Eev. F. Close. How different are the results of modern levies of the poor-rate. In 1844 a poor-rate of ninepence in the pound yielded £15,706, 14s. 8£d., and in 1848, the number of rate- payers were 6,635, and a rate of Is. 6d. in the pound amounted to £22,000 (net). In the same year the Commissioners' Lamp and Paving Bate, at Is. 4d. in the pound, was estimated at £9,304 10s. 8d. The window-tax for the like period for the township only, amounted to £13,374. In 1849, the assessable value of property in the parish was £182,098. In 1851, the Poor-law Commissioners divided the town into five wards, for the better carrying out of the purposes of their Act. The number of ratepayers in each ward, with the amount of assess- ment, was thus returned : — Wards. Ratepayers. Assessmt. East— from Charlton to East side of Portland-street 1638 £40,000 North— from North side of Portland-st. to Tewkesbury-road 1793 30,000 West — from Gloucester-road to St. George's-place 1115 34,000 South— from Rodney -terrace to Old Bath-road 991 29,000 Middle — from St. George's-place to Rodney-terrace 891 50,000 Totals 6l28 £183,000 2§4 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. The number of houses now liable to be rated is 7275. The assessable value of property in the town, as entered in the Overseers' book for 1861, and upon which the rates are levied, is £171,291. The two poor-rates founded upon that assess- ment amounted to — the one at one shilling and threepence in the pound, £10,705 13s. 9d., and the other, at one shilling in the pound, to £8,395 5s., making a total of £19,100 18s. 9d. So that we may say that Cheltenham now contributes annually about £20,000 towards the maintenance of its local poor, and for other purposes in connection, through the medium of a poor's rate. The borough-rate, at two shillings in the pound, levied by the Improvement Commissioners during the same period, amounted to £14,741 3s., according to the audited report, pub- lished in July, 1861. The payment on account of the branch sewers' account for the same time was £3,799 6s. The same body corporate estimated for the year 1862, the assessable value of property rateable for the Borough-rate, at £166,056, 10s., and that a rate of two shillings in the pound, would produce £16,605 13s. The value rateable to the Sewers-rate was esti- mated at £160,980 5s,, and subject to special arrangements, a rate of fourpence half-penny in the pound would realise £1,610. The income and property tax, and inhabited house and other duties, evince the wealth and importance of the place. These taxes are collected according to the ancient divisions of the parish — the town, north and south, and the Lansdown and Bayshill districts under the name of the hamlets of Alstone and Westal. The amounts collected under the different schedules, A, B, D, and E, for the year ending April 5, 1861, was as follows : — Income Tax for the Yeah Ending Aprtl 5, 1861. A B D E Total. Alstone ... Arle £ s. d. 1' £ a. d. 1260 17 1 39 5 2 129 15 3 31 5 5 £ s. d. 542 2 1790 14 10 256] 19 9 1138 15 6 £ s. d. 539 2 6 183 17 6 499 1 2 £ s. d. 1842 4 3 161 8 5133 18 2 4612 16 4 3500 3 4 Cheltenham Cheltenham Westal North. South 2783 14 8 1865 18 1851 9 11 20 6 2 1 1 1 10 16 9 7891 14 11 102 14 7 6033 12 1 1222 1 2 15250 2 9 the town since the visit op geoltge iii. 285 House and other Duties foil the Year Ending April 5, 1861.— Inhabited house duty, £4706 Is. Hid. ; Morses for riding, £491 8s.; Carriages, £858 13s. 4d.; Mules and horses, £142 16s. ; Servants, £632 12s. 6cl. ; Dogs, £452 8s.; Horse Dealers' duty, £96 8s. ; Armorial bearings, 499 19s. 8d. ; Total assessment, £7880 4s. 5id. The present prosperous and wealthy condition of the town has thus been established by the financial statements we have above given. In order to place the matter in a still clearer light, we present, in a tabular form, for reference, a summary of one year's payment of rates and taxes by the inhabitants of Cheltenham, from the official accounts, as audited in 1861 : — Poor's Rate Borough Rate Income and Property Tax Inhabited House Duty Duty on Carriages „ en Servants ... „ on Armorial Bearings „ on Horses „ on Dogs Land Tax The above gives a grand total of £56,911 16s. lf-d., as the contributions from this town towards the direct taxation of the country ; and by comparing these figures with the returns of former years, sve find exhibited in a striking manner the advance of Cheltenham in wealth and prosperity. The small number of residents at the commencement of the present century is also apparent from the very simple manner in which judicial and criminal cases were disposed of. One resident magistrate, and a constable, who united with his office various others, including that of town crier, was all the staff required. The prison, locally called "The Blind House," was a small stone structure situated in the Fleece Lane (Henrietta St.), and not capable of containing more than one prisoner. Through apertures, protected by iron bars, the inmate held converse with the passers by, and often obtained sums of money, which procured their release. Attached to this small rude structure were the stocks. These accompaniments of an agricultural village were used for divers offences. The most frequent occu- pant was a local character known as " Oyster Jack." He £ s. d. 19,000 18 9 14,741 3 15,250 2 9 4,706 1 Hi 858 13 4 63:2 12 6 499 19 8 634 4 452 8 135 12 H 286 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. persisted in crying oysters in the streets on a Sunday during the hours of Diving Service. For this offence he was regularly placed in the stocks Sabbath after Sabbath, until the officials abandoned prosecution. A prison of a substantial character was afterwards erected at the angle of Ambrose Street, which is now used for mercantile purposes, and was sold by the Old Commissioners, at the time the New Police Act came in force. Stocks were also added to the building, but the only person ever placed in them was for non-payment of a fine for intoxication. After beiog in durance for a short time, the spectators sub- scribed the amount, and the man was released. The want of accommodation in the town is apparent from the following letter from a visitor, which may be found in the Morning Post, of September 6, 1780:— "Mr. Editor, ~I am just returned from a little tour through the West of England. Amongst the number of places I visited, Cheltenham in Glou- cestershire detained me some days, being a town now growing into repute, from the great increase of company this year, who go to drink the mineral spa water. I shall trouble you with a sketch of the town and its inhabitants, which may perhaps be of service to those who frequent it in future. The town of Cheltenham, from its situation, would in all probability have remained unnoticed until the end of time, had not the Spa attracted the attention of the public. This seems to be the general opinion of the inhabitants, if we may judge from the little pains they have taken to decorate or improve themselves or habitations. They likewise seem displeased that chance should ever have brought them to public notice, by their constant opposition to every improvement for the convenience and accom- modation of those who visit them. This narrow-minded mode of thinking, we may naturally conclude, leads them on to inso- lence and imposition. Thus, emerging as they are from a state of obscurity, did they possess the understanding of rational creatures, we might expect to see attention, assiduity and care to deserve the favours of the public ; but this seems to be distant from their ideas; and those whose health necessarily obliges them to go there, must think themselves highly indebted to the public spirit of Mr. Miller, of London, for the great exertion of his fortune and abilities, to render the place in the least sufferable. I am, &c., T. G. Saturday night, Sept. 2, 1780." THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 287 In the second "Cheltenham Guide," published in 1783, occur these announcements : — "There are two sedan chairs at Cheltenham, the owners of which, from the very little use that is made of them, will not carry any fare under a shilling/' " A coffee-house and some good boarding-houses are much wanted in the town, and would certainly answer to the establishers of them. 5 ' " Just above the well is a farm-house, known by the name of ' Gallipot, 5 at which parties are accommodated with ' syllabub.' " "A common brewery has lately been established here by Mr. Wynne." "The Circulating Library. — Mr. Harward, the proprietor, desirous to oblige his customers, takes very good care to furnish his library with every new publication worthy notice. Tha subscription five shillings for the season. He also lets out harpsichords, piano-fortes, and other musical instruments, and provides persons to tune them." As a specimen of the class of amusements that were then patronised, we transcribe a hand-bill printed by Mr. Harward, the resident librarian here alluded to, whose death is recorded in the Cheltenham Chronicle for 1811, and whose relative, the Eev. J. Harward, in connection with T. Henney, Esq., planned the present Promenade. " Positively for Three Days Only.— The Original Stone-Eater. " At a Large Commodious Room, at the Bell Inn, in this Town. Stone Eating, and Stone Swallowing, and after the Stones are Swallowed, may be heard to chink in his Belly, the same as in a Pocket. " The present is allowed to be the age of wonders, and im- provements in the Arts ! The idea of a Man's flying in the Air, twenty years ago, before the discovery of use of Balloons, would have been laughed at by the most credulous ! Nor does the history of nature afford so extraordinary a relation as that of a Man's eating and subsisting on Pebbles, Flints, Tobacco Pipes, or Mineral Excrescences — but so it is ! and the Ladies and Gentleman, of this town and its vicinity, have now an apportunity of witnessing the extraordinary fact, by seeing one of the most wonderful Phsenomena of the age, who Grinds and Swallows Stones, &c, with as much ease as a Person would crack a nut, and masticate a kernel. " This extraordinary Stone Eater appears not to suffer the least inconvenience from so ponderous, and to all other persons 288 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. in the World, so indigestible a meal, which he repeats from Eleven to One, at noon, and also from Four in the afternoon, till Six in the evening. " N.B. — As his stay in this town will be only Three Days ; therefore it is hoped Ladies and Gentlemen will avail themselves of the opportunity of seeing this wonderful performance. "Admittance One Shilling. A private Performance, on a short Notice." Sedan Chairs appear to have been the only means of fashion- able conveyance up to 1810. In that year the Cheltenham Chronicle records that " Mr. Jonathan Wildey has, with a public spirit, which is highly commendable, remedied a great deficiency in this place, by establishing a job carriage, which he has set up in so liberal and handsome a style, that there can be no doubt of his meeting with that encouragement which he deserves." In the same paper is an advertisement from Mr. Wildey, who describes his vehicle as " an elegant Landau, with able horses and careful driver ; and humbly recommends it as a very useful conveyance to and from the Ball and Play. Parties wishing to take an airing with it may be accommodated." This attempt at introducing the luxury of a modern fly was a failure, and brought its promoter to the Bankruptcy Court in twelvemonths after- wards. A remnant of the days when the town enjoyed its village- like character is to be found in the Pairs and Mops, or Statutes, still continued from time immemorial. These, according to old custom, were held in the High Street, but a clause in the new Improvement Act removed the standings to the Market Place. These fairs are held on the second Thursday in April, on Holy Thursday, the 5th of August, the Thursday beiore and after Michaelmas-day, the second Thursday in September, and the third Thursday in December. The Michaelmas Fairs are called Mops, and the hiring of farm-servants takes place at them. All kinds of cattle and provisions are brought to market. Tbe horses are collected for sale at the top of Winchcomb Street and Albion Street; horned cattle and sheep near Henrietta Street ; and pigs in the Fleece Yard. The Cattle Fairs have been held during the past century in various localities, and are now held in the public highways mentioned, until some more suitable place shall be provided. i8> WSHt WAiLK-SKEiLTrOfllKLARSL THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OP GEORGE III. 289 The Morning Post during the visit of George the Third in 1788 relates the change the town had undergone in a series of paragraphs as follows : — " In consequence of the overflow of Cheltenham, Tewkesbury and Prestbury are crowded. Lodgings have increased in such a degree, and at such a rate, that for apartments let the preceding- season at three guineas, no less than twenty-five guineas per week have been asked and received." " Cheltenham will be the summer village of all that is fashionable and all that is dignified, the residence of the royal family being a thing quite new, so far from the metropolis. Already we hear nothing but Cheltenham modes — the Cheltenham cap — the Cheltenham bonnet — the Cheltenlmm buttons — the Cheltenham buckles; in short, all the fashions are completely Cheltenhamized throughout Great Britain. The approaching fashion of attending the steps of majesty, will complete the of its prosperity." In " A Tour to Cheltenham Spa," edition of 1805, it is said that " The market is on Thursday, when butter and poultry are brought from the neighbouring villages ; and since the great increase of visitors, the country people bring in poultry, and the hucksters bring salmon, eels, gudgeons, carp, tench, and other fresh water fish, from the Severn every day in the week during the season ; and in the months of July and August, samlets or botchers from 41b. to 61b. or 71b. each ; lobsters or cray fish once or twice a week, but always on Tuesday from Oxford ; soles and other sea fish, by the carriers from Bath. Trout and Jack may be had by giving orders at Cirencester." How changed are matters since tais was recorded ! By the aid of that mighty power — steam, the Cheltenham fishmonger can now supply his customers with the choicest qualities daily. One sign of progress was the election of a Master of the Ceremonies. The number of visitors in 1780 had reached to 370, and it was found necessary to secure the service of a person who could regulate the amusements. The first choice was a fortunate one and the gentleman selected was one every way qualified. He was a person of high literary attainments, and was the author of the first "Cheltenham Guide," Simeon Moreau, Esq., retained his situation to the period of his death in December 1810. He had the honour of receiving his Majesty 290 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. George the Third on the occasion of his visit ; and on his Majesty's recovery from the dangerous illness which attacked him, soon after, Mr. Moreau caused gold and silver medals to be struck to commemorate the happy event. He lies interred in the centre of the Parish Church. A plain flat stone, on which is simply inscribed his name, his office, and time of his decease, is all that denotes his resting place. His successor was James King, Esq , of Bath, who died in 1816. The next elected officer was A. Fothringham, Esq., whose death occurred on the morning of Saturday, January 20th, 1820, under circumstances tLat deserve a passing note. His lamented lady expired, after a short illness, on the previous Sunday ■ — and at the very moment when the hearse arrived to convey her remains to the grave, his widowed heart gave way and he died at the sight of the mourning cortege. On the Tuesday following they were interred together at Prestbury, in the same vault wherein five of their children had in one year been laid. The number of visitors had by this time so far increased that the office of M.C., was sought far as a situation that was both honourable and remunerative. Three candidates now offered themselves — Charles H. Marshall, Esq., Captain Clough and Captain Smith. The votes recorded were for the first named 228, for the second 200, and for the last 21. Mr. Marshall filled the office until 1835. On Mr. Marshall's resignation, two gentlemen came forward as candidates for the situation — Captain Kirwan and Mr. Sisson. Captain Kirwan, who has since been promoted to the rank of Lieut-Colonel, was elected on June 8th, 1835, by a majority of 235 votes, and is the present M C. Another sign of the town's progress, and allied to the office of M.C., was the establishment of Assembly Rooms in succession, first small, then larger, until ultimately the present one was erected, which for its size and period of erection stands without a rival in England. The first fashionable gatherings were in tne "Long Room," at the original Spa, next were the "Upper and Lower Rooms," in the High Street, which were under the controul of a committee of amusements elected in 1791. The present Assembly Rooms were first opened under the most auspicious cir- cumstances on the evening of July 29, 1816, upon which occasion the immediate patronage and presence of the "Hero of a hundred fights," graced the ceremony. It is indeed an interesting fact THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 291 that these magnificent Rooms were publicly opened by the Duke and Duchess of Wellington. The ceremony was attended by 1,400 of the aristocracy. This magnificent suite of rooms cost nearly .£60,000. Eleven costly and superb chandeliers are suspended from the ceiling of the great Ball Room, which has long been admired for its extent and decorations. The ceiling and walls are ornamented with relief figures of exauisite work- manship. At the Southern end of the room is one of the largest windows in the locality, covering nearly the breadth. Pilasters with Corinthian capitals are arranged on all sides. The cornice is rich, the frieze ornamented with groups of figures, festoons, and roses, delicately coloured. The ceiling is relieved by a great variety of splendid pateras, enwreathed with entwining laurel oak and vine leaves, with clusters of grapes intermingling. In L861, during the proprietorship of Mr. Buckman, the Ball Room was re-embellished with great taste and at great outlay. The beautiful and delicate frescos are brought out in fine relief. The change from village to town is also perceptible in the laying down of -stone pavements, and the introduction of street lamps. Prior to the Royal visit the only lights of a nitjht were those provided by Captain Skillicorne, and these were to be seen only on ball nights, in the avenue leading to " The Long Room." The Commissioners' Act of 1786, gave them the power of erecting 120 oil lamps in the public streets, which they effected in the following year. They, however, were not of a brilliant character, for the contract expresses il that they are to burn bright only one hour after the moon rises." The local darkness by night was not much better enlivened in more recent times. The Cheltenham Chronicle of 1810, contains a sugges- tion for painting the street posts white instead of black, to prevent accident by night, in consequence of the imperfect manner in which the town was lighted. The application of gas lamps to the public streets was made in 1818, under a special Act of Parliament, and for many years afterwards the High Street was alone lighted. With the exception of the Montpellier Promenade, which was first lighted in 1825, the houses and streets without the High Street were not provided with any means of lighting except at the expense of the owners or occupiers. It was a common thing to see the evening attendants at the Parish Church who resided " outside the High Street," 292 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, (as the rate-books then designated it) carrying their lighted lantern. The author has witnessed the Rev. Sir R. Woleseley, Bart., who died in 1852, at the age of 92, regularly proceed with a lighted lantern, after the evening service, to his residence at the bottom of the present Eodney Terrace, followed by a domestic, also a lantern bearer. This now lively and cheerful part of the town, thirty years ago presented a very rural appearance, and the present Woleseley House was then a thatched cottage, surrounded with trees so thickly grown that scarce a glimpse of a residence could be seen. Woleseley Terrace occu- pies the site of this once wild and rural locale. What a change has taken place during that short period ! There are now upwards of .800 lamps lighted by gas, and extending over every street in the parish, at a cost of £4,299 annually. Another proof of the increase in the number of visitors and residents is to be found in the size and abundance of Hotels and Inns which now stud almost every principal street. This has arisen from the large number of travellers. In the eighteenth century, " A stage coach holding six," and a diligence carrying three passengers," were the only means of conveyance from the metropolis to the town, and then the passengers were set down at Frog Mill, on the London Road, and had to find their way as they best could. Since then upwards of seventy coaches have arrived and departed from Cheltenham daily, and the steam carriage is now incessantly pouring in, at two local Railway Stations, its hundreds of passengers hourly from all parts of the world. This state of things called into operation the spirit of enterprise in the erection of suitable hotels. From the many that belong to the place we have selected two for illustration on account of their architectural features and large extent. The Plough is the oldest establishment, and is mentioned in the accounts of the town long prior to the discovery of the Spa Waters. An original painting is preserved, representing it as it stood at this period. This picture suggested the larger ones which were used at the Centenary Fete at Pittville, in 1840, and which represented the Plough in 1733, and as it now stands. The Plough Hotel has been gradually increasing in size and accommodation ever since the town was first called into notice by the discovery of the Mineral Waters. From first to last THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 293 it has enjoyed a great amount of patronage. Even so early as 1798, in " The Cambrian Directory," a work executed by a gentleman after a tour, it is said, under the head Cheltenham, "Best Inn — the Plough Hotel." The Plough Hotel has beeu the place of abode of some of the most distinguished visitors who have honoured the town with their presence. In 1835, when Her Majesty's uncle, the Duke of Cambridge, was a sojourner, His Royal Highness selected the Plough as his place of residence, and expressed his satisfaction upon departiug, at the excellent character of the arrangements. Tne largest and most imposing public building of which the town can boast, is the Queen's Hotel, designed by E. W. Jerrard, Esq., and opened as an Hotel on July 21, 1838. The site was well calculated to display the architectural beauties of this noble structure, being situate on a summit commanding a view of the double avenue of trees forming the Promenade extending to the High Street, and the ever verdant range of the Cots wold Hills in the distance, altogether one of the most 294 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. beautiful and picturesque situations to be found in any inland town in England. The Queen's Hotel has a grand portico entrance, combining an arcade with six lofty columns reposing on it. The columns and entablature are imitations of the Temple of Jupiter at Eome, — one of the finest structures which has been preserved of Horn an architecture. On the ground now occupied by the Queen's Hotel formerly stood the Imperial Spa, a building possessing architectural merit, which was removed to its present position in the Promenade, to give place to its more lofty successor. This Hotel was built in year 1837, at a cost of of upwards of £40,000, and comprises on the principal and upper floors, 70 best bed chambers, 30 servants' sleeping apartments, 16 elegant sitting rooms, richly embellished, and 2 excellent suites of apartments. On the ground floor are a noble entrance hall and principal staircase, secondary staircases, spacious coffee-room, 50 feet by 22 feet, two elegant drawing rooms, suite of four handsome apartments, billiard rooms, and all requisite domestic offices. In 1852, the Hotel having been purchased by Mr. W. S. Davis, of the Promenade Boarding House, the new possessor beautified and repaired it, both within and without. The new proprietor has spared no expense in embellishing the entire building. In front of the space before the entrance are two fine pieces of cannon taken at Sebastopol in 1856, and erected on pedstals at a cost of £300 to commemorate the names of distinguished individuals who died in the war, belonging to Cheltenham. These relics of war were placed in their present position after a public procession on July 5, 1858, and the ceremony of inauguration was preformed by Eear- Admiral Sir Maurice Berkeley now Lord Eitzhardinge, and Col. Berkeley, M.P. They are a source of considerable attraction to visitors, and the artistic skill displayed in the iron-work upon which they are elevated, render them an ornament to the beautiful Promenade, whose view they terminate at the highest point. " We are mounted at last with due honour and state, We are placed where the high born, the lowly, the great, Repass us so often, we really feel proud, And consent to be silent for aye to the crowd. We are captured and taken, but oh ! by my side Your brightest, your noblest, your dear ones have died, As mementoes of these we are destined to be In Cheltenham fair home of the brave and the free." Cheltenham Examiner, July, 1858. THE TOWN SINCE THE VISIT OF GEORGE III. 295 " If the price of land be any criterion of the degree of esti- mation in which a place is held, a late sale has furnished a strong presumption that Cheltenham has not yet attained its full size and consequence ; — Of three small orchards, one containing little more than an acre, and divided into two lots, was sold for £1863 10s. ; another about an acre and a half for £1156 10s., and a third about two acres for £1188. Total for 4-| acres, £4208 ! We remember this very ground selling but a few years ago at what was thought a high price, about £90 an acre." {Cheltenham Chronicle, July 20, 1809.) "A striking- proof of the increase of value in this place — A small house in the High Street, which was let 20 years back for £12, now returns the annual rent of one hundred guineas." — {Cheltenham Chronicle, 1816). The tax collector also appears to have been benefitted by the change. " So far back as 17 George III, the Spa at Cheltenham was made the first instance in this country of a rate being payable on any portion of the profits of mineral waters." — (teller J. "Prosperity of Cheltenham. — It haa been mentioned, as a remarkable proof of the prosperous con- dition of this town, that in three days there has oeen deposited, by servants, employees, &c, in the Permanent Mutual Benefit Building Society, of which Mr. J. Downing is trustee, no less a sum than £3,096." — (Cheltenham Examiner, June 8, 1859.) The publised account for 1860 of this Benefit Society shows the receipts for the year to have been £16, (,07 lis. 7d., and the assets £36,227 10s. 9d. But, perhaps no fact can more strikingly illustrate the great change that has taken place in the value of local property than the ancient and modern worth of the manorial rights. In .1628, when the manor was purchased of the Prince of Wales, by Mr. Dutton, the sum paid was only £1200, but when it was last purchased in 1843, it realised £39,000 ! Another instance of prosperous reversion was thus announced in the Cheltenham Chronicle in 1826 : — " In the time of Charles the Second, the great grandfather of Mr. Wood, the banker at Gloucester, purchased a quantity of land at Cheltenham at five pounds an acre ; which same land the latter is now selling at the rate of 1,000 guineas per acre." Mr. Davies, in his " Cheltenham Past and Present," remarks that in 1739, " Lady Stapleton had built for her private residence a spacious mansion, a short distance west of the Church, overlooking in the direction 296 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. of the Wells, the meadow then called Church-mead, and through which, in after time, two gravelled footpaths conducted — the one to the bridge and the lower end of St. George's Place, and the other to the entrance of the Old Well Walk, which was entered over a slight draw-bridge here thrown across the Chelt. This mansion, then called the 'Great House, 5 was, after her ladyship's death, converted into a boarding-house." This house was the Clarence Hotel, and stood on the site of the Temporary Church, and the Ro\ai Crescent has been built upon Church-mead. According to a drawing in the possession of W. N. Skillicorne, Esq., taken in 1748, it would seem that not more than four houses of any description were then scattered over a tract of country which subsequently became the sites of the Crescent, the Promenades, the extensive districts of the Montpellier, Suffolk, Bays Hill, and Lausdown estates, with the populous surrounding neighbourhoods. Thus, as in the case of Weymouth and Brighton, it required the countenance of Royalty to stamp the fashion, which the King's visit did in 1783 ; since when Cheltenham has continued to Uiijoy, in a most marked degree, the patronage of the fashionable world. Indeed visitors, for the sake of pleasure and amusement, are now as numerous as those whofiequent the place for their health, and, as Dr. Gibney remarks, " the natural capa- bilities of the town are such that many have been tempted to make it their permanent residence." Cheltenham, besides being one of the most beautiful towns in the United Kingdom, ranks pre- eminently as the great attracting centre of fashionable resort; and to what are these its peculiar characteristics to be attributed, but to the great pre-eminent distinction to which the healthful qualities of its waters have attained ? These qualities have not been merely tested for a year or two, they have not just risen into sudden importance, into a mere ephemeral notoriety, — their value is the tried result of the experience of a century, — their fame and their advantages increasing as time progresses. For the mildness of its climate, as well as for its native waters, Cheltenham stands alike celebrated. Its vale-like situation shelters it from the stormy blast and wintry chill, and the houses being for the most part detached, a free current of air is spread through all parts of the town. Cheltenham is situated in 51° 51' N. lat., and 2° 5' W long. The main body of the town lies THE TOWN 8INCB THE VISIT OF GEOEGE III. 297 in an extensive basin open on the South and South West ; this basin is 195 feet above the level of the sea, and 135 feet above the level of tbe city of Gloucester. The many causes which rendered Cheltenham so famous induced visitors to become residents, and thus led to improvements of an unparalleled kind. During the past 30 years, crescents, terraces, promenades, spas, and public edifices, have followed each other in rapid succession, until the whole ground within the parish limits — which is 20 miles in circumference — has been well occupied. To him who is worn down with disease — whose frame bespeaks languor and prostrated pain — the climate, waters, amusements, and fashionable promenades of this modern Hygeia present unrivalled attractions. The spas, with their beautiful and secluded walks, and fine architectural buildings, — the public balls — the horticultural shows — the gala fetes — the annual races — the concerts — and the extensive hunting studs of the locality, all combine to produce pleasing sensation-, and to relieve the pains of the invalid. But, we should do injustice to our subject, did we not state that Cheltenham has also other and higher characteristics to recommend it, besides those just enumerated. We allude to the variety of its places of worsuip, supplied with taithiul and eloquent pastors — to its large educational establish- ments — to its libraries and reading rooms, and to the advantages which its vicinity affords for studying the sciences of Geology and Botany. When we reflect upon the many important results, we feel amazed at the transformation which Cheltenham has undergoue from the mere village to the most fashionable town in Europe, We look back upon the revolutions of the last century, and ask ourselves if it be not a dream of the past, but our researches tell us that it is a reality. Of a truth we may say of Cheltenham that it stands a living monument of unparalleled pros- perity and celebrity, acquired by the intrinsic merit of its native waters. ' 'Yes all are gone that raark'd the rural scene ! No more thy groves aud orchards meet the eye, And where the humble village once had been, Stand now thy sculptured buildings tow'riug high, And gilded spires that climb the azure sky, And sweeping terraces, and grand parades, And circling crescents ! Oh, what place can vie With thy fair avenues and cooling shades, Or boast such beauteous forms as throng thy promenades ! " Byrne' % Ode to Cheltenham, 298 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. We have thus directed attention to Cheltenham past and present. We have seen that a century since it presented all the appearance of a rural village. It was then as much admired for its picturesque and rustic character, as it now is for its varied and beautiful buildings. The great transformation which the place has undergone can be inferred from evidence within the reach of all. Cheltenham originally owed its prosperity, both to the accidental discovery of its mineral waters, and to its village-like nature. Its walks were then its charm. The best proof that can be adduced of the high celebrity in which it has been so long held is the many distinguished persons who have made it the place of their sojourn. Perhaps no watering place in England can show a greater amount of public patronage than this town has received, as the next chapter — devoted to an account of " The Visits of Eminent Persons" — will fully demonstrate, The names still used for houses and streets are memorials of the sojourn of the great and wealthy, and indicate the localities where they resided and the titles which they held, such as Pauconberg, Essex, Clonbrock, Chester, Manchester, Norfolk, Suffolk, Berkeley, Wellington, Eegent, Portland, Clarence, Devonshire, Adelaide, Beaufort, Bedford, Brunswick, Camden, Cambridge, Exmouth, Gloucester, Grosvenor, Vernon, Jersey, Lansdown, Northwick, Oxford, Sussex, Sydney, York, Buckingham, Monson, Gordon, Marlborough, Salisbury, Stamford, Warwick, Wolesley, Powers-Court, Somerset, &c. CHAPTEE XVII. UMs of lEmtnmt ^raons* THE celebrity which Cheltenham has enjoyed since the first discovery of its Mineral Waters, is strikingly apparent from the number of eminent persons who have visited it. Here have repaired Eoyalty from the troubles of State — the warrior VISITS OP EMINENT PEESONS. 299 from the fatigue of the battle-field — the author from the confine- ment of a literary life. Many of these sojourners rank amongst the most influential personages of modern Europe, and they have put on record, in many instances, the favourable impression which the natural beauties of the town presented to their minds. So early as the year 1781, seven years before the Eoyal visit, a number of the then visitors published a poetical volume entirely devoted to a description of the native attractions. One of these productions terminates with an invitation — M To taste the pleasure Chelt'uham yields, To breathe its air and range its fields ! Here all live friends ; no low-born pride E'er tries despotic to preside : Society here entwines its wreaths, Good nature o'er our meetings breathes ; Its magic look the whole obey, Whether at pump, at ball, or play. And deep in Chelt'n ham's hallo w'd bow'rs, The grave might spend their serious hours ; The gay no languor can invade, The poet here may court the shade, The beau on smiling beauty stare, And pale misfortune dry its tear." Cheltenham, 1781. J. W-n-r. Another very long poem devoted to a detail of the Old Well Walk, with its beautiful avenue of elms, then young and flourishing, concludes — " But see ! another blest retreat, A consecrated shade ; "Where neither rain, nor dog-star heat, Can touch the swain or maid ! The friendly shade fair limes compose, Whose branches well unite ; And monarchs sure might envy those Who share the calm delight. Let some the joys of London's town, And courtly pomps admire ; Or wreathe at Baths soft pleasure's crown, If such ambition fire ; Indulge »» 1781.) Here, walks, beset with branching trees, A grateful shade bestow ; When Summer's unrelenting breeze Enervates all below. ! let me here with — stray, And mark yon shining spire ; See Nature ev'ry charm display, To wake the Muse's fire ! And oft admire, with ravish'd eyes, Each lovely smiling view '. There, hills that meet the concave skies, And lose their tops in blue ; Here meads, by Flora's bounty bless*d$ Array'd in lively green ; And villas deep in woods embrae'd* That cheer thf 1 varied scene. THB SPAS. 377 Elysian vttle ! thy bounds I'll trace, When Sol first paints the sky ; And when he sinks with broaden'd face, In haste to close his eye. And oft as Morn shall shed her dews, Fair Chelt'nham, let thy spring, With copious draughts refresh the muse, Thy matchless joys to sing. Cheltenham, 1781. T. B-n-r-d. The first discovery of these celebrated waters is associated with the legend of the pigeons. It is said that, in 1715, Mr. Mason having purchased a field at the foot of Bays Hill, observed that pigeons flocked to the head of a stream which flowed through it, to peck calcareous particles there deposited in its course. On this account, the pigeon has ever been an ornament connected with the Eoyal Old Wells. Another incident which attracted attention at the time, was that of a horse who was in a diseased condition, having become cured from drinking at the springs. These narrations we give on the authority of manuscripts quoted at large in a former part of this work, and we see nothing in them but what is probable. It is a known fact, that at Vichy, in the month of April, when the snow melts upon the mountains, and the wind passing over the springs in the direction of the Pay de Dome, has carried the vapour to a considerable distance, the ruminating animals on the left bank of the Allier swim across, and drink with avidity at the salutary springs of the establishment. The waters are then fit for use. The date above cited as the one when the waters first attracted attention, is no doubt correct, for Allen, who, in 1699, published his " Chalybeate and Purging Waters of England," makes no mention of the place. The first account of an analysis is in 1721, by Drs. Baird and Greville — the former a medical prac- titioner at Worcester, and the latter at Gloucester. The first published description of the discovery by the pigeons and horse, was by Rulty, in his M Methodical Synopsis of Mineral Waters," who remarks, — " it is not unlikely to be the true one, several efficacious mineral springs having been discovered by diseased animals being seen to resort to them and to regain their health." The justly celebrated medicinal virtues ot the waters arise solely from the geological structure of the soil tnrough which they 378 filSTORY OF CHELTENHAM. pass. Along the course of the Lias, medicinal springs abound ; tiiere is no other pari ot England where they rise so thickly, or of a quality that exerts a more powerful influence on the human frame. The mineral waters of Cheltenham, for instance, so celebrated for their virtues, are of the number ; and the way in which they are elaborated in such vast quantities, seems to be simply as follows: — They ail rise in the Lias — a formation abounding in sulphate of iron, lime, magnesia, lignite, and various bituminous matters ; but they have their origin far beneath, in the saliferous marls of the New Eed Sandstone which the Lias overlies. In the inferior formation, they are simply brine springs ; but brine is a powerful solvent — passing through the Lias, it acts upon the sulphur and the iron ; becomes, by means of the acid thus set free and incorporated with it, a more powerful solvent still ; operates upon the lime, upon the magnesia, upon the various lignites and bitumens ; and at length rises to the surface, a brine-digested extract of Liasic minerals. The several springs yield various analyses, according to the various rocks of the upper formation which they pass through — some containing more, some less lime, sulphur, iron, magnesia ; but in all, the dissolving menstrum is the same. And such, it would appear, is the mode in which nature prepares her simples in this rich district, and keeps her medicine chest ever full. Let us trace the progress of a single pint of the water thus elaborated, from where it first alights on the spongy soil in a wintery shower, till where it sparkles in the glass in the Pump- room at Cheltenham. It falls among the flat hills that sweep around the ancient city of Worcester, and straightway buries itself, all fresh and soft, in the folds of the Upper New Red Sandstone, where they incline gently to the east. It percolates, in its downward progress, along one of the unworkable seams of rock salt that occur in the superior maris of the formation ; and as it pursues, furlong after lurlong,its subterranean journey, savours more and more strongly of the company it keeps ; becomes in succession hard, brackish, saline, briny ; and then, many fathoms below the level at which it had entered, escapes from the saliferous stratum, through a transverse fissure, into an inferior Liasic bed. And here it trickles, for many hundred yards, through a pyritiferous shale, on which its biting salts act so powerfully, that it becomes strongly tinctured by the iron THE SPAS. 379 oxide, and acidulated by the sulphur. And now it forces its upward way through the minute crevices of a dolomitic lime- stone, which its salts and acids serves partially to decompose ; so that to its salt, iron, and sulphur, it now adds its lime and its magnesia. And now it flows through beds of organic remains, animal and vegetable, — now through a stratum of belemnites, and now a layer of fish, — now beside a seam of lignite, and now along a vein of bitumen. Here it carries with it a dilute infusion of what had been once the muscular tissue of a crocodile, and here the strainings of the bones of an ichthyosaurus. And now it comes gushing to the light in an upper Liasic stratum, considerably higher in the geologic scale than the saliferous sandstones into which it had at first sunk, but considerably lower with reference to the existing levels. And now take it and drink it off at once, without pause or breathing space : it is not palatable, but never did apothecary mix up a more curiously compounded draught ; and it is as salutary as it is elaborate, as the statement annexed will fully demonstrate. Medical Analysis. — By F. A. Abel and Thomas H. Roicney, of the Royal College of Chemistry, London. Sulphuretted Saline Water. — No. Is Temperature of the Water, 57,2° E. ; Tempe:ature of the Air at the time of observation, 71,6° F. ; Reaction of Water distinctly Alkaline; Acetate of Lead Paper blackened i Taste Saline ; Smell of Sulphuretted Hydrogen ; Specific Gravity, 10,064 at 60* F. Grams in an | Grains in an Imperial Gallon, i Imperial Gallon. Sulphate of Soda .... 2,340,562 Carbonate of Iron - - - 05,999 Chloride of Sodium - - - 2,297,876 Phosphate of Lime - - - Traces, Phosphate of Iron - - - 01,834 Silicic Acid ..... 10,109 Organic ( Crenic Acid - - 168,-45 Matter \ Extractive Matter 00,231 Chloride of Magnesium - - 526,19/ Chloride of Calcium - - - 92,575 Bromide of Calcium - - - 20,272 Iodide of Calcium - - - Traces. Carbonate of Magnesia - - 19,71 9 Carbonate of Lime - - - 220,808 5,704,447 Amount of Residue obtained by direct experiment, 5,722,451. — Free Carbonic Acid m the Water at 57,2° E. ; 32,705 Cubic Inches in an Imperial Gallon.— Sulphuretted Hydrogen not present in estimable quantities. Strong Saline Water.— No. 4. Temperature of the Water, 57,2° F. ; Temperature of the Air at the time of Observation, 7 1 , 6 Q F. ; Reaction of the Water slightly Alkaline; Taste Saline 3 Smell, slight of Sulphuretted Hydrogen ; Specific Gravity, 1,00795, at 60° F. 380 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. Grains in an I tnperial Gallon. Sulphate of Potassa - - - Traces. Sulphate of Soda - - - - 949,410 Chloride of Sodium - - - 5,903,310 Chloride of Magnesium - - 80,003 Bromide of Magnesium - - 30,632 Iodide of Magnesium - - 04,361 Carbonate of Magnesia - - 68,026 Carbonate of Lime - Phosphate of Lime - Silicic Acid Organic") Crenic Acid - - Matter' ) Extractive Matter Grains in an Imperial Gallon. 170,611 Traces, 27,468 03,332 180,530 7,417,68 3 Amount of Solid Matter found by direct experiment, 7,417,774. — Pree Carbonic Acid in the Water at 57,2° P., 25,294 Cubic Inches in an Imperial Gallon.— Sulphuretted Hydrogen — a trace. The Old Well grounds and gardens were, until set apart for building purposes, seven acres in extent ; and the principal walk, with its ancient avenue of elms, is nearly a quarter of a mile in length. Independent of the scientific analysis of this establishment, S. Moreau, Esq., the first Master of the Cere- monies, who received King George III., when on his visit to Cheltenham, has thus recorded his opinion of the waters of the Eoyal Old Well : — " All that I have now to add on this subject is, that notwithstanding the great virtue of this water, it would be the highest presumption to advance that it is infallible in its operation and effect, yet so indubitable are its powers, that during the sixteen years I have attended this place, I have seen above 14,000 persons resort to it for different complaints. I have known but very few who did not reap benefit from the use of it, and they who have steadiness to persevere, will, I have no doubt, be persuaded of the truth of what I am now asserting." The visitors to this Spa have also the sweet strains of music to aid them in acquiring a cheerful spirit, which is known to be so desirable for the invalid. Musical Promenades are held during the water-drinking season. Intimately connected with the history of this establishment, is the career of Hannah Forty. She was for upwards of forty years pumper, and waited upon George the Third during his visit, who had her portrait taken before he left the town. She was so popular, that at her decease a subscription was set on foot by the visitors to the Spa, and a marble monument erected near the pulpit in the parish church, on which occurs the inscription quoted below. " For many years, this well was known as 'Mrs. Forty's well,' the venerable old lady having personally officiated at the salutary fountain, and such celebrity THE SPAS. 381 had she acquired by her courteous demeanour, that her name was familiar in every quarter of the globe." (JFeller). " In a grave, beneath the yew-tree in this churchyard, are deposited the remains of Hannah Forty, (wife of William Forty, of this town, gardener), who died on the 9th August, 1816. Her maiden name was Knight. She was appointed Pumper at the Old Wells, in this town, on the 12th, Sept., 1772, and continued in that situation until the 1st July, 1816, discharging for nearly 43 years the duties of her office, with credit to herself and with satisfaction to the many visitors who, during that long period, resorted to the original springs, a few of them to whom, for several seasons, she had dispensed the blessings of health, have felt a satisfaction in erecting this memorial to her long and meritorious services." THE CENTENARY FETE. On the 8th of August, 1838, one of the most magnificent provincial fetes on record, in commemoration of the Centenary of the Eoyal Old Wells, took place at this establishment. A number of residents were chosen at a public meeting, and con- stituted " The Centenary Committee," to whom were entrusted the arrangements, and ample funds were subscribed and placed at their disposal. In the morning a public breakfast was held. In the afternoon an oak was planted in the centre of the orchard, and named " The Royal Victoria Oak." In the evening the fete commenced. When the shades of night had thickened, the whole scene was enchanting; the avenue of trees was illuminated with thousands of lights, forming innumerable arcnes of gold and green, in the manner of a cathedral nave, the sweet strains of music poured forth; the commingling of all ages, of rank, fashion, beauty and fortune, in dense masses, revived the remembrance of Grecian festivals, in which the refinements of life alone were to be seen, and where the cares and distinctions of the world were for a while forgotten. The entertainments were varied, and concluded with a clever pyro- technical representation of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. After this memorable fete, a number of gentlemen were appointed as a deputation from the town to present to her Majesty the Queen, a gold medal, commemorative of the event. The medal, as a work of art, was an exquisite specimen of working in gold. On 382 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. the obverse side of the medal there was a representation of the Eoyal Old Well Walk, and on the reverse side was the following inscription : — " To commemorate the Centenary of the Eoyal Old Wells, Cheltenham, established August, 1738." The deputation were presented to her Majesty at her levee, held at St. James's Palace, April 17, 1839, by Earl Eitzhardinge, and most graciously received. After the presentation of a suitable address, and of the medal, each member of the deputation had the honour of kissing her Majesty's hand. On the return of the ieputation, they were met at Andoversford by the Centenary Committee, and escorted to the Plough Hotel, where a dinner was given to them. THE ROYAL WELL MUSIC HALL. The Eoyal Old Wells was altered by the present proprietor, Mr. S. Onley, jun., in 1848, when all the old buildings, including the Pump-room, were taken down, and the noble classic structure which now ornaments the grounds reared in its stead, the pro- prietor being his own architect. The new Pump-room has been called "The Eoyal Wells Music Hall," for, besides affording accommodation to the Spa visitors, it has been used as a Con- cert-room, and many crowded and fashionable auditories have assembled within it. The first artistes in Europe, both vocal and instrumental, who have performed in the Hall, have publicly by testimonial given a favourable opinion of the acoustic qualities of the building, and of its adaptation for music meetings. The Music-hall is of the Corinthian order of architecture. The exterior was ornamented with a portico 40 feet high, supported by four columns. On either side of the entrance are two immense windows of plate glass, the largest of their kind in the locality, The interior presents architectural and artistic details of a high character. Eight chastely executed fluted Corinthian columns, 35 feet high, support the classic roof. The dimensions of this magnificent room are 82 feet by 55 feet, and on public occasions the conservatory, which opens en suite on the right, is used, which is 35 feet by 18 feet wide, and also a raised stage at the opposite end, 40 feet by 24 feet. A painting in the room deserves particular notice; it is on the stage, and forms a drop scene, which was painted by C. Marshall, Esq., of her Majesty's Theatre, and stands unrivalled as a specimen of the scenic art. THE SPAS. 383 It represents the Lake of Como, with its classic ruins and ever verdant environs. At the opposite end of the room, where the waters are dispensed, is a conservatory. MONTPELLIEK SPA. In 1801, the site of the Montpellier estate, which was originally farm land, was purchased by H. Thompson, Esq. The presence of mineral waters in the soil led to the establish- ment of a Spa and Salts Manufactory. The present Vittoria House, the residence of the late C. Shaw, Esq., was erected by Mr. Thompson for the purposes of a Spa, and the waters were conveyed there by means of pipes, " But finding the visitors preferred drinking them nearer to their source, he was induced to erect a room immediately over the wells." The Montpellier Pump Room was opened for the reception of company in 1809, but not being large enough for the increased number of visitors, the present Pump-room was erected, and, in 1826, Pearson Thompson, Esq., the son of the first proprietor, added the. Rotunda, whose classic dome is so conspicuous an object. The exterior of the building is ornamented by a light and spacious portico, presenting a row of twelve pillars, ranged in due pro- portion to the size of the windows, of which there are eight in front, with the principal entrance door in the centre. The dome, even externally, gives the edifice a majestic finish. The original room, which is long, abuts the entrances, and is a spacious apartment, ornamented with wall devices representing Eastern scenery. The Rotunda communicates with this room by large folding doors. This is, in fact, the Pump Room. It is 52 feet in diameter ; its dome rises to the height of 54 feet. The dome is supported by sixteen pilasters, ornamented with Grecian capitals, the concave finished with sunk pannels, supporting on the top a lantern, composed of sixteen glazed compartments, the curb of which is ornamented with patera s, and the covering with a flower six feet in diameter. In front of the entrance is the pump, standing on a handsome marble counter, and sur-, mounted by a beautiful model of the celebrated Warwick vase. This neat and classic structure was designed by J. B. Papworth, Esq. The far famed ' c Swedish Nightingale," Jenny Lind, gave a concert in this Rotunda during her visit to Cheltenham, in 1848. In front of the Spa is a spacious garden, tastefully laid 384 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. out with walks and plantations. This has been designated the Montpellier Garden, and forms a promenade for the use of those who frequent the Spa. The Montpellier Gardens were opened by a public fete, on July 28, 1830. The Montpellier Spa, Gardens, and Estate, in 1852, passed under the manage- ment of Mr. C. E. Wickes, for many years the lessee of Pittville. ANALYSIS OF THE WATERS OE MONTPELLIER SPA. No. 2. — Ioduretted and Sulphuretted Saline. Gaseous contents in a pint : cub. in. Sulphuretted Hydrogen 1.6 Carbonic Acid .4 Saline Contents ; Grains. Muriate of Soda 35.3 Sulphate of Soda 28.4 > of Magnesia 7-2 ■ of Lime 3.1 Oxide of Iron .42 Hydriodate of Soda .15 Specific Gravity, 1.008. 74.57 No. 4. — Pure Saline. Gaseous contents in a pint : cub. in. Carbonic Acid 1.4 Saline contents: Grains. Muriate of Soda 52.4 Sulphate of Magnesia 14.2 of Soda 17.2 Bi-Carbonate of Soda 1.2 Sulphate of Lime 2.7 Carbonate of Lime and Carbonate of Magnesia . 1.1 Hydriodate of Soda & Hydrobromate of Soda — a trace Specific Gravity, 1,009 88.8 No. 4, " A."— Strong Ioduretted Saline. Gaseous Contents in a Pint : Carbonic Acid Sulphuretted Hydrogen — a trace Saline Contents : Muriate of Soda of Lime of Magnesia Sulphate of Soda . ■ — of Magnesia — — of Lime Bi-Carbonate of Soda Carbonate of Lime and Carbonate of Magnesia Hydriodate of Soda Specific Gravity, 1.0101 cub. in. L6 Grains. 51.4 8.3 7.5 14.0 17.1 2.1 2.4 3.2 .25 106.25 THE SPAS. 385 No. 5. — Ioduretted Mngnesian Saline. Gaseous Contents in a Pint : cub. in. Carbonic Acid ....:.. 1.2 Saline Contents : Grains. Sulphate of Magnesia 47.0 — — of Lime 3.1 Muriate of Magnesia 10.5 of Lime 13.1 of Soda 9.7 Bi-Carbonate of Soda ...... 1.7 Oxide of Iron A Hydriodate of Soda, with a small quantity of Hydro- broraate of Soda .35 Specific Gravity, 1,009 85.85 NAPOLEON S FOUNTAIN. The Montpellier Garden lias for some years past been the depository of a work of art, interesting from its historical associations. This is a marble fountain of graceful form and beautiful workmanship. Its locality is the upper end of the gardens, in the centre of a verdant and evergreen lawn, and when in full play it produces an effect upon the beholder pleasing in the extreme. The design of the fountain is a child, whose features express the period of infancy, fondly clasping the neck of a swan, from whose mouth the water issues, as also from a circle of cherub heads below. This gem of art is a specimen of the artistic taste of Napoleon Bonaparte, having been designed by the great warrior in his palmy days, when all Europe trembled at his power. This, and several other works, were entrusted to an artist of note in Italy for execution. During the memorable French wars, they were on their way to the Emperor at Paris, when they were captured by a privateer belonging to the port of Bristol. The fountain, which has long been located in these gardens, was allotted to one of the sailors in the general division of the spoil, and of him was purchased by the late T. Henney, Esq., J.P., and Mr. Harward, who have permitted it to occupy its present position. The original idea of the designer has been marred by the sub- stitution of the beaked head of an eagle for that of a swan— - the latter having been broken off by accident. At the period the Sherborne Spa occupied the site of the Queen's Hotel, this relic of Napoleon was placed in a classic building which termi- 386 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. nated the broad walk on the east. We trust that some future historian will have to record its removal to some public and conspicuous part of the town. We present an illustration of this beautiful work of an artist of Genoa, taken for the late T. Henney, Esq., when in its pristine state. From letters which were found in the vessel at the time of its capture, it would appear that Napoleon was the sole designer. The Montpellier Gardens are also celebrated as being the place where the Pavilion was erected which was used at the Eglin- ton Tournament. The name of the Earl of Eglinton will always be associated with the gorgeous pageant he held in August, 1839, at his castle in Ayrshire, at which the present Emperor of France was one of the knights, and at which the Duchess of Somerset, then Lady Seymour, had the distinction to take the part of the " Queen of Beauty.' ' The Pavilion was purchased by the proprietor of these gardens, and when in its pristine state was a most attractive object. These gardens are upwards of eight acres in extent, and in 1861 they were purchased by a joint stock company, consisting of noblemen and gentlemen in- terested in the welfare of the town. The objects for which this company is established are, amongst others, " To lay out and maintain the Montpellier Gardens as a place for public amuse- ment, recreation, and resort. To erect thereon a hall for musical and other purposes, and for public assemblies and entertainments, with convenient ante -rooms, mnseum, hot- houses, conservatories, tennis and racket courts, Turkish and other baths, and other necessary or convenient offices and buildings. 55 The Montpellier Promenade, which leads to the Rotunda, is remarkable from the novel style of architecture displayed in the fronts of the houses. This arises from the use of stone statues instead of pillars, which produce a striking effect. These re- present female figures clothed in long garments, and called by the Greeks, Caryatides. The figures, which extend the whole length of the Promenade, are well-executed and rest upon pedestals. The origin of the introduction of these elegant figures into architecture is thus explained by Yitruvius : — "The inhabitants of Carya, a city of Peloponesus, having joined with the Persians against the Grecian States, and the Greeks having terminated the war with glorious victory, with one con- THE SPAS. 387 sent commenced hostilities against the Caryatides. They took the city, destroyed it, put all the males to the sword, and carried the females into captivity, and to treat them with still greater ignominy, forbade them to divest themselves of their robes, or of any of their ornaments, so that they might not only be once led in triumph, but, in a manner, suffer the same mor- tification all their lives, by constantly appearing in the same dress as on the triumphal day. And further, as an everlasting testimony of the crime of the people of Carya, the architects of that time employed the representation of these women to support the entablature of the public buildings. One of the porticos of the Erechtheum, at Athens, is supported by Caryatides of the same size as those which now ornament our town. PaTTYILLE SPA. This Spa has been pronounced the most beautiful and extensive establishment of its kind in Europe. Its first construction and the laying out of its drives, six miles in extent, cost half a million sterling. In 1824. the many walks and drives which now constitute the Pittville estate were first laid out by Joseph Pitt, Esq., M.P. Pittville Pump-Eoom was designed by a resident architect, Mr. J. Forbes. The foundation stone was laid with full Masonic honours, on May 4, 1825, and the cere- mony was witnessed by an immense concourse of spectators ; the Masonic procession on the occasion was an imposing spectacle. Divine service was celebrated in the Parish Church by the Eev. J. Edwards, vicar of Prestbury ; the sermon was preached by the Rev. J. Portis, the Masonic Grand Chaplain of Somerset. At the conclusion of Divine Service, the procession proceeded from the church, passing up the High-street, through Winch- comb-strect, to Pittville, where every accommodation had been made for the reception of visitors to view the ceremony, by the erection of two extensive elevations, commanding excellent views of the imposing scene. The ceremony was com- menced by the Deputy Provincial Grand Master expressing to Mr. Forbes, the architect, his high approbation of the design and ground plan, which was then exhibited to the spectators and received with universal acclamation. Several coins were 388 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. placed in the cavity, which was covered by a silver plate bearing the following inscription : — " In the Reign of His Most Gracious Majesty King George the Fourth, when Cheltenham, in consequence ot its celebrated Mineral Waters had, during half a century preceding, increased from an inconsiderable village to a town containing a population of upwards of 20,000 souls ; and from its continued prosperity justified the most sanguine expectations, that its importance would still advance in an unprecedented degree, the First Stone of this Edifice, the PITTVILLE PUMP-ROOM, the Property of Joseph Pitt, Esq., M.P., and a principal feature in the projected Buildings at Pittville, over one hundred acres of Land, a part of the Estate there belonging to that gentleman, was laid by Thomas Quarrington, Esq., Deputy-Grand Master of the Province of Gloucestershire, acting by dele- gation from the Most Noble Henry Charles Somerset, Duke of Beaufort, K.G., Grand Master of the Most Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and Ac- cepted Masons, in and over that Province, on the 4th day of May, in the year of our Lord, 1825, and the iEra of Masonry, 5825 ; Mr. John Forbes, of Chelten- ham, being the Architect. — May the undertaking promote the general prosperity of the Town of Cheltenham." The stone was then slowly lowered, amidst the most enthu- siastic cheers, the band playing " God save the King." The building occupied five years in its erection. It was completed in 1830, and opened July 20, by a public breakfast, attended by the leading families of the county. Pittville Spa is in style purely Grecian, varied and embellished only according to the taste and genius of the architect. The Ionic order has been selected for decoration ; arid the subject chosen for imita- tion is the Temple of Ilyssus, at Athens. The body of the building, which is 90 feet in length and 43 in breadth, is surrounded by a colonnade of 20 feet wide, the roof supported by fluted columns of 22 feet in length, and with capitals richly ornamented. In the middle of this roof, and over the principal entrance, a figure of Hygeia is placed ; and the two wings, ornamented with those of iEseulapius and Hippocrates respec- tively, produce a fine effect. The main building bears an elegant superstructure, of corresponding character and orna- ment, consisting of a room at each end, presenting externally three windows each, the intermediate space being faced with ornaments and pilasters. In the centre of the building is an elegant dome, raised to the height of 70 feet, around which and enclosed by neat iron-work, is a gallery, from which is presented to the eye a panoramic view of the surrounding vale, bounded by the Malvern and Cotswold hills, and extending on THE SPAS. 389 the south-west to the mountains of Wales, as represented in our engraving. The staircase, leading to the upper room, and also to the gallery, ascends from a vestibule at the back of the building, the entrance to which is from the north-west end of the colonnade. The style and arrangement of this magnificent design differs from the exterior only as it surpasses it in variety of embellishment and richness of decoration, so as at least to equal any expectation which a survey of its bold and splendid exterior may inspire. On each side of the principal entrance are two columns and pilasters, separated by large windows of 11 feet in height, to correspond with four others on the opposite side of the room, whose intercolumniations are open ; behind these are three windows, in front of which the pump is placed, decorated by a marble tripod, after a model from Eocchigiani's " Monu- menti Artichi." The whole produces a very striking effect, when seen from the promenades, on approaching the principal en- trance. At each end of the building there is an entrance with columns and pilasters, detached in a manner similar to those iri the principal front. The walls within are ornamented with columns and pilasters, relieved by niches and recesses, breaking in pleasing outlines. The ceiling at each end of the room is arched with a llat sweep, and ornamented with bands and double sunk panels, enriched with foliage, the centre of the building being a square space opening to the dome. This space is lighted from behind and in front by windows beneath the dome, the interior of which springs with enriched sunk spandrills and segmental soffites, and finishes with tapering panels and appro- priate decorations, the top of the dome being completed by a sky-light. The Anniversary of the Centenary Fete was celebrated at this Spa on August 12, 1840, on a scale of magnificence that will be long remembered. The most remarkable feature in the Eete was the erection of the Temple of Hygeia, which floated on the beautiful lake, and displayed the skill of the artist to advantage. It was covered with thousands of variegated lamps, and was divided into three compartments. In the first, under the figures ad. 1733, w r as a transparency representing Cheltenham as it was in that year. There were the rivulet and the stepping- stones, which then formed the only contrivance by which to cross from one side of the High-street to the other, and a 390 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. picture of the celebrated Plough Hotel, copied from an original painting. In the compartment on the other side, under the figures a.d. 1840, was a representation of the High-street of that day. Pittville Spa, from its first opening, has maintained an almost national celebrity. This is evident from the large amount which in past years has been received for admission from visitors only, independent of the subscriptions from residents. The following account of a visit to Pittville Spa, is extracted from a work entitled " Letters on Cheltenham :" — "We passed to the grounds, picturesquely planted, embracing no less than 120 acres of land, laid out in walks and drives, which at every turn presented some new object of interest or attraction. What a perfect scene of faerie-land broke upon our view as we stood upon the margin of the Pittville Lake, formed by the waters of the Swilgate, which, as its name implies, flows like molten silver hence to Tewkesbury. On either side of us, forming a classical termination to the lake, was an elegant stone bridge of fanciful architecture, over which these gardens are approached from the town. Looking along the centre avenue, the colossal pile, with its multitude of columns, broken into every variety of light and shade by the reflection of the passing clouds, or standing out in the brilliancy of sunlight, as they cleared away, gave dignity to the scene ; whilst the luxuriant plantations, glittering like gold at one instant, or sinking into deep shade at the next, from the same cause, were formed into every variety of picture by the continual change of colour, as the gay groups of sylph-like forms flitted across in all the tints that taste and fashion can devise. Few, very few, towns can boast of such attractive gardens, already taking rank with some of the finest in the kingdom. Altogether, it has been told me, that little less than half a million of money has been expended upon this Pittville property." At the Pittville Spa, " Sulphuretted Hydrogen," says Dr. Gibney, " is found in considerable quantity, and if care is taken to prevent its escape, we shall then have a water similar to that of Harrowgate. As the purgative operations of the Pittville Spas are precisely similar to those of the other wells, its great supply of sulphuretted hydrogen will render it very efficacious THE SPAS. 391 in diseases of the skin and other disorders, for which Harrow- gate has been recommended." Attached to the establishment is the Cosmorama, which con- tains views of Rome, Amiens, Bielstein, Antwerp, Mount St. Bernard, and other places. The annexed sketch represents Essex Lodge, so named in memory of the Earl of Essex, who was formerly Lay Rector of Cheltenham, and consequently owner of the glebe land on which the Pittville estate is built. It is used as a Spa for the convenience of those who cannot extend their walks to the pump- room, and was in operation during the period the beautiful edifice beyond was in course of erection. It is romantically situate at one of the angles which leads to the main drive to the lake and to the upper pleasure grounds. Analysis of the waters at Pittville Spa, by F. A. Abel, and T. H. Rowney, of the Royal College of Chemistry : — Depth of the Main Well about 90 feet ; tem- perature of the water, 57° F. ; temperature of the air at the time of observation 67° F. Reaction with Litmus Alkaline. Taste of the water, agreeably saline smell, slight of Sulphurated Hydrogen. Specific gravity, 1,00763, at 60° F. Grains in Imp. Gallon. Sulphate of Potassa 2,9512 Sulphate of Soda Chloride of Sodium Bromide of Sodium Iodide of Sodium Carbonate of Soda Carbonate of Lime Carbonate of Magnesia Phosphate of Lime Silicid Acid Organic CCrenic Acid . Matter (Extractive 112,8666 481,1933 3,2928 traces. 20,1481 7,7021 11,3897 traces. 2,7755 0,3591 3,5993 646,1777 Amount of fixed residue found by direct experiment 645,6053 Free Carbonic Acid in the water at 50° F. 16,254 cubic inches in imperial gallon. Sulphuretted Hydrogen present in inestimable qualities CAMBRAY SPA. Cambray Spa is justly celebrated for its chalybeate waters, possessing peculiar and distinct medicinal properties, as may be seen on reference to the official analysis by the eminent chemists^ 392 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, Faraday and Accum. It is an exquisite specimen, on a small scale, of the ornamental Gothic style, and its octagon form, and situation on the south side of Eodney-terrace, at the junction of various main roads, serves as an ornament to the locality. It was erected by the proprietor, Baynham Jones, Esq., who also owned the orignal Chalybeate Spa. This was situate but a short distance from the present pump-room, where the waters were for many years dispensed. The Cambray Chalybeate Springs were first discovered in 1804. Ruff, in his " Beauties of Cheltenham," speaking of the Cambray Spa Waters, says-— " We cannot give a stronger proof of their efficacy, than by noticing the rapid restoration of Sir Francis Burdett, Bart., who came to Chelten- ham in May, 1805, very seriously ill, and deprived of the use of his limbs. The worthy baronet was restored in a few days to a state ©f convalescence ; and by persevering in drinking the waters, and bathing the parts affected, left Cheltenham in the month of September, in perfect health. 55 Analysis of the Cambray Spa, (the Aperient Saline,) by Michael Faraday, Esq., E.ll.S., &c, in a wine imperial piat. Specific gravity, 1006.7. — Salts in a dry state. Grains. Muriate of Soda 51.06 Muriate of Lime . 8.60 Muriate of Magnesia a trace. Sulphate of Soda . 17.04* Carbonate of Lime 0.80 Carbonate of Iron a mere trace. 77.50 Carbonated Chalybeate, by Frederick Accum, Esq., F.L.S., &c, in a wine gal- on. Specific gravity, 1.0011. Grains. Carbonate of Iron 7.05 Muriates of Lime and Magnesia Muriate and Sulphate of Soda . Sulphate of Lime Carbonate of Magnesia and Lime 15.50 24.00 9.00 Carbonic Acid Gas 24 Cubic Inches. 64.50 THE PARK SPA. A spring producing an abundant supply of pure Saline water having been found to exist on the Park estate, at a depth of THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 393 about 50 feet, possessing all the properties of the old well- known No. 4 of the established Spas, Mr. Billings, the proprie- tor, has tested its efficacy by obtaining from Messrs. Heathfield and Burgess, of London, the subjoined analysis : it proves the water to be equal in strength to any yet found in Cheltenham. A small classic pump-room has recently been erected over the well sunk by Samuel Bendall, the forty years' experienced well-sinker and pumper of the Montpellier Spa, and under the recommendation of eminent members of the faculty, the waters have for some time been administered to the public in their purity and proved to be extremely efficacious. Analysis of the Park Spa Waters, by Messrs. Heathfield and Burgess. Imp. Gallon Grains. Sulphate of Soda 77.00 Sulphate of Lime 86 00 Sulphate of Magnesia 66.00 Chloride of Sodium . 602.00 ^Carbonate of Lime 20.00 Carbouate of Magnesia 8.00 *Oxide of Iron .30 Carbonate of Soda a trace. Organic matter, waste, &c. . . .70 860.00 * These Substances are held in solution bv free Carbonic Acid. CHAPTER XXL Sf)e EnBofacb efjariucs. ENGLAND, as a country, is justly celebrated both for the number and extent of its publicly-endowed charities. This spirit of national benevolence has been imbibed by some of the more ancient residents of wealth and influence in this locality. HenceCheltenham can claim a place in the list of publicly-endowed towns, and can boast of benefactors distinguished in their day HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. both for their piety, learning, and exalted rank. In conse- quence of the increase in value of landed property in the locality, bequests, the income of which is derivable from land or houses, have enhanced greatly in value. The bequests from which the inhabitants are now deriving advantage, were left in the reigns of Queen Elizabeth, Charles I. and II., Queen Anne, George I. and III. We have the satisfaction of recording in this work, the whole of these public charities, and trust that it may be the means, in some cases, of perpetuating their existence. Accord- ing to priority of date, each bequest is here presented to the reader in consecutive order. The name of the founder, the object of the charity, the nature of the endowment, and the present annual income, will be found fully detailed. Annexed to the description of each charity are verbatim extracts from the donor's will, terriers of estates, and other authentic documents, The town of Cheltenham has an endowed Grammar School, founded in 1578 by Richard Pates, Esq., in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The property left to support the charity in the life- time of the founder, realized but £10 a year. It is now worth £1,000 and upwards annually, and being landed property let out on lease, at the expiration of the term, it reverts to the charity, and is consequently re-let at the current value, which gradually increases the income. The Charity Estate comprises some of the most valuable portions of the town, besides houses in Gloucester, land at Swindon, and a farm at the Leigh. Erom a survey of the estate made in 1849, on the part of the parish, by Messrs. I). J. Humphris, and E. E. Newman, surveyors, it appears from their report that the "annual income, at the expiration of the present leases will be £2,933 5s., and the estimated value in fee, £38,093." Three-fourths of the annual income go to the support of the Grammar School and Alms-house, and the residue for the establishment of a Divinity Lecture at Corpus Christi College, Oxford; the President of that College and the seven senior scholars are the trustees of the charity. Mr. Pates commenced the Grammar School in his life-time, and lived to watch its progress for seventeen years. By this means he was enabled to draw up an account of its future expenditures, THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 395 and found his grant thereon. According to an entry on the Rolls at the Manor Office, the foundation -stone of the school- room was laid on April 28, 1571. In 1585, the indenture was executed, and in 1587, possession of the property was given up to the trustees. For a long period after the fir^t establishment, from the favourable notices which occur respecting the masters, it is evident that the school was a useful institution. But, like similar charities, in more recent times it fell into decay. From the Chancery Reports, it appears that, for many years, the num- ber of scholars on the foundation was scarcely more than twenty. By the cordial co-operation of the present trustees, with the committee who represent the parish, this school has now become an honour to the town. Like Birmingham, Shrewsbury, and other places where Grammar Schools are ably conducted, Chel- tenham has now begun to reap benefit, and the increased and increasing income of the charity will afford ample opportunity for establishing the Grammar School on a basis equal to any provincial one in England. A scheme having been approved by the Court of Chancery, and the premises adjoining the original school-room obtained, the trustees proceeded to the election of a head-master. The choice rested upon E. R. Humphreys, Esq., M.A., LL.D., and H. M. Jeffrey, Esq., M.A., of St. Catherine's Hall, Cambridge, as second-master on the foundation. The school was publicly re-opened on May 1, 1852, on which occa- sion addresses were delivered by Dr. Norris, President of Corpus Christi College, the principal trustee, Rev. F. Close, Dr. Hum- phreys, and R. S. Lingwood, Esq. Nearly two hundred scholars were on the foundation the first half-year after the re-opening, and applications for further admission were made, which could not be met for want of school-room. To meet the exigency, an additional school-room was erected at the rear of the premises, sufficient to accommodate one hundred and fifty additional scholars. Premises adjoining, known as " Yearsley's Boarding- house," were also purchased, which, while it extends the accom- modation for scholars, also affords a residence for the head- master. The Rev. H. Hay man was the next appointed head-master. He was one of the preachers in the Temple, and Head-Master of St. Olave's School, London. Since his settlement the scholars have attained classical and academic distinctions to a degree that 396 HI3T011Y OF CHELTENHAM. reflects credit to the town at large. A majority of the success- ful candidates belonged to this school at the Middle- Class Examinations in 1860. About the same time three candidates that were sent to Oxford for the examination of those not members of the university, obtained the title of A.A., two of them winning honours. The reports at the annual gathering, according to ancient custom, in 1862, shows a most remarkable amount of proficiency, and perhaps no school, considering the short time that it has been renovated, can boast of so many honours having been obtained by its scholars. These facts demonstrate that the benevolent bequest of Mr. Pates will once again contribute to the present and future prosperity of this highly favoured educational town. This old academy can boast of having had masters in the early period of its history, who were alike eminent for their learning and benevolence. Christo- pher Bayley, M.A., who died in 1654, was master for thirty-two years, and bequeathed a sum of money for erecting a Market- place, which stood opposite the present Plough Hotel. Another eminent master was William Eogers, M.A., of the ancient family of that name at Dowdesvvell. Por thirteen years this excellent man filled his office until his decease, in 1701, and received the thanks of the trustees for his services. He is de- scribed on the Manor Bolls as " a good man and excellent scholar." Both these disinterested persons are interred in the Parish Church, where monuments exist to their memory. The value of this academy to the locality is greatly enhanced by scholarships and exhibitions connected with it, as follows: — Townsend Fellowship, tenable for four years, to Pembroke College, Oxford, £50 annually : Classical Scholarship of £20 annually, for two years : Berkeley Scholarship, founded by Earl Pitz- hardinge, £10 annually : Bedford Scholarship, founded by Earl Bussell, £10 annually, for two years : Civil Service Scholarship of £10 annually, and Commercial Scholarship of £10 annually. " Mr.W.H.Corfield,a pupil at the Cheltenham Grammar School, has just been elected to a open demy ship in natural philosophy, of about £70 per annum, at Magdalene College, a scholarship examination being also included. This may be regarded as one of the first fruits of the department of physical science, in this school, as re -organized under the present Head-Master, the Be v. H. Hayman. The success is peculiarly gratifying, inasmuch as THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. o97 Mr. Corfield is a full year younger than the usual age of com- petition, and the examination extended over a period of five days." — {Cheltenham Examiner, March 13, 1S61.) The value of these scholarships in drawing out native talent, will be best seen on reference to the Townsend Fellowship, here- after detailed. The following distinctions were gained by pupils in this school, between March, 1860, and Easter, 1861: — The Senior Mathematical Scholarship in the University of Oxford; an Open Fellowship, Merton College, Oxford; a Second Class in Law aud History, ditto, ditto ; the fourth place of the year on the Classical Tripos, University of London ; Townsend Scholarship, Pembroke College, Oxford ; Open Demyship in Magdalen Col- lege, ditto (chiefly by Physical Sciences) ; Gentleman Cadetship (chiefly by Mathematics), this boy has since come out at Addis- combe for Woolwich, second of his year, with prize for Chemistry; title of A. A., Oxford, with first-class honours, and the Local Committee's Prize ; four similar titles, with second-class hon- ours, and all accompanied with the Local Committee's Prize ; three Oxford Junior Certificates, one receiving the same prize ; one Cambridge University Juuior Certificate, with Distinction in Latin. " Mr. Lewis Sergeant — son of Mr. Sergeant of York House — the author of a poem entitled ' Garibaldi/ published some months ago, in one of our local contemporaries, last w r eek ob- tained the first of two Scholarships given at St. Catherine's College, Cambridge. Mr. Sergeant had been a private pupil of Mr. Jeffrey, second foundation master of our Grammar School." {Cheltenham Examiner, June, 1861.) It is also the only locally endowed school on a royal foun- dation, and legally belonging to the University of Oxford ; on this account the youths attending the school very properly wear the Oxonian Cap. There is a tradition that Queen Elizabeth visited the school, after it had commenced, and was so pleased with the zeal of Mr. Pates, that she gave him the property which now forms the principal part of the endowment. This tradition has been handed down by the family whose ancestor was one of the original trustees. It is not improbable, considering the warm interest her Majesty took in the school, and especially as she passed through the place en route during the period. 398 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. In 1852, Prince Albert addressed a complimentary letter to the head- master, on the occasion of practical science being added to the other subjects taught. The school was also honoured with a visit from Lord John Russell, who afterwards founded the Bedford Scholarship. Mr. Pates was a man in humble circumstances of life when young, but being a person possessing great acuteness, he was employed by Edward VI. , Henry VIII., and Queen Elizabeth, to survey and let out the land that had been confiscated in this county to the throne, at the dissolution of the monasteries. Mr. Pates, in after life, practised as a lawyer, and was evidently a person of great local influence; a proof of which is the fact that he held the offices of Recorder of Gloucester, Steward of the Manor of Prestbury, and he was also, at five successive severely con- tested elections, chosen M.P. for the City of Gloucester. From the manner in which his will is- worded, it would appear that his early education, which was at Corpus Christi College, was a work of charity, and hence, he says, that it was " in token of his thankful remembrance " of such instruction, that he appointed the president and scholars of the said college his trustees. He founded and endowed several other charitable institutions in this county, besides those which exist in our own town ; among the number is the St. Bartholomew Alms-house, Gloucester. Mr. Pates was buried in Gloucester Cathedral, where a handsome monument is erected to his memory, -and it has been several times repaired by the President of Corpus Christi College. It is situated in the south aisle, and is supported by columns. Mr. Pates is represented in the garb of a lawyer, in a kneeling position, with a child behind him ; Mrs. Pates is represented in a similar attitude, surrounded with three children. He died October 29, 1588, at the age of 73. The inscription on the monument, which is in Latin, was composed by himself, and has been thus translated into English : — " Richard Pates, Esq., late of this city, wiio lived 73 years, and died October, 1588, erecled this monument for himself, wife, and children-— Why do foolish mortals wish for the thread of life To be extended $ Life, no less wretched than evil. Shew me the Man whose Heart is not corroded with care < Shew me the Man whose mind is not conscious of wrong. In Heaven, life is void of cares, and guiltless of sin. This is true life ; every other life only kills," THE ENDOWED CHA1UTIES. 399 The poet Shenstone, who visited Cheltenham in 1762, pays this tribute to the memory of Mr. Pates, written at the spot of his interment : — " Pure Charity, that comes not in a shower, Sudden and loud, oppressing what it feeds ; Eut, like the dew, with gradual silent power, Felt in the bloom it leaves along the meads. The happy grateful spirit, that improves And brightens every gift by Fortune given ; That wander where it will, with those it loves, Makes every place a home, and home a heaven. All these were his — oh ! thou who read'st this stone, When for thyself, thy children, to the sky. Thou humbly prayest, ask this boon alone, That ye like him may live, like him may die." Richard Pates deserves a public monument in the town which he has so much benefitted. His contemporaries in literature used to adopt water as a simile to show the value of education, and a statute to his memory, blended with a fountain, would combine two objects, which the inhabitants of Cheltenham would be glad to see accomplished. The age in which the founder lived was a most memorable one, for it was the era of the Reformation. The property which now supports the charity was originally left by our Catholic an- cestors for the endowment of local chantries and priories, and at the confiscation became the property of the crown. At the dis- solution of these monasteries, the poor were thrown upon their own resources, both for instruction and the relief of their phy- sical wants. Such was the unfortunate condition of this locality (in common with England), at the commencement of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and hence we find that so many schools for the instruction of the children, and alms-houses for the support and refuge of the poor and aged, were generally instituted in that particular reign. This state of things attracted the atten- tion of some philanthropic and influential individuals, and among the number was Richard Pates, Esq., the founder of the Cheltenham Eree Grammar School and Alms-houses* a man (as the wording of the will by which he left the endowment fully proves) of the utmost benevolence. A careful perusal of the will of Mr. Pates, which is one of the most clear and definite docu- ments ever penned, proves that the object whieh he had in view 400 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. was the education of the children of the locality. Cheltenham, at the time of the endowment, and the whole of the surrounding hamlets and villages then comprised in the " Cheltenham Hun- dred, 55 contained little more than 500 inhabitants. In the work of removing the " moral and mental darkness of the age, 55 Pates was assisted by various grants from Elizabeth, " of her royal mind and noble inclination, and of her divine and fervent zeal for the advancement of learning and good literature, and for the sustenance of the poor people.' 5 In the Elizabethan era, Latin and Greek were greatly in vogue, so that the teaching of it among the poor was a most desirable object. These were there- fore two things appointed by the founder to be taught, and in addition, the elementary rudiments of education, and the sciences and fine arts. Annexed are extracts from the original grant, which will explain the intentions of the donor : — " Whereas our said Sovereign Lady the Queen's Majesty, by her highess's letters patent, bearing date at Westminster, the seventh day of January, in the sixteenth year of her most gracious reign, being well-pleased to make the said Eichard Pate more liable sufficient to perfect and accomplish that good work which he then intended, in the edifying building, and perpetual foundation and maintenance of a Free Grammar School and Hospital in the town of Cheltenham, in the county of Gloucester, of her royal mind and noble inclination, and of her divine and fervent zeal for the advancement of learning and good literature, and for the sustenance of the poor people there ; and of her certain know- ledge and mere intention, hath for her, her heirs and successors, given and granted unto the said Eichard Pate, his heirs and assigns, all the lands, tenements, or hereditaments hereafter par- ticularly mentioned. 55 Item — " It is ordained that every scholar, at his first admission into the said school, shall pay fourpence, if his parents be inhabiting, or himself lodging in the parish of Cheltenham ; and shall pay eightpence if his parents be not dwelling, neither he himself lodging in the said parish ; which money the said schoolmaster for the time being shall receive and keep, and the same shall be registered in a book for that pur- pose, and of the same shall yield and make a perfect account to the visit ors of the said school at the several visitations. With which money the said schoolmaster shall buy and provide such Latin and Greek books as shall be most necessary for the public THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 401 use of the said scholars, to be tied fast with little chains of iron fixed for that purpose in some convenient place of the said school.' 5 " The number of fifty scholars at the least, of which number four at the least shall have knowledge in the Greek and Latin tongues, and be able to make exercises in prose and verse, in those tongues and speak the Latin tongue ex- tempore, and five other of that number able to translate any piece of familar English speech into Latin, and four other able to make a sentence of true Latin between the no- minative case and the verb, and fourteen other able and ready to learn the rules or accidence to the rules of construction, and the residue of that number of good children of good aptness to learn." " Provided always, that both the said school-master and usher do teach the grammar allowed and approved by the com- mon authority of the Queen's Majesty that now is (Elizabeth), and of her highness's heirs or successors, Kings or Queens of this realm of England for the time being." Mr. Pates, in his cautiously-framed will also says, " It is ordained, whensoever the governors of the said school for the time being, shall appoint the day of the yearly visitation of the said school, that the said governors by the private letters of them, or some of them, or otherwise shall give warning thereof to the said schoolmaster for the time being, by the space of four days at the least ; against which day of visitation the said schoolmaster shall invite some of the learned men of his acquaintance, or others, dwelling in, or near the said town of Cheltenham, or the city of Gloucester, to be there present at the said visitation, at which visitation the said visitors appointed for the time being shall spend the time from eight or nine o'clock in the morning, until eleven, and from one until three, in the said visitation day, in opposing, trying, and examining the scholars of the said school for the time being, according to the covenant afore remembered. And that after such examinations are ended, the visitor then present shall determine and judge which four scholars of the said school have shown themselves best scholars of the whole number in the said disputations; and also which three of the next three fo urines to the highest fourme, have proved themselves the best scholars, severally of the said three fourmes. And according to such determination and judgment shall, with some convenient oration in Latin, give conclusion to that day's exercise." After these 402 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. various examinations were concluded, prizes were to be bestowed, which to us at the present day seem very curious and trifling articles, but at the time the donor was living, they were no doubt handsome and useful presents — money in the Elizabethan era being of a very different value to the current coin. " And dispose such gifts and rewards as the said Richard Pates, the founder, (knowing that honour and reward yielded to virtue and learning doth greatly augment the same, especially in youth, hath appointed to be for ever provided for that purpose,) that is to say, to the best of the four, a pen of silver wholly gilt, value 2s. 6d. ; to the second best, a pen of silver, parcel gilt, value Is. 8d. ; to the third, a pen of silver, value Is. ; to the fourth, a penner and inkhorn, value 6d. ; which four shall be termed the four visitors of the said school for that year, and that the other three adjudged the three best scholars of the next three several fourmes to the highest, have every one of them a quire of paper, price 4d. for their rewards." When the prizes were severally given to the scholars specified at the conclusion of the oration, the whole company were to form themselves into a procession and go to the parish church. This, it should be borne in mind by the reader, was to be kept up every year. " The whole company of the scholars shall go in decent order, by two by two, into the parish church of Cheltenham, the four visitors coming last, next before the said schoolmaster and usher, each of them having a laurel garland on his head, provided for that purpose, and the other three rewarded scholars shall go together in one rank, next before the said four visitors, each of them holding his quire of paper folded up in his right hand. And in the said church they shall all kneel or stand in some convenient place to be appointed by the said schoolmaster, and then say or sing some convenient psalm or hymn, with a prayer, wherein shall be some convenient mention of the church, the realm, the town, and the said founder or his posterity then living." This was doubtless instituted by by Mr. Pate, in order to keep alive the interest of the charity, by preventing its falling into obscurity. This was his especial aim, as the several parts of his will clearly prove. In reference to the foundation of scholarships, the founder covenants — " That at ail and every time or times, when and as often as any room or rooms within Corpus Christi College, for a scholar or scholars of the County of Gloucester, shall be void THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 403 and vacant, that then the said president shall choose or admit into such room or rooms, one or more of the Scholars of the said school at Cheltenham, being then as well qualified in every respect as any other scholar as shall stand against him or them to be elected out of the said school at Cheltenham. " The surplus of the estate is to be divided among different objects at discretion. " The sum remaining in surplusage, shall be yearly for ever bestowed, partly in bread, to be distributed among the poor dwelling in Cheltenham, on Good Friday, in the morning, and partly upon poor maidens' marriages in Cheltenham, and partly upon reparation of the highway leading, being and lying between Gloucester and Cheltenham, or upon any of these or other charitable deeds, as to the discretion of the said patrons and governors for the time being shall seem most con- venient." To the late T. Henney, Esq., a magistrate of the town, the public are indebted for a knowledge of the original grant of Mr. Pates. Mr. Henney took a warm interest in the charity, and at his own expense caused the document to be printed in 1820. In 1847, when the question of restoration was again in agitation, in consequence of the prior copies being lost, Mr. Henney again had the grant printed. At a vestry meeting held on Easter Tuesday, 1852, the grant and reports were ordered to be printed and cir- culated among the ratepayers. Some idea may be formed of the careful way in which the original grant was drawn up by Mr. Pates, from the fact that when it was re-published for the parish at the Examiner office, (with the committee's report) it filled sixty-four closely-printed pages ! On June 1, 1843, a committee, consisting of Messrs. Hale, Eead, Goding, Hollis, Humphris, and the Minister and Church- wardens, were elected to inquire into the charity in so far as related to its scholastic application. This committee reported annually. In 1848, the head-master being deceased, the affairs of the charity took a new and unexpected turn. By this event the charity, so far as the Grammar School is concerned, fell under the provisions of the Act of Parliament, 3 and 4 Vic. cap. 77, entitled "An Act for Improving the Condition and extending the Benefits of Grammar Schools." The following committee was appointed on Easter Tuesday, 1848 : — The Eev. F. Close, and Messrs. Wm. Hasell, G. J. Engall, Charles Hale, 404 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. D. J. Humphris, John Goding, Wm. Hollis, Samuel Chas. Harper, Geo. Eowe, and Uobert Sole Lingwood, " to consider if any and what steps ought now to be taken by the inhabitants of Chelten- ham, for improving the condition of the Cheltenham Free Gram- mar School." The committee persevered in their efforts, and through the assistance of one of the number, R. S. Lingwood, Esq , solicitor, were enabled to proceed with the most marked success. The trustees at present acting unlike their predeces- sors, also manifested a desire for the restoration of the charity, and aided in obtaining so desirable an object. The committee were heard before the Masters in Chancery during several terms, and ultimately on November 11, 1851, obtained the scheme at present in use, and on November 14 following, the case was finally closed in the Yice-Chancellor's Court, before Sir E. T. Kindersley, who, in ordering the expenses of the suit to be paid out of the estate, passed a high eulogium on the committee for the assistance they had rendered. The deep interest which the existing trustees had manifested in the matter, induced the parish to withdraw the suit from Chancery, where it had been for forty years. This was a consummation most devoutly to be wished, and henceforth the entire income of the charity will be devoted to the original object for which it was intended by its benevolent founder. In order to illustrate the expenses of this Chancery suit in past years, we put on record a few items from the annual balance-sheets as taxed by the court : — YEAR. POR WHAT PURPOSE. AMOUNT. 1840 Relator costs £490 6 Defendant's taxed costs 341 18 7 Relator's taxed costs 176 10 11 1841 Relator's taxed costs 113 12 2 Attorney-General's taxed costs 21 6 10 Defendant's taxed costs 717 13 5 Passing the accounts 95 7 2 1842 Passing the accounts 40 Total amount £1996 9 7 1837 Granting Leases and Fines £64 1840 New Leases and Counterparts 84 11 6 1841 New Leases and Counterparts 222 7 6 Total amount £370 19 THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 405 IN CONTRAST TO THIS WE GIVE THE EXPENDITURE OE THE CHARITY ESTATES AS ORDERED IN THE WILL OF MR. PATES. To the Master of the said School, to be yearly paid £16 To the Usher of the said School, the yearly sura of 4 For the charge of the yearly visitation of the said School 17 To the Bailiff for gathering the rents of the property annually 6 8 For the yearly repairs of the School and Alms-houses 16 To six poor people in the Alms-house, Is. per week each 15 12 Livery Gowns, &c, for the said inmates 2 8 Total amount £40 9 8 VISITATION EXPENSES ORDERED BY MR. PATES. 11 Tor the charge of the yearly visitation of the said School, ac- £ s. d. cording to the order afore specified in that behalf as followeth : For the charge of a dinner the day of the said visitation, for the persons then assembled there with the visitors of the said School, and for horse-meat there 20s., and for the reward of Seven Scholars of the said School, according to aforesaid order,7s 17 VISITATION EXPENSES IN 1844. " By Cash paid expenses incurred by the Trustees in a visitation to the Charity on June 2, 1841, by the President, one Bursar, and one Tutor of Corpus Christi College, being the amount OE THEIR BILL AT THE HOTEL AT CHELTENHAM (!) with a proportion of their travelling expenses, the President and Bur- sar being then upon a progress elsewhere." 10 4 6 The evil of the law proceedings and financial management consequent thereon, was strikingly illustrated by reports pre- sented at a vestry meeting convened for the purpose in May, 1859 : — " By the year 1855, the revenues of the charity ought to have amounted to £2,250 a year, and deducting one-fourth due to the charity, would give the sum of £1,686 coming to the inhabitants of Cheltenham, which sum was now reduced to £600, mainly owing to the keeping up of the lease system. There would now be an end to the fee system, for which there was never any necessity, and which was against the language of the good man who bequeathed the charity. The master only received £216 a year from the fund, instead of £616." — (Address of G. E. Williams, Esq.) The charity has occupied the attention of the parishioners, in vestry assembled, for half a century. It is now gratifying to bs enabled to record that the future income will be solely applied 406 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, to its legitimate object. The cessation of law proceedings has been brought about through the praiseworthy exertions of G. E. Williams, Esq., Clerk to the Improvement Commissioners, who by dint of perseverance in moving resolutions at vestry meetings, saved the interests of the charity from being further injured by legal expenses. In order to perpetuate this most excellent bequest, we here publish a full description of the property which forms the endowment of the venerable " Schola Grammatical and Alms- houses. Pate's Charity, for the Endowment of a Eree Grammar School and Alms-houses in the Parish of Cheltenham. — Terrier of the Charity Estates, description of property belonging to the charity. IN CHELTENHAM. The Old Swan Inn and premises, High-street. Two houses and premises, Nos. 185 and 186 North side of High-street, and garden. House and shop, Nos. 189 and 190, North side of High-street. House and premises, No. 312, South side of High-street. House and shop, No. 313, South side of High-street. Three houses and premises, Nos. 314, 315, and 316, on South side of High-street. Two houses in New-street, and two houses in Ambrose-street. House and two shops, No, 181, on the North side of High-street, and premises behind. House and premises, No. 182, on the North side of High street. Part of King's Head Inn, South side of High-street. Three houses and premises, Nos. 203, 204, and 205, High-street, and 17 houses on the East side, and 8 on the West side of Milsom-street. House and premises on the West side of Milsom-street, called the Stone House. Three houses, Nos. 207, 208, and 209, on the North side of High-street, and 13 cottages on the West side of Milsom-street. Part of Regent Cottage, and part buildings behind, and land on the West side of Regent-street. House and premises. No. 368, on the South side of High-street, with Tavern and and Wine Yaults in Regent-street, and land containing in length from North to South, 106 feet 9 inches. Three houses on the North side of New-street. Two houses, Nos. 195 and 196, on the north side of High-street, three cottages on the East side of King street, two cottages and land on the East side of King-street. House, No. 169, on the North side of High-street, and garden and 15 houses on the West side of Ambrose- street. Three villas called Oxford Villas and Keynsham Villa, Sandford Lodge and 22 houses in Corpus-street. Land adjoining Keynsham House. 163, High-street, and 28 houses in Henrietta-street. 164, 165, and 166, on the North side of High-street. THE ENDOWED CHAEITIES. 407 Cowcombe Shade, 0a. lr. 4p. Pour houses on the East side of King-street. Two lions, s, workshops, and premises, on the North side of High -street, No. 192. Land in the Marsh, 0a. lr. 34p. House and premises. No. 296, ou Vae South side of High-street. Brewery, stable, workshops, outbuildings, and land Sherborne -street. Female Training School, late Hospital and Dispensary, aud other premise* on the North side of High -street. Five houses, workshops, buildings, and yard in Albion-street. House, No. 248, Hi gjh- street, buildings and land on the South side High-street, adjoining Bloomsbury-place. Two houses, No. 202 on the North side of High -street, with garden and cottage behind. House, No. 201, on the North side of High-street. House, No. 200, and land on the North side of High-street. Plot of ground in the Lower Field on the North side of the Turnpike Road leading from Cheltenham to Tewkesbury. House, No, 292, on the South side of High-street. Five houses, Nos. 287, 288, 289, 290, and 291, on the South side of High-street, with land, aud four houses and land m Devonshire-street, having a frontage of 139 feet towards that street. Five houses ou land oa the West side of Devonshire-street, and land having a frontage of 65 feet. Three houies on laud on the West side of Devonshire-street, House No. 297, on the South side ot High-street, a house behind in New-street, and garden between. Five houses on the West side of Devonshire-street. Laud bounded on the West by New-street, and on the East by the Knapp. House and premises, No. 61 on the North side of High-street, and Hartley House, in Albion-street. Two cottasres and land in the Parish of Swindon, containing 5a. Or. 17p. House, 232. in the High street, extending to Back-street. Houses aud shops, No. 419, on the South side of High-street, with two cottager and workshops adjoining: also house and shop, No. 420 adjoining, with yard and outbuildings. Charity School in Devonshire-street. tSt GLOUCESTER. Tenement and garden, heretofore called Trinity College, in the Parish of Holy Trinity, but now part aud parcel of the Bull Inn and Malt house. Tenement formerly called Grace Lane College, situate on the East side of St. John's Lane. Part of a messuage or tenement in Northgate-street, on the South side of Dol- phin Lane. House and garden in Northgate-street. In addition to this, the charity possessed a farm at Leigh 109 acres in extent. The Court of Chancery directed this to be sold, and the money was applied to meet the purchase of " Yearsley's Boarding House," and the other additions to the original school building. 408 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. PATE S ALMS-HOUSE. Eichard Pate, Esq., in 1578, founded, endowed, and erected an Alms-house, or as it was styled in the Elizabethan era, a hospital, for the support of six natives of Cheltenham, who had attained the age of 60 years. The grant securing this bequest, is a continuation of the same document alluded to in the pre- ceding account of the Grammar School. The benevolent donor has evinced great care and forethought in the foundation of this charity, securing comfort, both physically and spiritually to the recipients, and laying down rules for perpetuating the benefits arising therefrom. During the lifetime of the donor, and for many years afterwards, the inmates received but £3 per annum each, in accordance with the original instructions ; since the increased value of the property bequeathed, they have received each £20 per annum, besides being entitled to a rent-charge of 12s. upon Hatherly Farm. The Alms-house originally erected by Mr. Pate contained all the conveniences and comforts so feelingly detailed in the grant. It existed in the High-street, near the present Eoyal Hotel, on the site of the premises now occupied by Mills Brothers, and extended backwards to Albion- street. A representation of the building is preserved on a parchment terrier of the charity estates, and it is remembered by inhabitants now living. It was of ancient form, built of stone, and of a substantial character. To the house was attached a chapel, over the centre of which was suspended an exposed bell, which was wont to summon the inmates to their daily devotions. In this act they were frequently joined by some of the inhabi- tants, and the late E. Hatch, Esq., who was parish church- warden for 21 years, was among the number who frequently mingled with the worshippers. The building was approached by a court yard neatly ornamented with a grass plat, and behind were garden ground, pasture land, and an orchard, as detailed in the extract from the grant annexed. Over the entrance door was inscribed " Holy and Indivisible Trinity Alms-houses, founded by Eichard Pate, Esq , A.D. 1578." The bell which was wont to summon the ancient occupants to worship was in the possession of the late Mr. T. Haines, builder, and yet exists in the workshops in Windsor Terrace : it is now used to an- nounce the time of departure for the workmen. In the Court THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 409 Poll at the Manor-office, occurs the following entry by J. Prinn, Esq., Steward of the Manor, made in the year 1690 : — " There are also within this town a Free Grammar School, now under the management of Mr. Robert Pogers, A.M., of the said Uni- versity, a good man and an excellent scholar; also an Alms-house, both built of excellent handsome freestone in the seventh year of Queen Elizabeth's reign by Richard Pate, Esq., of Minster- worth, in the county of Gloucester, and both by him well en- dowed." In 1801, under the powers of an enclosure act, allot- ments of land were made in lieu of tithes. To effect this, the property of the parish had to be examined by a tithe commis- sioner, and an award given. In the aw r ard under this act, the Alms-house is thus described : — Annual Tithe Payment. Owners. Property. Quantity. £ s. d. a. r. p. 3 8 4... S C °c P n S e ^ e hriSti } Alms-houses, Court, Garden 1 5 3 19 2 Ditto Garden & Orchard adjoining thereto... 1 13 By virtue of a clause in the supplement to this act the Alms- house was taken down, and on its site was reared the Yittoria Hotel, a place of fashionable resort for some time, but which in its turn was also destined to obscurity, having been converted into the three private dwelling-houses now standing. The Alms- house was rebuilt in its present position in Albion- street, and has a stone front, with the name and date of its founder in- scribed thereon. It has, however, no chapel, nor orchard and pasture attached, as in olden time, and the building itself is altogether different from what was intended by the donor. It occupies the site of a former billiard-room, which under the enclosure act was valued at only £\ 15s. 8d., and the ground estimated to measure only 17 perches. This exchange of sites was injurious to the charity, the quantity and situation of the former rendering it most valuable property, whilst the small quantity of the present is valueless, and the situation is most objectionable. Except the increase in the payment, the Alms- house inmates are not in so good a position as in the lifetime of the founder, although the income of his estates has increased twelve times in amount since his decease ; the number of six are all that are at present on the foundation. 410 HISTOUY OF CHELTENHAM. The Cheltenham Chronicle of May 21, 1812, contains the following advertisement of the sale of the site of the old Alms- houses, and the editor's comment thereon : — " Excellent situation in Cheltenham. — To be sold by private contract, a piece of freehold ground, with the old buildings thereon, most eligibly situated in the fashionable part of High-street, opposite the New Assembly Rooms. — Eor par- ticulars apply to Mr. Smith, Bank." " A neat and commodious Alms-house has lately been erected on the north side of our town ; the poor dependants removed from their late dwelling, and the ground advertised to be disposed of for the construction of a more regular piece of building, in conformity to the other houses in the principal street. The old hospital was founded in the year ] 574, bv Eichard Pate, Esq., who was recorder of Gloucester, 1556, and confirmed by Queen Elizabeth in 1561. The charity was originally designed for three men and three women. The houses at present are occupied by six aged females, whose support does not arise entirely from the primitive endowment, but from occasional donations and subscriptions." The exchange of the sites was effected in 1811, by virtue of the supplemental enclosure act, and at the same time the sum of £250 was paid to the trustees, by Mr. Smith, the purchaser of the original buildings, who afterwards disposed of the property for £2,000. Extract from Mr. Pate's grant : — " It is ordained that the hospital be for ever called and named by the title of the Hos- pital or Alms-house of the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Cheltenham, of the foundation of Eichard Pate, Esq. And that there shall be from time to time for ever, remaining and sus- taining there, six poor people, whereof two at least shall be poor women, and that they shall have every one of them a private chamber in the said hospital, and a private garden at the back side thereof, and shall have in common the kitchen of the said hospital, and the well there being, and the pasture and the profit of the orchard and close lying and being at the back side of the said hospital, and for their further relief as in the order of employment hereafter following in money and clothes is ap- pointed for them. Item. — To the six poor people of the said hospital yearly, as followeth, viz., — to every one of them on the Eriday of every week in the year, Is. in money, amounting yearly to £15 12s. And for the charge of 40 yards of black frieze, to be distributed among them yearly, between the feasts of St. Michael, the Archangel and All Saints, to make them livery- gowns therewith, viz., to every of the said poor men seven yards, and to either of the said poor women five yards, at Is. the yard, THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 411 40s., and to every of them the said poor people fourpence apiece, to be delivered to them over and beside their week's wages, at every of the feasts of All Saints, Christmas, Easter, and Pente- cost, yearly in toto £18. Item. — The churchwardens of the Parish Church at Cheltenham, for the time being, shall have the election or placing of some one or more for supplying or filling of the said room or rooms, so being void and vacant. Item. — And be it further ordained, that one of the said poor people shall be able to read the common prayers in the chapel of the said hospital, and that such reader shall be some old or impotent priest or minister that cannot conveniently serve in any place of cure or public ministry, of reason of such his impotency or age, if any such may be had conveniently. And that generally in such elections, utter decays of substance happening by having or breeding of many children, or by fire or tempest, or by robbery, or by wreck on the seas, or by unwise lending or suretiship, or by sickness, or by such other means as shall be mercifully or specially considered of; and further, that none shall be admitted but such as for the space of three years before have been of good name and fame, and have been void of all notorious crimes, and that a special regard be had to preferring honest widows or widowers, before others. Item. — It is ordained that every of the said poor people of the said hospital, shall twice in every day of the year, immediately after the tolling of the bell of the chapel of the said hospital, resort to the said chapel, and there be exercised for the space of one whole hour, in hearing divine service and common prayer read by the minister of the said hospital, and in default thereof, shall, nevertheless, be there continuing and remaining together in private prayer and contemplation during the said time, viz., from eight until nine o'clock in the forenoon of every day, and in the afternoon from half- past two until half-past three, between the feasts of All Saints and the Conversion of St. Paul, and during the residue of the whole year, from four until five o'clock in the afternoon of every day for ever. Except he or she having some lawful cause to the contrary be licensed to be absent by the said schoolmaster, or in his absence, by the usher for the time being, in which their said prayers private and public, they shall both forenoon and afternoon, pray especially for Christ's Church, and all the members thereof, for our sove- reign Lady Elizabeth the Queen's Majesty that now is, and after 412 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. her decease, for the Kings or Queens of this realm for the time being, and for peace and concord in all Christendom, and especially in England, and for the preservation of the offspring of the said Richard Pate, their founder, then living, and for all the inhabitants of the town of Cheltenham. Item. — It is ordained, that none be chosen or admitted to be of the poor people of this foundation, but such as shall be of the age of three- score years at the least, and shall also be born within the parish of Cheltenham, and for want of such, then some other born in the parish of Leigh." THE TOWNSEND EXHIBITION. Education, useful, liberal education, will ever remain " one of the requirements of the age." Hence, we should attach great importance to the efforts that were made by those benevo- lent individuals, at different periods between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries to establish and permanently endow schools and college fellowships, for the gratuitous instruction of the children of this town. Among the number of bequests of this class, was one for the supporting of a scholar at Pembroke Col- lege, Oxford, to be elected out of the Cheltenham Eree Grammar School. The donor was George Townsend, Esq., an individual who, by perseverance and industry, arose from the humblest walks of life, to be an eminent counsellor of the court of Charles II. Mr. Townsend became possessed of several valuable estates in this vicinity, the whole of which he bequeathed for charitable purposes. The donor received his education at Mr. Pate's Grammar School, in this town. Mr. Townsend, when he grew affluent, knew from experience, that amongst the humbler classes there existed those who possessed talents, but had not the means to cultivate them, to the advantage of themselves or society at large. Hence, Mr. Townsend, not forgetting the means whereby he was himself enabled to rise to eminence, bequeathed property for the support of a youth residing in this town, at Pembroke College, who was an attendant at Mr. Pate's School. The estate left for this purpose is situate at Cold Aston, about 12 miles distant. In the life time of the donor, it let for £80, and it is now worth £240 per annum. The estate was bequeathed for the support of eight scholars, four to be periodi- cally sent from the endowed Grammar Schools of Cheltenham THE ENDOWED CHABITIES. 413 Gloucester, Winchcomb, and Carapden, and four at the dis- cretion of the trustees, the President and Scholars of Pembroke College. The average annual value of each of these exhibitions is £50, when only the four school exhibitors are elected. They are enhanced by the donor having willed that any of the said scholars shall be eligible to hold the following church livings, which were his private property, being purchased shortly before his decease, for the purpose of increasing the value of the exhi- bition : — Colbrook, Bucks, donative ; Slifford, Essex, rectory, value £507 per annum; Uxbridge, Middlesex, donative, value £111 per annum; Thurrock Greys, Essex, vicarage, value £160 per annum. The donor has ordained that merit shall be the only test of qualification to be adopted at the election of these scholars. The youths regularly attending the school are to be summoned together on the day of trial, in the presence of the minister, bailiff, and churchwardens of this parish, when certain questions on history are to be put, and examinations in the English, Latin, and Greek languages are to take place, and the youth who manifests the most skill and correctness in his replies, is to be declared duly elected to the fellowship. This charity was founded in 16S3, and is the more interesting on account of the founder having been himself a scholar at the very school he has endowed. The exhibition will now be of great value to the town, as the number of scholars at the Grammar School are so considerable as to render it certain that there will be many com- petitors. A laudable stimulus will thus be given to education, and the most diligent scholar in his studies will carry off the prize. Extract from Mr. Townsend's will. — " And whereas I am seized in fee of the reversion of a messuage and lands in Little Aston, called Little Aston Earm,in the parish of Cold Aston, in the county of Gloucester, and the tythes of corn thereof, I give and devise the same farm and tythes, and the appurtenances, unto the Master, Fellows, and Scholars of Pembroke College, in the University of Oxford, to have and to hold the same to them and their suc- cessors for ever, upon special trust and confidence, nevertheless, and to the intent and purpose that they pay, employ, and bestow the rents, issues, and profits thereof in manner following, that is to say, the first year and a half year's rent thereof after my decease for and toward the necessary building of, or repairing of 414 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. the said college; the next half year's rent thereof for and towards the providing of fitting studies and necessary bedsteads, feather beds, other bedding, and furniture, of chambers, to be used in succession by scholars hereafter to be placed within the said college, rent free, in respect to the said first year and half year's rent by me as aforesaid given, which scholars I will and desire to be in number eight, to be chosen on the first Wednes- day in December yearly, the first election to be on the second year after my decease, whereof I will that one of the four of the first eight scholars be chosen by the Mayor and six of the senior Aldermen of the City of Gloucester, and the chief schoolmaster of the chief school there for the time being, out of the scholars of the said school ; another out of the scholars of the Chelten- ham School, in which I was a scholar; another out of Campden School; and a fourth out of Northleach School; the three last- named scholars to be chosen by the chief schoolmasters, minis- ters, bailiffs, or other chief officers for the said three towns for the time being, and in equality of voices, the said schoolmasters to have the casting voice ; and my desire is that each scholar so elected go to the said college with writings under seal of their said elections, at the feast of the Annunciation of the blessed Yirgin Mary, thence next ensuing ; and each scholar for and during eight years thence next ensuing, to have an eighth part of the said rents, and the rest of the said rents during the first four years of that time go to the further benefit of the said College ; and my further will is, that on the said first Wednes- day in December, in the last of the said four years, elections be made in like manner as aforesaid, in the said city and eech of the said market towns, of one fitting scholar to go to the said University at the feast of Annunciation next ensuing, and each of them for eight years to have an eighth part of the said rent for his maintenance in the said college ; and so on for every fourth year, elections be made to go to the said college in man- ner and form aforesaid ; and every scholar to have a like share of the eighth part of the said rents for and towards his mainte* nance as aforesaid ; and during the vacancy or absence of any such scholar from the said college, the others of them to have his share and part of the said rents ; provided always and my will is, that none but fitting grammar scholars, fit to go to the said University, be elected ; and in case any such not fitting THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 415 scholar be elected, I will that he be refused by the master of the said college to be admitted there, and in his stead another scholar of Gloucester School be elected ; and my desire is that the said scholars during their four last years of residence in the said college, addict the studies to Divinity, for whose encourage- ment therein, I will that my rectory of Slifford, and vicarage of Grays Thowck, in Essex, and the donations of Uxbridge and Colbrook, so often as any of them shall fall void, be conferred on such of the said scholars as shall be fitting divines." It is gratifying to be able to add that in past times, as well as at the present day, the intentions of the donor have been fully realised. The late Eev. T. F. Henney, M.A., son of the late T. Henney, Esq., J.P., of Cheltenham, who was educated at Pate's Grammar School, in the town of his birth, won the Townsend Exhibition, and attained to great eminence as a scholar in after life. He was successively elected fellow, tutor, examiner, and bursar of Pembroke College, Examining Chaplain to the Bishop of Lincoln, and was appointed to a Prebendary Stall in Lincoln Cathedral. In 1862 a scholarship of £90 per annum was founded in commemoration of Mr. Henney, in connection with Pembroke College. The periodical elections secure the best scholar in the school, and the competitions have a tendency to promote and stimulate the acquisition of know- ledge. " We have much pleasure in announcing that Mr. Henry Swann, a pupil of the Cheltenham Grammar School, has been recently admitted by the Master of Pembroke College, Oxford, to one of the Townsend Exhibitions belonging to the school." — {Cheltenham Examiner, March 13, 1861.) Among the many who by the aid of this charity have been enabled to advance themselves in life, may be mentioned the celebrated Dr. Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury, the son of a butcher in humble circumstances in Gloucester, and the Eev. J. Lightfoot, A.M., the well-known botanist, and the companion of the great Pennant. * The evangelical preacher, George Whitfield, owed his early fame to the fact of his preparing himself for a candidate for Townsend's Exhibition at the Crypt School, at Gloucester ; and as a proof of the practical value of our ancient local Grammar Schools, it may be cited that the 416 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. learned native astronomer. Dr. Bradley, received his education at the Northleach Grammar School. townsend's school bequest. Amongst the local educational bequests, was an annual sum payable out of an estate left by George Town send, Esq., in 1683. Like many other charities left during the seventeenth century, the annual sum originally contemplated by the donor was ex- ceedingly small. The great increase, however, of all classes of property in this locality since that period, has greatly enhanced the value of the bequest. Mr. Townsend willed £4 yearly " for teaching poor children to read and write, residing in the parish of Cheltenham." The property bequeathed now, and for many years past, has allowed £20 annually for this object. The bequest was the means of establishing the first school for the local poor, which is yet continued under the name of the " Old Charity School," Devonshire -street, and receives support from Mr. Townsend's estate. The source from whence this fund is derived, is a very extensive and ancient estate, situate at the adjacent village of Wormington. Of the value and fertility of this estate, the reader may form some idea from the fact that at the present day it realises £250 annually. The house is large, and in all probability was erected at the early part of the six- teenth century. The estate was very anciently one of great importance ; and its different possessors, prior to its alienation to Mr. Townsend, in the reign of Charles II., are related by most county topographers. The land comprises 155 acres, the rental of which, added to the tithes of the parish, make up the income of the charity. The estate at Wormington, in the life- time of the donor, realised about £70 annually. In 1804 it let for £150, and in consequence of an enclosure of some lands, it has increased since then £100 annually in value. Between 1768 and 1807, the trustees out of the savings of income, purchased to the amount of £800, in the three-per-cent. consols, and the dividends were applied to enclosing and im- proving the estate- Extract from Mr. Towsend's will.- — " Whereas, 1 am seized in fee, with the Manor of Wormington, with the appurtenances, with a close in Winchcomb, in the aforesaid county of Glouces- ter, and a portion of tythes in Neather Guitings ; and as for THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 417 and concerning the rents and profits of the said portion of tythes and of the said rest and residue of the said lands and tenements of the said Manor of Wormington, I will and appoint the same to be disposed and employed in the uses and interests and pur- poses following, that is to say, four pounds yearly for the teach- ing of poor children to read, and for buying of them books in each of the towns of Winchcomb, Northleach, Campden, and Cheltenham, in the said county of Gloucester, willing and ordering that the said children repair to the schools and be taught both forenoons and afternoons of all days, not being holy days or festival days appointed by the Church of England, not excepting the weeks of Easter, Pentecost, or Christmas, to avoid their being offensive at home or elsewhere; and I further will and appoint three shillings weekly to be disposed of in the church of Winchcomb every Lord's Day, by the ministers, bailiffs, churchwardens, or overseers of the poor there, to such of the poor there present as shall be frequenters of the church, and there present at most part or whole of Divine Service, and not to any other poor, sick, or impotent person of the same town. And I will and appoint twelvepence weekly to be bestowed in bread, and distributed in like manner to each of the poor of the towns of Northleach, Campden, and Neather Guiting." townsend's apprenticeship bequest. George Townsend, Esq., in 1683, also left a portion of the annual proceeds of his estate at Wormington, before detailed " for the binding and putting forth of a poor boy, able to read, to be an apprentice," belonging to Cheltenham. The amount which annually accrues to the town from the charity is £15, and the trustees effect an apprenticeship, the preference being given to a boy educated at the Old Charity School, now amal- gamated with the school in Devonshire-street. The donor has ordered that his trustees shall meet together every year at Winchcomb, and out of the estate have given to them an ordinary of the value of eight-pence, and an extra five shillings for ale. After the dinner, each trustee is to have presented to him a pair of new kid gloves. This request of the donor is strictly complied with, and the trustees annually assemble to commemorate the good man's benefactions at Winchcomb, and 418 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. although the change of time has increased the expense of "ordinaries/' yet a little is added from private sources to the " eight-pence/ 5 in order to increase the comforts and the hilarity of the annual gathering. Extract from Mr. Townsend's will — " And I will and appoint that twenty and five pounds yearly be laid forth for the binding and putting forth of five poor boys, able to read, to be appren- tices, whereof I appoint one to be of each of the towns of Northleach, Winchcomb, Campden, and Cheltenham, and the fifth to be of Neather Guiting, or of Blockly, in the county of Worcester. And if so many be not found fitting there, then of poor boys out of other places, at the discretion of my said trustees, or their successors. Willing also that my said trustees prefer such as shall be commended to them by the ministers,, churchwardens, or overseers of the poor, or other officers of the said towns. And I will, desire, and order that my said trustees, or the greater number of them, and all assistants to them, be chosen as hereinafter is mentioned, for the better execution of these my trusts in them reposed, meet yearly in Winchcomb, in the first Saturday in the month of May, and that they have there an eight-penny ordinary for themselves only, and that five shillings shall be further allowed them for beer after dinner, and other their joint-expenses there, and that every one of them have a pair of gloves given him, not exceeding the price of twelvepence. And that the receiver of the said rents, and disposer thereof for the said several purposes, provide two books for accounts thereof, whereof one to be kept by him, and the other by one whom my trustees shall think fit ; wherein shall be contained all the receipts and payments made, the names of all apprentices placed or ap- pointed to be placed,and the names of trustees or assistants chosen, and all other concernments to be posed, audited, allowed and subscribed by the said trustees and assistants at their yearly meetings." walwyn's charity. In 1627, John Walwyn, Esq., bequeathed the annual sum of £2 10s., chargeable upon the adjacent manor of Swindon, to the Cheltenham Churchwardens, to be by them annually distributed amongst the poor of their parish. This is the oldest loca charity of its kind, and whilst similar bequests of a more recent THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 419 date have fallen to decay, or become consolidated, Mr.Walwyn's wishes have been from the first carried out. The ancient beauest is distributed yearly on the first day of May, amongst twenty Bged and indigent persons in sums of 2s. 6d. each. George's charity. Prom the ancient church tablet, we learn, that in "1620, Robert George, Esq., gave by will 3s. 4d. to be paid yearly to the poor, and the like sum to the minister, for ever." The Charity Commissioners in 1824, in respect to this old bequest, report — " The present incumbent, the Rev. C. Jervis, has once received this, but there is no account of any other payment." This bequest was left as a remuneration for the incumbent for the time being to preach a sermon in i( the sowing season," on the parable of the sower. poor's grounds charity. The land forming this bequest is situate in Bouncer's Lane, adjoining the New Cemetery, and contains 27a. 2r. lp. For many years this land has been in the occupation of Mr. Charles Field, of this town, as yearly tenant, at a rental of £63 per annum. This amount has for many years been disbursed by the churchwardens on St. Thomas's day, and the mode of dis- tribution has been to issue tickets entitling the recipients to food or clothing to the value of half-a-crown or five shillings, such tickets to be accepted and responded to by any tradesman in the town who is himself chargeable to the rates, and the object has been to afford this gratuity to such persons as have not received parish relief from the Union. The Poor's Grounds were purchased in the reign of Charles II., and invested in the churchwardens as trustees on the part of the parish. During the period of the Commonwealth, many small bequests to the poor w r ere lost, and after the Restoration, steps were taken to collect the sums of money lent out upon securities, and to invest the same in the purchase of lands. Hence the origin of the Poor's Grounds in most country parishes, of those of Cheltenham in particular. Moreau says that " charities for the benefit of the poor and 420 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. for putting out apprentices were, in 1667, consolidated and laid out in the purchase of lands called the Poor's Grounds, which though worth only £8 5s. per annum, are now (1800) let for £18, and applied according to the intentions of the respective donors." The amalgamation of all the small charities into the Poor's Lands Charity is recorded on an ancient tablet in the Parish Church. On a parchment roll in the parish chest, containing some particulars of the older charities, and signed by the churchwardens, it is said that "In 1667, the Poor's Grouds were purchased with divers charities left by several pious persons." Following the order of date, the next record of bequests occurs in the old vestry-book. The first entry is on October 17, 1636, and is an account of a vestry meeting, for the purpose of placing out at interest some of the charities of the parish, and is signed by the then churchwardens, Christopher Bayley, Walter Pard, and Thomas Comford. Although a folio page is taken up with a description of the charities, some of it is in such an illegible character that it cannot be transcribed entire. One charity is spoken of as left by will, Nov. 5, 1632, and another by a Walter Parry, amounting to £2 13s. 4d. per annum. The next entry is as follows : — " Given by John Norton, deceased, to remayne to ye poore yearly £3, paid to Sturney Boberts, and ye other churchwardeus the sevene day of April, 1637." In five years after this date, the annexed is recorded in a very clear and conspicuous hand : doubtless the recorder in this instance was the minister for the time being — "In ye yeare of our Lord God, 1642. Memorandum; that fiftie pounds given and bequeathed by ye last will and testament of Alexander Parker, of Ham, gent., for ye yearly use of the parish of Cheltenham, was paid unto Walter Mason, one of ye churchwardens of ye said parish, and this year ye said fiftie pounds was let out by bond unto Lodwick Parker, gent., Henry' Mason being his suretie.' The last notice of local bequest recorded in this old vestry-book prior to the Poor's Grounds purchase, is the following : — " In ye yeare of our Lord God 1650, memorandum, that twenty shillings given and bequeathed by ye last will and testament of Thomas Finch Emily, deceased, to ye use of ye poore of ye parish of Cheltenham, was paid unto John Chostnow, John Collett, Robert Milton, and Matthew THE ENDOWED CHAB1TIES. 421 Cox, churchwardens of ye said parish in this yeare, which said twenty shillings is to remain as a stock to yee use of ye poore for eever to be let out by the present and succeeding church- wardens." These, doubtless, are a portion of the charities which were amalgamated in the seventeenth century, and the gross sum applied to the purchase of the Poor's Grounds. This is corroborated by ti:e circumstance of bequests that were left after the purchase being mentioned in the parish documents, while no allusion to the above is made. The Poor's Grounds were let out by the churchwardens from the very first, and the pro- ceeds divided amongst the poor. In the parish chest, on a large parchment brief, is preserved a lease of these grounds, bearing date 1693, and it is the earliest document of its kind known. The lessee is John Wills, who is described as the son of a former lessee. The parties granting the lease are Walter Nicholls and John Finch, the churchwardens. The term was for eight years, " The pasture land £8, and the underwood at £10 per annum, called Broadlesow, Broadlesow Bottum, and Oatie Pedid." The most recent lease occurs amid some government correspon- dence in the parish chest. The lessee was John Gardner, Esq., at a rental of £20 per annum. Until within the last 30 years, it was customary to annually let these grounds by public auction at the Eight Bells Inn. The present lessee, as we have said, is Mr. C. Field, at a rental of £63 per annum. The manner in which the proceeds of the rental of these grounds has been expended in former years, and even down to a comparatively recent date, there is no written evidence to show. It was, in all probability, very anciently distributed in the way desired by those persons who lelt the bequests before detailed, the gross amount of which was applied to the purchase of these grounds. During the lifetime of a former incumbent of this parish, the Rev. G. Jervis, it was distributed amongst the indigent in bread and money. At the suggestion of the commissioners of public charities, at the time they visited the town, the churchwardens now distribute the amount in tickets which entitles the bearer to 5s. or 2s. 6d. worth of provisions at the shop of any tradesman in the town. These tickets are given away on St. Thomas's day, and for the sake of order, the churchwardens have limited the recipients of the charity to those who have been born in the town, and who have attained the age of 60 years. By these 422 HISTOllY OF CHELTENHAM. means upwards of 300 of our old inhabitants are annually relieved. The net income in 1861 was £54 lis. 3d. stansby's charity. The property bequeathed in this locality is for a variety of objects, and among the number the very desirable one of periodically apprenticing out boys, si poor children of honest day -laborers," residing within the limits of the parish of Chel- tenham. The first benefactor of this class, was the Eev. W. Stansby, a rector of the adjacent village of Badgworth, during the reign of Queen Anne; who left his estate situate in that parish in the hands of trustees, who were to divide the rentals and appropriate the proceeds in apprenticing out boys belonging to this and several of the adjoining parishes. The Eev. E. "Walker, by virtue of his office of incumbent, is the present acting trustee for Cheltenham, and according to the amount received from the property, which is £28 19s. per annum, awards it to different tradesmen, who undertake to bring up in a full knowledge of their trade and profession, the various youthful recipients of the charity entrusted to their care. The property bequeathed by the Eev. W . Stansby for the desirable object of apprenticing out the poor children of our locality, consisted of seven very fertile plots of land, situate in the parish of Badgworth. The income was £16 7s. up to 1842; the amount of the rental of the land in quantity, 1 7a. 2r. 29p. On the occasion of making the railway from Cheltenham to Gloucester, the principal field was required, which was sold to the company for £410 14s. 9d., and the proceeds invested in the purchase of £456 7s. 6d. Bank 3 per cent. Annuities. The residue of the lands were by virtue of an enclosure act, amalga- mated and let to J. E. Yiner, Esq., for £15 10s. a year. The divi- dend from the funded property amounts to £13 9s., making the annual income of the charity £28 19s., about six times more in amount than was realised for many years after the donor's decease. The Eev. W. Stansby executed his will on May 3rd, 1704. Extract from the Eev. W. Stansby's will.—" That they, the said trustees, shall out of the yearly rents of the said trust estates, pay, or cause to be paid, to my said ti us tees of the parishes of Badgworth and Great SkurdiiigtoD* the sum of five pounds THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 423 yearly for ever ; to my trustees of the parish of Churchdown, the sum of three pounds yearly for ever ; and all the residue and remainder of the yearly profits of the said trust estate, I give and bequeath to my trustees of Cheltenham, to be disposed of in manner following : — The several sums of £o and £3 and the sum annually remaining or accruing to Cheltenham, shall be expended or applied by my trustees in their respective parishes, each trustee acting within his own parish only, in the disposal of this bequest, with the assistance of the overseers of the poor, within two years farthest after the receipt thereof, to the binding out or apprenticing of one or more child or children of honest day-labourers, to some useful trade or occupation : but in no case, or at any time, to be given with or to the children of Usurers, Beer-sellers, or persons of wicked life or conversation, either known or reputed as such, nor to any of the family of Halling's, of Badgworth, except remarkable for goodness or honesty And if the said parish of Cheltenham shall misapply all or any of the said yearly revenue, or remainder of the profits cf the said trust estate, then the said parishes of Charlton Kings and Leckhampton shall, for the term of eight years, receive and enjoy the same, equally to be divided between them in as ample and beneficial a manner as Cheltenham might or could have done. And if any of the said parishes of Charlton, Stanton, Brockworth, or Leckhampton, shall at any time mis- apply their said yearly legacies accruing to them by the forfeiture of any of the said parishes of Cheltenham, Badgworth, or Churchdown, then in such case the parish or parishes so perverting the bequest, shall for that time lose the benefit thereof, and the several sums of money which they ought to have received, shall for the term of eight years then unexpired, be equally divided among the other parishes." LADY CAPEl/s CHARITY. The Eight Hon. Dorothy Lady Capel, widow of the Baron of Tewkesbury, by will, bearing date 1719, bequeathed the rentals of certain farm estates in Kent, for the support of twelve schools, in various parts of England, and in particular, of a Bovs' School at Cheltenham. The amount which annually accrued to this town from this Lady's bequest averaged from £35 to JB^O, and the sum was given to the master, for the time 424 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. being, of i( the Old Charity School/' formerly carried on over the north porch of the Parish Church. Lady Capel's charity was anciently made highly benericial to Cheltenham by the addition of a sum of money, raised by annual subscriptions from several of the more wealthy inhabitants. This desirable plan fell into decay, and, as a consequence, the school became a mere nonentity ; and from its being carried on in a small room in the centre ot the town, and surrounded by a graveyard, the health of the children was endangered, and a strong objection was made to its continuance in so unsuitable a situation. In consequence of these facts being made known, through the medium of the Charity Committee's reports made in 1843-4, to the parish, public attention was directed to the school, and since then a number of annual subscribers have been obtained towards its better support, and a neat and commodious school-room, in the Gothic style, with spacious play-grounds attached, has been erected in Devonshire-street. It is of considerable value to the locality in which it is placed, not alone from the discipline and education freely dispensed, but from the absence of any other school around it in a neighbourhood occupied by the humbler classes. This is undoubtedly the oldest local Charity School, not classical. It first originated in an annual endowment, now amounting to £20, made by G. Townsend, Esq., in 1683. At the period it was founded, the bequest realized but £4 annually ; and being the only school of its kind, the matter was taken up by the inhabitants, and more especially as the increasing value of the donor's property would enhance the income. The Charity School was established in the year 1713, by voluntary contributions of the inhabitants of Cheltenham and its vicinity, and was opened on Nov. 14th of the same year. In that year the subscriptions amounted to £40. During the first sixteen years the school was held at a house in the High- street, at a guinea-a-year rent; but as from the year 1729 we find no more payments for rent, or receipts of Mr. Thos. Smith, the landlord, we may reasonably conclude that at this date it was removed to the Parish Church. Among its supporters were many families of distinction,— the Berkeley's, the De-la-Bere's, Sir John Howe's family, the Dutton's, Lady Capel's, .Norwood, Prinn, and many others. Sir John Howe's family contributed £3 annual subscriptions, besides THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 425 a £23 donation the first year, and a £5 donation for many consecutive years. The De-la-Beres were unceasing friends and supporters of the school, from the commencement up to the year 1810, when the name became extinct by the death of the Itev. John De-la-Bere, who was then treasurer. From this time we may date the falling off of the school ; for until the year 1818 no treasurer was appointed, the number of subscribers dimin- ished, and the few who remained took but little interest in the affairs of the Charity. In 1723 the boys wore blue coats, yellow stockings, caps and bands ; they spun the wool, and knitted their own stockings, for which they received a trifle as pocket money. The cost of clothing a boy at that time was 15s. per annum. In the remembrance of several persons now living, the boys were all clothed alike, in pepper-and-salt coats, corduroy trowsers and stout shoes ; and about thirty years since a gentleman gave every boy a pair ot leather inexpressibles and strong shoes, at his own expense. The efforts thus made to educate the boys of the poor w T ere further aided by the endowment of Lady Capel, who died in 1721. The first payment from Lady Capel' s estate was received by the school on May 12, 1722, and amounted to £7 10s. ; — it now amounts to £35 a-year. The first master was Peter Maurice \ his salary was £20 per annum. Extract from Lady Capel's will : — " In the name of God, Amen.— I, Dorothy Lady Capel, Baroness Dowager of Tewkes- bury, the relict of the liight Hon. Henry Lord Capel, Baron of Tewkesbury, deceased. As concerning the real and personal estates wherewith God hath blessed me, I dispose thereof as followeth, that is to say, Whereas I am seized of a good estate of inheritance in fee simple to me and my heirs of and in all that the farm and lands called Parry or Perry Court, with the closes and lands thereto belonging, situate and being in Preston, Feversham, Ospring, and Leddenham, in the county of Kent. And of and in all that messuage in the parish of St. Yedastus or Forsters in the City of London : of the manor of Eichmond in the county of Surrey, and in all that my capital messuage, &c, at Kew Green, and of and in divers other messuages, farms, and lands, held of the said manor. I am also seized according to the custom of the manor of Barnett, in the county of Hertiord, 426 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. of and in all that messuage and lands thereto belonging, called Pricklesshill Farm, and of divers and customary land held of the said manor. I do hereby give, devise and bequeath, all that my said farms and lands, and all other my lands, &c, in the county of Kent, unto the Hon. S. Molyneux, Esq., principal secretary to his Eoyal Highnes Prince George of Wales, Sir Philip Jackson, of Eichmond, in the county of Surrey, John Lely, Esq., of Kew Green, and Christopher Applely, of the Middle temple, London, and their heirs to have and to hold for ever upon trust, shall yearly make up, state, and adjust in a book to be kept for that purpose, a just and true account of the said property, and subscribe their names thereunto, and shall afterwards divide the clear money yearly arising therefrom into twelve equal parts, to be applied for the support, use, and benefit of the said charity schools for ever, that is to say, the charity school for boys and girls, at Eichmond, in the county of Surrey; the charity school for boys at Mortiake, in the same county ; the charity school for boys at Brentford Butts, in the county of Middlesex ; the charity school for boys at Ealing, in the same county ; the charity school for boys at Cheltenham and Tewkesbury, in the county of Gloucester ; the charity school at Eeversham, in the county of Kent ; the charity school at Haltwhistle, in the county of Northumberland ; the charity school for girls in the parish of St. Andrews, Holborn, (where I was born), the charity school at Chiswick, in the said county of Middlesex, and the chanty school at Hammersmith, in the parish of Eulham." Erom these extracts it will be seen that the donor has endowed eleven schools. The remaining twelfth part of the annual income arising from the estates, is to be alloted to the parish of Kew, in Surrey, either for the purpose of supporting a school, or apprenticing out children. The former is very judiciously chosen. In case any one of the schools should at any time be discontinued, those remaining are to derive the advantage equally ; and in case they should all of them fall to decay, then the income of the charity is to be appropriated for the support of six clergymen's widows. The estate from whence this Charity is derived having become dilapidated, repairs were needed of an extensive kind. To meet this expense, a sum is annually withdrawn from the income, which reduces the sum for Cheltenham to £15, After this is THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 427 paid, the original sum will be available for the purposes of the Charity. COX'S CHAETTY. In 1727, Giles Cox, Esq., then churchwarden of this parish, bequeathed a perpetual annuity of £4 annually, for the purpose of either educating or apprenticing out a poor lad belonging to Cheltenham. The amount is payable by the lessee for the time being of a ground called " Picked Oakley," at Charlton Kings. The lessee is "W. J. Agg, Esq., of Hewletts, who, in order to carry out the excellent intention of the donor, and to prevent it from being frustrated by the change which time has effected in the rate of apprenticeship premiums, has allowed the sum to increase to £20. By adopting this plan, Mr. Agg is enabled to apprentice out a lad every five years, born in the parish of Chelt- enham, to some discreet person following a trade or handicraft in some other town or village ; as willed by Mr. Cox, June 13, 1727. Extract from Mr. Cox's will : — " All that enclosure of Pasture, called Picked Oakley, in the parish of Charlton Kings, adjoining to Cheltenham, in the county of Gloucester, by estimation five acres, upon trust, out of the rent, issues, and profits of the premises, pay for ever, to some man, not being Master or Usher of the Free School, who, in Cheltenham aforesaid, should teach boys, parishioners of Cheltenham, of the meaner sort, to read and write, after the death of the said Giles Cox, £4 yearly, or £4 yearly for ever, every year, in placing one boy, parishioner of Cheltenham aforesaid, an apprentice, not in the same parish, to some honest tradesman ; and the surplus of the said issues and profits, if any, to retain and have to their own use, for their trouble in the said trust.' 3 miss "well's charity. Nearly opposite the entrance to the Presbyterian Church, in the High Street, and but a short distance Irom the angle of St. George's Street, is a spacious dwelling, ornamented on one side with a modern plate-glass front shop, in the window of which is displayed jewellery in all its varieties, and on the other side by a projecting sign, whose three pendant gilt balls denote the abode of an s; Uncle," who practises the mysterious rrt of passing people's property " up the spout " Until within the 428 HISTOM OF CHELTENHAM. past quarter of a century, this building, then a private house, presented the most aristocratic frontage in that part of the town. It was elegantly furnished within, and its ground in the rear was so extensive as to reach to Eegent-place, and formed in fact the site upon which the east side of St. George's Street and the Wesleyan Chapel is erected. This large plot of land was most tastefully laid out as an ornamental garden. A summer house, on which the honeysuckle entwined, and a moss house, stood on an elevated mound on the extreme end, on either side of which, conspicuously placed on pedestals, were the statuary figures of Cupid and Pysche. In the year 1781, two lovers were often observed taking their walks amid these ornamental and winding paths, within sight of the God of Love, who stood with his bow and sheath full of arrows, as if ready to pierce the heart of the standers-by. The two personages presented a great contrast in their respective ages. The lady looked as if the shades of nearly three-score years had descended upon her brow, — the gentleman a gay and fashionable personage of about twenty-one ! But, notwithstanding this great discrepany in age, it was confidently announced that the couple were to be firmly united in the indissoluble bonds of matrimony. Rumour was rife as to the motives which prompted the suitor. The bride elect resided in her own house, and had other mansions to boot, including St. George's Square opposite, besides a very competent personal estate. The wedding was finally arranged, and the friends of both parties invited. The affair was likely to have been a gay one, and the invitations issued were numerous. But, how uncertain is the occurrence of things projected by poor humanity. The wedding did not take place, — the old lady lost her intended husband I " Ah, me ! for aught that ever I could read, Could ever hear by tale or history, The course of true love never did run smooth s But either it was different in blood ; Or else misgralted, in respect of years." But good always comes out of evil, and Miss Wells's loss was a perpetual gain to the poor of Cheltenham. " Can such things be," the reader will naturally ask ? We reply that we are relating a romance of real life, and that in consequeace of that broken match, twelve aged and infirm inhabitants of this town THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 429 every year, in the month of March, receives a sum of money towards their support, as we shall hereafter show from official documents. These poor pensionei-3 will perpetuate to future ages the origin of this singular bequest. The affair is also recorded on a tablet-shaped painted board, elevated within the Parish Church, near the mary-gold window. The loss of her youthful suitor naturally shocked the nervous system of the intended bride, and she stood in need of the assistance of both spiritual and medical advisers. Among the former was a Dissenting Minister, who in order to soothe the affliction which the unhappy event had caused, offered* his hand and heart as an effectual remedy. The offer was accepted, and the deed was this time properly done, and Miss Wells was safely transformed into Mrs. Williams. We will now briefly relate the facts of this singular case, and from which it will be seen that " truth is stranger than fiction." The charity known as Miss Wells's takes its origin from the year 1782. It was originally only the interest arising from £1 70, but is now more than that sum. Half of the dividends is payable to six poor persons connected with the Cheltenham Parish Church, and the remaining half to six poor persons attending the services at Bethel Baptist Chapel. The amount is dispensed in the month of March by the trustees, the ministers of the respective places of worship before named, for the time being. The interest now amounts to £6 12s. annually, which is distributed by the churchwardens on behalf of the Rev. E. Walker, and by the Rev. J. Preeman, minister of Bethel Chapel. Miss Wells was for many years an inhabitant of this town, and resided in that portion of the High-street (No. 172) which now adjoins St. George's Street. This property was her own, as was also the greater portion of the site of the last-named street, and St. George's Square opposite. This extensive property attracted the attention of the " gay Lothario," and for a while Miss Wells had a most constant suitor. At length a marriage was finally decided upon, and the preliminaries were " signed and sealed." The day prior to the wedding morn arrived ; but " there is many a slip between the cup and the lip." — A resig- nation was sent in by the " gay Lothario,' 5 who contended that property was a poor compensation for the absence of youth and beauty ! This insult was repelled by Miss Wells, who instituted 430 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. a law suit for a breach of promise of marriage. The trial took place at the Gloucester Assizes, held on August 30, 1782, and the jury brought in a verdict for the plaintiff with £170 damages. This money was placed in the hands of a townsman and magis- trate, Dr. 'Newell, until September 20, 1815, when by will it was bequeathed for the object above described. Miss Wells afterwards married the Eev. H. H. Williams, formerly minister of Bethel Chapel, Cheltenham. She lived to the patriarchal age of S7, and died at her residence in this town, on Nov. 20, 1815. Thus twelve of our aged inhabitants are annually receiving benefit in consequence of a breach of promise of marriage 1 The sum thus bequeathed has now increased in value from a variety of causes. Shortly after the decease of the donor, her husband, the Eev.H.H. Williams, paid the sum of £170 to Dr. Newell, and after con- sultations on the subject between several of the parishioners, especially the Eev. C, Jervis, Dr. Newell, the holder of the bond, Mr. Seager, the acting executor, Mr. T. Gwinnett, solicitor, Eev. H. H. W 7 illiams, Mr. B. Vv T elIs, Mr. Fisher, &c, it was determined to vest the money in the navy 5 per cents., in the name of the Eev. C. Jervis and the Eev. H. H. Williams. The 5 per cents, afterwards merged into the 4 per cents., and the sum was transferred also. It was finally fixed in the new 31 p er cents., and at the time the last dividend was made it was worth £188 15s. Extract from Miss Wells's will. — " I direct and appoint that the sum of £170 be paid out of the said settled property, to discharge a bond given by me to Thomas Neweli, Esq., of Cheltenham ; which bond was given in order that, after my decease, the said sum of £170 should be placed out at interest, for the benefit of six poor men and six poor women residing at Cheltenham aforesaid, of the age of sixty years or upwards, one half of them belonging to the Baptist congregation there, and the other half belonging to the Established Church of England there. The interest to be annually distributed among them in the month of March, by or under the direction of the ministers of the respective places of worship. there." The original trustees in whose names this singular charity is vested are now deceased ; the last survivor, the Eev. H. H. Williams, died December 1, 1852, at the age of 87, and was interred in the W T esleyan Burial Ground, in St. George's Street, THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 431 according to his request, as the place orce formed part of his own garden and the scene of the courtship which lead to the trial for a breach of promise, being the property of Miss Wells, the founder of the charity, whom he afterwards married. COLONEL OLLNEY'S BEQUESTS. Lieut. -Colonel J. H. OUney was a magistrate of the town, and resided at the mansion formerly occupied by J. C. Straford, Esq., at the Oambray entrance to the Bath Eoad. This benevolent gentleman died on January 16, 1836, and bequeathed a large amount to public charities. Among the number of his bequests was the sum of £8,000 to the cities and towns of Cheltenham, Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Winchcomb. This sum was, however, left with the proviso that each of the before- named places should purchase the ground on which the said Almshouses were to be erected within ten years after the testator's decease. The inhabitants of Cheltenham, in order therefore to secure to themselves the advantage of this munificent bequest, convened a Public Meeting at the Town Hall, on January 6, 1846, within ten days only of the time required by the donor's will. It should, however, be mentioned that the delay was not occasioned by any reluctance on the part of the town to contribute towards the purchase of the land, but solely on account of a protracted and vexatious law T -suit which was pending in the Irish Court of Chancery, and which left it doubtful whether the amount bequeathed could be paid out of the estate. As soon as the law-suit took a favourable turn, and the application of the charity was more probable, the meeting in question was called, and presided over by the Rev. P. Close. A subscription was opened, a sufficient sum was raised, and the ground pur- chased and conveyed to trustees. The site is in the Tewkesbury Eoad, contiguous to St. Peter's Church — a healthy spot, and well calculated for the erection of an Almshouse. The sum left by Colonel Ollney was part of a mortgage of £36,000 secured by bond upon the estates of Lord Aldborough, in Ireland. Under the Sequestered Estates' Act the property was sold, and the proceeds of the sale realized more than was anticipated from the depressed value of Irish lands. The executors applied in 1849 to the Rolls Court for pow T er to carry out the intentions of the donor. The case was referred by the 432 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Master, and in two years afterwards it was reported that the bequest was open to legal objection from its interfering with the Statute of Mortmain. The judgment was given with this saving point, that the case should be taken to a superior court of law for final decision. It is to be hoped that the legal proceedings will not be further protracted, for the charity, when carried out, will be a boon to many an aged inhabitant, and the ground having been secured, and the bequest ready for application, it only waits a favourable construction$from a court of law to call into existence " Ollney's Almshouses." Extract from Colonel Ollney's will. — " The following is a scheme by which I desire all the Almshouses intended to be founded by me to be regulated, and which are to be called c Ollney's Almshouses.' As I have directed the sum of £8,000 to be set apart for each of the four sets of Almshouses as soon as a proper site has been presented for that purpose. The building should consist of one general sitting room or hall, for the concurrence of the inmates to take their meals and sit in. The hall to contain two fire-places, for the convenience of the poor inmates — one for the men, the other for the women ; and on one side of the hall a kitchen is to be erected, and on the other a decent parlour, with one fire-place, for the convenience of their friends. And I desire that over these rooms for general use, should be placed the bedrooms of the poor inmates, — nine on each side ; of which I intend ten to be for the poor men, and eight for the poor women, — each charity altogether con- sisting of eighteen persons. I desire that £100 may be expended in furnishing each Almshouse, and, as near as the nature of circumstances will admit, in the following manner : — Fireirons and fenders for each of the rooms, of common use; a table, forms, two chairs, and the usual apparatus for cooking for the kitchen, and likewise one iron bedstead, two chairs, one table, fireirons, and a fender for each of the bed-rooms. I wish to allow a sufficient fund out of the £8,000 to be set apart to produce £10 annually, to be laid out in repairs. I desire that six shillings a week should be paid to each of the poor men, and four shillings a week to each of the poor women ; and I intend the sum of thirty-six shillings annually to be expended in pro- viding each of the poor men a coarse blue cloth coat and waistcoat, and one pair of corduroy breeches ; and for each of THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 433 the poor women, annually, the sum of thirty shillings, to be expended in providing each of them with a coarse blue stuff gown, petticoat and bonnet. And I wish the worthiest and most deserving of each to be selected as superintendent Master and Matron, to whom I give an additional sum of three shillings per week to the Master, and two shillings and sixpence to the Matron. I desire that no person who has within seven years received parochial assistance be admitted into such Alms- house. In every other respect I give the full power of selection to the Mayor and Corporation, or governing body of the place in which such Almshouse is to be founded. And I desire that there shall be a written recommendation as to character in the first instance, procured by any candidate for admission from the clergyman of the parish of such candidate. Those only to be admissible who have been upwards of seven years inhabitants of the towns in which the said charities are to be founded, and who are of the age of fifty-six years at the least. I direct that the poor inmates shall attend divine service twice on every Sunday. And I constitute the Mayor and Corporation, or other governing body of such place in which my charity is established, to be sole visitors, and to have full power to expel any person for immoral or other improper conduct, or drunkenness." He also bequeathed to the Treasurer of the Gloucester Infirmary, £1000, and to the School of Industry at Chelt- enham, £500. uequhart's chakity. The most recent benefactor to the publicly endowed charities is J. H.Urquhart, Esq., who has left a portion of his personal property for the support of the poor during the winter period of the year. Extract from the will of Jnes. Harvey Urquhart, Esq., late of Seven Oakes, Kent, dated July 21, 1841, and proved at Doctors' Commons, June 26, 1850. The Testator died May 2, 1850. — " I direct my Executrix and Executor heretofore named as soon as convenient after my decease to purchase and invest in their joint names, £3,000 Stock, in 3J per cent. Eeduced Bank Annuities, out of such part only of my personal estate and effects as by law is capable of being devoted by the will to charitable purposes, and my will is that my said executrix and executor, and the survivors of them upon the trust following, that is to say, to pay the interest, dividends, and annual income 434 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. thereof, unto, or permit the same to be received by my said wife and her assigns during her natural life, and from and alter her decease, upon trust, that they, my said trustees for the time being, do and shall stand and be possessed of the sum of £1,000, (being one third part of the said stock upon trust,) to pay and apply the dividends and interest, or annual income thereof, to the guardians, trustees, or other officers belonging to the alms- houses of Seven Oakes, aforesaid, to be by them applied to the said charity. And I direct that the receipt of any one of the said guardians or trustees, for the time bein^, of the said charitable institution, shall be deemed a sufficient discharge for iny said trustees for the same dividends or annual income. And £1000, being one other third part of the said 3^ per cent. Bank Annuities, upon trust, that they my said trustees do and shall pay the interest, annual income, and dividends of the said mentioned sum of JB1000 unto the churchwardens for the time being of the parish of Cheltenham aforesaid, to be by them from time to time laid out in the providing of clothing and fuel, which shall be by them distributed annually, at Christmas, amongst ten poor families, — to be selected by the said church- wardens, — inhabiting the said parish of Cheltenham, and who shall not have received parochial relief, or relief from any poor- law union during the preceding year." In a correspondence which the Churchwardens have had during the year 1861 with the Charity Commissioners, enquiry was made as to the actual sum invested under the provisions of the Will of the late J. H. Urquhart, Lsq., and on applying to Messrs. Harris and Lewis, of Lincoln's Inn, solicitors to the Trut*t, the Churchwardens received the following statement : — "The legacy of £1000 was a legacy of new 3 per cents, not of cash. To pay the legacy of £93 13s. 8j„ and the costs of the petition in Chancery, £27 15s. 8d., the sum of £132 0s. 7d. was sold out by order of the Court, leaving- £667 19s. 6d, invested." THE BAPTIST CHARITIES. Bequests to poor professors of the Baptist persuasion, and for the general expenses of Bethel Chapel, have been left by local members of the sect, at various periods, from the first formation of the congregation. The following are enumerated in the Charity Commissioners* Beport, made in 1824, being the iast official document relative to the subject. THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 435 darke's charity. John Darke, Esq., of Prestbury, gave to the poor of the congregation, in 1783, the sum of £60. This legacy was subject to some prior interest, which terminated in 1791, when the sum was invested in the funds, and produced £1 19s. 6d. annually. The executor of Mr. Darke added to the bequest, and thus was founded Ballinger's Charity. ashmead's charity. By Will dated Dec. 7, 1742, John Ashmead, Esq., left his estate " towards the relief of such poor persons of the con- gregation of Protestant dissenters commonly called Baptists, meeting for Divine worship in Tewkesbury and Cheltenham, as to them, the said trustees, shall seem most convenient." In 1753 a deed was executed, by which Cheltenham was rendered independent of Tewkesbury, and the recipients were to receive the bequest " from the trustees and principal members of the Baptist Church constituted at Cheltenham. " To render this the more secure, a regular trust deed of Bethel Chapel was executed Oct. 1, 1767, which has been regularly renewed when the trustees are reduced by death to the number of two. The ennual income of Mr. Ashmead's estate produces £86 4s. 6d. t besides fines payable every twenty years, from £10 to £150, according to the nature of the property, which is mostly land, leased for building purposes for different periods, similar to that left for the endowment of Pate's Grammar School. The property is as follows : — Term of Lease from 1805. Property where Situate. Annual Kent. Fines payable every twenty years. Years. 99 99 99 House— Chapel Street Grove's Wagon Warehouse Houses— Chapel Street & s. 1 1 4, 4 15 15 4 4 6 6 2 2 1 1 50 1 11 d. U 6 & 10 20 150 99 99 Chapel House aud Ground The Castle, Chapel Street 40 60 99 House— Chapel Street 20 99 House — Ambrose Sireet 10 from 1806. 41 Red Lion Inn 20 Yearly teuant House — New Street 436 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. balltnger's CHARITY. By Will, dated May 27, 1805, John Ballinger, Esq., thus bequeathed : — ki I give and devise the sura of £49 lis. 4d. in the 4 per cents. Bank Stock, which stands in my name, being what was purchased with a legacy of £50 left to the poor of the Baptist congregation at Cheltenham, by Mr. John Darke, of Prestbury, and as much of my own money as will purchase in the same bank stock what will make with that sum JB100 stock, so that the poor may have £4 yearly dividend among them, whereas, now they have but d£l 19s 6d., and that the profits or dividends arising therefrom be divided and given to the poor of the said Baptist congregation at Cheltenham, on the 14th February, year by year, and that within a fortnight after the distribution of the same, the managers of the said charity do lay in some convenient part of the meeting house, and there to remain for two Lord's Days at least, an account, how and to whom the money was disposed of." Lloyd's charity. Mrs. Sarah Lloyd, widow, of Cheltenham, by Will dated October 22, 1808, bequeathed "upon trust, to pay unto the minister for the time being, of the religious society or congre- gation of Protestant Dissenters in Cheltenham, called Baptists, the sum of £100 in trust, and for the general purposes of the said society." ransford's charity. Edward Hansford, Esq., of Bristol, by Will, dated August 20, 1313, gave £400, "and the dividends, interest, and profits thereof from time to time, paid to the managers, deacons or ministers of the Baptist interest at Cheltenham, towards the support of that interest, but so long only as they profess to believe and preach the particular doctrines now professed by them. But in case the said Baptist interest should decline to preach and believe such doctrines, the said dividend arising from the said £400, shall be paid and applied to the managers, deacons or ministers of the Baptist Chapel at Tewkesbury, if they shall continue in the faith they now profess. But in case at any time after the said Cheltenham interest shall decline, and return to and believe the doctrine they now profess as Particular Baptists, then I give and direct the treasurer and trustees of the THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 437 Bristol Baptist Fund Society in the City of Bristol, to pay, apply and dispose of the same dividends to and for the support and uses of the said Baptist interest at Cheltenham again." WELLS 5 CHARITY. In 1815, Miss Wells left half of the interest of £170 to be annually distributed among six of the poor attendants of Bethel 'Chapel. BEQUESTS TO CHELTENHAM CHAPEL. By Will, bearing date Jan. 15, 1815, Benjamin Friend, Esq., a resident of the town, bequeathed the interest arising from the sum of £200 towards the support of the Minister, for the time being, of Cheltenham Chapel. Annexed is a copy of Mr. Friend's will : — " I give and bequeath to the Rev. John Brown, Minister of the New Chapel, Cheltenham, the sum of two hundred pounds. I give and bequeath unto the trustees for the time being of the said Chapel, the sum of two hundred pounds. And I declare that the trustees for the time being of the New Chapel at Cheltenham aforesaid, shall stand possessed of the said sum of two hundred pounds hereinbefore bequeathed to them, upon trust to place out and invest the same in or upon Government, real or other good security, at interest, and to pay the dividends, interests, proceeds thereof, when and as often as the same becomes due, and be received, unto the said John Brown, so long as he shall continue minister of the said Chapel, and to the future pulpit minister of the said Chapel for ever." In 1837, H. Bromfield, Esq., of this, town, also bequeathed the sum of two hundred pounds to the trustees of Cheltenham Chapel, " for producing an annuity for the resident minister for the time being." The following is an extract from the agree- ment made between the Chapel trustees, the minister, and t».e executors of the donor: — "Purchasing stock in the names of four of the trustees, who also execute a declaration of trust reciting the bequest, and declaring that they stand possessed of the stock, and that they will pay to or permit the resident minister to receive the dividends as they become due. And that on the death of two such trustees, the two surviving shall transfer the stock into the names of two other trustees with them- 488 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. selves, and so as often as two shall die. Signed, Jno. Barfield, Jan. 24, 1838." " I hereby engage as regards the investment of the money by the trustees, to abide by the decisiun of Mr. P. Barfield. Signed, John Brown." OTHER EXISTING CHARITIES. Mrs, Anne Wicks died at Regent-street, Cheltenham, on June 17, 1841. Her personal estate was estimated at £80,000, and her real estate at £9,000. Amongst the number of places to which she bequeathed portions of her property was Frampton- on-Severn, in this county — the village in which she was born. She willed to Frampton Church £1,000, for a communion plate; £50 for a cloth to the communion table ; £100 to rail in the churchyard ; £500 for the purpose of generally improving and enlarging the church; £100 to the vicar; and £500 for a monument to be erected to her memory. The interest of her entire Bank Stock she desired to be distributed annually to the poor of Frampton on her birth-day — April 23. Miss Jane Cook, an old inhabitant of the town, who died in 1851, gave to the Church Missionary Society £5,000 ; the five acres of ground on which the Church of England Training College is erected ; ground for the establishment of a Boy's Orphan Asylumn ; £2,600 to the London Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews ; Irish Church Missions, £200 and £60 annually to the District Churches. The extent of this lady's bequests may be inferred from the following inscription on a monument erected to her memory in St. Peter's Church, to which she was also a benefactress : — "In Memory of Miss Jane Cook, who died February 11th, 1851, aged 75 years. Being anxious to promote the glory of God, she devoted her Property to the dissemination of the Holy Scriptures both at home and abroad, and to the support of Missions among the heathen, as well as to the Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews. She contributed largely towards the erection of a Church on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, for Divine Worship according to the Eitual of the United Church of England and Ireland, where salvation through * Jesus of Nazareth ' might be proclaimed to 1 the lost sheep of the House of Israel.' She was also a liberal Benefactress to this Church and Parish, and ever adopted the language of the Psalmist — c Kot unto us, O Lord, not unto us, THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 439 but unto Thv name p;ive the praise, for Thy loving mercv and for Thy truth's sake.' " Miss Cook died worth £27,069 Bank Stock, and £34,788 3^ per cents, besides shares in many public companies, and a large real estate. Major Barrett, in 1838, bequeathed £450 to the Gloucester Infirmary. In 1842, Mrs. Sarah Bate left by will £500 to the Female Orphan Asylum, in Winchcomb Street. In 184 9, George Richards, Esq., of the Promenade, bequeathed £10,000 to be divided among various local benevo- leut institutions. The late Mrs. Catherine Ball, of Cheltenham, widow, who died on the 26th of January, 1860, besides her estates in Ireland, was possessed af personality in England valued at £20,000. The following were her charitable bequests : to the poor of Drumholmg, Ireland, £100; Irish Church Missions, £100; Irish Church Education, £100; Reformation Society, £100 ; Scripture Readers, Ireland, £100 ; British and Foreign Bible Society, £100 ; Society for distributing and Teaching the Bible in the Irish language, £100; Cheltenham Branch Church Missionary and Pastoral Aid, £100 each ; Cheltenham Hospital, £50 ; Female Refuge, Cheltenham, £50; to the ministers of St. Paul's, St. Peter's, and other Churches in Cheltenham for the poor, £50 for each district. Leaving £300 for the erection of almshouses for poor widows of St. Paul's, Cheltenham, and £300 for the endowment thereof. To a Scripture-reader she has left a freehold house, and to the widow of another Scripture-reader, £100. THE ENDOWED CHARITIES OF CHELTENHAM. Founders. When Foun- ded For what Purpose. Present Annual Income. R. Pate, Esq., M.P., J. Watwyn, E-q. T. George, Esq. W. Perry, Esq. J. Norton, E-q. A. Parker, E-q. T.F. Emily, E^q. Ihe Churchwardeus. 1578 1627 1620 1632 1637 164-2 I 1650 1667 V 1683 Free Grammar School & Alms Houses Annually to the Poor £ s. d. 1700 2 10 Annually to the Poor and Minister . These bequests, v\itli others now lost, were amalgamated by the then Churchwardens, in the reign of Charles 11, and the " Poor's Grounds" purchased with the amount, in 1667. Annually to the Poor on St. Thomas' dav 6 8 54. 11 3 50 G. Townsend, Esq. A Scholar from Pate's School to Pembroke College 440 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Founders. tthen Foun- ded. For what purpose. Present Annual I- come. G. Townsend, Esq. Ditto Rev. W. Stansby. Lady Capel. G. Cox, Esq. Miss Wells. Date of lease at Hatherly Col. Ollney. J. H. Urquhart, Esq. J. Ashmead, Esq. Darke and Ballinger. Mrs. Lloyd. E. Ransford, Esq. B„ Friend, Esq. H. Bromfield, Esq. 1704 1719 1727 1782 1794 1836 1850 1742 1805 1808 1813 1815 1837 Annually apprenticing a boy „ . . Endowing Lady Capel's School . . Annually apprenticing a boy . . . Free School for boys Annually apprenticing a boy . . . Annually to the poor Inmates of Fate's Alms House . Alms Houses Annually to the poor at Christmas . Poor of Bethel Baptist Chapel . Ditto Minister and General Purposes of do. Manager, Deacon, Minister of do Minister of Cheltenham Chapel . . Ditto £ s. d. 15 20 28 19 10 15 4 6 12 12 Interest of £8,000 Interest of £1,000 86 4 3 10 2 10 6 Iutereat of £400 Interest of £200 Ditto The number of public charities and benevolent institutions in the town are truly remarkable. From so many that reflect honour and credit to these benevolent supporters wc select for description and illustration, the General Hospital, and Female Orphan Asylum. THE HOSPITAL. TheCheltenham General Hospital and Dispensary is judiciously located in a most healthy spot in Sandford fields. It was erected by voluntary contributions, and cost nearly £9,000. The first stone of this structure was laid January 25, 1848, by the Right Hon. Lord Dunally. It is a noble building, designed in the Classic style by Mr. D. J. Humphris, and its external appearance and internal arrangements are admirably adapted for the purposes intended. On the ground floor, the front entrance is beneath a portico supported by four fluted Ionic columns, and approached by nine steps. The entrance hall is of noble dimensions, 24ft 10 by 16ft. It is separated from the corridor by two pillars. The Board Room is 24ft by 16ft. In each wing there is a ward 42ft by 2ift 6 inches and 14ft high. In the front of the east wing is the museum, 33ft by 21ft. In each of the front wings is a ward 33it by 2ift. At the back of the centre, is a THE ENDOWED CHARITIES 441 place for three cisterns, one filled with 800 gallons of hot water, another with 300 gallons of hill water, and a third filled, by means of a force pump, with 3,000 gallons of water. The whole of the apartments are supplied with gas lights, and hot and cold water. The number of gas lamps in the house is 35, and the meter is of sufficient size to register one million feet of gas. The gardens around the Hospital are two acres in extent. In a work by Sir George Baltinghall, M.D.,E.R.S.tf., Regius Professor of Military Surgery in the University of Edinburgh, and Consulting Surgeon to the Royal Infirmary, after stating that his observations had extended to numerous hospitals in Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as to a recent examination of the principal establishments of the kind in the United Kingdom, he says — " In adverting to the exterior form or ground plan of larger Hospitals, one very commonly adopted is that of a body with wings projecting from either extremity, somewhat in the form of the letter |— | . To this there seems to be no reasonable objection. It answers in a great measure the important desideratum of giving the air free access to the Building " (which he had previously shewn was not the case when the plan was quadrangular.) * It is a form to be observed in some of the best Hospitals in the country, and was successfully adopted in several of the Military or Barrack Hospitals erected during the war. Of this form of Hospital I have selected tor publication, from numerous others in my possession, a sketch of the General Hospital at Cheltenham, and this for two reasons. Eirst, because it is one of the neatest, most commodious, and compact little Hospitals with which I am acquainted ; and, secondly, because I consider it a good example of how much may be done in the way of Hospital Building with a very moderate sum. The whole has, it appears, been erected for £7,695, including an extensive system of drainage, and the front wall and gates of the large enclosure around it. This building I consider highly creditable to the Architect, Mr. Hu i .phris." The total cost was £8, 95. The wings have separate staircases; that on the west side is appro- priated to males, that on the east to females, the centre of the house being occupied by the officers of the establishment. The bath-rooms are convenient, with a constant supply of hot and cold water, both of which requisites in the sick-room are also 442 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. laid on in the different wards. The architect, Mr. D. .T. Humphris, provided at his own cost " the lifts," by which provisions and other necessaries are carried by machinery from the basement to the upper floors. The Establishment of a General Hospital in the town is of modern origin, and was effected on May 3, 18 i3. On March 3, of that year, a Vestry Meeting was convened and adjourned to the Assembly Eooms, to March 9 following. At these meetings it was unanimously resolved to found a Dispensary. At the first, the Eev. Dr. Foulkes, the incumbent, presided, and at the latter, Lord Ashtown. Drs. Jameson and Parry were the first Physicians, and Messrs. Seager, and Newell, the first Surgeons. The benevolent undertaking proved a great boon ; a Casualty Ward was afterwards added, and in 1839, the institu- tion became a General Hospital. Progress has marked its career from the first; the premises used, having been too small for the number of patients, it was successively removed to Winchomb- street, North-street, the late " Free Press Office," the Female Training School, High Street, until ultimately the noble building now termed " The General Hospital," was erected. Thus, from the day of its foundation, prosperity has marked its career. Its advantages have been duly appreciated by the more affluent, as the following list of benefactors strikingly manifests. On the passing of the Cheltenham and Oxford Eailway Act, that Company paid as compensation, the sum of £6,117 12s. 6d. for the premises formerly used as the Hospital in the High- street, it being proposed that the line should pass through them. This event led to the erection of the new edifice. According to the report issued in 1861, £1,000 had been anonymously contributed by a lady towards erecting the chapel, the subscriptions for the year amounted to £1,375 1 6s. 6d., the donations to £412, and the congregational collections to £466, the legacies to £259, dividends, &c, £214. In-patients. 547 ; Out-patients, 4,579. From this it will be seen that the total average annual income is between two and three thousand pounds, while upwards of 500 In-patients are received and nearly 5,000 Out-patients, in addition to advice and medicines given at the Branch Dispensary in Oxford Passage, near the High Street. A most exquisite work of art is to be seen in the Hospital. It is a statuary representation THE ENDOWED CHARITIES. 448 of the "Good Samaritan," and was erected at a cost of £600, which was raised mainly through the exertion of a deceased medical gentleman, C. Fowler, Esq. ; it is the work of a Manchester artist. DONATIONS TO THE HOSPITAL. Legacies of Fifty Pounds and upwards, bequeathed since the establishment of the Institution. £ s. d. John Richards, Esq 100 Mrs. Vaillant 50 Miss Gillman 110 3 William Tidd, Esq 50 Mrs. Houghton 90 Mrs. Beaty 500 14 3 A. Maklew, Esq 200 Georee Richards, Esq 500 Mrs. Jane Gubbs, 200 Mrs. J. Parmer 50 Miss DeLancy 98 11 Executors of the late C. Mathiesoo, Esq T Toralin8, (oDe moiety) Mrs Lightburn . P. Boissier, Esq H. Broomfield, Esq Major Barrett Lady Drake Mrs. Bate Hon. Caroline Flower Miss Collinson John Bailey, Esq 100 u. 180 8 111 4 50 90 450 207 12 10 500 50 177 1 6 50 Benefactors of Fifty Pounds and upicards. £ s. d. S.Anderson, Esq 145 10 M^jor Askew 52 10 A Friend per Major Askew 50 Hun.CravenBerkeley,M.P, 52 10 Cnnries Tufton Blick, Esq. 110 Sir William Burdett, Bart. 52 10 Robert Capper, Esq 1050 Mrs. Capper 621 Rev. D. Capper :.. 100 Captain Carpenter, R.N. 753 10 Captain Carr 52 10 Rev. Francis Close 52 10 J. Clutterbuck, Esq 75 MissCook 50 Rev. R. Duke 52 10 R. Ellison, Esq 50 Earl Fitzhardmge 151 5 George Preemau, Esq 50 Thomas Fulljames, Esq.... 52 10 6 John Gardner, Esq 200 Mrs. John Gardner 55 5 Samuel Gist Gist, Esq. ... ?0 The Dakeuf Gloucester... 104 10 W. Penu Gi-kell, Esq. ... 105 Rev. F. D. Gilby 52 10 C. L. Harford, Esq 52 10 Rev. T. Harward Adraham Hatherell, Esq. Rev. Thomas F. Henney W. H. Henney, Esq Thomas Henney, Esq Mrs. Henney Miss Hincks [ E. Holland, Esq Will am Inglediw, Esq.... Francis Jerrard, Esq Thomas Jones, Esq Mrs. Morgan Hill John Mortlock, Esq. ...... Thomas Parr, Esq Captain Parr Thomas Pilkinj:ton, Esq. Messrs. Pitt and o Proprietors of Berkshire & Gloucestershire Provin- cial Assurance Company R. A. Rosenhagen, Esq. . Hon. Lord de Saumarez... Hon. Lord Sherborne R C. Cherwood, E?q Mrs, Henry Thompson ... Henry Norwood Trye, Esq £ s. d. 50 50 52 10 52 10 100 210 100 70 110 10 52 10 52 10 121 262 10 50 50 52 10 105 107 17 8 73 10 72 15 105 52 10 50 52 10 444 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. £ s, John Turner, Esq 75 10 Rev, Dr. Warneford .100 Joseph Wilkinson, Esq. ... 84? G.E.Williams, Esq 52 10 Earl Fitzhardinge, costs re- ceived for a libel from <"he proprietor of the Chelt- enham Chronicle 50 S. Anderson, Esq., House in Townsend-street, and 500 Mrs. Colonel Lenuon 250 Mrs. Crew 500 G. Harvey, Esq 52 10 R. K.Lumb,Esq. 50 W. E. Lawrence, Esq 100 £ s. d. John Walker, Esq 55 Mrs. Shipley 50 Miss Velley 100 J. Beman, Esq 55 Rev. F. D.Gilby 50 T. J. Welles, Esq. (part of legacy) 100 Miss Baron 50 T. Champion Esq 52 10 T. Barker, Esq 100 Mrs. Capper, 1000 Mrs. General Campbell... 55 J. Wilkinson 300 Mrs. Masin 500 W.S 150 FEMALE ORPHAN ASYLUM. The patronage of Eoyalty has not been . confined to the Mineral Waters of the place, but has extended itself to benevo- lent objects. The Female Orphan Asylum was founded by the kindly aid and influencee of Queen Charlotte in 1806. This asylum clothes, boards, and educates upwards of forty children who are trained to various trades suitable to their taste and abilities. Orphans, and half-orphans, are alike eligible for election, at the age of eight, and remain until they are fifteen years of age. The best testimony to the usefulness of the Institution is to be found in the fact that hundreds of good domestic servants and others moving in a higher sphere of life, have received their instruction at the Asylum. The present elegant and commodious Gothic edifice in Winchcomb Street, was erected for the use of the orphans in 1833. There have been several benefactions to this excellent Institution by residents and friends. In 1836, Colonel Ollney bequeathed £500, and in 1845, Mrs. Sarah Bate bequeathed £500. The income, which is derivable from voluntary contribu- tions, avarages about £600 annually. Specimens of the Orphans' skilful needlework was, in 1842, presented to Her Majesty Queen Victoria, who was so pleased with the present, as to become one of the patrons oi the Asylum. T. Barber, Esq., the Secretary, who died in I860, bequeathed a legacy ot £3t>0. The total annual income, as reported 6 in January, 1861, was £1,001 2s. MODERN CHURCHES. 445 CHAPTER XXII. iftofcern ^tjuvcfres* THE inhabitants of Cheltenham have reason to congratulate themselves on the number of Caurches, and the variety and order of architecture which they 'severally display. The erection of eleven new churches in a space of thirty years, at once shows the very rapid increase which has taken place in the number of inhabitants We shall here describe these edifices in the order of date at which the congregations were founded. TRINITY CHURCH. The rapid increase of the population of the town made it expedient to find additional church accommodation. Application was made to Government for the loan of £4,000, and to the trustees of the rectory for the advancement of a like sum, towards the erection of a new church. The first- mentioned sum was, however, never obtained ; and as a consequence the undertaking was for a long time delayed. In this crisis, Lord Sherborne, the then Lord of the Manor, nobly came forward, and advanced the required sum, secured upon the rental of a certain number of pews. The interest of his lordship was purchased by J. A. Gardner, Esq., the present Lord of the Manor. This, the first modern church erected in the town, was commenced in 1820; and on April 11, 1823, the ceremony of consecration was performed by the Hon. Dr. Hyder, then Bishop of Gloucester, and afterwards of Coventry and Lichfield. The undertaking was accomplished at an expense of £10,000, from a design by Mr. Underwood. The edifice, which is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, is 74 feet in length, 51 feet in breadth, and will seat 900 persons. Its location was judicious, being placed at the top of Portland Street, adjoining the Pittville estate, and where no other place of worship was near. It is a most substantial building of stone, in the Gothic style, and over the principal entrance is a square tower, surmounted by eight light pinnacles. 446 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. The interior is divided into three aisles and two spacious galleries. The organ was erected by Mr. Hale, of Promenade House. The space beneath the church, as well as the ground around, have been used as a place of interment, and a large number of influential residents and visitors have been buried therein, — the walls of the edifice within and the space without being nearly covered with memorials of the dead. The sum of £500 having been raised by the sale of the vaults, was invested in government security as a repair fund. The income of the minister is secured by the deed of consecration upon the rents of certain pev*s. The Rev. J. Browne, LL.B., the late respected minister, was presented with a residence called "The Hayes," delightfully situate in Pittville Circus, by the congregation of this church, as a testimonial of their respect and esteem. He died in 1857, and was deservedly honoured with a public funeral. A monument to his memory was erected, by subscription, and placed in front of the church, where he had so successfully and faithfully ministered the greater period of his life. This church, like the parent edifice, has always been fully attended. It is quite inadequate in size to meet the requirements of the present numerous flock that assembles to worship, and which has increased in numbers since the settlement of the Rev. G. Calthrop, M.A., the successor to Mr. Browne. The Very Eev. the Dean of Carlisle, prior to his being presented with the incumbency of the parish, was curate at this church. The congregation support a day school, and many benevolent insti- tutions connected with missionary and temperance movements. According to published statements, £1200 per annum have been subscribed by the attendants of Trinity Church for charitable objects. The tabular statement of the sums collected for the year ending January 1861, show £1227 3s. 6£d. " The Rev. John Browne was born at Riverstown, county of Cork, the family seat. He was educated at Eton, and proceeded to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was a Fellow Com- moner, and took his degree. For nine years he was curate of Castle Bromwich, Warwickshire, and after leaving it, came to Cheltenham, when he was appointed to Trinity Church, where he remained until the time of his decease* His congregation some years ago presented him with £1600, collected so delicately and quietly, that he was not aware anything was going on till the MODERN CHURCHES. 447 morning of presentation. He had for a long time been defraying church expenses from his private purse, and the congregation collected the above sum to repay him, and wished the surplus (about £800) to be devoted towards building a larger house for his increasing family. East Hayes was thus originated. " {Cheltenham Examiner, Aug. 5, 1857.) st. John's church. The second modern church erected in the town was dedicated to St. Jo in, and the site chosen was the top of Berkeley Street. It was built at the joint expense of the Eev. VV. S. Phillips, &.D., of Gloucester, and the Rev. J. Moxon. It was consecrated by the Eight Eev. Dr. Bethel, Bishop of Gloucester, January 22, 1829, and will accomodate 800 persons. It is built in the classic style ; the entrance is ornamented with two lofty pillars, over which, in the centre, is a tower containing a public clock. In a gallery at the entrance doors is an excellent organ. A Day School room is situate near the edifice, and was erected by the congregation. Several neat mural tablets adorn the church within. St. John's Church was designed by Mr. J. Papworth, the author of several eminent works ou architecture and land- scape gardening. A fine painting is situate near the altar. The musical department has long enjoyed a high celebrity, and full choral services are performed with great taste and ability. Attached to the edifice are School Eooins for daily gratuitous instruction. The last-elected minister was the Eev. G. Eoberts, M.A., formerly vicar of Monmouth, then Incumbent of St. Anns, Limehouse, and Lecturer ot St. Andrews, Holborn. He is also Known as an author, and among other works he published, " The Lite of a Bishop." st, james's church. In Suffolk Square, was commenced in 1829, a new churchy Which was consecrated on October 5, lb30, by the Eight Eev. Dr. Monk, Bishop of Gloucester, and dedicated to St. James. It is a light and elegant edifice in the Gothic style ; and the interior, wQicii is surrounded by galleries, displays two rows of lofty Gothic pillars and arches, terminating with a coved ceiling. The church, which is estimated to seat 1400 persons, was built by shares, and 400 sittings were set apart ior the support oi the 448 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. minister. The organ cost £700, and was built by Gray, of London ; and in consequence of its power, several musical festivals on a large scale have been in past years held in the church. Over the large Gothic window, at the principal entrance, is a public clock. In Norwood Street is a school room founded by the congregation. Tablets to the memory of some of the deceased worshippers have been erected in the church. Mr. Jenkins, a resident architect, was the designer of St. James's Church. The congregation is a wealthy and influential one, as is evident by the amount of the collections made for benevolent and religious objects. The Eev. S. Chamberlayne was the last elected incumbent. His predecessor, the Rev. F. D Gilby, filled the office for a period of fourteen years until his retirement in 1857. The annual statement of sums collected in this edifice for the year ending January 1861, was £1077 8s. I0Jd. st. Paul's chtjech. St. Paul's Church is a successful attempt at adapting the classic style of architecture to religious buildings. This noble building was built after designs by Mr. Forbes, the architect of Pittvilie Spa, and was intended to accommodate 1600 persons. The front is a fine elevation with lofty pillars, and is well displayed by having a large space of ornamental ground before it. From a pediment over the entrance rises a tower surmounted by a dome, at the base of which a public clock is placed. This church was consecrated July 12, 1831, by the Right Rev. Dr. Monk, Bishop of Gloucester, and contains a large number of free sittings. It was erected partly by contributions and partly by grant from the Church Building Commissioners. The for- mation of a congregation in this particular locality was owing to the zeal of the Rev, Sir Henry Thompson, Bart., who laboured as the minister gratuitously for two years after the edifice was completed, and also presented the organ now used. His mother, Lady Thompson, gave the clock ; and her ladyship also at the same time presented clocks to the churches of St. John and St. James. Spacious school rooms for infants and children of more mature age, are erected near the edifice, in connection with the Normal College. The incumbent is the Rev. C. H. Bromby, the Principal of the Normal College. MODERN CHURCHES^ 449 CHRIST CHURCH. The largest and handsomest of the local proprietary chnrches is Christ Church, which displays its lofty exterior on the summit of an elevated ground at Lansdown. It is a splendid edifice, and exhibits the style of Gothic architecture prevalent in England during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. It measures in length 130 feet, and is 107 feet in breadth. The tower, an exquisite specimen of the ornamental Gothic, is 174 feet in height, and is a conspicuous object from upland situations, both in this and the adjoining counties. The pulpit is of stone, carved in harmony with the style of the interior. This noble pile was erected after designs by F. Jearrad, Esq., and no expense was spared to render it complete and attractive. In the gallery at the tower entrance, is a fine-toned organ. This church was built by shares, and the living, after the expiration of 40 years from the date of erection, devolves to the incumbent of the parish- Christ Church is estimated to contain 2,000 sittings, and was built in 1840. A clock was added after the completion of the edifice, which, from its elevated position in the tower, may be seen and heard at a considerable distance. The foundation stone of this beautiful structure was laid in October 1837, by the then Incumbent of the parish — Dr. Close. The following inscription was engraved upon the plate affixed to the stone : — " The first stone of Christ Church, in the hamlet of Alstone, in the parish of Cheltenham, built and endowed according to the 5 Geo. IY. cap. 103, sec. 5. The Rev. Francis Close, A.M., Perpetual Curate of Cheltenham ; the Rev. William Cams, A.M., Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; Pearson Thompson, Esq., Hatherley Court, Cheltenham— Life Trustees. Was laid by the said Francis Close, on the 10th October, 183?. R. W. and C. Jearrad, Architects." School rooms, in the early English style, are situate near the church. Mural tablets of a well-executed character adorn the interior of the sacred edifice. The Eev. Canon Boyd was minister until his appointment to the living of Paddington. He was succeeded by the Eev. J. Fenn in 1859. The returns of the amount subscribed by this congregation annually average £1300, and in 1854 it was as much as £2,007 13s. l^d. After two sermons on behalf of the Hospital in February, 1859, the handsome sum of £95 18s. lOd. was collected. In 1860, the contributions amounted to £1377 17s. 7d. 450 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. st. philip's church. In a line with Great Norwood Street, on the Park Estate, a chnrch, dedicated to St. Philip, was raised in 1844. It is in the early Gothic style, and the architectural harmony is well preserved throughout. It is a neat structure, and a tower, surmounted by four pinnacles, rises to an appropriate height. The interior has a neat appearance, and the walls are enlivened by many handsomely-executed marble tablets, and among the number are several to the memory of the Burdett family, relatives to the rich heiress, Miss Angela Burdett Coutts. The ground around the edifice is set apart for burials, and a number of tomb and flat stone mementos of the dead have been reared. Connected with the congregation is a day school, carried on in a room, erected in the early Gothic style, in the Leckhampton Eoad. Mr. Shellard was the architect of St. Philip's Church. The Bev« J. E. Biddle, M.A., late minister of this church, was an eminent author as well as divine. He published a Latin and English Dictionary, and many other popular scholastic works. He resided at Tudor Lodge, near to the church, — a unique specimen of the domestic Gothic style of architecture. st. peter's church. The revival of a taste for ecclesiastical architecture is a gratifying sign of the times ; and our own locality has set an example well worthy of imitation, in the erection of St. Peter's Church, in the Tewkesbury Eoad. This successful attempt at representing the peculiarities of a style prevalent in England ere the Conqueror's race had ceased, was executed by resident artists — a fact highly creditable. The structure belongs to the Norman Komanesque order, and consists of a chancel, nave, north and south transepts, with a central circular tower and lanthorn. There is an organ chamber on the north, and sacristy on the south, abutting on the chancel, which terminates with a semi-circular ground apse, pierced with fine narrow single-light windows. The north-west porch to the nave has a richly- carved entrance ; and at the north-west angle of the nave is an ornamental and characteristic bell turret, which serves as a staircase to the west gallery. The principal feature of the church consists in the construction of the large central circular tower, open the entire height — 90 feet, which with its elegant MODERN CHLUICHES. 451 triforiura, produces internally an imposing effect. The tower is supported by the domed spandrils, and the whole weight rests upon the four massive corner pillars. The roofs are open, and constructed with rafters and principals. The chancel is elevated on six steps, and paved with encaustic tiles : it is fitted up with a massive oak communion table, — a handsome copy of the Glastonbury monastic chair being placed stall-wise on each side of it. The communion rails afford an imitation of Norman oak carving. The pulpit is of Painswick stone, and has sunk arcading on three sides. The font is, with the exception of the designs, a copy of the one in Lincoln Cathedral. It consists of a square bowl, supported by a central pier, surrounded by four disengaged shafts at the angles. The designs on the panels are — The baptism of our Lord ; the entrance of Noah and his family into the ark ; the healing of the sick at the Pool of Bethesda ; and a pilgrim journeying to the heavenly city. The windows are of stained glass — the subject of that in the east end being " The Last Supper." The brackets for the branches which support the gas-lights from the walls are extremely beautiful. The architect was Mr. S. W. Daukes, of London and Cheltenham, and the builder the late Mr. T. Haines. The communion table and chairs were executed by Messrs. Urch and Seabright, and the communion plate by Messrs. Martin, Baskett and Martin. The foundation stone of the edifice was laid on Sept. 6, 1847, by Sir W. Jones, Bart., of Norfolk ; and the consecration took place March 22, 1849. The cost of erection amounted to £4,630. The church, which is capable of accom- modating 1050 persons, is endowed with £50 per annum from the Church Extension Society, £100 per annum from Govern- ment, and £60 from the late Miss Jane Cook, together with a piece of land in the Swindon Road for the poor of the district. The locality in which the structure is situate was constituted August 8, 1845, by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, a distinct parish for ecclesiastical purposes, under the title of " St. Peter's District." The Rev. W. Hodgson, A.M., was elected the first incumbent, — an office which will not be affected either by the voidance or death of the incumbent of the Parish Church, St. Peter's district being complete and distinct for religious pur- poses. The ground around the edifice has been devoted to interments, and is the only modern churchyard besides tbat 452 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. belonging to Trinity Church, consecrated within the limits of the parish. In 1858, the three centre perpendicular lights at the west end of St. Peter's Church, were filled with stained glass, to the memory of Miss Hodgson, the daughter of the incumbent. They represent scenes in the life of St. Peter, and the whole effect is peculiarly chaste and ecclesiastical, forming an additional ornament to the beautiful interior of the church. In 1859, the curate of the church was presented with a testimonial in the shape of a handsome time piece, bearing the following in- scription : — " Presented to the Rev. George Pruen Griffiths, M.A., by friends and parishioners of St. Peters, Cheltenham, as a small token of affectionate regard, and their high estimation of a faithful ministry which, during two and a half years, he had exercised amongst them. — June 14, 1859." st. luke's church. The National Schoolroom in the Bath Eoad having been licensed as a place of worship, according to the rites of the Church of England, was set apart for the celebration of Divine service on Sundays, By this means a congregation was formed, so numerous as to require a larger building, and the erection of St. Luke's Church on a site of land as near as could be pro- cured to the schoolroom was set on foot. The edifice is designed after the early English style, and a spiral tower rises from the centre. It is situated in Sir Matthew Wood's Road, and but a short distance from the Proprietary College. It will hold one thousand persons. The seats are, to a great extent, free — a sufficient number being let to raise a salary for the minister. It was erected in 1855, at a cost of £4,000. The interior well develops the early Gothic style of architecture. The Rev. W. E. Handcock was the first iucumbent, elected at the erection of the edifice. THE TEMPORARY CHURCH. The Parish Church having been for some time closed, during the progress of the works which were carried on in consequeace of the Order in Council, it became necessary to seek some other edifice to accommodate the many worshippers who regularly assembled therein, The Temporary Church was consequently MODERN CHURCHES. 453 erected in 1859, on the site of the Clarence Hotel, and but a short distance from the parent edifice. It is a most successful attempt to meet an exigency, and a passer-by who knew nothing of its history, would not suppose that it was intended for a mere temporary structure. The material is corrugated iron, fluted, and painted stone colour. It will seat 15 00 persons, and is 132 in length by 69 feet in breadth. The interior has a very light appearance, and is fitted up with all the usual accompaniments of a church. The organ is placed in a gallery at the west end. This remarkable moveable structure was completed on Nov. 1, 1859. st. make's church. The freehold land estate on the Gloucester Eoad, near the Midland Station, comprises a district of 2000 acres. The number of inhabitants located upon it without the means of a place wherein to worship, atrracted attention, and a subscription was set on foot for the purpose of erecting a church. The appeal proving successful, the foundation stone of St. Mark's Church was laid on Sept. 20, 1860, by the Rev. W. Cams, M A., one of the trustees of the Parish Rectory. The edifice is on an elevated situation, and is designed to represent the pointed Gothic style of the fourteenth century. J. Middleton, Esq., was the architect; and the estimate of the cost was £3,125. The Rev. G. P. Griffiths was the first appointed incumbent. The congregation will have the advantage of a resident clergy- man by the erection of a parsonage house, and also the establishment of a school — a most desirable object in this daily increasing district. The schoolroom was opened on Aug, 5, 1861, and the church was consecrated by the Right. Rev. Dr. Thomson, Bishop of Gloucester, on Feb. 8, 1862. The Church itself is designed to accommodate a congregation of 517 persons, all seated, and of this number 267 sittings are free. It consists of a chancel, nave, and tower, though the latter, owing to a want of funds, has not yet been erected. The chancel is 33 feet by 20, with vestry on the western side, and communion facing the congregation. The nave is 74 ft. by 41, and 48 feet in height ; the pulpit and reading desk being placed on either side at its junction with the chancel. The roofs are arched and open, and the appearance of the stained timbers, 454 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. with the circular windows of coloured glass beneath, gives to the interior a very graceful and pleasing effect. The pulpit, reading desk, and font are of stone. The builder was Mr. J. Acock ; the sub-contractor for the interior fittings, Mr. J. Free* man, and for the plumbing and glazing, Mr. Bourne. The funds for the construction have been supplied mainly by voluntary contributions and church collections in the town and neighbour- hood. The Church Building Society have, we believe, made a " grant in aid " of £500 ; while the incumbent, the Rev. Gr. P. Griffiths, has contributed the munificent sum of £1100, of which £500 was towards the building, and £600 towards the endowment fund. In noticing the erection of this, the last new church in the parish, we must also direct attention to the fact that no church has existed in the hamlet of Arle, which adjoins Allstone and "Westall, since the days of the Protestant Reformation, as the following account will narrate. The erection of St. Mark's Church therefore meets the spiritual wants of an increasing neighbourhood, which have hitherto been for centuries neglected. Arle Church formerly existed at the adjacent village of Arle — an ancient hamlet of Cheltenham, and now pan of the parish. The discoveries of antiquarians, both from documentary evidence and ecclesiastical relics, prove the former existence of this ancient edifice, of which no memorial now stands. In the valuable registries of Cirencester Abbey, collected and published in Prynn's MSS., Arle is designated Alra, and described as having a church, which " was given to the mother church of Chiltham (Cheltenham) by Walter de Bruscella, whose heirs continued long after at Leckington (Leckhampton)." Exhumations of recumbent effigies and flat grave stones of the Crusader period, as well as portions of stone-work of the Norman style, have occurred during the past century. Among the portions of the old church which have been found was a massive beam, bearing the sacred monogram in Norman-Latin, and the date of 1250, This was probably the support of the rood-loft, which was placed between the chancel and the nave ; and the discovery with so early an inscription, proves the very remote period at which the structure must have been reared. " In various parts of the village, portions of stone effigies, bearing evident marks of high antiquity, have been excavated at different MODERN CHURCHES. 455 times ; relics of the Norman order of architecture and portions of human bones are of frequent occurrence." (Snell). Arle Church no doubt was used as a temple of worship until the period of the Reformation, for it is incideutly alluded to in ecclesiastical valuations up to that period. Arle was, in the monastic era, a place of importance, and gave name to a family of wealth and influence. There is an estate in the hamlet called Arle Court, of very great antiquity. For a long period it was occupied by a family who derived their name from the place. The last on the male side of this ancient family was John Arle, who died in the reign of Henry VIII. The daughter of this John Arle married Robert Greville, who afterwards sold the estate in the second year of Henry VIII. , to William Greville, his brother, one of the most learned and illustrious judges of that period, whose remains are interred near the communion table of our parish church. By the marriage of the daughter of Judge Greville, the estate reverted to the Lygon family, and in like manner to Sir Fleetwood Dormer, who married Catherine, daughter of John Lygon, who was only son of Richard Lygon, of Maddersfield, in Worcestershire, by his second wife, Margaret, daughter of John Talbot, Esq., of the Shrewsbury family. The estate shortly afterwards devolved to Judge Dormer, and again to Mrs. Catherine Dormer, of whom it was purchased by the Hon. John Yorke. It was next possessed by T. Packer Butt, Esq., of Minchinhampton, whose family still hold it. What now forms a portion of the Arle Court Estate was, at a very early period, a separate manor, the property of an important ecclesi- astical establishment. In those days when convents and Catholic temples first existed in England, each devotee strove to provide for their support and maintenance by bequests of various kinds- The "Lanthony Priory" was endowed by Walter de Hereford, and among the land bequeathed was the manor of Redgrove at Arle; the Priory held possession of the property until the dissolution of monastic institutions by Henry VIII., at which period it was rented by William Lygon " for six shillings reserved rents." An ancient and shaded avenue of trees still exists near Arle Court. There is an air of antiquity about the spot, and if we can, in imagination, add to the scene, the once Norman church, w r e may form some idea of the primitive appearance of Alra. 456 HI&TOR? OF CHELTENHAM. CHAPTEE XXIII. Sfesetttmg pates of SSHorsfiip^ CHELTENHAM was the abode of persons holding Noncon- forming sentiments at a very early period. In the 17th century there were three families in the town who represented the three denominations of Friends, English Presbyterians (Unitarians), and Baptists. These were the Masons (Friends) who occupied the property since converted into the Old Wells ; the Sturmys (Unitarians), who owned the Manor of Swindon, and property in the town ; and the Ashmeads (Baptists), who were also considerable property-holders. Judging from the bequests which have been made, it is evident that these early Dissenters were persons of influence, and it is not therefore a matter of surprise that a Friends' meeting house should have been erected so early as 1660, a Unitarian Chapel in 1662, and a Baptist Chapel in 1700, the bequests belonging to which last- named place, at the present day, are nearly £100 per annum. "With the increase of population Dissenters have also multiplied, and the town is now adorned with many elegant places of worship, as we shall endeavour to detail. THE CONGREGATIONAL CHAPEL. The Congregational Church, in Winchcomb Street, is one of the handsomest structures belonging to Dissenters in the town. It is of the Decorated Gothic, and was built from designs by Mr. S. Onley, architect. This elegant building was opened for divine worship on June 8, 1852. It is estimated to have cost £8,000, and will seat 1200. The Congregationalists, or, as they are historically styled, Independents, were among the earliest bodies formed upon Nonconformist principles in the county. Although so early as the year 1699 they existed at Marshfield, and places contiguous, yet there is no account of their having been known at Chelt- enham prior to 1814. In that year, and for some time after* DISSENTING PLACES OF WORSHIP. 457 wards, several young candidates for the ministry regularly con- ducted worship according to the practice of the Congrega- tionalists, in the old chapel, near Albion Street. In 1817, Highbury chapel, in Grosvenor Street, was built by Mrs. Wall, of Lewes, Sussex. The first minister was the Rev. J. Snow, then of the Baptist persuasion, for whose especial use the edifice was erected. At the secession of Mr. Snow, the building was sold by auction, and was purchased by the late Rev. Jenkin Thomas, who afterwards sold it for £1,300 to the late T. Wilson, Esq., and the Rev. John Burder, who invested it in the hands of five different trustees . for the use of Congre- gationalists, by whom it was opened in 1827. The number of worshippers at first was not numerous, but, like the other local nonconforming societies, the Independents have now increased so much as to establish branch chapels in connection with the parent one. The Rev. W. Campbell was the stated minister of Highbury Chapel from 1832 to 1838, and was followed by the Rev. S. Martin, now of Westminster, under whose ministry the number of attendants greatly increased. During Mr. Martin's pastorate the chapel debt was cleared off, school-rooms were built and their cost defrayed. The Rev. A. M. Brown, LL.D., was the next pastor, and commenced his duties Jan. 8, 1843. The eloquence and earnestness of this evangelical preacher soon attracted large audiences. The congregation becoming too large for Highbury Chapel, the present noble edifice was projected and completed under the auspices of the Rev. Dr. Brown, who at the period of its opening, had completed the ninth year of his ministry, and with an increasing congregation connected therewith. At the Congregational annual meeting, held at the Royal Old Wells in June 1861, the Rev. T. Haines alluded in congratulatory terms to the fact of the debt on the building fund of the church having been liquidated. He thought it no slight thing for that congregation to have paid £10,000 in seven years, and testified that the work had been most cheerfully and willingly accom- plished. The Congregational Chapel, in the Tewkesbury Road, was originally built by the Primitive Methodists, of whom it was purchased by the Bristol and Gloucestershire Congre- gational Union. " Presentation to Dr. Brown. — The members of the Rev. Dr. 458 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Brown's bible class took occasion, on their assembling last Thursday at Highbury School, Grosvenor Street, to present the rev. doctor with a handsome writing desk. It was presented in the name of the members, by Messrs. Alder and Chick, and is composed of Coromandel wood, and bears a plate with the inscription; — 'To the Kev. A. M. Brown, LL.D., from the members of his bible class, March 31st, 1859.' The desk is very elegantly fitted up, with every requisite in a superior style." {Cheltenham Examiner, April 6, 1859). Highbury Chapel is now used as a school-room, and the British system is adopted with success. The large numbers who have in years past been educated at this school must render its influence of a very extensive character. " Highbury British School, Grosvenor Street. — This school has again been examined by J. Bowstead, Esq., Her Majesty's Inspector, who, having last year reported that the school had attained to a position of first-class efficiency, reports this year that it continues to be a well-ordered and efficient school." {Cheltenham Examiner, June 1861). THE BAPTIST CHAPELS. The history of the Baptist Dissenters is in fact the history of the rise, origin, and progress of the great principles of civil and religious liberty. They were identified with the first struggle that was made on behalf of the inalienable rights of conscience, and which ended in the acknowledgment of the duty of every individual to enquire for himself in matters of religion, and to maintain and practice his rightful conclusions. The Baptists, or Anabaptists, first sprung up in Germany, at the period the great Luther was laying the foundation of the Protestant Beformation. Although so early as the year 1400 there were individuals in England who denied the efficacy of infant baptism, and who were persecuted for broaching their opinions, yet it was not until the period of the commonwealth that they openly made an attempt to form Baptist societies. The first notice of Baptists existing in Gloucestershire occurs in Calamy's life of the celebrated divine, Baxter. Baxter was driven from Kidderminster on account of his Nonconformist sentiments, and sought shelter at Gloucester, in the year 1660. His biographer says " He retired to Gloucester, where he found DISSENTING PLACES OF -WORSHIP. 459 a civil, courteous, and religious people. It was in this retire- ment that he met with the first Anabaptists that ever he was acquainted with. About a dozen young men or more, of considerable parts, had received the opinion against infant baptism and were re-baptis ed, and laboured to draw others unto them not far from Gloucester. The minister of the place, Mr. Winnel, being hot and impatient with them, it was thought hardened them the more. He wrote a considerable book at that time against them ; but the nation having then no great experience of the tendency of their principles, blamed Mr. Winnel for his asperity towards them." The seed which these " dozen young men " sowed, fell upon good ground, for at the passing of the Act of Uniformity, in 1662, we find that the following ejected ministers in the county embraced their principles, and minis- tered to Baptist congregations at the places named : — Rev. T. Jennings, at Brimpsfield ; Rev. T. Fisher, at Tanworth ; Rev. T, Prinn, at Kemply ; Rev. J. Head, at Bourton-on-the-Water ; Rev. T. Paxford, at Stroud. In addition to these may be mentioned several persons ejected at the same period from the office of master at some of the endowed free schools of the locality, and who afterwards became pastors. From the same valuable work we also learn the origin of the various divisions which exist, even at this day, among this sect, In 1661, says Calamy, " began the miseries of Gloucester ; for while the Anabaptists increased on one side, one Mr. Hart came from Herefordshire with Mr. Yaughan, a gentleman who drew many to separation ; and next came Mr. Bacon, who drew to Anti- monianism." The Baptists from this period have gone on r. pidly increasing in numbers, so much so that, at the present day, there scarcely is a town or even the smallest village in this extensive county in which a congregation does not exist. This fact stands prominently forth to the observation of even the most cursory visitor to our locality, and is a proof of what is to be achieved by a firm and uncompromising adherence, in the hour of trial and persecution, to the principles of religious liberty. Cheltenham had its professors of this faith at a very early period, for the resident Baptists had become sufficiently numerous in 1700 to erect a place for their religious meetings. This building, which is yet remembered by pjany of our old residents, had a very antiquated appearance, and was only 38 feet in length by 20 in 460 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. breadth. It stood on the site of the present Bethel Chapel, in St. James's Square ; and having become exceedingly dilapidated, and too small for the increased number of professors, it was taken down in 1820, and the now spacious chapel before-named erected in its place, at the cost of £1,600. The following ministers successively served at these two original places of the Baptists : — Eevs. Joseph Price, Eiiezar Herring, Thomas Perks, Samuel Dunscombe, Hugh H. Williams, George Gibbs, Henry Walton and Jenkyn Thomas. After the resignation of the last- named indefatigable pastor, the pulpit was tupplied by various persons, until the settlement of the Eev. Jas. Smith. In 1839, another chapel of this denomination was opened in Eegent Street, and the congregation assembling there under the ministry of the Eev. W. G.Lewis, erected, iu 1844, the very spacious and noble Gothic edifice now ornamenting Clarence Street. Another congregation has also been formed, so that Cheltenham has now three distinct Baptist chapels. A proof that the Baptist cause was formerly espoused by local residents of wealth and influence, is the fact that bequests were made for the benefit of the poor professors. The rent of the land on which houses in Chapel Street and other places adjacent are built, and also money in the funds were left for annual distribution amongst the poor attendants of Bethel Chapel, the particulars of which will be found in the chapter on " Endowed Charities. " Ebenezer Chapel in King Street, originally built by the Wesley ans, was occupied by the Baptists; and the congregation under the pastorate of the Eev. J. Smith, before referred to, erected a new place of worship, known as Cambray Chapel, in 1855. This edifice is in the Italian style, from designs by Mr. H. Danger- field, the Borough Surveyor. The cost of erection was £5,000, The minister, the Eev. J. Smith, is the well-known author of many devotional works. The celebrated metropolitan preacher, the Eev. C. Spurgeon, has frequently preached in this building to large audiences. The foundation stone of Salem Chapel was laid on Nov. 8, 1843, and the building was opened on June 6, 1844. The cost of erection, was £4,000. In the gallery, abutting the very beautiful window, is an excellent organ. The only local burial ground belonging to the denomination is the one attached to Bethel Chapel. DISSENTING PLACES OF WORSHIP. 461 The Baptists have branch chapels at most of the neighbouring villages ; and schools and other benevolent institutions are connected with the different congregations. WESLEY CHAPEL. The first introduction of Wesleyan Methodism in Cheltenham was owing to the individual exertions of the great founder himself. The extraordinary career of John Wesley has been fortunately detailed by him in his well-known journal. Prom this very copious work we learn that Mr. Wesley first visited Cheltenham on Aug. 4, 1744. The spa waters were just then becoming famous, and the place was emerging from its obscure and village-like character, and attracting the attention of the titled and wealthy. At this period the only Dissenting chapels in the town were — the Baptist Chapel, Friends' Meeting-house, and the Unitarian Chapel, each of which, from its antiquity, was exceedingly small and dilapidated. The venerable founder of Methodism could not avail himself of either of these places, so he resorted to the Market Place, a rude structure, open on all sides, and supported by stone pillars, which occupied the front of the present Plough Hotel. " Here," says Mr. W r esley, " it being the season for drinking the waters, I addressed one of the largest audiences that ever assembled there. The footmen in livery created a disturbance ; but upon my speaking to them, they were attentive. 55 This visit is also mentioned in " The Life of the Countess of Huntingdon, 55 wherein it is stated that Mr. Wesley collected the audience as they were coming out of the Parish Church, and afterwards harangued them. It appears that his preaching had then little weight with the inhabitants; but, nothing daunted at his first reception, on October 25 th, in the same year, he paid a second visit, preaching from the text, " By grace ye are saved, 55 which, however, was equally un- successful, for, he says, " the company seemed just as much to understand what I said as if I had been talking Greek and Latin. 55 He went the same day to the adjacent village of Gotherington, where he had a most intelligent auditory: and it is worthy of note, that Mr. Wesley preached several times at that place, and expresses himself highly pleased with the attention which he met with. At the present day Grotherington — isolated and obscure as it is-=— is still a Dissenting station. 462 HISTOTLY OF CHELTENHAM. It was not until twenty-two years afterwards that lie again attempted to disseminate his tenets in this town, and he then appears to have been fortunate enough to obtain the use of a dwelling house for the purpose. He made this visit, on March 17, 1766, and appears somewhat pleased at the result. He says, " At ten, I preached at Cheltenham. Here I was in a strait. The house would not hold half the people, and the wind was keen enough. I preached in the open air, and I did not observe any, rich or poor, go away until I had completed." This last- mentioned date may be said to commence the history of Methodism in this town. It appears that converts were then made, one of whom opened his dwelling house for meetings. That such must have been the case is evident, from the fact that Mr. Wesley records a visit in the October following in these words ; — " I visited the little society, and found them quite free from bigotry or prejudice," On Jan. 16, 1768, in noticing another visit, Mr. Wesley remarks : — " About ten I preached at Cheltenham — a quiet and comfortable place, though it would not have been so if either the rector or the Ana-baptist preacher had prevented." This great man did not again visit our town until sixteen years afterwards : this was on March 17, 1784, when his audience was but small, and to use his own words, " cold and dead enough." This was his last visit, for he was now 81 years of age ! but he lived seven years afterwards, engaged to the last in his favourite and laudable pursuit. Thus, at various times, during a period of forty years, Mr. Wesley broached his sentiments to this then humble, but now highly favoured and populous town. The converts to the cause, about the period of their founder's decease, rented the small chapel which formerly existed near Albion Street. Here, amidst much ridicule and persecution, they occasionally met for the purpose of public worship, for strengthening and consoling each other, and for o-eneral religious improvement. A few years afterwards the ministerial office was filled by Mr. Oliver Watts, a bookseller, who had then settled in the town. The population, through the fame of the mineral waters, had now increased to full 20,000, and bigotry having become greatly abated, the congregation so far improved that it was deemed necessary to erect a suitable temple for religious worship. After much perseverance and many trials a subscription was set on foot, and in 1812 the DISSENTING PLACES OP WORSHIP. 463 foundation stone of a chapel was laid in King Street, and in the following' year it was opened for public worship, and named " Ebenezer." This temple in point of size formed a striking contrast to the one wherein the Wesleyans first assembled ; but such had bevn the great acquisitions since that period to their body, that even the King Street Chapel was found too small for the congregation. Another chapel was accordingly built, forming an auxiliary to the above, in the Bath Road, besides various others in the neighbouring villages. But even these were in time found to be also inadequate, and consequently the present Wesley Chapel, in St. George's Street, was built in 1839, The foundation stone was laid on Oct. 2, in that year, and the chapel was opened Aug. 21. This edifice is a truly noble, lofty, and spacious structure, supplied with a powerful organ, and surrounded with a large burial-ground. In 1846, another chapel was erected in Norwood Street, near to the previous one, and called " Bethesda." The Primitive Methodists erected a place of worship in the Tewkesbury Road, which is now the property of the Congregationalists. Bethany Chapel, in Regent Street, was built by the Association Methodists in 1838. In some of the early numbers of the Armini%n Magazine, in the Methodist Magazine, and in various biographical sketches which appeared during the life-time of Wesley, are notices illustrative of the spread of Methodism in this town and county, and which confirm the account now given. The first time ministers belonging to this denomination were sent into this county was by order of a Conference held in London in 1779, when three were appointed. The first local chapel erected was at Gloucester, and it was built by a vole of a Conference held at Bristol in 1786, although at this time there were only three stated ministers in the entire county. This is an early illus- tration of that zeal for which this body has always been famed. COUNTESS OF HUNTINGDON'S CHAPEL. The late Robert Capper, Esq., a magistrate of the town, was proverbial for his benevolence. The chapel in North Place is a monument of his disinterestedness, it having been erected at his sole expense in 1816. It was first occupied by the Rev. J. Snow x then a Baptist minister, and a seceder from the Established ChurcL In 1819, Mr. Capper presented the building to the 464 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. trustees of the late Countesa of Huntingdon, and the services were conducted in succession by ministers sent from the College at Cheshunt in Hertfordshire. The front elevation is of stone, with Gothic sash windows. The building is 67 feet long, and 47 feet wide, and will contain 800 persons. An organ is placed in the gallery over the front entrance ; and the space beneath the chapel has been for many years a schoolroom. A residence for a minister is attached at the Portland Street entrance. The Eev. L. J. Wake, who has been the minister since 1886, was on Sept. 5, 1843, presented by his congregation with two pieces of plate, the testimonial bearing this inscription ; — " Presented to the Eev. L. J. Wake, Sept. 5, 1843, by the members of his congregation, as a mark of esteem for his seven years' faithful labours." Sunday schools and also village stations are con- nected with this place of worship. The establishment of a place of worship in the town in con- nection with the Countess of Huntingdon denomination, was owing to the labours of the pious founder herself. Lady Huntingdon was a frequent visitor to the town, and sent ministers at different periods to spread the evangelical truths of the gospel. In this good work she was aided by Lord Dartmouth, (then a resident of Cheltenham), who permitted her ladyship's followers to celebrate Divine worship in his own dwelling house. Lady Huntingdon commenced her work of love in the town so early as the year 1751, now upwards of a century since. In her memoir by the Eev. A. H. New, it is said : — " The Countess had been to Cheltenham several times, and expressed a hope to be enabled to pay attention to this interesting field of labour. Soon after the establishment of her College, the Gloucester Association requested the aid of her students, and her ladyship sent some of them to preach at Cheltenham and other parts of Gloucestershire. Her ladyship had been requested to supply a chapel at Cheltenham with her students, but owing to some unforseen circumstances she withdrew her ministers from the town. The good impressions, however, which were made were not erased from the minds of her people ; and eventually in the year 1808, the foundation of a chapel was laid by Eowland Hill, on the plan of her ladyship's connexion, which was opened in the following year, and was supplied by various ministers, until the Eev. John Brown was appointed the resident pastor. In 1816 ? DISSENTING PLACES OF WORSHIP. 465 "Robert Capper, Esq., came to reside at Cheltenham, and built, at his own expense, a handsome and commodious place of worship, called Portland Chapel, which, after a short time, was vested in the hands of her ladyship's trustees. For some time this edifice was supplied by a rotation of ministers ; but in the year 1834, the Kev. L. J. Wake was appointed the minister, where he still continues to discharge his duties." friends' meeting house. The very neat and substantial Meeting House, at present used by the Society of Friends, was erected in 1836. This religious body have also a cemetery in Grove Street. The original Meeting House, which adjoins the new one, was erected at Manchester Place in 1660. This building was afterwards occupied by the Unitarians, and has since been used as a schoolroom in connexion with the Church of England, and is now a private dwelling- house. It bears evident marks of having been built at an early period. Upon inspecting the interior, it will be seen that the edifice has been enlarged at three different times — a proof that the principles must have been embraced by many of the residents. The erection of a substantial and neat meeting house demon- strates that the present society are still alive to the maintenance of those principles of nonconformity and simple, unadorned Christianity, which their ancestors so ardently and disinterestedly- laboured to diffuse. Cheltenham was the only place throughout the county where the first converts to the Friends were allowed to hold their meetings without being persecuted. In the Parish Church are tablets to the memory of several of the deceased Friends, proving that their principles had been formerly adopted by residents of wealth and influence. Among the early preachers at Cheltenham was William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. unitarian chapel. The first planting of Unitarianism at Cheltenham was owing to the exertions of the learned John Biddle, who was a native of Wotton-uuder-Edge, in this county, master of the Crypt Free Grammar School at Gloucester, and translator of the Greek Testament. The persons from whose writings the life of this great man is to be gathered were his contemporaries, and his warm religious and political opponents. From them we learn 466 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. that Biddle was one of the greatest scholars of his day, and that although continually persecuted, he never ceased from dis- seminating his principles, both in the pulpit and the press. They speak of him as a person of " great holiness of character, 55 and as being able to recite verbatim, either in Greek or Latin, the whole of the New Testament. Biddle spread his sentiments throughout the county; and having been imprisoned at Gloucester for so doing, he was dismissed, in 1 644, from the office of master to the Crypt School. " His disciples, 55 as his biographers styled his converts, " con- tinued to meet secretly ; and at intervals between his various cruel imprisonments, he was enabled to visit them, and by his preaching kept alive, consoled, and confirmed their convictions. 55 It is also said that many ministers of the Established Church, and other influential persons in office, privately imbibed his notions, and treasured up the works which be published. If the converts of Biddle then residing in Cheltenham did not at the first erect a structure wherein they might celebrate divine worship according to the dictates of their consciences, it must certainly have been directly afterwards. After Unitarianism had been thus locally preached for eighteen years, its reviver died in prison in London, in the same year (1662) that the notorious Act of Uniformity was passed, which drove 2,000 ministers from the Church of England. The successor to Biddle in his office of schoolmaster, was the Bev. John Cooper, who, after holding it for sixteen years, was presented with the perpetual curacy of Cheltenham. Mr. Cooper was one of the number that was ejected in 1662, and directly aftei wards he was elected minister of the Unitarian congregation which then existed in this town, which office he diligently discharged for twenty years, until his death, which was in 1682, at the age of sixty-two. In the ministerial office he was suc- ceeded by the Bevs. Balph Taylor, Henry Sturmey, Thomas Macock and Allen Kear, the latter of whom died prior to the year 1698, and his immediate successors are not known, the last ascertainable minister being the Bev. John Welles, who died about 1789, and with him decayed the first attempt to form a congregation of local Unitarians. It is a singular coincidence that Unitarian worship was unconsciously recommenced on the very spot where it was DISSENTING PLACES OF "WORSHIP. 467 originally celebrated, after the lapse of half a century — the ancient Unitarian chapel having stood near the site of the late Mechanics' Institution in Albion Street, and, like all the primitive edifices of the Nonconformists, was hidden from general obser- vation, being approached by a narrow passage from the High Street, called " Meaking's Passage." This building was of great antiquity, furnished with a gallery, the pulpit and sittings ornamented with curious carvings, and capable of containing 150 persons. At the period before referred to, when the first recorded minister of this ancient sanctuary was elected, Chelt- enham had just recovered from the evil effects of the civil wars, and, according to Sir Robt. Atkins, contained 1,500 inhabitants, 200 of whom were freeholders. After this event the place gradually declined to a small village, so much so, that there are yet surviving those who boast that they could in their youth name all the then inhabitants. It was at this epoch that the decendants of the original worshippers, finding their numbers diminished and in pecuniary difficulties on account of their minister, had recourse to a mortgage on their humble temple, which was granted them by one of a similar persuasion residing at Warwick. This was, however, their last effort as a congre- gation ; for, at the death of the minister, the building was consigned to the mortgagee, and closed as an Unitarian chapel. Shortly after this, the followers of the zealous John Wesley commenced their itinerant labours in this locality, and rented of the mortgagee this building, where several individuals suc- cessively preached both on the Sunday and during the week, and continued possession until 1813, when the congregation removed to the present chapel in King Street, which was erected for their use. The next renters were the Independents, and the services were conducted by three young candidates for the ministry from Painswick, named Clift, Richardson, and Horlick, the last of whom became minister of an independent chapel in the Porest of Dean. These continued to preach until . the erection of the Countess of Huntingdon's Chapel in 1816. The next occupier was that eccentric individual of the Baptist persuasion, long known by the name of " William Bliss," who retained possession until the building became so dilapidated that it was deemed unsafe to be used for any purpose, and was consequently abandoned, and became the common property of 468 HIST011Y OF CHELTENHAM. all, no person laying claim to it. The desire to improve the town in consequence of its great increase in population and prosperity, called for the formation of the present Pittville Street ; and power was given under the provisions of the Commissioners , Act, to remove many old buildings, and, among the number, this then ruined edifice. Thus, after having been the humble instrument of founding four of our now most numerous and flourishing congregations, perished the first temple raised by the Nonconformists of Cheltenham. The zeal, piety, and un- exceptionable character of the early pastors of this interesting monument of the labours of our ancestors in behalf of religious freedom, are very clearly declared in a work published in 1698, now in the library of the Eev. B. Marden, M.A., late minister of the Unitarian Baptist congregation, Worship Street, London. It is entitled, " The Grounds and occasions of the Controversy concerning the Unity of God, the methods by which it has been managed, &c. By a divine of the Church of England." The writer, alluding to our locality, remarks : — " The Eev. John Cooper succeeded Mr. Biddle, the master of the Crypt School, in Gloucester, afterwards minister of Cheltenham, in Gloucester- shire, and after the Act of Uniformity, minister of an Unitarian congregation in that place. We appeal to all who knew him whether he was not a man always composed and grave, but of a most sweet and obliging temper and conversation. He suffered those abuses from intemperate and riotous men, when the nation was running mad they knew not for what, that it broke his health and hastened his end. His daughter, Mary, died about a year and a half since, a known Unitarian, so that the minister who preached her funeral sermon commended her to his auditors for a pattern of Christian virtues, however erroneous in her judgment. Mr. Cooper was succeeded in the guidance of the Unitarian congregation by theEevds. E. Taylor, H. Sturmy, T. Macock, and A. Kear, all of them very serious and diligent in their way, devout and pious, strictly honest, and charitable to their power, however, not so accomplished in human learning." In the original edition of the " Noncon- formists' Memorial," in Dr. Calamy's " History of the Ejected Ministers," and in " Baxter's Life and Times," are accounts of Mr. Cooper's ejectment from the living of Cheltenham. His death is thus registered : — U In ye yeareof our Lord God 1682, DISSENTING PLACES OF WORSHIP. 469 obit, Eev. John Cooper, minister of ye Unyterian Conventicle of ys place, March ye 18." Unitarianism was again revived by the settlement or Mr. Furber, one of the Bath Unitarian congregation, in the town, in 1832, he having commenced in that year conducting Uni- tarian religious services in his own dwelling-house. This continued for three years, when the Mechanics 5 Institution was rented and used as a place for public worship in 1835. In 1837, the congregation removed to the old Friends' Meeting-house, when stated ministers were elected, — the Eev. F. B. Barton, B.A., to 1839 ; Rev. F. Bishop to 1841 ; Eev. L. Lewis to 1845 ; Eev. W. Smith to 1847 ; Eev. H. Soliy to 1851 ; Eev. John Dendy, B.A., to 1853, and from that period the Eev. J. Gow, B.A. In 1844, the Unitarian Chapel at Bayshill was erected, at a cost of £2,000. It is an elegant structure in the Anglo-Norman style, and was designed b;y H. E. Abraham, Esq., of Torrington Square. London. The open wood roof of the Norman era is displayed in the interior. The first organ was formerly in the Wesleyan Ciiapel at Gloucester, and was presented to it by a daughter of one of the Chapters of Gloucester Cathedral, whom John Wesley had converted. A burial ground is attached, and also a schoolroom. The foundation stone of the chapel was laid July 13, 1842, and it was opened on Good Friday, 1844. PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. To meet the increasing demand for accommodation for religious worshippers connected with Dissenting bodies, Cheltenham Chapel, situate mid-way between the High Street and St. George's Place, was erected. It was first opened August 2, 1809, by the late celebrated divine, the Eev. Eowland Hill, who regularly preached the anniversary sermon afterwards until the period of his decease. The Eev. W. Jay, of Bath, also took part in the services. It was vested in fifteen trustees, and the trust deed sets forth the congregation as Protestant Dissenters, and the minister to preach and maintain the doctrinal articles of the Church of England. The Eev. J. Brown, of the Countess of Huntingdon's connexion, was the minister of the chapel until the time of his death in 1846. Cheltenham Chapel has had several benefactors since its erection. In 1814, J. Friend, Esq., bequeathed £400; and in 470 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 1837, H. Broomfield, Esq., £200. The house in which the minister resided, in St. George's Square, adjacent, was also a bequest, as a token of respect to the Rev. J. Brown. A monu- ment to Mr. Brown's memory is erected in the chapel. A considerable space of ground around the building has been appropriated to burials, and many interments have taken place. After the death of Mr. Brown, the services were conducted by ministers of various denominations. Ultimately the trustees presented the building to the Presbyterian body. The Rev. Dr. Robert Steel was the first elected minister ; and since his settlement, the sect so recently introduced has become popular, as crowded auditories and a newly erected schoolroom attest. Dr. Steel, in 1862, was chosen pastor of a congregation at Sydney, Australia, and was succeeded by the Rev. T. Macpherson, M.A., of Birmingham. EOMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. The history of the present Catholic congregation does not date back but little more than half a century. The earliest professors of the faith appear to have been individuals who had settled here during the stirring times of revolutionary action in France, in the capacity of teachers of foreign languages. The number who assembled to celebrate worship was extremely small in the first place, and met in a private house. Among the number who came to the town (and who enjoyed a considerable patronage as a teacher of languages) was the Abbe Csesar. He was the chaplain and spiritual adviser of the unfortunate Louis XVL, and like his royal master fled from the stormy scenes of strife and bloodshed to the beautiful and retired " Queen of Watering Places." During his abode, a room in the York Hotel was fitted up for worship, and the services were regularly conducted by the Abbe. The number at this period was far from numerous, but on the increase. The Abbe died in 1811, and was interred in the parish churchyard, where a stone, erected by subscription among his pupils, may be seen, bearing this simple inscription : — " To the memory of the Rev. Alexander Csesar, French priest, who died Sept. 24, 1811." The Rev. J. Birdsall, a priest of wealth and influence, a few years previous to the Abbe's decease, had become a resident, and by his exertions and proselytism a numerous congregation was DISSENTING PLACES OF WORSHIP. 471 formed, and a spacious chapel erected in Somerset Place, and united with the Benedictine Order. Here the numbers were soon doubled, as is evident from the fact that upwards of one thousand members signed an address of loyalty at the time the Ecclesiastical Titles' Bill was being promoted. Mr. Birdsall conducted the services for a number of years, and at his decease the congregation erected within the edifice a handsome monu- ment to his memory. The Earl of Kenmare and Lord Castlecross took a warm interest in the establishment of a congregation, and paid repeated visits to the town for the purpose of aiding the local professors to gain that object. The Cheltenham Chronicle of March 11, 1813, in recording the arrival list observes : — "Earl Kenmare and Lord Castlecross, the Catholic delegates, have arrived in this town. May they return with the tidings that the members of the present British Legislature is divested of that intolerant spirit which blurred the conduct of their predecessors ; that the Catholics, a loyal, long-suffering class of our fellow subjects, who have fought, bled, and died in the service of their country, have, by legal decision, a prospect of enjoying a suitable reward for their merit and exertions, and that holy religion be no longer subservient to narrow policy." The royal family of France during their residence in the town appear to have attended the Catholic Chapel, as the following extract from the Cheltenham Chronicle exhibits ; — " Monday, August 9, 1813, the remains of Charles Rosalie de Rouen Chabot, Comte de Jarnac, were conveyed from Pine Cottage to the Catholic Chapel in this town, where they remained during the celebration of Mass and the funeral ceremony, whence they were conveyed to Gloucester Cathedral for interment. Most of the royal family now residing here were present." The chapel in Somerset Place (to which was attached a day school, which is now near St. Paul's Church) becoming too small, a movement was set on foot for the erection of a new edifice. The result was the building of the present church dedicated to St. Gregory, which is unquestionably one of the finest modern Gothic structures that the town can boast of. It was opened in May, 1857, by Cardinal Wiseman, and was designed by Charles Hansom, Esq., architect, of Clifton. It represents the early decorated style of the 13th century, and 472 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. the estimated cost was £12,000. The tower and spire is 170 feet high, and the length of the church from the tower is 157 feet, the nave alone measuring 90 feet. Both the interior and exterior exhibit some suburb carvings in stone. The altar contains some exquisite specimens of artistic skill — three sculptured pannels representing the Annunciation. The " Ladye Chapel " is separated from the nave by handsome rails of orna- mental brass. The stained glass windows are admirable speci- mens of artistic skill, and many of them are placed as memorials tu departed members of the faith. The entrance porch is very ornamental, and in a niche the Good Shepherd appears pro- minent. The stone pulpit is a work of the highest order of art, and of the entire edifice it may be said, that the beauty of its design and the elaboration and finish of every detail merit the highest commendation. THE JEWS 5 SYNAGOGUE. The ancient House of Israel first commenced public worship in a small upper room at the St. George's Place entrance to Manchester Walk, about forty years since. In this place, religious worship was regularly conducted until the erection of the present Synagogue in St. James's Square. The foundation stone of the Jews' Synagogue was laid with Masonic ceremony, July 25, 1837. The event attracted a numerous auditory, who were addressed by the Eev. J. Levy, first in Hebrew and afterwards in English. The Synagogue was erected after designs by Mr. W. H. Knight, a resident architect. The body of the Ark is imitation jasper ; the pediment is supported by Cor- inthian columns, and the doors are protected by a rich Indian curtain. The edifice is lighted by a dome, neatly ornamented with cornice and fretwork. On a mural tablet is displayed a copy of a prayer for the Queen and Koyal Family. The building was consecrated May 14, 1839. The Jews have a cemetery in Elm Street, Tewkesbury Koad. HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 473 CHAPTER XXIV. (Eelcbratefc authors comucteft fottJ) tfje tTofon. CHELTENHAM has Literary associations of an interesting character. By birth, residence, and by visits, the Queen of Watering Places is connected with .Poets and Historians, dead and living, whose works have acquired for them undying fame. Among the number are Shenstone, Lord Byron, Sir Walter Scott, Thomas Campbell, Sir E. Bulwer, Southey (the late), and Tennyson (the present poet laureate), Thomas Moore, the poet of Ireland, lion. Mrs. Norton, D'Israeli, the author of " Coningsby" and late Chancellor of the Exchequer, Thomas Haynes Bayly, Kev. J. Middleton, Mrs. Cornwall Baron Wilson, Thomas Henry Sealy, Ainswort, Capt. Marryatt, Dr. Jenner, Dr. Barron, Charles Dickens, Mrs. Siddons. Phillips, Talfourd, Kemble, Sheridan Knowles, Mrs. Grey, Miss Pickering, Eev.R. Montgomery, Sergeant Allen, Gilbert, Horace Smith, Warren, Washington Irving, Douglas Jerrold, Harriet Marti neau, Lady Morgan, Lady Bulwer, Holland, Dr. Johnson, Dr. Fosbrooke, Sir H. Bishop, Dr. Wright, Professor Buckman, Hepworth Dixon, Mrs. Gore, Rev. J. E. Riddle, Handel, Charles James Pox, Miss Culloch, Beamish, Sydney Dobell, Horace Dobell, Myers, Newman, Byrne, Cradock Newton, Sir J. Ross, Dr. McCabe, Dr. Gibney, Theodore Hook, Rev. G. Croly, and many others. The poet Campbell has been several times a visitor. He was attracted to the town from its intimate acquaintance with the great actress, Mrs. Siddons. The poet's well-known life of this celebrated ornament of the stage evinces accurate local research into the town's history, as may be seen in reference to the quotations from it in the chapter on Dramatic History in this work. Campbell resided in Suffolk -parade during his first sojourn. His friend and contemporary, Cyrus Redding, has preserved the fact of his local connection, by recording it on the pages of the " New Monthly Magazine.' ' The national poet of 474 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. . Ireland, Thomas Moore, will be long remembered among the local literary circles. He was a frequent guest of the late J. Corry, Esq., of 7, Montpellier Spa-buildings, a gentleman intimately connected both with the literature and commercial policy of the sister isle, and who enjoyed the poet's friendship from boyhood to the grave. The poet's widow is still an occa- sional visitor, and resides at Sloperton Cottage, in the adjacent County of Wilts. It is a most interesting fact that Lord Byron is closely identified with the locality. At the period when the reviewers were rivalling each other in discussing the merits of " Childe Harold," its author was enjoying the beautful scenery of Cheltenham. Here it was that he was engaged in collecting materials and contemplating his well-known poem, " The Corsair." His favourite lounge was a stile, which leads from Bays Hill, near Stoneleigh villa, through a passage in Lansdown Crescent. From this then quiet spot, the poet could command a most beautiful view of the vale of Gloucester, terminating on the right with the lofty hills of Malvern capped with the camp of the brave and patriotic Caractacus. The great poet arrived in the town in September 1812, and continued his visits until April 1813. His time appears to have been occupied in his literary pursuits, and he was in the habit of daily passing hours alone in some lonely or romantic place near the town, where the fields of nature existed unadorned, and doubtless tended to inspire him, and laid the foundation of that beautiful imagery so prevalent in his poetry composed at this period. He was a patron of the Drama, and associated with Mr. Siddons, Kemble, and Colonel Berkeley. The vicinity abounds with walks of a rural character, and it may be said with truth that no other fashionable Watering Place in England can command so many contiguous " nooks and glens " as our own town. These ever verdant and pictureque spots have charmed many a literary student. The boldest and most forcible delineations of the pleasure which a country prospect produces on the mind, as embodied in the characters in the inimitable tragedy of " Ion," were suggested to its author, Justice Talfourd, by his visits to our neighbouring hills. That a locality so truly beautiful should have fascinated a Byron is not therefore so much a matter of surprise. In Moore's life of the poet, is preserved a series of letters written by Lord Byron, during the period of his residence, CELEBBATED AUTHORS. 475 extending over six months. The letters refer principally to the publication of his works, and the reviews concerning them. They are addressed to Lord Holland, Murray the publisher, and .Rogers, the poet. In one of these letters to Lord Holland, dated from High-street, Cheltenham, Sept. 10, 1812," the poet thus alludes, at the conclusion, to the locality — "My best respects to Lady H., her departure with those of my other friends was a sad event. It has now reduced me to a state of most cynical solitude. By the waters of Cheltenham I sat down and drank when I remembered thee, Georgiana Cottage ! As for harps, we hanged them upon the willow that grew thereby. — Byron." The spot alluded to is that portion of the Chelt which adjoins the residence of Lady Agar, in the Bath- road. Willows grew on the side of the river in a continuous line by Wellington Mansion, until the past few years. Lord Byron's daughter, who married Lord King, a lineal descendant of the philosopher Locke, was also a periodical visitor. This lady was the late Countess of Lovelace, aud well-known as "Ada, sole daughter of my house and heart." The local con- nection was continued by the residence of the poet's relatives, — Mrs. Admiral Byron in the town, and the Eev. J. Byron, A.M., who has for so many years been identified with the Hardwick vicarage. By a singular coincidence Lord Byron and another celebrated poet, Haynes Bayley, both resided in the same house in the High-street (No. 430), which has been recently converted into business premises, in the occupation of Mr. Beckingsale, draper. Charles Phillips, the author of the life of the inimitable Irish orator, Curran, and Mrs. Grey, whose affecting narrative of "The Gambler's Wife," has won for the authoress a moral fame, may be claimed as former residents. This is also true of Sergeant Allen, a leading member of the Oxford Circuit, and of the Eev. E. Montgomery, the author of the remarkable poem, " Satan," the former was originally a schoolmaster in the town, and the latter was his pupil. Both in after life were destined not only to acquire a literary fame, but also to occupy a promi- nent position in their different professions, the bar and the pulpit. Among others who have taken up their abode, may be enumerated General Sir Walter Ealeigh Gilbert, Mrs. Smythiers, the novelist, Phillipart, the well-known collector of military anecdotes, Miss Seward, the poetess, Sir C. Napier, Sir W. 476 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, Napier, and Admiral Napier, the celebrated military historians of India, Millett, the author of the Drama of " Aladdin," the builder of the Imperial Hotel, and father of Captain Millett. Sheridan Knowles, during the period he was writing his popular play, " The Love Chase," was a resident. The forcible deli- neations of the horse, and the sports of the hunting field, which occur in the play, were composed by the gifted author from daily observation and enquiry at the horse repository adjoining his own residence, Sudeley-place, Winchcomb- street. The town and its environs have been the favourite spots for study of the Poet Laureates, Southey and Tennyson. The family of Tennyson for several years resided at No. 10, St. James's- square. Alfred Tennyson, the present Poet Laureate, is therefore most intimately associated with the town. The poet Shenstone in 1734, and Sir Walter Scott in 1826, sought relief from the ill effects of a too close application to literary pursuits, by a recourse to the mineral waters of Cheltenham. Sir E. Bulwer Lytton, Bart., the author of the ever popular play of "The Lady of Lvons," Lady Bulwer, Hon. Mrs. Norton, Dickens, Douglas Jerrold, Miss Pickering, Horace Smith, Samuel Warren, author of " Ten Thousand a Year," Washington Irving, the fascinating American writer, Maxwell, author of "My Life," Home Tooke, Thelwall, Stocqueter, the Indian tourist and historian, Miss Harriet Martineau, the political novelist, Lady Morgan, Med win, the collector of Lord Byron's correspondence, Bev. G. Croly, LL.D., author of "Memoirs of George IV. and Cataline," Sir I. Brooke, author of "Travels in Borneo," Bev. G. B. Gleig, author of "The Subaltern," T. C. Grattan, author of " Highways and Byways ? " Theodore Hook, Bev. J. Hewlett, author of 'Peter Pringle," Lover, the ballad composer of Ireland, Mrs. Maberley, author of " Melanthe," Morier ("Haggi Baba"), Sir G. Brydges, Bart., the Persian historian, Sir J. Malcolm, author of "Sketches in Persia," Capt. Marryatt, Ainsworth, and D'Israeli, have all been local sojourners and mingled with the visitors and residents. The poet of Scotland, Bobert Burns, is also identified by the residence of his two sons, Lieut. -Col. W. N. Burns and Major J. G. Burns, whose public patronage to dramatic literature at once prove them to inherit a parent's taste for what is so justly calculated to refine and elevate society. The immortal Jenner, CELEBBATED AUTHORS. 477 the discoverer of vaccination, and the author of works on Natural History and Philosophy, was for many years a resident physician ; and in ±814, at his residence No. 8, St. George's Place, formed the first literary society in the town. His friend and biographer, Dr. Baron, also a name distinguished in liter- ature, resided in St. Margaret's Terrace until his death. Mrs. Siddons, the renowned representative of the tragic muse, her brother Kemble, and contemporary Kean, were residents in the early part of their career ; and those talents which in after life created so much sensation, were first developed in Cheltenham. The well-known work, " Memoirs of the Duchess of St. Albans," by Mrs. Cornwell Baron Wilson, was studied during a visit. Here it was that the immortal Handel became a sojourner after the first performance of that inspired production " The Messiah. " Charles James Pox here sought repose, in the company of Jenner, from the fatigues of the senate house and the study. Here, too, have stayed Sir Plenry Bishop, for ever identified with every Englishman's ballad, " Home sweet Home/' That prolific and ever popular novel writer, Mrs. Gore, is also one of those who may be classed among the local literati. I)r. Wright has been locally connected by a residence of more than a quarter of a century. His labours have done much to advance a knowledge of the local geology, and he is also the editor of works in Bohn's library. " Dr. Wright of Chelten- ham — than whom there are few abler geologists in England." (Rev. S. Lysons.) Another resident was Professor Buckman, of the Royal xigricultural College, the author of a large number of works on Botany, Geology, Antiquities, and Agriculture, and who has written upon the geology and botany of this locality. Mr. R. Etheridge, F.G.S., the Curator of the Geological Institute, London, was a long resident. He was formerly Curator of the Philosophical Institution, Bristol. The name of Beamish has long been locally allied. His literary industry is strikingly apparent from the continual emanations which issue from his pen on almost every subject of value and interest connected with modern science and statistics. His " Statistics of Cheltenham " evince an amount of no ordinary research, which renders the work one of reference and authority. The " Life of Sir I. Brunei, C.E.," was the latest work of Mr. Beamish, and evinces a true biographical and scientific spirit. 478 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Among the number of modern poems which have enjoyed a national celebrity, that of " The Boman," by Sydney Yendys, stands most distinguished. The graphic yet natural diction of the composition, as well as the truthfulness of its details, will ensure its permanent popularity. It has received from the entire press, as well as from the most noted of living poets, unqualified praise, like his later productions " Balder " and the " Battle of Inkerman." The author has been many years a resident in the town, but, prompted by that modesty which ever accompanies true genius, appeared before the public under an assumed name — the real one being Sydney Dobell. " His poems exhibit a singular mixture of the philosophical and the poetical spirit. Many of his passages are as spiritual in conception and lavish in imagery as the finest portions of Shelley." (Chambers' Encyclopaedia). The name of Myers, educated at our Proprietary College, is for ever associated with the Burn's Festival at the Crystal Palace. Although then only seventeen years old, the adjudi- cators of the Burn's prize money confessed that they had some difficulty in deciding as to the respective merits of Isa Craig or our townsman Myers, — so equally were they matched. In 1861, this gentleman gained the Chancellor's Cambridge medal for the best English poem. He also stands distinguished for his poetical description of that remarkable painting which once o-raced the gallery at Lord North wick's mansion. His poem on Belisarius has never been equalled for truthfulness in Eoman historical details. Another poet educated at the same establishment has acquired a fame for faithful delineations of the inner life. — The name of Newman need only be mentioned to remind our readers of the prize poem " The Praise of Labour," which has from time to time appeared in the local press. The local poet, Cradock Newton, author of " Arnold, a Dra- matic History," published by Bogue, and " Dora Herbert," is the descendant of a very ancient family who have long held the manor of Bitton in this county. Kudge in his account of the manor, (History of Gloucestershire), states, that in 1483 it descended to Sir Thomas Newton, by virtue of his marriage with the daughter of Sir John Barr. u This family derive their pedigree from Howel ap Grono, Lord of Newton in Rouse. CELEBRATED AUTHORS. 479 The family name was Cradock for many generations, till Sir Richd. Cradock, Lord Chief Justice of England, on his marriage with Emma, daughter of Sir T. Perret of Islington, changed his name to Newton." According to Leland, " he dwelled or was born at Newtown, in Powisland, and so was called Newton after that place." Horace Dobell is the author of an eminent medical work, " The germs and vestiges of disease." A well-written and able defence of the founder of Penn- sylvania, William Penn, in the " Cheltenham Literary Annual " for 1856, was from the pen of W. M. Tartt, Esq., LP., a gentleman whose literary taste is apparent from the many con- tributions which he makes to the local press and public bodies. Here it was that Wilderspin spent a large portion of his life in carrying out the Infant School system, which he perfected, and in which he was assisted by the Dean of Carlisle. His works were mostly written at the infants' school at Allstone, which he established in his own private abode (at present occupied as the country residence of Mr. Norman of the Cheltenham Examiner?) To William Byrne, a resident poet, we are indebted for a detail of incidents connected with the history and legends of the locality. This volume contains numerous extracts from one of his works, which contains, among many others, a much admired poem — " Sunday Morning at the Parish Church, Cheltenham." His writings have been favourably reviewed by the press, and Her Majesty the Queen signified her approval of the author's compositions, by letter, soon after publication. The prize for a poem on " Garibaldi," offered by a gentleman connected with the local press, in 1861, was won by Lewis Sergeant, a scholar of Pates' Grammar School, and who after- wards obtained the first of two scholarships in St. Catherine's College, Cambridge. Hepworth Dixon, whose "Life of Bacon," and "Defence of William Penn" are so deservedly esteemed, and whose editorship of the Athenmum has been so successful, was a resident, and connected with the Cheltenham Journal. The Rev. J. E. Riddle, M.A., the late Incumbent of St. Philip's Church, was the author of the English and Latin Dictionary, which is in general use, besides many historical works. 480 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. The Eev. C. H. Bromby, M.A., the Principal of the Training College, and Incumbent of St. Paul's Church, has been for many years past known by his numerous works on education. His fame as an author is not confined to England, but has spread itself even to the United States. We observed in a Michigan newspaper the following eloquent quotation : — "Training oe Children. — There is in this. great work emphatically a right order and a wrong order of prosecuting religions truth. In matter aud in manner we must remember the periods of child-life both in our schools and in our families. We must do more than crowd the memory with texts or dry abstractions, if we would awaken the consciousness of God's presence and of God's love, His power, His providence, His hatred of sin, His love of goodness, — then it is of the utmost importance that we bear in mind all along — the child's age, his mental capacity, his modes of thought. In other words, we must follow the example of the Great Teacher, and sit at His feet and see how tie spoke to us of the Father. Of His teaching, I have to observe this two-fold fact : first, that it was uniformly illustrative, and, secondly, that the illustrations were borrowed only from such objects upon which the conceptions of His hearers were defined and distinct. We too must not mount higher in our illustrations than the distant conception of our children. While they are still infants, and learn through the outward senses, we must show what God is, from what He does. We point to the green fields, and to the beautiful woods, and to the blue sky, and show His love. We listen to the storm and wind, and feel His power. In the Bible I would select the account of the creation, the deluge, and the scene at the Red Sea, as well as some of the simple miracles in the lives of David and Daniel in the Old Testament, and of our blessed Lord, to illustrate the power and the providence of God." In the department of theological literature the town has had many prolific writers, including the incumbents of most of our churches and some ministers of the Dissenting congregations. The Eev. A. Morton Brown, LL.D., is the author of " Leaders of the Lollards," "Evenings with the Prophets," &c. The Eev. I. D. Hull wrote the " Lays of many years." The Eev. E. J. Perry founded his beautiful poem " The Village " from the rural scenery in the vicinity. The Eev. Dr. Croly, rector of St. Stephens, Walbrook, who died in December, 1860, was a visitant. " Dr. Croly had connexions and attached friends in Cheltenham. He was amongst its occasional visitors. He was greatly esteemed by those who had the privilege of enjoying his society. As a successful writer he had been before the public for nearly half a century. One of the earliest works was his poem on ' Paris in 1815,' and it was one of his best. In 1820, he published his ' Angel of the World'; in 1824, his play of < Pride shall CELEBRATED AUTHORS. 481 have a fall'; and in 1828, his magnificent biblical romance of c Salathiel ', which in eloquence and splendour has been rarely equalled. These, and his amusing ' Tales of the Great St. Bernard', and his latest volume of poetry, in 1851, under the title of 'Scenes from Scripture, with other poems', comprise his principal works of fiction. He was a contributor to Black- wood and other magazines." (Cheltenham Examiner ^ Dec. 5, 1860). Mr. C. Hale, an old resident, has shown considerable research in his " Graves of our Fathers." That prolific writer, Jellinger C. Symons, one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools, who died in i860, was long connected with the town, and married a daughter of E. Kendal, Esq., one of the Cheltenham magistrates. His valuable work " Arts and Artizans at home and abroad," is one of the best extant as an authority for ascertaining the staple commodity of any nation. He was successively editor of the Cheltenham Examiner and Free Press. The Critic in noticing his demise observes : — " Mr. Symons, who was the son of a country clergyman, was born in 1809, and received his education at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A.. in 1831. He was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in 18^3, but soon began to combine with the more special duties of his profession a devotion to literary questions of a social character, and more especially to the statistics of crime, education, and ot'.ier kindred topics. His writings soon attracted the attention of Her Majesty's Government, by whom he was appointed one of the Inspectors of Schools. The various pamphlets, lectures, speeches, &c, and more elaborate treatises on educational and social subjects, which he published between that date and the present year, fill upwards of six pages in the new catalogue of the British Museum. Mr. Symons is also rememberea for a controversy which he carried on against Dr. Whewell, and all the leading astronomers of the day, respecting the revolution of the moon on its axis, and for an interesting essay on the authorship of 'Junius.' " Allies, the Worcestershire historian, and Mrs. Eison, authoress of " Letters on the Continent," have been among the number of resident literati, and also Ml*. Hull, the author of " The Geology of the country around Cheltenham." In that branch of literature which is united with the science of music, the locality can also boast of having had eminent professors. The names of Kirstein, Sapio, and Pio Cianchettini, will long live in the memory of those who have ever listened to their performances. Tew among the living have enjoyed so long a share of popularity as Barnett. Long has this eminent 482 HISTOEY OF CHELTENHAM. composer been a resident. He is the author of those celebrated operas " The Mountain Sylph," " Fair Eosamond, ,, &c. The name of another resident professor, John Bishop, has long been associated with the musical world by his editions of the works of the greatest of composers, and by many contri- butions allied to the subject of music. To him we are indebted for making Handel familiar to the million. His life of that great man which appeared in 1856, was the first English work that gave the correct date of the birth of the immortal author of the " Messiah." In Victor Schoeler's Life of Handel, published in 1857, the discoveries and researches of Mr Bishop are quoted, and his contribution towards a correct biography of the unrivalled composer acknowledged. Mr. Bishop is a native of Cheltenham, and branches of the family are identified with our local dramatic literature and music. His last work, published in 1862, was " Remarks on the present state of Church Music. " He has also announced a new work of a very valuable character. " Mr. Bishop, of Cheltenham, is engaged on a new edition of Barnard's Church Music. Barnard's work, beside its intrinsic merits, illustrates the ritual history of the Church of Eugland in a very interesting way. The editor is known to be a skilful and accurate musician." (CiitiCy 18b2). The Hon. Miss E. B. Burton was a resident until her decease. This literary lady was the authoress of many works of the highest order. Miss Burton's aim was to render the most learned subjects in a popular form, and her position in society enabled her to publish at a merely nominal price. The lady's best known work is " Astronomy F; miliarized," published in 1838, which contains all that can be said upon the subject, and, as a specimen of the authoress's abilities, we extract from the chapter on Comets, which possesses interest at the present time : — " An abstruse calculation of M. Arrago's pronounces more than seven million Comets frequenting our planetary system. Of these, 140 appeared in the course of the last century, within the Earth's orbit, without being again seen. One especial observation merits attention. Amidst the couutless directions from, and in which, Comets are rushing throughout our solar system, there is one, from whence all are excluded; namely, the line of the celestial ecliptic, around which travel the Esrth and the other solar planets. Comets are found approaching the celestial ecliptic impetuously, from the most direct, to the most slanting course CELEBRATED AUTHORS. 483 across it ; but no Comets move along any portion of it. The unerring minuteness of creative care thus guarding the path of its solar worlds from undue proximity even with their regenerators. Agents of grandeur proportionate to energies thus awful — what a spectacle is permitted to man, in beholding bodies thus tremendous, traversing immensity with such appalling rapidity ; and, within limits prescribed, wheeling about with a regularity so precise." Millett, the portrait painter, who resided so long in the town, was the author of that very popular play, " Aladdin." He built with the money earned by his talents, the Imperial Hotel in the Promenade, now called the Imperial Club. He was the father of Capt Millett, who, until recently, was also a resident. " Millett the Portrait Painter, and his Hotel at Cheltenham. — Of another friend, about this period, (1820), I have a curious theatrical anecdote to relate. Mr. Millett was a miniature paimer of fashionable repute, and one of the best artists in his line of that day. He had just finished a likeness of the famous King of Poyais, Magregor, (a royal-looking personage he was,) which I called to see, and we afterwards strolled out together. Heading the playbills on the walls, we saw "Aladdin" anuounced, at which Millett laughed, and said, 'You would hardiy believe that some years ago I tried my hand at dramatic writing, and really sent in a piece under that very title, of which I have never heard since. I should like to go and see this novelty of the same name.' 'The play's the thing,' ansuered I, ami, after a quiet chop in the neighbourhood, to the theatre we went. After the play, the curtain drew up for the grand spectacle of the ' Wonderful Limp ;' and not the least extraordinary and amusing part of it was performed in our box by my companion. On the opening scene he gave me a dreadful kick on the shins, exclaiming, ' That's mine ! that's mine !' A little change took place, and he added, sot to voce, ' Or very like it.' The short and the long of it was that ' Aladdin ' was Millett's drama, converted into one of the most successful spectacles ever produced ; and perhaps he was the first dramatist who ever went to see a piece of his own performed without knowing it. By my advice he wrote to Mr. Harris the next day, stating the circumstances, and, in return, received from that gentleman a letter of thanks and a cneque for a hundred guineas. Whether it was to follow the example of his hero, I cannot tell, but he left off painting in London and settled in Cheltenham, where he built a most magnificent palace for an hotel, and let it at a rent of £500 a year." (Auto- biography of William Jordan, vol. iii.) Another resident artist carried the first prize in 1843, for a design of the Cartoons for the New Houses of Parliament : — "For one of the cartoons now exhibiting in Westmintt^r Hall, a premium of £300 has been awarded to one of our townsmen, Mr. E. Armitage, 13, George Street, Adelphi, and Prestbury Mansion, Cheltenham. The subject ofthe drawing is ' Csear's first iuvasion ot Britain,' and the Times has thus remarked upon it: — ' This cartoon is very splendid : the subject is treated after the manner of Le Brun, and reminds the spectator of some of the pictures of that artist in the Louvre." The local School of Art is distinguished for the many prizes, both local and national, which its members have obtained. 484 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. According to a return of the various Art Schools in England, made in 1857, Cheltenham had educated 1,350 students, which, in proportion to the population, was the largest number of any place. According to the eighth annual report, issued in 1861, the average number in attendance was 205. The report states that " the testimony which has been again borne to the suc- cessful teaching in the school by the Inspector from the Science and Art Department, South Kensington, must prove highly gratifying to all interested in the progress of Art amongst us. Fifteen medals and twenty-one prizes, exclusive of those which have been awarded to students of the Training College and other public schools, have rewarded the industry of the pupils, and sustained the character of the school. Of these fifteen medals, the Committee have the pleasure to state, nine were awarded to lady students." According to the report of 1862, the attendance at the school amounted to 286. The national medal, in 1858, was won by one of the students, Mr. R. T. Waite. " We are assured by a competent judge that the drawing of Mr. Waite is One of the best of its kind which has yet been placed in the South Kensington Museum. (Cheltenham Examiner, July 14, 1858). Thomas Haynes Bayly, the founder of a new style of English ballads, and whose poetical productions will endure as long as a taste exists for English poetry, is most closely linked with the town's history. In Cheltenham, Bayly not only lived but died. Here he rests in peace. He reposes beneath a willow tree planted by a friendly hand in the new burial ground. The poet's " last home " is amid the luxuriant turfy grass to the left of the chapel, and it is as quiet and secluded a spot as could have been selected for a poet's grave. Located at a distance from the main walks, the last resting place of the poet is not easily discernable, but "the pilgrim to the poet's tomb," and we trust there may be many yet, may discover it by the aid of the drooping willow which hangs its head, as if in grief, over all that is mortal of him whose words have penetrated many a heart and caused a tear of affection to be shed. Bayly sought relief in the beautiful air, scenery, and mineral waters of the place, from the effects of ill-health. But all aids failed him, and he calmly resigned his spirit unto Him who gave it. Thomas Haynes Bayly resided at No. 430, High-street, where he died CELEBRATED AUTHORS. 485 on April 22, 1839, after a protracted illness, at the age of 42 years. He was interred in the new burial ground, and for a long time afterwards only a foot stone was erected to mark the spot where the poet's remains rested. At length a memorial was reared, interesting from the kindly feelings which prompted it. Mrs. Morgan, an ardent admirer of the poet's productions, then residing at Norwood, came to Cheltenham, planted the willow tree which now mournfully hangs over the grave, and at ber own expense erected a head stone. The inscription simply records the name and date of decease — eulogy has been deemed unnecessary for a poet whose productions are so familiar. A design is, however, cut out of the stone from a drawing executed by Mrs. Morgan. As a work of art it is trifling, but the idea which it conveys is most significant. It represents a butterfly escaping from its chrysalis state, emblematical of resurrection, and symbolical of the author's celebrated ballad, "I'd be a butterfly." The lady who has thus endeavoured to perpetuate the poet's memory in Cheltenham, is the Mrs. Morgan, to whom the author dedicated his beautiful poem, " 'Twas in a happy summer hour," which is presented in his memoir published by Bentley. In St. James's Church, in this town, a mural marble tablet has been erected to the memory of Mr. Bayly. It bears the following inscription, written by Theodore Hook : — " Sacred to the memory of Nathaniel Thomas Haynes Bayly, Esq., who died in this town, the 22nd of April, 1839, aged 42 years. He was a kind parent, an affectionate husband, a popular author, and an accomplished gentlemen. To commemorate the good qualities which she duly appreciated, this tablet has been erected by his disconsolate mother." The Rev. J.Middleton, the author of " Pompeii," a resident poet of high celebrity, at a lecture at the Literary and Philosophical Institution, in 1 840, read a poem to the memory of Mr. Bayly, and in 1852 Mr. Thornton, also a resident poet, paid a tribute to his memory. Both these poetical productions were worthy of their authors and the occasion which called them forth. In acknowledging the latter compliment, the widow of the gifted poet, in a letter to its author, thus concludes : — " I also send you an extract from the reviews of one of his prose works, ( Kindness in women/ I shall be most happy to frame the 486 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. verses you wrote at his grave, and place them in my drawing- room. My drawing-room is now ornamented with pictures done for me by friends, from some of Haynes Bayly's songs, and I expect soon to be presented with his pedigree to hang among them. His pedigree is a very ancient one, being descended from Elizabeth Woodville, who was Lady Grey of Grobby — consequently, being Queen of King Edward, she was ancestor to Lady Jane Grey. Haynes Bayley, therefore, comes in under the same line as her present Majesty, and the late Duke of Wel- lington — the former being twenty-first in descent from Edward L, and the latter nineteenth in descent from the same king. Pray believe me, truly yours, Helena Haynes Bayly." Although a private communication, we have quoted from this letter, feeling assured that the public will be glad to learn that the poet's widow still survives and still retains a taste for that poetical literature which her gifted partner so much cultivated when among the living. The fact is especially interesting to the musical portion of our residents. How frequently have we heard crowded and fashionable auditories at the Assemby Rooms, during a concert, loudly applaud and encore the compositions of Bayly, and few who did so, perhaps, were aware that the author lived and died near the spot in which they were assembled. The poet is no more, but his widow yet lives, and the letter which furnishes us with this latter fact, and which we have been quoting, is of recent date, being headed " Monkstone, county of Cork, Ireland, December 8, 1852." The author is also indebted to Mrs. Bayly for facts com- municated in reference to the present notice. This lady, whose family relations were residents, is still a periodical visitor. On approaching the Gloucester-road from Christ Church the eye is met by a noble residence surrounded by stately trees, and forming a picturesque termination to the view from a declivity of the hill on which the sacred edifice is placed., This building is celebrated as the birthplace of Thomas Henry Sealy, a poet and writer of celebrity, who died at Bristol, in 1 84*8. Alstone Lawn, for such is the name of the mansion, was the property of the Sealy family until within the past thirty-six years. They appear to have been persons moving in the higher circles of society, and were regarded as possessing wealth and local in- fluence. Born in such circumstances, there can be no doubt CELEBRATED AUTHORS. 487 that the poet received, when young, a first-class education. Thomas Henry Sealy was born at Alstone Lawn in 181 L: when he died he was only thirty-seven, that fatal age to genius! After rambling about the world for a time, in which period he visited, amongst other countries, the classic land of Italy, and there drank deeply of that perennial fountain of poetic inspira- tion, he settled down at Bristol, where the exigencies of his family fixed him for a number of years. Here he conducted several literary undertakings, but with less fortunate results lor himself than moral benefits to the community. He was well versed in Italian literature and poetry, ancient and modern; and some of his translations from that langaage are greatly admired for fidelity and spirit. But he did not confine himself to the humbler office of re-creating the work divine oi other hands ; he aspired to the personal honour of the poet's vocation. A volume of poems, published under the quaint title of " The Little Old Man in the Wood, 55 will be remembered by the poetical reader. Natural history and antiquities also eng ged his attention. He had a curious e^e, and had observed nature for himself. For several years, down to 1843, he was editor of " The Western Archaeological Magazine, 55 published in Bristol. At that period he embarked his genius and his fortune in a weekly newspayer, called The Great Western Advertiser, which, after a hard struggle for existence, failed, and involved its editor and proprietor in ruin. The losses in this under- taking were estimated at £12,000. From the mental effects of this calamity he never recovered. His misfortunes preyed upon a mind naturally sensitive, wasted his health, and, in conjunc- tion with the harassing labours to which they gave rise, in fact necessitated, threw him into the consumption which carried him to a premature grave, just as the finer qualities of his mind were beginning to develope themselves, and his status in the world of intellect acknowledged. All who had the happi- ness of his acquaintance loved and honoured him sincerely. Many more, who knew him only in his works, admired the subtle soul, the delicate irony, the virgin freshness, power, and truth which pervaded them like a possessing spirit. Of all English writers his genius most resembles that of Goldsmith and Charles Lamb. His writings, immature as some of them undoubtedly are, belong to that favourite order of English 488 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. classics, and will hereafter claim their place upon the shelves with these productions. For some time before his failure he conducted a periodical under the title of "Sealy's Western Miscellany," also published at Bristol, and in this he published some of his most charming tales. The book, however, by which he is best known, and by which he will be remembered, is k< The Porcelain Tower." Of a work so popular it is needless to say anything in this place. His anonymous articles — scattered through many journals and reviews — would, if disposed of differently, have brought him the fame which can alone, to the aspiring mind, compensate for the loss of fortune. But this, the fact which we have just alluded to, denied to some extent ; at least it threw difficulties in his way. He was, however, emerging into distinction. Nature had made hirn a literary man, and she had not withheld the power to compass great intents. Had he lived he would have achieved them. He fought his part out nobly ; and, to the last, his brave spirit struggled against difficulty and de- pression. Militant or triumphant, his mind was equal to his fate. , He died untimely for himself and for the world. But he perished in a high service ; and he has left many fellow labourers behind who loved his virtues and honour his memory. Sir James Steuart, who is identified with Scottish literature, was for many years a resident, and died in the town in 1839. In Chambers's Journal for that year occurs the following biograph- ical notice : — " In August last, died at Cheltenham, Sir James Steuart, of Coltness, Baronet. This obituary notice would also be apt to pass unnoticed. Yet to those who know a little of, and feel some interest in, the domestic history of our own northern portion of the island, Sir James Steuart was a some- what remarkable man. He was alive in 1745, though only, it is true, as an infant. His father, in the month of October in that memorable year, proceeded from Holy rood House as an ambassador from Prince Charles Stuart to Louis XY. of France, in order to arrange for a French invasion, which was to have overturned the Hanoverian dynasty in Britain. Such strange things may the life of a single man bring into connection with our own peaceful age ! Sir James's mother was sister to the Lord Elcho who acted a conspicuous part in the insurrection, and at Culloden is said to have entreated the Prince to charge CELEBKATED AUTHORS. 489 with the wreck of his army against the too victorious troops of Cumberland. Sir James himself, this very old gentleman who died a few weeks ago at Cheltenham, was a friend of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu ! She speaks of him in some of her letters as a fine young officer. She, it will be recollected, was born a subject of King William and Queen Mary ! He was also a pet of the Duchess of Douglas, a singular specimen of the old world, who spoke broad Scotch, uttered all sorts of broad jokes, and never went out of her way for any body; this duchess" s husband was made a duke at the Union in 1707, and fought on the government side at Sheriffmuir ; transactions which appear almost resolved into ancient history. The former Sir James, the Prince's ambassador, was a man of vigorous talent, and wrote the first treatise of any importance in our language on political economy. Yet he was not exempt from super- stitions, such as those which shaded the majestic intellect of Johnson, and from wiiich perhaps no man of that age was altogether free. He had agreed with a youthful friend named Trotter, that whichever of them died first, should come back, if possible, to give an account of the other world to his surviving companion. A grove near Coltness House, in Lanarkshire, wheie they had often studied together in summer, w 7 as the place appointed for this re-appearance ; that there might be no mistake or misapprehension, the nour was to be noon, and the deceased party was to come in the form and appearance he usually bore in life. Mr. Trotter died, and for many years before his expa- triation in 1745, Sir James went regularly at mid-day to the appointed place, in the hope of meeting his friend. Seventeen years of exile elapsed, during which his mind was engrossed by one of the most rationalising of all studies. Yet, when permitted by the clemency of George III. to return home, and resume possession of his paternal mansion, he had still tne same feeling respecting his engagement with Mr. Trotter. He resumed his meridian visits to the grove, and continued them to the end of his life, even when the gout had made him scarcely able to walk. He used to say, in apology, that we do not know enough of the world beyond the grave, to entitle us to say that it is impossible for one who has entered it to return to this terrestial sphere. TVe must look with additional interest on the scarcely yet dried obituary notice of the last Sir James Steuart, when we find him 490 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. connecting the present age with a tale savouring so much of — we may almost say — the seventeenth century. Does the grove of Coltness still exist ? The estate, alas ! has been sold to a mining company for its iron and coal. We would fear that under its new circumstances, romantic associations respecting its surface may be little regarded. Yet it were worth while to take some care of the mansion and its * pertinents ' of the five Sir James Steuarts of Boltness — all of whom were men of oome eminence in the service of their country, though in different walks — the second being perhaps the most remarkable. He was a fellow-adventurer of William of Nassau in his voyage of November, 1868, wrote his manifesto for Scotland, and after the succesful achievement of the Eevolutiou, became his Lord- Advocate (first officer of the executive) for that country. c Jamie Wylie ' was the popular name of this statesman, on account of his dexterous movements amidst the trouble politics of that era; and that the name was not undeserved, one anecdote will show. In 1708, when the Chevalier St. George was hovering on the coast with, a French fleet, some one represented to Sir James that of course the man who wrote so important a paper for William could not but be in great danger — ' Hoot, 5 replied the old politician, c I'll e'en write his manifesto too !' It will be seen that we have classed Dr. Jenner the immortal discoverer of vaccination among our local literati. In Chelten- ham he practised as a physician, and by a singular coincidence his biographer, Dr. Baron, was also a resident medical practi- tioner. Dr. Jenner was, moreover, a native of the county, having been born at Berkeley. It is an interesting fact that the original portrait of Dr. Jenner is still preserved at Chelten- ham. This memorial of the great man consists of a large and beautifully executed half-length painting in oil. It was painted by the great Sir Thomas Lawrence in 1810, and is now in the possession of Miss Baron, St. Margarett's Terrace, a relation of Dr. Baron, the author of Jenner's life. In that able work this portrait is referred to by Jenner in a letter to James Moore, Esq., dated February 26th, 1810, " When I was last in town my friends urged me to sit to Lawrence, and I complied." The engraved portrait which adorns Dr. Baron's work of the great philanthropist is an exact copy of this noble work of art. The number of literary and scientific residents is strikingly CELEBRATED AUTHORS. 491 apparent from the organizations which have in years past been effected to promote the spread of knowledge. So early as the year 1813, the justly celebrated Dr. Jenner attempted the formation of the first Literary Society, at his residence, No 8, St. George's Place. In after years similar attempts were made, and, at meetings from time to time held, essays were read by Sir George Whitmore, Dr. Chichester, Dr. Boisragon, Dr. Eobinson, Kev. G. Bonnor, Dr. Conolly, Mr. Moss, Mr. H. Davies, and many others. The influence which these united efforts exercised is manifest by the members raising, by the means of shares, a sufficient amount to erect the late Literary and Philsophical Institution, which for so many years ornamented the Promenade, and of which we present a representation. In an architectural point ot view the building is deserving of notice, from its being a model of the Temple of Theseus. The building of the Temple of Theseus was the work of the age of Pericles, in the year that Aphepsion was Archon, 467 years before Christ. It was built of Pentelic marble, and was honoured at its opening by games and festivals ; and also by the celebrated contest between QEschylus and Sophocles. The front of the portico of the Institution, like Theseus, is hexastyle, having six columns, which are fluted, and also in the arrangement of its intercohim- niations, which approaches near to the Systytos. The metopes in front of Theseus, were sculptured in alto relievo, representing the labours of Hercules ; on either side four metopes only were sculptured, representing eight of the achievements of Theseus. In the portico of the Institution, these are, from motives of economy, left plain. The proportions of the development of the syffit of the corona; the mutules, with the distribution of their guttse; the tryglyphs, and also the autse, are preserved with the utmost fidelity. The portico being the architectural feature intended to attract most attention, the remainder of the front is purposely preserved tranquil and unobtrusive. The interior of the building contained a spacious lecture-room, library, reading-rooms and museum, In the latter, among the curiosities, was preserved a mummy which was publicly unrolled at the Institution before large companies, in October, 1842, by D. W. Nash, Esq., ; it was brought to England by Captain Lowe, E.N. There was also a fine specimen of Monastic art, in basso relievo, discovered at Earls Croome, Worcestershire, representing the 492 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. leading events in the Life of Christ ; and many other specimens connected with history, science and the fine arts, worthy of being preserved. The Society having been dissolved, the fine classic building was taken down in November, 1861. The museum, library, and works of art are still preserved with a view to their being applied for the purposes of a public institution to be here- after established in the town. CHAPTEE XXV. Hotal Instances of HongebftB- THE salubrity of the air of Cheltenham has been an acknow- ledged fact and enlarged upon by the most eminent medical writers of the past century. The proofs which have led to this admission are to be found in the Registrar's reports, which have from time to time been issued, and to the longevity which the inhabitants generally attain. The average number of deaths for past years, compared with other towns of the same population, show how favourable the locality is to health. In 1832, when that dreadful scourge, the cholera, was destroying its victims by hundreds at the neighbouring towns of Gloucester and Tewkes- bury, not a single death occurred from that dire disease in the town, and during the raging of the epidemic there was an unusually small number of deaths from any cause. A still more decisive proof is to be found in the great age attained by the inhabitants, whether of such as are " Native and to the manor born," or of those who, from visitors, in pursuit of health and pleasure, have become from choice, enrolled amongst our residents. We purpose to put on record from an unerring authority — " the book of the dead " — some local instances of the prolongation of human life which, we presume, have never been exceeded else- where. " Cheltenham, from its position and other circumstances, may be regarded as one of those most favourably placed. The LOCAL INSTANCES OF LONGEVITY. 493 general healthiness of the town, for a permanent abode, is clearly proved by the advanced age attained by a large propor- tion of the inhabitants, and in its comparative exemption from fevers of a pernicious character, and from devastating epi- demics." (Lee). "It was this purity and salubrity, combined with the shel- tered position of the town, which induced the late Sir Benjamin Bell, who considered the climate as mild as that of any portion of the coast of Devon, to select Cheltenham for the residence of his numerous consumptive patients." " So tempered is the climate, by the very circumstances of its situation, so bountifully has this favoured spot been adorned with all the charms of scenery, that it would seem as if in its formation the hand of an All-merciful Providence had devised it for the fountain head of health." (Weller). Dr. Gibney says that, " the climate of this place is particu- larly well adapted for health, there being neither great extremes of heat nor of cold. The yearly mean heat indicated by the thermometer for seven consecutive years, is 51 deg. 36 min., a temperature sufficiently indicative of the mildness of the atmosphere. The town is so sheltered by hills from the north and east winds that consumption and winter coughs are less prevalent than at other places ; and the hills are at such a distance as to attract a great proportion of the moisture, which would otherwise impair the salubrity of the air of the tow r n. The winds most common at Cheltenham are from the south and west, which are esteemed the least prejudicial to health." And Dr. M'Cabe further remarks that " there are neither sw-amps nor marshes to infect the air with their pestilential exhalations, and induce intermittent fevers, with their long train of conse- quences, which ultimately break the constitution ; nor cold nor 'piercing icindz to drive the blood from the surface to the internal and vital organs, and occasion colds, catarrhs, and inflamations, which, in the variable climate of England, are too frequently followed by pulmonary consumption." " Some idea may be formed of the health of the town at the present not very healthy season, when we state that although its population is nearly forty thousand, the total number of burials during the last three weeks have been only eight ! There is, pro- bably, not another town in England of its size which can show 494 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. such a low rate of mortality as is indicated by the above gratifying fact." — Cheltenham Examiner, Dec. 17, 1856. The population of the Cheltenham Union was, prior to the last census, over 44,000, and yet the Eegistrar General's report — made up to the 29th Sept., 1860, showed a decrease in the number of deaths compared with the corresponding quarter in 1859. The number of deaths in the former period being 221 and in the latter 170. The Cheltenham Examiner, of Nov. 21, 1860, in publishing the tabular statement at length, observes — " From the above it will be seen that Cheltenham still holds its place as one of the most healthy localities in the county. Taking the death returns as showing the actual state of health in each locality, the returns give a result equally gratifying, as it places Cheltenham in the most favoured position among the other towns in the county. The above figures show that, by means of our sanitary improvements, our good town still maintains its position as standing A 1 among the cities of the kingdom in the books of the Eegistrar General." " Persons who come to Cheltenham directly find how suita- ble the climate is to health, which must be principally ascribed to the purity and salubrity of the air. Indeed, Gloucestershire is famous for the healthiness and longevity of its inhabitants. In the reign of James the First, eight old men, whose ages added together made eight centuries, performed a morris-dance. That some should reach the age of one hundred is not wonder- ful in several situations and countries, but that they should be able to dance is certainly a circumstance peculiar to this fine county." — Guide to Wateriny Places (Longman.) "In the neighbourhood of Cheltenham the air is soft and mild and even in the wintry season not ungenial to its lone-lived inhabitants- If the best proof of the healthfuiness of the air of any place is to be deduced from the customary longevity of the people, many very old persons are daily to be seen in Cheltenham ; and even the silent repositories of the dead are vocal, to record the great age of many of the town and neighbourhood." — Journey to Cheltenham Spa, 1781. " Among the spectators who witnessed the procession on Monday (inauguration of the Eussian guns) was a Mrs. Wintie, in her 94th year. The old lady listened with great glee to the Eoyal salute fired from the guns in Prestbury Park, and LOCAL INSTANCES OP LONGEVITY. 495 appeared fully to enter into the spirit of the proceedings. To how many events of the past century must this woman's memory date back. She was a girl at the breaking out of the American War of Independence; was 17 at the time of the battle of St. Vincent, 23 at the breaking out of the first French Eevolution, and she can remember many occasions of national mourning and rejoicing arising out of the terrific struggles which followed that event. 1 ' — Cheltenham Examiner, July 7, 1858. The death of a well-known frequenter to the Cheltenham Market is also recorded in the same local paper of January 27th previous. "On Sundav last, in the hamlet of Woodmancote, Ann Kitchen, aged 105 years, breathed her last. Deceased was formerly a market woman, and as such attended Cheltenham weekly for many years. For the last two years, however, she had been bed-ridden, but possessed her faculties, both visual and intellectual, unimpaired up to the period of her death. Deceased was the oldest woman in the county. " " It may be satisfactory to those who feel an interest in Chel- tenham to be informed of the following facts : — The ages of the only five persons who were buried in Cheltenham during the past week, ending August 4th, amounted in the aggregate to 399, on an average of eighty years each ! And in the following week there were only two persons buried in the town, out of a population of 40,0uO; the smallest number on record in any one week for a great many years. It is also gratifying to know that during the portion of the year 1860, which has already expired, there have been considerably less deaths than there were in the corresponding period of last year." — Chelten- ham Examiner, Aug. 15, 1860. At the weekly meeting of the Board of Guardians at Chelt- enham, in July, 1861, it was officially announced by the chairman, Mr. Downing, that among the number of persons receiving parochial relief, " 370 are upwards of 70 years of age to 94 years of age, which is the age of the oldest pauper out of the house, although we have an older pauper in the house." At the present time there are two recipients of out-door relief who were 95 years of age last birthday. " One instance of longevity, and of the retention of bodily 496 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. health and activity for nearly a century, is worthy of being recorded. In April, 1818, William Lake, a native of Bod- dington, died there at the close of his 99 th year. He was in the constant and daily habit of walking to Cheltenham and back again — a distance both ways of nine miles — until a few days previous to his death, and to the last he perfectly possessed his mental faculties." (Griffiths.) At a public dinner, given to celebrate the extension of gas lamps in the public streets from Cheltenham to Leckhampton, in January, 1862, among the guests present was an old inhabi- tant, named Purser, who had reached the advanced age of 105 years ! " During the past month, an unusual number of aged persons have died in Cheltenham, no less than thirteen having been interred in our parish cemetery above 70 years of age. Of this number, eleven had passed their 75th year ; seven had exceeded 80; four had passed 85; one had reached 99; and one died at 103. Their united ages make a total of 1071 years, or an average of upwards of 82 years to each person. These statistics are such as few towns in England, of similar size to Cheltenham, can boast." {Cheltenham Examiner, April 2, 1862.) In 1807, Dr. Jameson copied from the tombstones in the Parish Churchyard, the ages of 864 persons, the majority of whom were above 60 ; fifteen were 90 years old, and two hundred and twenty-five were between the ages of 65 and 96. Similar is the testimony of Moreau, who investigated the matter a few years previous. "In the year 1800," he says, "the churchyard bears record to the memory of 225 persons, who, within 80 years of the past century, died between the ages of 65 and 96." Buff, speaking of the Old Well Walk, remarks, " These trees were planted for Capt. Skillicorne by Mr. Andrews, a respectable surveyor of Cheltenham, who died in 1743 ; and a strong instance is afforded of the healthiness of the place, and how greatly it is conducive to longevity, that his widow died in 1803, aged 94 years, and had been sixty years a widow ; and her mother died at the age of 92 years." Por nearly half a century, there was an inmate of the Chelt- enham Workhouse, named Sarah Bradstock, who retained her faculties to the last, and lived to be within four months LOCAL INSTANCES OF LONGEVITY. 497 of 106 years. To perpetuate the memory of this local veteran, a monument was erected, at the public expense, over her grave in the New Burial Ground, where she was interred in 1847. Annexed is a list, extracted from the local registers, of some of the more aged inhabitants, with the year when interred, and the age at the last birthday prior to decease. INSTANCES OF LONGEVITY ATTAINED BY DECEASED INHABITANTS OF CHELTENHAM. Year of decease. Name. Age. 1791 1795 1800 1803 1815 1825 1830 1833 1835 1836 1837 1839 K 1840 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 Hannah Leach 96 Anne Hopkins 93 Mary St< vens 92 Anue Andrews 94 Ann Angelic 9i Mary Lane 102 Richard Sherrington 91 Richard Lily 106 Esther Stroud 1C4 Thomas Williams 102 Thomas Morgan 91 Diuah Chestero 103 Sarah Brown 98 Eliza Harding 100 Elizabeth Fry 103 Robert Chambers 99 Martha Williams 99 Mary Betteridge 97 John Brown 99 William Pantin 96 Elizabeth Workman 102 Sarah Kingham 97 Sarah Hiam 99 Thomas Starr 90 Sarah Wells man 90 Ann Sweeney 92 Benjamin Johnson 95 William Holford , 92 Isabella Rogers 91 Francis Crompton 93 Anne Blessauxnax 91 Elizabeth -Weake 90 Mary Smith 90 Jane Heming 92 James Hawkins 90 Mary Page 90 Anne Lowe 91 Sarah Bagott 90 Gilbert Jones 91 Year of Name. Age. 1846 Elizabeth Little 94 1847 Thomas Mason 91 Samuel Davis 96 c« Sarah Bradstock 105 cc Marv Gardner 91 It Caroline Tanner 90 1848 Thomas Walker 91 cc Ann Griffith 91 it Ann Green 92 1849 William Jordan 99 cc Richard Webb 96 cc W.Jordan 90 i< Elizabeth Champion 90 cc Elizabeth M. Keatiug 97 cc Elizabeth Pimble 98 « Ann C. Douglas 92 " Jane Rose 94 1850 Sarah Kench 90 cc Francis Radnai 93 « Ann Webb 97 cc John West 99, « Elizabeth Morgan 92 « Phillipa Shaw 95 1851 Nicholas Allen 90 William Wilks 91 1852 Mary Maisey 97 " Elizabeth Greening 91 cc Elizabeth C. Stephens 91 cc Rev. Sir R. Wolseley, Bart. 92 • Jane Johnstone 94 cc Charlotte Cotton 97 1853 Ann Davies 91 cc Louisa Cook 96 " Ann Iredell 92 " Harriett Till 94 cc Martha Rose 91 cc Charlotte Scott 104 1854 David Home 91 cc Elizabeth Cook 97 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Year of decease. Name Age. 1854 Maria Ward 96 Am ra Williams 91 M. RawJinson 91 " Lavinia Lenon 90 1855 Sarah Sallis 92 " Robert Lambert 93 John Griffin 92 " John J. Sextie 90 " Thomas Jones 90 " W T illiam Walkeley 90 " Hannah Deeton 91 " Major Browne 92 " William Berry.. 93 1856 Thomas Clutteihnck 90 1857 Timothy" Callagan 9 '■ Elizabeth Taylor 96 " Ann Vickerage ,. 97 " Mary Belcher 94 Sarah Mason ., 91 Elizabeth Lee 91 Ann Leonard 92 Ann Clarke 90 Mary Masters 92 Moses Moses .,. 90 William Griffiths 95 7 J Name. Aae. decease. J 1857 Richard Saunders 91 " Catherine Flanney 98 Ann Lovd 99 1858 Letitia Barry 91 " Charlotte Jacobs 94 1859 Solomon Samuels 92 " Sarah Parry 93 " Kate Levison 91 " Sarah Jones 94 Charlotte Os'baldifcton 90 Thomas Wells 90 " Margarett Wooley 90 " Thomes Hemin 90 1860 Elizabeth Griffiths 97 " John Karney 93 " Mary Kingdom 92 1861 Ann Town send 92 John Hardy 93 " John Baker 92 Mary Durham 90 " Ann Melvin 90 Mary Martin 93 Amy Webb 98 1862 Bartholomew Cassidy 103 " Charlotte Scott 100 CHAPTEE XXVL O ! the old Elm Tree, that for ages past Has bow'd its majestic head To the gentle breeze and the sturdy blast, Still flourishes o'er the dead. And whenever I gaze on its aspect bold, Or give ear to its mournful creak, Do I think what a tale would it unfold, Could its leaves or its branches speak. — J. Carpenter. THE large number of trees, including almost every known variety, which grow in the parish of Cheltenham, by their beautiful foliage and diversity of form contribute greatly to impart that picturesque character to the Queen of Watering Maude's elm. 499 Places for which it has been so long and so justlv celebrated. From time immemorial, one of these trees has acquired great notoriety among both visitprs and residents, in consequence of its past history being' interwoven witoh a tradition of romantic interest. It is called " Maude's Elm," and is so lofty in stature that it forms a prominent object for miles around. It is situate about a quarter of a mile from the road which forms the parish boundary at Swindon, and but a short distance from the centre of the town. The general iorm of the tree is graceful; and its boughs, ever green and verdant, overspread a considerable distance, whilst its gigantic proportions and towering height impress the beholder with awe and wonder. The trunk of the tree is 21 feet in circumference, and it appears to be in a healthy and solid state. The roots, laid bare by the constant tread of footsteps, extend several yards from the trunk into the public road, and present a novel and remarkable appearance. Swindon, with its old church, displaying a unique Norman tower, and ivy- clad walls, surrounded with its ever solemn grassy graveyard, together with the tasteful drives and plantations of Swindon Hall — has become, from its close proximity to the town, a place of favourite resort. Maude's Elm is passed on the journey to this sequestered village, and consequently it is located on a spot of increasing public thoroughfare. The rude blast for ceuturies has raged against this venerable elm, but, excepting a few upper limbs which have been dismantled, it has escaped uninjured. Gilpin, the most eminent describer of the picturesque in nature, in his account of our iocal scenery, particularly points to Maude's Elm as one of the finest trees in Cheltenham, It is nearly a century since he recorded the impressions which the wide- spreading elm had made upon his sensitive mind ; and, since his time, many thousands of visitors have bent their way to inspect its fine and graceful form. That celebrated character, the Duchess of Devonshire, (mother of the late Duke of Devonshire, of Chatsworth, and the patron of Sir Joseph Paxton), was such an ardent admirer of this noble member of the forest, that she was daily to be seen, during her residence in the town, taking her beat, and reading her favourite authors beneath the shade of its foliage. It was during one of these daily visits, that a little boy who had charge of a horse attracted the Duchess's attention. Struck with the intelligent expression of countenance in a youth 500 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. so young and destitute, her Grace accosted him, and presented a donation. The boy, although only nine years of age, in return for this mark of kindness, related what he knew of the origin of Maude's Elm. The Duchess was so struck at the recital of the narrative, that she adopted the child, educated him, and he became a visitor to Devonshire House ! Her Grace, in after life, gave him capital on several occasions, to enable him to set up in business ; but his eccentric mode of living caused him to pass through many viccissitudes — one week rolling in wealth, and the next in abject poverty. He died at Cheltenham in 1844, This was Miles Watkins, so long known as " The King of the Cheltenham Royal Family." In 1840, the Duke of Devonshire, during his visit, had a drawing of the elm executed, as a memento of his mother ; and finding that Miles Watkins was still alive, and had attained his 70th year, he gave him pecuniary assistance, to enable him to live comfortably in his declining years. We present two illustrations — one which shows a distant view of the tree with Christ Church in the distance, as seen from Swindon Bridge, and the other the tree upon a nearer approach. We also avail ourselves of extracts from the works of three local poets, who have described in verse the history of Maud's Elm, and which were published in 1852. The adjacent village of Swindon retains, unaltered, its rural and ancient character, having escaped the hand of the innovator — a fact, no doubt, attributable to its quiet and retired position. The brook, as in days of yore, denotes the boundary of the village dwellings, and the approach from Cheltenham across the stream is still, as it was anciently, by way of a bridge. At this last-named spot was enacted the tragedy which gave birth to the traditionary history of Maude's Elm .The inhabitants of Swindon were one night alarmed by the shrieks of an aged and frantic mother, who declared that her only child was lost. The missing fugitive was an industrious daughter, who had been sent to Cheltenham with some spun wool, the joint produce of herself and mother. Her name was Maude Bowen, the pride of the village, who had just attained her majority, and was possessed of great personal attractions. Search was made in vain during the darkness of the night, but at daybreak a sad scene presented itself. In the brook lay the lifeless body of the beautiful Maude, which appeared to have lain there for some time. On the bridge maude's elm. 501 close by, another corpse was discovered. This proved to be Godfrey Bowen, the uncle of Maude. An arrow had penetrated his heart : he grasped with his left hand the hand-rail of the bridge, and in his right hand ware some rent portions of Maude's dress. When night's last shadow had passed away, And the crystal drops upon every spiay Heralded in the blushes of day, A ghastly scene was revealed to the eye, That caused the blood from the cheek to fly ; For the stoutest villager gasped for breath, As he wildly gazed on the double death. On the dimpled bosom of a stream, That flowed unruffled as life's young dream, The Swindon maiden lav cold and dead, A holy calm o'er her features spread, As though her spirit in peace had fled. No midnight murderer's stab could be traced, No ruffiau blow had her beauty defaced, So 'twas thought, in the height of mad despair, She had cast away life and sorrow there. Old Margaret wept o'er the lifeless clay Of the budding blossom thus torn away ; But no flood of grief could awaken the dead,— The silvery voice was for ever fled. But the heart was pained with another form, By the murderer's hand made food for the worm. On a rustic bridge that spann'd the stream, Whence rose to the heavens Maude's stifled scream, Godfrey Bowen was stiffening there. His clotted blood tainting the morning air ; An arrow shot with unerring aim, Was buried deep in his heart of shame, While his right hand grasped with tenaciousness, A tattered shred of the virgin's dress, A mystery clouded the horrible deed, And heaven alone the truth could read ! For in those days of despotic wrong, Who dared to wag the insolent tongue ? Who dared to utter in faintest breath What the living thought of the maiden's death ? The lip was sealed, and the tongue was tied By bloated tyranny's power and pride, But there was ONE who viewed with a smile The headman's axe and the faggot pile ; He breathed his thoughts in the silent shade, And vowed revenge for the Swindon maid ! 502 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Grtfdfrey Bo wen to the grave was borne, With not one neighbour iris fate to mourn ; "Fwas known lie was miserly, stern and odd, And laid not his heart on the altar of God ; 'Twas known lie had tortured the widow's heart, And play'd to'rds Maude an ungracious part; 'T.vas felt in the sorrow for her that was gone, The ruin was wrought by his baseness alone. — Clinton. Ill those ancient times, it was customary for the lords of the manor of Cheltenham and Swindon to elect their own coroners, who were generally residents, which enabled justice to be locally administered without delay. The lord of the Swindon manor at once summoned his coroner, and a verdict of " felo-de-se " was returned against Maude, who it was decided had committed suicide. According to custom, the body of the alleged self- murderess was ordered to be buried in the nearest cross-road, without Christian burial. Alas, for Maude ! a horrible doom, Denied her body a Christian tomb ; By malice, revenge and terrible hate, A coroner's verdict pronounced her fate. They dug her a grave on the king's highway, With no kind lips o'er her corpse to pray ; Thev buried her there in the dead of night, While the torcb.es flashed their lurid light ; No pall, no coffin, no virgin shroud, No relatives moaning their griefs aloud ; No priest to fulfil his mission just, Ashes to ashes, and dust to dust : Was this enough for the vengeful foe, To the wormy bed uushnven to go ? No, not enough ; for a fearful thing Is revenge when it burns to leave a sting ! Justice was warped and the law defied, And the" maiden branded a suicide ! A stake was from an elm tree riven, And through the spotless body driven. —Clinton. A glance at the map contained in Ogilby's " Britannia," pub- lished by government authority, in 1675, from an ordnance survey, will demonstrate that the site of Maude's Elm must have formed the centre of a spot where four roads branched off — the one through Hard wick to Tewkesbury, and others to Cheltenham, Cleeve, and Gloucester. Here it v,as that the once fair and beautiful village maid was interred. In accordance with maude's elm. 503 the fashion of the day, an elm stake was driven through her body, vvhieh, in process of time, grew to the stately tree which now exists, and which yet retains the name of " Maude's Elm." In those days it was the custom, when folks killed themselves, to thrust 'em Iu their graves without a coffin, without shroud or winrlin^-slieet, And wheu midnight winds were blowing, thus they buried fair Maud Bowen, In the grave which they had digued, where the four cross roads do meet. ! sad death /'or village beauty, ! vile grave for one so sweet ! And it seems the elm stake snooted, in the maiden's body rooted, And with leaves and tender branches raised its head above the ground ; And so wond'rous was its growing, that it's noble head was showing Very shortly as the highest object in the country round. — Byrne. Margaret Eowen, the mother of Maude, was deprived of the means of existence by the death of her affectionate daughter. The shock which her enfeebled frame suffered at the sudden catastrophe, nearly proved fatal to her ; and she never after- wards, except at short intervals, regained her wonted cheer- fulness. Her distress was still further heightened by being ejected from her freehold cottage, which was seized by the lord of the manor, who claimed it as an escheat by virtue of the verdict of the coroner's inquest. Without a home to shelter herself, the distracted mother wandered from house to house in the village, and found among her neighbours mauy who com- misserated her ; but the thought of her dear child seemed ever to pervade her whole mind, and she grew more and more melancholy. At different periods she was missing, and then would again mingle with, the inhabitants of her native village, whose sympathy she had won by many acts of kindness. It seemed as if she was a wanderer and outcast upon the earth, and each time that she returned to pay her visits, it was observed that she looked more and more dejected. But, although not a regular visitant in the place of her nativity and among her friends, yet it was ascertained that there was one spot where she was generally to be found, and that was at her daughter's grave. The fond mother was daily, in all seasons of the year, however inclement, to be seen, with the affection of a true mother, shedding the tear of grief, watching and watering the elm tree which was growing from the stake which had so barbarously pierced the pallid corpse of her whom she loved most dearly. 504 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. One morning, while seated at this place, as was her wont, her attention was arrested by an unusual procession of carriages and horsemen coming from Swindon. It proved to be the lord of the manor and suite on their road to Cleeve Church, to celebrate the christening of a first-born son and heir. The lord appeared annoyed at the position which Margaret occupied, and requested two of his attendants to go forward and to remove her before the cavalcade passed by. But neither threat nor persuasion could move the devoted parent from the last resting-place of her loved one, unconsecrated as it was. At length orders were given to obtain forcible possession of Margaret, but, just as the vassal's arm was uplifted, an arrow struck him to the heart, and he fell instantly dead. The arrow came from a thick wood, which then grew r on the side of the old Gloucester Road, but upon search, no traces of the archer could be found. By the lord's order, poor Margaret was seized, bound, and conveyed to Gloucester Gaol, charged with the twofold crime of murder and witchcraft. What cavalcade comes slowly on, With plumes and banner, mirth and glee ; The joyous scene will change anon To one of death and misery ! Sir Robert de Vere, and his lady fair, Bedecked with silks and jewels rare, Came forth from the Hall on that sun-lit day, Attended by knights, in waving plumes, And beautiful girls, whose choice perfumes As they passed along, scented the air ; And prancing steeds, with trappings gay, Garlanded o'er with flowers of May ; While pages, and vassals of every grade, Brought up the rear of the cavalcade. Where is it wending, that gorgeous train, So lavishly decked with the golden grain ! 'Tis a day of joy, for that lady fair Hath blessed her lord with a son and heir, And the sinless babe they are bearing now, Por baptismal water to lave his brow : But little they reck of the terrible doom That will spread around them its pall of gloom, And change their joy in its hey-day flood, To bitterest sorrow, and tears of blood. " What "beggar is this that stops my path P" Sir Robert de Vere exclaimed in wrath, When he saw the form of the widow wild, Bent on the grave of her murdered child. maude's elm. 505 " Hag ! Fiend ! and Witch ! why art thou there, To blast my sight with thy hoary hair ? I thought thy bones were rotting ere this — Do' st come to shadow ray new-born bliss? Up, up, and away, and cross no more My summer path like a stream of gore I" The form of Margaret moved not an inch, Not hers the spirit to cower, and flinch. " Thou bravest me ! but I know thy drift— Avaunt ! or I'll have thee caged, and whipt; Thy mummy skin and marrowless bones Shall be lashed, 'til thy heart with anguish groans." The mandate was heard, but heeded not, Meg's crouching form seemed glued to the spot. " Hubert ! advance," cried the Lord de Vere— - " This witeh is resolved my power to jeer ; Lay hands upon her, and drag her hence, A dungeon shall be her recompense !" From the gorgeous train came forth the slave, To tear old Meg from her daughter's grave ; When an arrow, shot with unerring aim, Pierced his heart as he seized the dame. He staggered, and fell like a heavy stone, And died without a struggle, or groan. The Lord of the Manor turned deadly pale, And his heart for a moment began to quail, For he thought of the unseen arrow that sped, And numbered Godfrey among the dead. "Drag hither the wretch !" at length he cried, " Yon slave is not the^r^ who has died From the sinful force of her potent spell ; She is in league with the fiends of hell ; Away with the witch to the dungeon's gloom, The fiery faggot shall be her doom !" Old Meg was forced from her daughter's grave, Unheeded the piercing shrieks she gave ; Her tears and prayers were of no avail — She lodged, that night, in Cloucester jail ! — Clinton. In a fortnight afterwards, the afflicted mother took her trial ; and with the aid of so influential a prosecutor as the lord of the manor, it was not difficult to obtain a verdict of guilty. The judge, in passing sentence, enlarged upon the necessity of 506 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. severely punishing all who practised witchcraft, and ordered her to be burned to death on the precise spot where the lord's attendant had been shot, which was none other than her daughter's grave ! The sentence was carried out to the letter on the following morning. The unfortunate victim of the credulity of a past age, was brought in a rude cart from Gloucester, guarded by officers, and seated upon a bundle of straw, which was to kindle the flames that were to burn her alive. A heap of faggots had been piled, in a circular form ; and as Margaret was being led forth to the stake, to be tied up, a murmur ot pity and of regret ran through the assembled crowd, as they beheld the wan and emaciated form of one who, in the days of her prosperity, had ever acted with kindness and benevo- lence towards all. The lire was but just kindled, when the solemn silence was broken by the Lord of the Manor penetrating the assembly, and taunting the dying woman with exercising the art of witchcraft. He had not spoken many words before an arrow, from some invisibe hand, penetrated his person, and after uttering several convulsive groans, he fell dead at the feet of the burning Margaret. In a few moments afterwards the blazing pile seemed to have reached it height, the stake was heard to fail, and nothing was to be seen but a heap of mouldering ashes. An event so tragical exercised a great influence over the residents at the time, and the superstitious character of the age gave addi- tional colouring to the affair. Conjecture and speculation were continually at work to clear up the incidents, and the tree daily growing in size seemed to stand forth as a living monument of crime and punishment. The Lord of the Manor having perished, his property passed into the hands of strangers. The house which afforded shelter to Margaret Bowen was unoccupied and unowned. Nearly half a century had elapsed since the tragedy had been enacted at Maude's Elm, when the villagers were sur- prised at finding a stranger spending a large portion of the day beneath the elm, and also residing during the night in the decayed dwelling of the reputed witch : Above the grave of hapless Maude, The young elm tree began to shew Limbs, and proportions, strong and broad, While from the stately bod) grew Branches, and leaves, that shadowed o'er The root, so long baptized in gore. MAUDE'S ELM. 507 Beneath that fre*sh-limbed, young elm tree, The unknown stood, and as he gazed The scene around, his eye was glazed, His care-worn spirit seemed to flee To days long vanished, and his trarae Shook like au aspen, when the wind Of Autumn blows upon the rind : Old age was dead, and he became A living youth as:ain. He threw His hat and staff upon tne ground, And kneeling near the elm tree, drew A sight Fro* sorrow's cell profound. A tear upon his pale cheeks strayed, While thus he mourned the Swindon Maid. When thou wert snatched from earth, my sainted Maude, All joys were gone ; I sou, lit the wars, the soldier's bloody trade, But still my heart was lone. Oh, thou hast been a lovely moonlight beam In saddened hours ; And I have strewed thy grave in fancy's dream, With wreaths of mountain flowers. Though Time hath laid his hands upon my head, My heart is young ; Though I have fainted upon sorrow's bed, To thee I still have cluug. E'en when I roamed the hills, a careless boy, My heart was thine ; I thought thou would'st have been a thing of joy And hope, in life's decline. With bleeding heart, I pluck a young green bough From that elm tree, Whose obscure root, some fifty years ago, Drew the dead blood from thee. Upon thy lowly grave, sweet love, I fling My weary bones ; 'Ere long, we bofrh shall meet before the King Of Kings, and Throne of Thrones. —Clinton. The occupant of the long closed cottage was one whose appearance bespoke that he was verging upon fourscore years. This remarkable circumstance soon arrested attention, and upon giving his reason for desiring to end his days in that humble dwelling, the new comer was allowed uninterrupted possession. The narrative of his life he would often tell until it became 508 HISTORY Ofc CHELTENHAM. familiar as " household words " to every villager. It was con- veyed from father to son, and thus orally, the traditional history of *• Maude's Elm" has descended down to our own day. The tale was published at Tewkesbury about a century since, under the title of " A true Eelation of Maude's Elm," but the work is now rarely to be met with, except in the library of the anti- quarian. The occupier of Margaret Bowen's cottage was, in fact, the hero of most of the remarkable events connected with her history. He was enabled to clear up all that appeared shrouded in mystery. His name was Walter, and his birth- place was Swindon. Erom his earliest years he had loved Maude Bowen, and was most ardently beloved by her. He was so skilled in the use of the bow and arrow, as to be called " Walter the Archer." Godfrey Bowen, the uncle of Maude, who was found shot on the bridge, was a most avaricious man, and in order to obtain possession of the freehold house which would revert to his niece at the mother's death, offered marriage to Maude. The girl indignantly refused the offer. No sooner had poor Maude escaped from this trial than she had to encounter one of a severer nature. The Lord of the Manor, having been struck with her great personal attractions, at once sought to make her his mistress. Maude repelled him with that moral firmness which ever shields and strengthens the virtuous from the attack of the seducer. Finding all persuasion useless, the Lord employed the uncle Godfrey to aid him to gain his unlawful end. This man, animated with the two-fold desire of acquiring gold for his unholy services for the present, and the future prospect of being possessed of the family freehold, became a ready tool. On the night when Maude was missing, Walter, her affianced, upon hearing of the affair, immediately sallied forth with his bow and arrows. He searched every thicket, and had almost despaired of finding her whom he loved, when the sudden shrieks of a female arrested his attention. It was dark, but he could discern the form of his Maude struggling with her uncle Godfrey, and the Lord of the Manor standing by. He drew his bow and shot Godfrey dead on the end of the bridge where his body was found. Thus at liberty, Maude fled, and Walter hoped that she had reached her house in safety, but alas ! her foot must have stumbled, and she found a watery grave. The Lord was observed to decamp in an opposite direction. maude's elm. 509 Fearing prosecution for murder, if discovered, and knowing the revengeful character of the Lord, Walter fled, and no traces of him were found until he came once more to take up his abode amid the scenes of his early youth. He, however, lived not far off. On the main road to Gloucester, which then passed not far from the present " House in the Tree," under an assumed name, he kept an inn, where he lived in the fondly cherished hope of one day seeing the guilty punished. The locality of his resi- dence enabled him to soon learn all that was going on at Swindon. She who by right ought to have been his mother-in- law, found at Walter's inn a ready asylum, and there it was she spent those intervals of time when she was absent from her native village. Walter entered ardently into all her plans, and watched and guarded her from the thicket when she was seated on her daughter's grave. He it was who shot forth the arrows which killed both the Lord and his attendant, and thus he avenged on those who had deprived him of one whom he had hoped to have fondly called his own. Thus Walter had lived to see the author of his woes come to an untimely end. The wish was granted ; Walter Gray In Swindon lived for many a day : And oft the tear would cloud his eye, And oft his breast would heave and sigh, When he recounted perils o'er That girt him ou a distant shore ; When he the saddened tale would tell Of what the Swindon maid befell. Wealth when united to a title often exercises an undue influence in localities, and Might too often overcomes Eight. But Pro- vidence generally orders and overrules the best laid scheme of the most accomplished villain. The Lord, finding that so long as the mother of Maude was living, he could have no peace for his guilty conscience, resolved upon her death, and resorted to the plea of witchcraft to accomplish his purpose. He succeeded, but the same hour that his innocent victim perished in the flames, also witnessed his own most cruel death. He had buried, but a short time previously, his wife, and also his only son and heir. He was the last of his race, and with him died the family title, and the manorirl estate soon passed into the hands of strangers. Many generations have come and gone since he met with his well merited death. His name and pedigree, as if by 510 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. way of retribution, perished with him. Cheltenham, then an obscure village, has become a large and populous town. New roads have been formed, and changes so great have been effected, that scarcely a relic of the past can be found. But amidst ail the revolutions which modern improvements have effected, Maude's Elm to this day occupies its original position : it stands a majestic monument to the memory of injured innocence. Eaeh year, the Swindon Maidens bound A votive wreath the grave around, And ever on the First of May, The sad recurrent of the day, When Margaret, and Mand$ were both Made martyrs unto fiendish wrath, They met, and sang this simple lay : Twine a wreath for the dead In her lowly bed . Gather the fairest flowers that bloom, To weave a garland of rich perfume, And solemnly let the token be laid On the hallowed grave of the Swindon Maid. The Snowdrop bring, Wan herald of Spring, The Pimpernel, and the Thistle down, Lustrous gems of every hue, Glistening with morning dew, Cull to embellish our Floral Crown- Twine a wreath for the dead ! CHAPTER XXVIL ONE of the most evident proofs that, as a nation, we are pro- gressing morally and socially, is the attention which the ques- tion of the Public Health has excited during the past few years. In this locality the movement has been watched with interest, and the inhabitants, through the medium of a legislative enactment, are reaping the advantages of the most modern discoveries. The past history of the town, as relating to the parochial SANITAEY HISTORY. 511 regulations for preserving the Public Health, not only demon- strates the improvements which have gjne on, step by step, but it also brings to light many interesting incidents connected with three consecutive periods — when the borough was decay- ing from its ancient importance — when it was rising into popularity by the discovery of its Mineral Waters, — and when it had become "The Queen of Watering Places," with a large population requiring an * Improvement Act," to preserve and beautify its natural attractions. The sanitary affairs of the town were formerly managed by officers connected with the Manor Office. During the past century it was partially regu- lated by successive enactments, until the passing of an Act in 1852, which extends its operations over the entire parish. TOWN IMPROVEMENT ACTS. The first legal attempt to regulate sanitary affairs was by an Act passed in 1786,— 26th George III , intituled " An Act for paving the footways and passages in the Town of Cheltenham, in the county of Gloucester, and for better cleansing and light- ing the said Town; for taking down certain old buildings now standing therein ; and for removing and preventing other nuisances and encroachments. " Twenty years afterwards another enactment was deemed necessary, and in 1806, the 46th of George III. came into operation. It was " An Act for amending and enlarging the powers of an act passed in the twenty-sixth year of his present Majesty, for Paving the Foot- ways and Passages in the Town of Cheltenham, hj the County of Gloucester, and for better cleansing and lighting the said Town ; and for removing and preventing nuisances and annoy- ances therein." This continued in force for fifteen years, until repealed by 1 and 2 of George IY., which is dated June 23rd, 1821, and the rapid manner in which the town had increased in population is thus set forth in the preamble : — " And whereas, since the passing of the said mentioned act, the number of the inhabitants and the number of the houses and buildings in the town of Cheltenham, have greatly increased, and the said town has, on account of the salubrity of its air and mineral waters, become a place of great public resort. 5 ' Under the powers of this Act, forty-eight Commissioners, self- elected, regulated the parochial cleansing, paving, and lighting 512 HISTOBY OP CHELTENHAM. for thirty years. But such was the rapidity with which the town went on increasing in extent and number of inhabitants, that even this modern Act became in time inadequate and inefficient. It was framed for the present, forgetting the future, and in language so ambiguous as to be capable of a two-fold interpretation. Thus, new streets which had been formed since the passing of the Act were not acknowledged by the Commis- sioners, and were suffered to go unrepaired. The Sewerage, too, was in a dangerous position. In the borough was situate 6,541 houses, out of which number only 736 were belonging to the Cheltenham Sewers Company, so that upwards of 5,000 houses had no legal outlet and might be compelled to stop up their drains and have resort to the contaminating practice of cesspools. These private sewers mostly emptied themselves into the Chelt, and so polluted the stream (once so celebrated for its purity as to yield fish in quantity), that effluvia arising from it rendered it a public nuisance. The repair of the public roads was placed in a most anamolous position by the Act, the Commissioners not claiming any jurisdiction over certain roads in the town whose united extent amounted to fifteen miles. For ten years, this portion of the borough was regulated by a " Board of Highways/' consisting of ratepayers annually chosen by the ratepayers. This continued until 1846, when its legality having been questioned, a surveyor was annually ap- pointed instead, up to 1852. The ancient hamlets are now essentially a part of the town, and some of the most fashionable houses are situate therein, including Lansdown, Bayshill, and Bath-road. The hamlets of Westall, Sandford, Naunton, Alstone, and Arle, which in fact commence in the centre of the Promenade, were not taken cognizance of by the Commis- sioners, and had separate surveyors. In a pecuniary point of view, this was most objectionable. Besides the Lamp and Paving Rate of the Commissioners, amounting annually to £5,000, there were separate rates for a portion of the town roads and hamlets, with separate surveyors and collectors. The rate for the township for roads averaged £2,300 annually ; for the hamlets of Westall, Sandford, and Naunton, £923 ; and hamlets of Alstone and Arle, £600. The most important portions of Cheltenham are what is called sed accordingly, m ou the several houses, shops, offices, garden-, public wells, buildings, tenements, ;ind premises chargeable by the Act; and that the Clerk do give notice, that such rate will be allowed by the C "mmis- sioners, at the r next meeting on the first d»y of January next ; nn ess iu the meantim a sum shall be raised sufficient in the opinion of the Commissioners to rendpr such a rate unnecessary. "11th December, 18l0. " At the same meeting, the following gentlemen agreed to advance the sum of one hundred pounds each by way of loan at £5 per cent, viz — Doctor Jenner, Colonel Rildell, Thoma* Gray, Esq , Doctor J « meson, William Read, Esq.. Thos. Pruen, Esq., 13. Wells, Esq , W. H. Jessop, Esq., Mr. Edward Smith, Frauds Welles, Esq,, T. Gwinnett, Esq , and C. Newmarch, E>q." Public Sfwers. — Until 1833, with the exception of a few ancient drains claimed by the Commissioners, the only sewers for the town were the open brooks and ditches and private drains. A joint-stock company, comprising- residents interested in the locality, was formed, and. went to Parliament lor a bill to legalize their object. On April 20, 1833, the royal assent was given to the bill, 3 William IV., " For the better sewage, cleansing, and draining the town of Cheltenham, in the county of Gloucester." The great want of such an Act may be 516 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. gleaned from the preamble :— -" Whereas the town of Chelten* ham, in the county of Gloucester, has greatly increased in houses and buildings, and the same is become large and popu- lous, but for want of sufficient and proper common sewers and drains, much inconvenience has arisen, and is still likely to arise ; but such inconvenience might be prevented, and the health and comfort of the inhabitants greatly improved, aud much public benefit obtained, if proper and suitable common sewers were made for effectually cleansing and draining the said town." This incorporation was styled the " Cheltenham Sewers' Company." It was empowered to raise capital of £7,600, and to in- crease it by a further sum of £5,000, and to raise £4,000 by mortgage. The length of the main sewer in the High Street is 2,200 yards, and of the sewers which branch from it into the adjacent streets, 3,692 yards, making a total of 5,892 yards of sewers. These were executed in a most substantial manner at a cost of £7,600. In 1849 it was stated in evidence at the Government inquiry, that the number of houses which used the sewers of the Company was 736, and that the annual amount of the sewers' rates paid by the owners was £718 7s. The houses thus benefitted were situate in 19 streets. The increas- ing wants of the town required a still more effectual sewerage. Powers were properly taken under the Improvement Act of 1852, to sewer the entire parish. To carry this desirable object into effect the Commissioners purchased all the property of the Sewers' Company, so that all the drainage is now under the control of the body corporate. This purchase, with the plans since adopted with regard to the sewage, has tended to perpetuate that celebrity which it has so long enjoyed, by removing and preventing all causes of pollution. The rights of the Sewers' Company and all their property and in- terest in the matter passed into the hands of the Improvement Commissioners, in 1857, for the sum of £9,000. The last of the additional sewers since added, and the extent of sewage may be learnt from the Borough Surveyor's Eeport in 1857 : — Miles. Qrs. Yds. Brick Sewers 14 310 PipeSeweri 1 2 245 Together ... 15 3 115 SANITARY HISTORY. 517 £ s. d. I estimate these to cost 13,036 2 Add to this the cost of the purchase of the Sewer Company's works 9,000 Making a total of 22,086 2 The extent and operations of the new Improvement Act is manifested by the annual financial statements issued by the corporate body. In the account published in July, 1862, the receipts and expenditure for the past year are stated to be as follows ; — Abstract of the Receipts and Payments of the Cheltenham Improvement Commissioners, from the 30/A day of September, 1860, to the 30th day of September, 1861. Receipts. — Bain nee of last Account, £3,590 14s. 5d. ; Commissioners' Rate £15,001 6s. 6d.; Snle of Ashes, per Inspector, £106 12s. 10d.- Sile of Manure, per Surveyor, £134 0s. 6a. ; Licences, per Mr. G, E. Williams, £38 15s. 0d., Street Repairs. £264 13s. lid.; blouse Drainage Works, £113 15s. Od. ; John and Samuel Harpur for Road Repairs, £60; Sundries, £12 10s. Od. — Total, £19,322 8s. 2s. Payments.— Highways, £4 012 % Id. ; Scavenger, £1,985 fis. 3d. ; Paviour, £602 Is. 8d. ; Salaries,* £1,439 14s. Od. : Tradesmen's Bills £165 17s. 5d.; Rates and Taxes, £50 16s. 7.1. ; Fire Brigade, £23 10s. 6d.; Gas Company, £4,318 16s. 7d.; Annuitant*, £240 0s. 10d. ; Rents £132 18s. 2d.; Fire Plugs, £248 4s. 0d.; Sundries viz., Borings, Flushing Sewers, and Petty Disbursements, £106 18s. 10d.; Repairs to the Ar,;h over the Ohelt, £98 6s 6d. ; Valuation of Literary Instirurion, £25 4s. 01 ; Messrs. Lloyd, Price and Co., Interest and Repayments <>n Loans, £799 Is. 4d. ; Election Expenses, £88 9s. 6d.; Sewer Tanks, £354 9>. 0d. ; Fairvltew St re t Improvement, £68 7s. lid.; House Drainagt Works, £255 3s Id,; Special Repairs to Streets, £586 16s. 8d. ; Mr. Hawkt-slev, for inspecting site for Cemetery, £31 10s. Od. ; Balance in Treasurer's hands, £3,638 8i. 3d.— total, £19,322 8s. 2d. BURIAL GROUNDS. The Burial Grounds within the parish, together have an area of 5 acres, 3 roods., and 32 perches, and the New Cemetery on the parish boundary 18 acres. The most ancient is the ground directly around the Parish Church, which, until the erection of Trinity Church in 1826, was the only place of interment accord- ing to the rites of the Church of England. That portion of the churchyard which terminates with the walk leading to the Well Walk and Chester Walk, is crowded with memorials of the dead, as is also the church within ; and from the designs of some of the decayed stones, it is evident that the spot has been used as a place of sepulchre ever since its first consecration. 518 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. This ground, until within the past half century, was private property, being held by the lay impropriator, J. Pitt, Esq., of whom the parish bought it in 1806, for the sum of £100. This being inadequate to meet the wants of the population, an additional piece of land adjoining was purchased for £700. This was immediately facing Chester Walk, and the vestry meet- ing to sanction the purchase was held on August 31st, 1812, the ratepayers agreeing to pay the amount in annual instalments of £100, with interest at the rate of five per cent. The ground is filled with tombs and vaults, where repose the remains of many persons of note, and among the number, the mother of the late celebrated Duchess of St. Albans, and several ancestors of James Wood, the rich banker, of Gloucester, who were large local owners of property. The rapid increase in population soon forced the ratepayers to seek fuither means of meeting the demand for interments. In 1829, the matter was discussed in successive vestry meetings, and it was ultimately resolved to take advantage of the Church Building Acts for raising the means of purchasing ground. By virtue of the powers of S George IV , the New Burial Ground in High Street, at the bottom of the town, was conveyed upon trust for the parish ; the sum of £4,500 was the cost of purchase and erection of Chapel thereon, which was raised by loans of £150 and £100 each from persons resident in the town. This was secured by bonds, one of which was to be paid off annually, with interest at the rate of five per cent., and a rate to be annually levied to eff. ct that object until the whole amount should be discharged. The New Burial Ground was consecrated and opened on Sept. 19, 1831. The deed authorising the purchase and empowering the Churchwarden to levy rates for the redemption of the pur- chase money is among the Vestry documents, and is as follows : — "Whereas, the Inhabitants of Cheltenham, in the County of Gloucester, being desirous of procuring a Burial Ground for the saic' Parish, in addition to that alieadv existiug, it was agreed at a meeting of the Parishioners of" the said Parish, of Cheltei hanr in Vestry assembled, to purchase the ground from Ann. Ballinger and others. "Now, We, his Majesty's Commissioners for Building New Churches, acting under the authority of the said several Acts passed for building and promoting the building of additional Churches in populous Parishes, being of opinion that the said Pieces or Parcels of Laud are sufficient and properly situated for the pur- pose aforesaid; and approving of the times and proportions which have been SANITARY HISTORY. 519 agreed upon for the repayment of the sum of Four Thousand Five Hundred Pounds; do hereby, in pursuance of all powers and authorities wlia's >evi-r vested in us for this purpose, authorise »nd empower the said Parish of Chelten- ham, 10 procure and purchase the sud Pieces or Parcels of Land, at the p-ice of Th i ee Thousand Pounds, for the purpose aforesaid, and to fence and enclose* the same; and to make, levy, raise, and collect Hates, fur the purpose of raising and repaying the said sum of Three Thousand Pounds to be paid for the purchase ; anu i he said sum of One Thousand Five Hundred Pounds, the cost ol enclosing the said Land, with Interes' at the rate of Fi*e Pounds per cent, per annum, at the times and in the proportions aforesaid; and of paving the Expanses inci- dental to the said Purchase. "Given under our Common Seal, this Fifth day of February, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty" Like the two preceding purchases by the parish, the entire of the debt on this extensive cemetery has been paid off. At the Easter Vestry meeting in 1858, the auditors reported that "the whole of the bonds belonging to the Burial Ground, amounting to £4,500, were discharged, and that the churchwardens would in future have at their disposal an income of £200 annually arising from vaults and graves." At the close of the meeting the following resolution was carried unanimously, with acclama- tion : — Moved by Mr. Hale, seconded by Mr Goding, " That the thanks of this Meeting be tendered to William Hasell, Esq., for his past services as Parish Churchwarden, and more especially for the successful efforts which he has made during the eleven years of his holding office, to entirely liquidate the debt upon the New Cemetery, and thereby rendering it the free and unencumbered property of the parish for ever." — Cheltenham Examiner. In 1861, it having been estimated that only a short period would elapse before this very suitable cemetery would become full, the Improvement Comm ssioners took the matter into con- sideration. This corporate body having powers under their Act to purchase ground for interments, advertised for a site. Among the many which were offered, the choice fell unanimously upon a plot of land in Prestbury, the property of the Eev. J. Edwards. This New Cemetery is eighteen acres in extent, and was pur- chased at the rate of £190 per acre. It is situated just on the margin of the parish boundary, and is easily approached from. any part of the town. The sale was ratified by the Commis- sioners in June, 1861 ; and in July, 1862, Mr. Knight's plan (a resident architect) was accepted for laying out the ground. A. te. p. 1 1 11 2 3 1 12 35 20 1 18 14 14 14 22 38 16 18 18 520 HISTOKY OF CHELTENHAM. According to the Board of Health returns, the extent, situation^ and designation of the burial grounds in Cheltenham are as annexed : — Name. Situation. Extent. St. Mary's Church High -street ]New Burial Ground High-street Trinity Church Portland-street St. Philip's Church Norwood-street St. Peter's Church Tewkesbury-road Cheltenham Chapel High-street Unitarian Chapel Bays-hill The Jews' Ground Tewkesbury-road , The Quakers' Ground ... Grove-street Bethel Baptist Chapel ... Chapel-street Wesleyan Chapel St. George's-street Highbury Chapel Grosvenor-street Tabernacle Chapel Bath-road New Cemetery Prestbury THE WATER WOKKS. The geological structure of the locality enables the inhabitants to obtain an abundant supply of water. The Cotswold Hills, which sui round the town like an amphitheatre, abound with springs, and from the subsoil of retentive clay which forms their base, they gush forth, so that every dip of strata has its rill, and every valley its brook. The oolite rocks, which compose these hills, form the great storehouse of nature for collecting the falling rain, and converting it into, what is called, " hill water. 5 ' The lias formation beneath not admitting of percolation, the filtering water necessarily escapes from any opening which may present itself. Hence the origin of so many pure springs in the vicinity. The far-famed " Seven Springs,' 3 the source of the great river Thames, from whence the Cheltenham Water Works Company derive their supplies, is situate in the neighbourhood. The lias forms the soil upon which the town is built, and is the retentive basin of the sand bed — the source from whence the wells are supplied. The number of houses situate on the sand bed are 4,806, and on the clay beds there are 1,735. Besides the inhabitants who are dependent upon the pump water contained in the sand beds, there are nine public pumps, belonging to the Commissioners, which, on the average, supply 30,000 gallons daily. Until within the past thirty years, the town was wholly SANITARY HISTORY. 521 supplied by the means of wells sunk into sand beds, and the many beautiful springs of the suburb were suffered to flow on unnoticed. The great increase in population at length forced attention to the subject, and the result was the establishment of the Cheltenham Water Works Company. The chief operations of this company are carried on at an eminence adjacent to Hewlett's or Agg's Hill. The ground is enclosed, and the entire works have been executed in the most substantial manner. From this spot, a most extensive and picturesque view of the town may be obtained, and i: the Reservoir," as it is called, is well worthy of inspection. The water which constitutes the company's " stock " is obtained from the adjacent hills of North- field, Charlton, and Dowdeswell. According to tLe unanimous opinion of medical men, the water supplied by the company is of a high state of purity. It has been analysed by Dr. Lyon Playfair, and by resident physicians and chemists, — among the number, Dr. Boisragon, Mr. Moss, and Mr. Horsley. The "Waterworks Company are empowered by Act of Parliament, passed in 1824, and by an amended Act in 1847. The wants of the town prior to the formation of the Company, and the great necessity for its operations, may be inferred from the preamble of the Act, which runs thus : "Whereas the town of Cheltenham is at present scantily supplied with pure water ; and, whereas, the said toun has, of late years, become very populous, and is greatly increased in house* and bu.ldings, and is likely to continue to increase; and for the want of a sufficient supply of spring water for domestic, and other purposes, the inhabitants thereof, and persous resorting thereto, are subject to much inconveuience, and would be liable to great danger and most calamitous consequences in cases of accidents by fire ; but such inconveniences and danger might be prevented, and much public benefit obtained, if water from the springs arising so near the said town, were conveyed, by means of pipes, to the said town and suburbs thereof. Dated June 17, 1824/' By this Act, the capital created was £17,500, with power to raise, in addition, £13,750; and, by the amended Act, the Company was authorised to obtain £25,000 more. Under the original Act, £49,100 3s. 6d. was expended upon the works ; and under the amended Act, up to the year 1849, £12,495 8s. 3d. more, making a total of £61,595 lis. 9d. The reservoirs are so elevated, as to supply water to the highest houses in the town without the aid of machinery, being 100 ft. higher than Bayshill, the highest point of supply, and 240 ft. higher than the Hospital, the lowest point of supply. The two 522 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. smaller reservoirs hold 2 88,000 cubic ft. of water, and the large one 2.286,900, thus making a total of 2,574,900, or more than two millions and a half cubic feet of water. The large reservoir is open ; and, when filled, presents a fine sheet of water, covering an area of 3 acres of land, and having a depth of 17 ft. 6 in. It was constructed after designs by Mr. H. Dangerfield, the late borough surveyor, and will contain 9,000,000 gallons. The smallest is 80 ft. square, and 12ft. deep; the second is 150ft. by 160 ft., and 12 ft. deep. The three reservoirs hold together 14,OUO,000 gallons. The water is conveyed into the town, a distance of upwards of two miles, by 592 yards of 7-in., and 3,321 yards of 6-in. iron main. Its distribution afterwards is by 2,842 yards of 5-in., 6,031 yards of 4-in., 22,686 yards of 3-in., 1,746 yards of 2i-in., and 2,023 yards of 2-in. iron mains; the total quantity of main being about 26 miles, 1,721 yards. Up ware's of 2,000 houses are supplied by the Company, consuming daily 146,888 gallons, average 72 gallons per house. Thus 53,836,120 gallons are annually distributed, being nearly four times the quantity which the reservoirs contain, which fact shows the value of these extensive works to the town at large. There are nearly 200 plugs belonging to the Company, available in case of fire. The springs which supply the reservoirs flow freely from October to May ; but during the months of June, July, August, and September, they are at times nearly dried up. The Northfield spring produces 52 gallons per minute, and those at Dowdeswell and Charlton 32 gallous during the last-named months. This estimate is founded upon the extent and size of the reservoirs up to 1857. In that year, a new reservoir was commenced, at Hewletts, 25 ft. in depth, which has materially increased the Company's supply ; and in 1862, another one was resolved upon, at the base of Leckharapton Hill. The past history of the Company's works, and the necessity for a further enlargement of the same to meet the requirements of an in- creasing population, may be gleaned from the very able speech of the counsel for the promoters of a new Act, made before the Parliamentary Committee, from which we publish extracts : — "Mr. Hope Scott proceeded to open the case on the part of the promoters. The learned gentleman observed that the present was a bill to consolidate and extend the powers of the Cheltenham W*ter Works* Company, and to enable them the better to supply with water the several parishes of Cheltenham, Charlton Kings, Leckhampton, and Presbury, otherwise Prestbury, all in the county of SANITARY HISTORY. 523 Gloucester, and for other purposes. The present supply of water dated from the year 1824 and was hased upon the circumstance that the wells of tlupply of wati r The capital of the company was originally £17,000, with a borrowing power of £5 000. This first company began with conduits and pipes, and 'he erection of a reservoir 200 it. above the level of Cheltenham at ; harltoti K ngs. The first act comprised merely ihe town of Chel enham. In 1839 an- ther act was obtained for extending its operations t<> Charlton K ngs and Presibury. By the same act also, the company was empowered !o construct works at D udeswell and ( harlton Kings springs. They were also empowered to make an additional reservoir, and they constructed one next io their original reservoir. Th»y ciea'ed fresh shares, and had fresh borrowing powers. In 1847, the company agai went to parliament !or increased powers, ai d they had now the power to raise £55,675 in shares, and £18,541 on mortgage, making a total capital of £74,1 G6, ol which there had been laised the sum ot £50,750, viz. £45,150 by shares, and only £5 (iOO on mortgage. The sum of £23 216 was still unrated. The last act i etjui ed the company to construct an additional reservoir, and they built one capable of holding twelve millions of gallons of water. He should be able io show th,t the comp ny had dealt fairly and lightly by the public, while, lor some y« ars, they had derived 7 or 8 per cent. ; but it should be b.rne in mind, that th< re were many en remunerative years in the first stage c ihe company's existem e,- they had no dividend for the first 6 or 7 years. In 1852, an act pissed which altered, in n any respects, the position of the comp. my. lie alluded to the ' Ch> It en ham Improvement Act,' whose commissioners were invested with very larg* powers. Not only were they empowered to comph te the sewerage of the tovn, b t they also acquired the power to cons' met Water Wotks. Such powers were now given every local act; but the intention of the legislature was, that no public body should undertake the supply or' wa'er so long as a pr'vate body could afford it at a reasonable price. He believed ihere was no disposition on the pari of the Town Commissioueis to interfere with this salutary provision. The Commissioners had constructed a large extent of sewerage works, and, without an incr< asfd supply of water, these works could not be made effective. Accordingly, in Jure, lbo3, a report, made by Mr Henry Dangerfield, their surveyor, was laid beh n the Commissioners, and by them forwarded to the Wat- r Works' Company. From that tcpoit, it appeared ihat j\lr. Dangerfield considered a pn per su| p \ ol v\ater for the tnwn to be 700,000 gallons per day. At the pnsent mon ent, the works of tie company were not capable of supplying one-t.iru of that quantity, and could not do that, on the constant pressure system— the water beii g now laid on little more than an hour in each day. Cisterns became necessaiy, and the suppy was by no means good. The quantify did not amount to more thnn loin gallons per head per day, while the lowest supply deemed necessary by competent judges is 20 gal:ons per head per day. In Manchester, the daily supply is 4u gallons per head ; and in Glasgow, it is 60 gnllons per head. No coubt manu acturtng towns require more water than such towns as Cheltenham, but 2U gal.ons was a very moderate estimate. The street watering was carried on to an extent of luxury, rendered necessary by the nature of the place. The wa>er procured trom the wells is hard and bid, the town teing built on a bed of sard stoi e. It was also limited in quantity, and had lately much decreased by the sewerage works. The deep sewers dried up the wells. The present supply ot the company was 524 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. from springs issuing from the side of the Cotswold Hills. The geological formation of the country was such, that, while it had few streams, it abounded in. springs. The North springs yield a daily supply of 75,000 gallons, but from that must be deducted 9,000 gallons to parties having claims. Those springs were taken under the first act. The Dowdeswell spring was taken under the second act, and it yields 43,000 per day, subject to a small deduction for cattle. The Charlton spring yielded 10,000 gallons per day. This was all the Parlia- mentary water the company could take, and it amounted to 128,000 gallons per day. By a contract with. Mr. Billings, who appeared as an opponent, but whose interests would be respected, that quantity was increased to 168,000 gallons, which gave an average of four gallons per head per day. The means of storing the water were very abundant One reservoir would hold 400,000 gallons, another 15,000 gallons, and a third would hold 12,000,000 gallons. All that the company wanted was an increase in the water supply itself. The water now supplied was admitted to be excellent, showing only 11 degrees of hardness, and fit for domestic use. The spring proposed to be taken was of the same character, and there would be an abundant pressure from the head." In order to illustrate the early efforts made to obtain a supply of pure water, we extract from the Cheltenham Chronicle, of 1810, the following advertisement : — " Should the inhabitants of Cheltenham think it of any utility, I will engage to supply the whole town with Soft River Water, at one guinea per year each dwelling-house ; with engine cocks, pipes, fire plugs, &c, &c, complete. The engine shall throw two hogsheads per minute, when required, in case of fire. People who wish such a plan to be brought forward, and would have the water laid iuto their dwellings, must send in their names to me, any time before the 25th December next, in order to form an idea of the expenses oi erecting such Works ; and should it meet due approbation, the whole will be completed by the 1st of May, by their obedient, humble servant, " Joseph Horwood, "December 5th, 1810." "Engineer. In November. 1861, Mr. Horsley, the County Analyst, pub- lished the following favourable analysis of the water supplied by the Company from their reservoirs. The total quantity of solid contents per gallon, was — Grains, Organic Matter. In 1851 - - - - - 9 including \\ In 1861 Hi « 2 The following is a complete Analysis of the Hill Water at the present time : Grains. Carbonates of Lime and Magnesia 6^ Muriate of Lime - - - -.., . - - - - 1^ Sulphate of Lime ------- 1^ Organic matter derived from vegetables % " " animals - - - - none. Per gallon 11| SANITARY HISTORY. 525 THE GAS WORKS. A few years since, the High Street of a night presented the appearance of a village ; flickering oil lamps illumined the darkness, whilst the town at large, except when done at private expense, went unlighted. Iron posts, belonging to private lamps, yet remain in the front palisades of the .Royal Crescent, and elsewhere. An Act enabling the Commissioners to light the town, was passed in 1786 ; and on January 16, 1787, a contract was entered into for erecting one hundred and twenty lamps, twenty-five yards apart. This contract provided that the lamps should be lighted with oil in the autumn and winter months only, to burn until midnight ; but, " when the moon rises at ten o'clock, or before then, the lamps are to burn bright only one hour after the moon rises." This system of lighting was so imperfect, that, in 1810, a proposition was actually made that, owing to the state of the streets during the evening, and to prevent accident, the many black posts on the edge of the foot- path should be painted white ! In 1818, some of the influential inhabitants went to Parliament for a Gas Act ; and the Koyal assent was given, April 6, 1819, to a bill " for lighting with gas the town and parish of Cheltenham, and precincts thereof, in the county of Gloucester." The capital of the company was £ 1 5 ,000 in shares of £50 each, with power to raise an additional £10,000. The first application of gas fur promoting the interest and comfort of the fashion of the place, was by the lighting of the Montpellier Promenades on July 21, 1825. On the opening of an evening service at the Parish Church, in 1838, the company offered to supply gratuitously the gas for lighting the edifice. On Sunday evening, Jan. 13, in that year, the church was accordingly lighted with gas, and the company continued to supply it, without any charge to the congregation, up to the temporary closing of the church in 1859. The company also supply gratuitously the gas lamps over the Sebastopol cannons, opposite the Queen's Hotel, and the clock in a tower rising from the centre of the company's works, illuminated by gas during the night, which is of great public convenience to the locality, mostly occupied by the humbler classes. The first lighting of the town is thus recorded in the Chelt- enham Chronicle, of Oct. 1, 1818: — " On Tuesday, Messrs. Kelly, Baitley, and Mauley, fulfilled their contract by lighting 526 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. the town with gas On the 19th we were gratified by seeing the whole of the High Street illuminated by this beautiful light, which assumed its usual brilliancy towards midnight, when the atmospheric air had escaped from the main pipes " We believe that the Cheltenham Gas Act was the first public enactment passed in Fngland. Gas had been us d in Birmingham by the celebrated Watt, the inventor of the steam engine, and by several shopkeepers in that town. " In London, it first made its appearance in 1816. St. James' Park w r as first lighted by that means, which did not become general till 1823." (Eev. S. Lysons.) Gloucester followed the example of Cheltenham, and obtained an Act in the year 1819 The inventor of gas lights, according to Chambers, was a Frenchman, Philippe Le Bon, an engineer of roads, who pre- pared his gas from distilling wood during combustion, in 1785 ; and it is a singular coincidence that this invention, although of French origin, was not adopted in France untill the year that the Cheltenham Act was obtained — 1818. The following extract from Godwg's Cheltenham, 1852, gives an account of the company's works as existing at that time . — "The gas works on the Tewk p sbury Road, occupy an enclosure of two acres. The chimney, so prominent all around the vicinity, is 113 ft. in height. Forest and VVelc coals are used in the manufacture of gas. The works contain a report house, where there are thirty two ovens, or retorts. There are ten dry purifiers, whose united area is 370 feet ; there are three times this number of superficial fee' on which the lime lies two inches in thickness each of the purifiers having three tiers The four gasometers severally contain 23,000, 24,000, 15,000, and 15,000 cubic feet, or together 82,000 cubic feet. During the \ear, the average of coal used is 3,313 tons, from which 28,962.200 cuhic feet of gas are < btained. There are now 786 lamps in the streets of the town, supplied by this company with gn , at the public expense. They are the property of the commissioners actiny unner the Town Improvement Act, who contract for lighting he same, and charge the amount upon the borough rate. Independent of these, there are lamps Mttached to estates and residences. The number of private con>umers is nearl> one thousand." Larire as this increase may appear compared with the past, the size and powers of the works have, since then, been more than doubled. The works are now under the management of. W. Essou Esq., a gentleman who has had considerable experience in Scotland, and under whom the latest improvements in science have been adopted in the manufacture. SANITAKY HISTOUY. 527 The large increase in the size of the town rendered it necessary for the company to obtain more extended powers. Consequently a new Act was obtained in June, 1856 It was stated at a commissioners' meeting in July 14, 7 858, that the company's capital was £56,000, and that they received £4,200 annually for gas supplied to the public lamps. The commissioners' report issued in July, 1861, shows that the cost for public lamps for the previous year, was £4,299. The estimated cost for the year 1862, was £4,600, the number of lamps having been increased to upwards of 800. The value of the company's shares has greatly increased, as shown by the prices obtained at public auctions, where, in 1857, the £ 100 share realized £190; and in 1861, the same shares were sold for £196, or nearly double the original cost. The average interest paid to shareholders for many years past, has been eight per cent., besides a bonus. The present extent and powers of the works may be inferred from the following official statement : — " The area covered by the works is nearly five acres. The carbonizing power is equal to 500,000 cubic leet of gas per day, with arrangements for more than double that amouut. The condensing, washing, and purifying capacities, are proportionate to the carbonizing power, and permitting ot corn sponding extension. The present storage or gas holding capacity, is 400,000 cubic feet, and is being enlarged to full) double that quantity. The distributing power of the street mains is equal to the demand, and is constantly being enlarged and extended." 628 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. CHAPTER XXVIII. Chronological 3Ebmts comuctetr Inttjb t&e ^ofon autr J^rigf)toouii)oo&, COMPILED EXPRESSLY POR " NORMAN'S HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM." INTRODUCTION. It may be as well for the better understanding of the following Chronology, to explain that Cheltenham appears to have been an important military station during the Early British, the Roman, the Saxon, and the commencement of the Norman periods. In those predatory and unsettled times, the inhabitants were in the habit of seeking refuge in periods of danger in the entrenched encampments on the surrounding hills; and, of course, whatever tribes obtained possession of these encampments were able to dominate over the inhabitants of the adjacent plain. The town appears to have suffered severely during the Civil Wars, and from that epoch of its history commences a long period of decline and comparative insignificance. In the reign of Elizabeth, on the petition of the inhabitants on the ground of poverty, the right which the town had long possessed of sending two members to Parliament fell into disuetude ; and from that time until towards the close of the eighteenth century it appears to have degenerated into the condition of a mere village. Thus, in 1666 the inhabitants numbered only 1,500, and the inhabited houses 321. "While 130 years later, in 1797, the inhabitants had only increased to 2,700, and the houses to 530. About this time, however, the discovery of the mineral waters gave an extraordinary impetus to its extension and prosperity; land which was before merely pasture and tillage became covered with streets, promenades, and villas. In 1811 the inhabitants had increased to upwards of 8,000 ; in 1821 to 13,388 ; in 1831, to 22,942; in 1841, to 36,617; while in 1861, the census for the parish alone gave a return of 89,590 inhabitants, and 7,013 inhabited houses. Other returns during the same period give similar results. Thus in 1559 the yearly entries of baptisms, marriages, and burials were respectively 20-6 and 32; these numbers continued with scarcely any increase for the next 200 years, as we find in 1731 the returns were 26-16 and 32 ; in 1805, they had only increased to 90-49-83 ; while in 1832, there were 635 baptisms, 258 marriages, and 415 burials. CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 529 Prom these figures it will be seen that the present epoch of the town's prosperity dates from the accidental discovery of its mineral waters, now upwards of a century ago. It was this which first brought royalty— and that influx of nobility and fashion which follows the train of royalty— to the then unknown and insignificant village ; and although the fame of its waters has now in some degree subsided, it has ever since continued a place of fashionable resort; while the estab- lishment of its many noble educational institutions,— its College, its Grammar School, its Normal School, and its Ladies College,— has made it a most desirable place of permanent residence, and greatly added to its material prosperity. It should be stated that the events ^ recorded in the following chronology are partly culled from the preceding History, and partly from the newspapers of the day. Mr. Goding must, therefore, not be held as vouching for the correctness of any facts, or statements, or opinions, which are not contained in the body of the work itself. CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. The British Era. — Up to the middle of the first century of the Christian Era the country round Cheltenham, as well as the other parts of the Island, was exclusively inhabited by the Ancient Britons. The " History" records numerous instances of the discovery of fortifications, cromlechs, sepulchres, urns, coins, bones, and the rude implements of warfare, in use arno ig that ancient race. Coins of Queen Hoadecea, found in the neighbourhood, are still in the possession of local antiquarians A.D., 43. The Roman Period. — The Romans conquered this part of the country in the middle of the first century, and they held their conquest tor a period of 400 years. We read that in the year 43 the Roman General Plau'ious attacked the Britons* army and completely routed them, and drove them from the Cotswolds ; the Emperor Claudius himself capturing the City of Gloucester, which was thenceforth named after him, Clevum or Claudia. The conquerors took possession of ail the encampments on the surround ii g hills, and enlarged, altered, and generally converted them into R< man military stations. The Roman additions to the British encampments, alonu the Cotswolds, may still be readily traced. They established a chain of watch-towers and posts on the Leckhampton, Cleeve, and Nottingham Hills. They also established great military roads of which the u Ermine-street" between Glonces'er and ' irencester, the %< fossway " through Cirencester and over the Cotswolds towards Scotland, and the ** Icknield-street " which formed a route for marching into W.les, are in existence at the present day. (History, pp. 12—15.) Milner in his History of England says tha: "the Dobuni (tribes inhabiting Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire) gladly received the Roman yoke to relieve themselves from the oppression of their neighbours." AD. 50. About this year Christianity is believed to have been first prenched in the neighbourhood. Lysng John became Lord of the Manor. 12 0—1300. Supposed date of Piscina in Parish Church. 12' 0—1300. Supposed date of ancient cross in the Parish Churchyard. 1200—1300. Supposed date of two stone coffins found in Parish Church, ^Jay. 1863, supposed to be coffins of Abbots of the Monastery, and now exhibited in the Churchyard. (HUtory, pp. 162—166.) 1200— 1300. By the Ancient Charters Inhabitants of the Manor were exempt from tolls and taxes; they also had their own conns, with extensive criiniual jurisdiction, and elected their own coroner. The "gallows" stood in the present Hale's-road. 12 1 6. The Manor passed to Kinjr Henry IILj 12i6. King Henry III. give the Manor to William Long Espee, the illegitimate son of the celebrated " Eair Rosamond," and who afterwards became Earl of Salisbury, md had assisted at the coronation of the cester, in 1216. 1250. Tie date " 1250." found inscribed on a b^am in Arle Chapel. 13i6. Aug 21, was fought the celebrated battle of Cressey. Sir Richard de-la-Bere ob'aineti his family crest — five ostritch feathers issuing out of a ducal coronet, — for gallantly saving the life of Edward the Black Prince on that eventful day. Lord Chandos, whose remains are interred at Sudeley Castle, and several members of the families of the Berkeleys, the Sherbournes, the Hicks, and the Tryes, fought under the Black Prince. A body of Gloucestershire " Volunteer?," under Maurice Lord Berkeley, formed part of the victorious army ; and Smi'h, in his "Lives of the Berkeleys" highly eulogises the valour of these Gloucestershire "rifles" of the olden time. (History, pp. 112—116.) 1370. Thomas, Lord Berkeley described as having " a large vineyard, which he tended with great care." ' Infant King," at Gloa- 532 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 1441. By an Act passed in this year the " lay people" of the *' towne" of Chelt- enham were released from the localtaxes on account of the poverty of the place. 1466. Sir Maurice Berkeley purchased the lease of Cheltenham Manor. 1468. Up to this time Cheltenham returned two members to Parliament. The practice was discontinued in consequence of a petition to Queen Elizabeth from the inhabitants complaining of the expense. 1471, May 3. Edward IV. passed through Cheltenham with an army " consisting of 3000 infantry and a large body of cavalry" on the eve of the Battle of Tewkesbnry. The army marched that day 36 miles from Sodbury (Cheltenham then being on the high road from Bath), and taking slight refreshment here passed by way of Elmstone Hardwicke and Treddington to within three miles of the hostile encampment, where they passed the night Sir Maurice Berkeley fought valiantly on the king's side next day ; and the result of the battle is thus described: — "The royal monarch on the following day was declared the victor on the battle field. The undaunted Margarett and her unfortunate husband, Henry VL, were soon inmates of the Tower. The heir apparent to the crown, her youthful son the Prince of Wales, was murdered — the Duke of Gloucester, afterwards Richard III., openly assisting in the act. But such are the revolutions which Providence brings about. Henry, Earl of Richmond, who was on the Queen 8 side, fled to the continent, and in fourteen years afterwards slew this same Richard III. at Bosworth Field, in the identical *suit of polished steel armour,' in which he was victorious at Tewkesbury — ascended the throne by the title of Henry VII., married a Yorkist, thus uniting the 'white and the red roses,' and for ever put an end to the strife of the rival families." (History, p. 76.) 1486. The Trye family became possessors of the Manor of Leckhampton. Johu Trye was nominated by Richard III. Mayor of Gloucester in 1483. [In reference to this entry, the Rev. S. Lysons, of Hemstead Court, has kindly fur- nished us with the following correction: — "I have seen an abstract of it — the * History of Gloucestershire' — in the 'Examiner,' and would wish to point out one error which strikes me. The family of Trye did not become possessed of Leckhampton in 1486, but in 1797, when my uncle, Mr. Trye, succeeded lo the estate b\ the will of his cousin, Benry Norwood, Esq. Hardwicke Court, near Gloucester, was the ancient family seat of the Tryes, who were of French extraction, and connected with the highest French nobility, as well as the royal family of France. The first de Trie who settled in this country is supposed to have been taken prisoner by one of the Barons of Berkeley, in the French wars,, and brought to England, where he subsequently married into the family of his noble captor, and ended in founding the English branch of the Trye family, temp, Edw r ard III. The Tryes are descended from Dreux de Chaumont, temp* "William the Conqueror. Several of the family have been Grand Constables and Grand Admirals uf France— one of them Archbishop and Duke of Rheiuis."] 1507. Date on key stone of the arch of an old "church-house," or poor- house, which existed at the entrance to the churchyard from Chester Walk. It was demolished in 1813. 1509. Richard de Cheltenham, the first recorded "Abbot of Cheltenham," died. He was elected Abbot of Tewkesbury Abbey in 1481, and assisted at the funeral oi the renowned Prince Arthur, at Worcester, in 1502. 1540. Date of Judge Greville's tomb in Parish Church. 1555. First entry in present Court Roll of the Manor. 1565. In a work published in 1781 is a statement that the tobacco plant brought to England in 1565 was first planted ou English ground in this parish (Cheltenham), and " yielded considerable produce and profit, to the inhbitants." 1574, August 31st. From an entry in the vestry book of this date, it appear* CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 533 that clergymen were designated " Sir"— thus : " Sir John Evans, Cnrate of Cheltenham." 1578. Cheltenham Grammar School and Alms' Houses founded hy Richard Pates. (The subjoined likenase of Richard Pate is handed down to us in a rare and curious engraving of the period.) 1597, Feb. 27th. Curacy of Chelten- ham leased to Francis Bacon, E?q , after- wards Lord Chaucellor, the renowned statesman and philosopher. 1603. "Lodowick Packer, Esq., gave the third hell to Parish Church." 1607— 16 14. Dates on two head stones in Parish Church. 1612. Died, Sir Michael Hicks, who purchased and settled at Witcomb Manor, where his descendant, Lady Cromie, still resid?s. 1620. Baptist Hicks was knighted in this year by James I. Created Viscount Campden by Charles I., he became the purchaser of Cheltenham Rectory. He settled at Campden, where he built a mausion covering eight acres, and costing£30,000. During the Civil Wars he destroyed this princely building rather than it should be garrisoned by Crom- well's troops — an act to be regretted, as the house was never approached by the Parliamentary forces. 1622. Date, carved on stone of south front of Parish Church tower, supposed to reer to the time of some extensive alterations. 1624, Feb. 21st. Customs of the Manor settled by agreement between the copy hollers and Prince Charles; the former paying the Prince £1,200 for his consent to the act. 1625, Aug. 1st. Manor Act received the Royal assent. The costs of obtaining the Act were — In the Lorus, £51 16s. 8d. ; in the Commons, £19 5s. ; total, £74 Is. (For copy of Act, Jurors' Report on the boundaries given at same time, and numerous other documents, see History, pp. 43-73.) 1628. The Manor of Cheltenham purchased of the Prince of Wales by Mr Dutton for £1,200 It remained in the Dutton family 215 years, and when sold by Lord Sherborne, in 1843, it realised £39,000. Odart, the founder of the Sherborne family, was a warrior of great strength and courage, and had given to him as a reward of his bravery ■■ all the bulls out of the spoils taken in Wales." 1628. A gallery at west end of Parish Church erected by Mrs. Norwood. Removed in 1813. 1629. Thomas George, who died in this year, left three shillings and four pence per annum for the preaching of a sermon on " Separable of ye sower" some time during seed time in each year. 1629. June 3. First Manorial Court under the new Act held in Cheltenham. 1630. By a publication of this date it appears that no widow or daughter of a copyholder of the manor was allowed to marry without the " Lord's " licence. 1633. Date of interesting correspondence respecting Lord Bacon and the Rectory (pp. 190 — 194). In this year the stipend was £10 yearly, which Earl Salisbury described as 4< a scandal to the church of God." After this the Curate's stipend was fixed at " forty pounds a-year." 1634. In January of this ye.tr the town was visited by a snow storm which 534 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. lasted tot three weeks. It was accompanied by violent storms of wind, which caused considerable damage to the houses. Many persons perished on the high- ways in the environs. The summer which followed was noted for its extreme heat, yet, notwithstanding so thick was the snow and ice of the preceding winter, that large quantities of it remained unthawed at the adjacent quarries of Brock- hampton. 1638. List of church property handed over to new churchwardens, amongst which are "one groate Bible," " Booke of Souls, worked in a duet," " one hour glass'" and "one paire of fyne green carpets wrought we niddle work." In the same document it is also stated that the amount of church money then in hand was one shilling and niuepence. 1643. September 5th. Battle of Cheltenham between the Royalists and Parliamentary forces. (History, pp. 218—235). 1643. November 6th ; and July 12th, 1644. Charles I. visited Sir Charles Pope, Earl of Downe, at his seat at Cubberley, the Royal forces being at that time stationed in the neighbourhood of Cheltenham. 1643. Death of wife of Dr. English, incumbent, who died of a broken heart through her husband's persecution and imprisonment by the Puritans. 1651. Captain Conway Whithorne, of the Whithorne Lovesey family, present under Charles II. at the Battle of Worcester. 1652. Proceedings m Parliament against the tobacco plantations in Chelten- ham 1658. Troops sent from Gloucester to destroy the plantations; driven back by the inhabitants. 1675. Cheltenham described as populated by a people " much given to plant tobacco, though they are suppressed by authority.," Sir Francis Drake is supposed to have first introduced the plant in this neighbour- hood. 1660. Friends' Meeting-house built. The old building is now transformed into two cottages, next to the new Meeting house in Manchester -walk. 1655. After a very abundant harvest the price of wheat at Cheltenham was seventeen pence per bushel, and barley one shilling and two-pence. 1675. December 21st. Eirst record of appointment of highway surveyor* by the vestry. 1675 In a "geography" of this date is a reference to Cheltenham as "in. extent six furlongs: it numbers near 200 houses." 1678. At this date a cow sold for £4 7s. 6d. ; carpenters were paid about Is. 2d. a day ; butter sold for 5d., and bread at a Id., per pound. 1680. November 19th. Died, William Prynne, Esq. His tomb exists in the Parish Church. The founder of the Prinu family was the celebrated William Prinn. He published in 1633 his Histriomasfizy for which he was tried before the Star Chamber and condemned to the following sentence : " That his book be burnt by the common hangman ; to be put from the bar, and to be for ever in- capable of his profession; to be turned out of the society of Lincoln's Inn; to be degraded at Oxford; to stand in the pillory at Westminster and Cheapside; to lose both his ears, one in each place ; to pay a fine of £5,000 and to suffer perpetual imprisonment." These cruelties were carried into effect, and he was confined in the tower, but, nothing dauDt^d, he still plied his pen, and was again tried in 1637. and sentenced to be branded, to be put in the pillory, to pay a further fine of £5,000, to have the remaining portion of his ears sawn off, and to be imprisoned in a dungeon in Carnarvon Castle. He remained in prison almost forgotten, until the restoration, when, in 1640, he was released and made a triumphant entrance into London, and was again advanced to great wealth and diguity. With his accumulated wealth he purchased the beautiful estate of Charlton Park, and his family have ever since been intimately connected with the history of Cheltenham The ancient family crest surmounting the pillars at the CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 535 entrance of the family mansion— a spread eagle issuing from a coronet— is truly characteristic of the military courage of the present owner, Sir William Russell. 1683. G. Townsend, E&q., endowed a scholarship at Pembroke College open to the pupils of Cheltenham Grammar School— present value £50 per annum. 1690. The celebrated John Pnnn was steward of the Manor. From records of this date the 00, alter a sermon by the Rev. Charles Jervis. This munificient contribution to the cause of charity has never been surpassed, we believe, on any occasion in Chelte ham- It is curious that the collection was madr by a number of ladies, and perhaps this may account for its unexampled success. The collectors were the Ladies Castle-tewart, Charlotte Stewart, Faulkener, Hudson, Otv\ay,and Grant; the Hon. Mrs. Deane, the Hon. Mrs. Moore ; Mesdames Newell, Thompson, and Matthews. Subsequently large con- tributions were handed in trom other sources ; and the society flourished and did a great amount of ^ood tor a number of years, until it was merged in the opera- tions of a number of district relief societies, such as we have them at present. 18 7. January 6th. First Nation A School, on Dr. Bell's plan, opened in the Bath-road It was commenced in the Old Town Hall, June 5, 1816, which soon proved too small lor the object; this led to the erection of the new building, the foundation stone of which was laid b\ W. Prinn, Esq., of Charlton Park, August 23, 18 6. The first annual report, published in August, 1817, gives the number of boys then in attendance at j.94?, and the girls 173. lhe annual subscriptions in aid of the school were £161., donations for the year £130 ; after sermon by the Bishop of the Diocese £105; after sermon by the Rev. C. Jervis £86. The committee of management were enabled to pay that year £835 on account of land and the school buildings, leaving a balance of £548 for future reduction. The gross payments made during the year were £1,092. It was further reported that Dr. Bell had visiied the school, and had expressed himself satisfied with the pro- gress which had been made. That gentleman sub>t quently took up his residence in tins tow.*, and died here in 1832, aged 79 At the time we allude to there was no other National school in the town for the children of the poor, and no charge whatever was made for their instruction ; now we have day schools conuected with each of our churches, besides two nourishing British Schools, Wedeyan and Roman Catholic Schools, &c. Dr. Bell resided at Lindsey Cottage after- wards the residence of Sir Richard Wolseley, Bart., and since occupied by Dr. Coinyn. He was deemed so great a benefactor tnat he was honoured with at 544 HISTORY GF CHELTENHAM public funeral, and interred in Westminster Abbey with all the ceremonies due to his worth on February 10th, 1832. WATERLOO SCHOOL. 1817. Freemasons' Hall, in Portland Street, erected at a cost of £4000. It is remarkable for its architectural features, being designed to represent an ancient mausoleum, as illustrated bv our sketch It is fitted up internally with great MASONIC HALL, PORTLAND STREET. taste, and contains a fine organ. The Hon. J. Dutton, the eldest son of Lord Sherborne, Col. P. Berkeley, M.P., and many of the resident gentry, belong to the ancient craft. Early in 1817, a Freemasons' Lodge was opened in Cheltenham, Dr. Boisragon, Master; R. W. Coley, Esq., Senior Warden; W. H. Harris, Esq., Secretary ; and R. Pruen, Esq., Treasurer. Since that time the order has prospered in this locality, and in the following year, the Masonic Hall, Portland CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 545 Street, was built, in a very substautial manner, for the ordinary meetings of the craft. The Duke of Beaufort was then the Provincial Grand Master, and his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex was Grand Master of England. In the Freemasons' Magazine for 1857 it is said that, " During a brief sojourn at the * Queen of Watering Places,' an opportunity offered at which we gladly availed ourselves for a renewal of a visit to this excellent Lodge. In a former notice we have mentioned in terms of stroug approbation the style and character of the buildings fittings, and furniture, which render the Masonic Temple in this place so admirably adapted for giving full effect to our beautiful ceremonies." 1818. August 12. Sherborne Spa opened. The building, which was after- wards called the Imperial Spa, occupied the site of the Queen's Hotel. It was removed from its original to it present position, at the Bays Hill entrance to the Promenade, where it is uow used for commercial purposes. 1818. September 28. Gas-lights first used in the streets. 1818. The Promenade commenced. Its site now lined with handsome buildings and ornamented with its beautiful avenues of trees, was at that time occupied as" a brick-field, a rude plank being over the Chelt for the convenience of foot passengers. THE "PROMHNADE" ERCXtf IMPERIAL CIRCUS. 1818. i November. Savings Bank established. From the first report we fiul that the inhabitants largely availed themselves of it as a depository for small YJo^q 8 ' -9 arin S the year eildio » 30t!l September, 1819, the total deposits were £Q,9o6, and the depositors were 315 in number, consisting chiefly of servants, artificers, small tradesmen, Benefit Societies, and Charitable Institutions. The Bank has gone on ever since, and has proved here, as elsewhere, a source of much security for small savings. « The Annual General Meeting of the Trustees and Managers of this institution was held at the Bank Buildings on Friday last. It appears that the institution is now in the 41th year of its existence, and that at the close of its present financial year there were the names of 5,833 depositors with open accounts standing on the books, being an increase of 148 accounts during the year. The nett balance which, in 1860, was £14.8,708 0s. 8d., in 546 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 1861, amounted to £150,830 Is. Id., shewing an increase in capital £2,122 0s. 5d. The amount doe to depositors at the end of 1861, was £150,478 Is. 2d. ; which, being deducted from the balance of £150,830 Is. Id., as above stated, leaves a clear cash surplusahove the liabilities, of £351 19s lid., in addition to the value of the Bank Premises. Of the above balance, £953 18s. 2d. was in the hands of the Treasurers— the Managers of the County of Gloucester Bank — and the remaining sum of £149,876 2s. lid. was invested with the Government; such investment being duly certified by a receipt under the hands of the National Debt Commissioners. The rate of interest given is £3 0s. lOd. per cent., being the maximum allowed by the Act of Parliament. The above facts are highly satisfactory, and we cannot help thinking much of the success obtained by, and the public confidence reposed in, the institution, is due to the indefatigable labours of Mr. Bees Phillips, who has for so many years filled the office of Secretary." — ( heltenham Examiner, January 29th, 1862. 1819. Races established on Cleeve Hill. In the previous year races were held on Nottingham Hill, which proving successful led to their establishment. In 1831, they were removed to Prestbury Park, where they continued until 183o, when they were again held on Cleeve Hill until 1842, when they were dis- continued. An Annual Steeple Chase was substituted at a public meeting held at the Plough Hotel, May 7th, 1844. In August, 1819, the Annual Races w ere commenced in Cheltenham, under the distinguished patronage of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and i'ucheps of Gloucester, and the resident and visiting nobility and gentry. His Royal Highness subscribed one hundred guineas to the fund, and several thousand pounds were collected for stakes. Three days' racing was determined upon, and several races each day. A vast number of the nobility and gentry attended ; and during the race week the town was like a Continental carnival, owing to the crowds and gaiety which prevailed. A ball given in the Assembly Rooms realised a profit of £120 to the Race Fund. The Cheltenham Races have now attained a high degree of celebrity, and attract a large number of visitors annually, as may be seen from this statement of the principal stakes won at the races held March 25th and 26th, 1853: — "Three of the best prizes were carried off by our own townsmen. The great stake was won by Captain Barnett, of Bayshill Lawn, whose horse, ' Sir Peter Laurie,' ridden by Holman, defeated, after a splendid race, the Irish crack c La Gazza Ladra' and lour others. The run home was one of the finest things of the kind ever witnessed. Sir Peter was very patiently and well ridden by his trainer, Mr. W. Holman, who, on returning to the betting ring, was greeted with vehement cheering by the assembled spectators. The value Of the stake to the winner was £382 18s,, besides w r hich, we believe, his backers were large winners through their betting hooks. The effect of the Cheltenham Steeple Chases of 1852 as ensuring the stability of these annual gatherings, has been, we are informed , most encouragiug. The sale of two of the winners realised between £100 and £200 over and above the entered price, thus forming a very fair nucleus for next year's fund ; and if, as is confidently expected, these chases should become connected with the grand military events which annually take place at Warwick, they will in future rank second to none in the kingdom." — Cheltenham Examiner. At the Races held on April 5th and 6th, 1853, the value of the Grand Annual Stakes was announced at £500. Among the owners of horses entered was the Marquis of Waterford. In 1861, the Grand National Hunt and Military Races were held on property belonging to the Earl Ellenborough, The sport lasted three days, aod attracted an immense assemblage of the most wealthy sportsmen of England. 1820. " Henry Thompson, Esq.. to whom Cheltenham is obliged, in a great degree, for the celebrity of its springs, and the most admired improvements at CHRONOLOGTCAL EVENTS. 547 that fashionable place of resort, dieJ there last week, at his residence Hygeia House m to 72nd year of his age."— Morning Post. November 9th, 1820. 1821 Juue 23. First spring van started from Cheltenham to London. .Trior to this date there was no other conveyance of heavy -ood* except the four W T l Wagg0n ' h U8UaHy ° C ' Up,ed e, -" t la ^ s in 8° in « aiid returning. 1822. fruity hurch (to accommodate 900 persons) and the present Market House and Arcade built in this year under the auspces of Lord Sherborne, tiie then Lord ot the Manor. \ qoo" T he Bath R(>ad opeaed fchrou S h Shurdingtou and Pains*ick. 1883. It is stated that in this year, so great was the prosperity of the town that there were from 400 to 500 men employed in the building tries the con- tracts under hand for new houses amounting to £450,00). From the arrival lists of that, year we find that the v sitors included 4 Duk-s, 3 Dachesses 6 Marquises, 5 Marchionesses, 4 Bishops l<> Earls, 8 Countesses, 53 Lards 70 Ladies, besides a host of Honourable*, Baronets; foreigners of title, and other persons ot distinction. 1823. May 20. Parish b mn lanes perambulated. Prior to this official act no survey ot the parochial boundary had been taken for a quarter of a century. It occupied two days, and the ground walk-d over exceeded 26 miles 1823. November 8. « Cheltenham Journal" established. 1824 Rev F. Close became Assistant Curate at Trinity Church. In 1826,he was appointed Perpetual Curate of Cheltenham, an office which he filled until appointed Dean of Carlisle, in 1856. 1824. April 26. New peal of bells erected in Parish Church. 1825 Horticultural Societj first form d The exhib tion of Floral and Horticultural specimens, which were on a small scale for several years after the formation of the society, took place ar the Imperial Spa. The society has now become so extensive that it is ena led to offer a large amount for prizes. The exhibitions are conducted on an extensive scale, and are attended by many thou- sands of the leading nobility of the town and county. The prises are open to all competitors, and the exhibitions, which take piace at the different Spas alternately, are rendered the more attractive by the attendance of a military band oelong-jug to oue of her Majes y's regime-ts 1825. May 4. foundation stone of Pittville Pump Room laid with Masonic honours 1826. First Infant School in the towu established by Mr. Wilderspin. It is an INFANT SCHOOL, ST. JAMES'S SQUARE. 548 HISTOBY OF CHELTENHAM. interesting fact connected with the educational history of the locality, that Cheltenham was the first place where the renowned founder of the Infant School system carried his views into practice. Here it was that Mr. Wilderspin for many years, both hy teaching, lecturing, and by his published works, laboured most indefatigably to awaken all classes to the importance of educating the infant mind. The first Infant School for gratuitous instruction was erected in St James's Square, and opened July 26th, 1830. This school was founded through the instrumentality of the Rev. E. Close. Mr. Wilderspin resided for many years at Alpha House, Bays Hill, where Dr. Jenner first carried out his plan of gratuitous vaccination. 1826. Present Montpellier Pump Room erected. The Montpellier Gardens were opened July 28th, 1830. 1826. Nov. 22. Sir Walter Scott arrived to take a course of mineral waters, from which he derived much benefit. 1827. July 31. Queen Adelaide staid at the Clarence Hotel. On her departure she drove through the unfinished street, since known as Clarence- street. 1827. Nov. 15. Ecclesiastical fees of the parish settled hy the Bishop, and advertised as follows : — Publication of banns of marriage — minister, 3s. ; clerk, Is. 6d. Marriage by banns — minister, 6s. ; clerk, 3s. Marriage by license — minister, 10s. 6d. ; clerk, 5s. Churching of women — minister, Is. ; clerk, 6d. Certificates from registers — minister, 2s. 6d.; clerk, Is. Extracts from ditto— minister, Is. ; clerk, 6d. Eunerals (except at three o'clock in winter and four in summer) single grave— gexton, 7s. 6d. Inhabitant householder — minister, £1 Is.; clerk, 5s.; sexton, 10s. 6d. Non-inhabitant householder — minister, €3 3s. ; clerk, £1 Is.; sexton, 10s. 6d Eunerals inside the church — minister, £10 10s. ; clerk. £2 2s.; sexton, £1 Is, Inhabitant householder — minister, £10 10s. ; clerk, £2 2s. ; sexton, £1 Is. Vaults, ditto — minister, £52 10s. Monuments, five superficial feet or under — minister, £5 5s. Eor every additional superficial foot — minister, £1 Is. Head and foot stones in the churchyard — minister, £1 Is. Elat stones over graves or vaults — minister, £2 2s. Tombs ditto — minister, £3 3s. Rails round ditto — minister, £3 3s. The Church of the Holy Trinity, in the aforesaid parish ; county and diocese, Euneral fees — minister, £2 2s. ; clerk, 10s. 6d. ; sexton, 10s. 6d. Double brick vault in the yard — minister, £10 10s. Single ditto ditto — minister, £6 6s. Monuments, five superficial feet or under — minister, £5 5s. Eor every additional superficial foot — minister, £1 Is. Monuments against the walls outside — minister, £1 Is. Bead and foot stones in the churchyard — minister, £1 Is. Flat stones over graves or vaults — minister, £2 2s. Tombs, ditto — minister, £3 3s. Rails rouud ditto — minister, £3 3s. Eor single catacomb in the church— minister, £10 10s, The above is a true copy of the table of fees deposited in the Ecclesiastical Court. E. Close, Incumbent of Cheltenham, CHRONOLOGICAL EVETNS. 549 1328. February 21. The public clock at the late Magistrates office erected. 1830. Pittville Pump- room erected at a cost of £60,000. Previous to its erection visitors used to take the waters at " The Little Spa," a building in the East walk, on the South side of the lake. THE LITTLE SPA. 1830. June 26. George IV. died. Great Flood in Cheltenham. A great storm and flood occurred this day, aud extended nearly all over the country. The Cheltenham Examiner of August 1, 1855, says — " Its effects were very similar to those of the storm of Thursday last, except that the waters then swept through fields instead of through streets. Where the Promenade now stands was then a piece of waste laud or meadow; and Mr. John Russell informs us, he remembers that year Mr. Henney giving him the use of a slip of the land where the Literary Institution now stands, and which he plauted with potatoes. These potatoes were just getting fit for digging, when alas ! the storm of June 26th swept over the land, and the waters of the Chelt swept over Mr. Henney' s meadows and carried the whole of Mr. Russell's potatoe crop, mould and every- thing, along with it ! The waters on that occasion also burst into what is now Jessop's Gardens, making a breach through the very spot in the embankment where they broke through on Thursday last with such damaging effect. At a former flood, about fifty years ago, the water rose as high as the pales of the churchyard; but that was before the houses in the Old Cresent were built, and when, of course, no part of the river was arched over, the whole being an open stream from mill to mill." 183D. Consecration St. James's Church, Suffolk-square. [View of building, see next page.] 1830. October 6. St James's Church consecrated. 1830. August 14. Queen Victoria, with her mother, the Duchess of Kent, drove through Cheltenham. 1831. Gurney's Steam Carriage ran between Cheltenham and Gloucester on the turnpike road for several weeks, after which it was discontinued in conse- quence of a portion of the line of road having been re-stoned. To Sir Charles fiance we are indebted for this first attempt at introducing locomotives on the Common highway. 550 IIISTOBY OF CHELTENHAM. st, james's chukch. 1831. May 9. Parish boundaries perambulated. 1831. June 20. Paganini's first performance at the Assembly Rooms. 1831. September 19. The New Burial Ground and Chapel thereon conse- crated. The Chapel, which is in the classic style, was built from designs by Messrs. Paul, resident architects. 1831. September 28. Great Reform Dinner at the Assembly Rooms. November 4. New Police established. May 4. Cheltenham Looker- On estab- 1831. 1833. Ii8hed\ 1833. 1833 Literary Institution formed. Statue of William IV. erected in Im- perial Gardens, to commemorate the passing ot the Reform Bill. 1834. This year, in making the sewer, the ancient " stepping-stones" were discovered which stood in the High-street; also the massive oak steps opposite the Plough and Crown Hotels. 1834. Mechanic's Institution formed 1834. Oct. 17. Earl Ellen borough's Eete at Sudeley Castle. 1834. Cambray Spa erected by the late Bavnum Jones, Esq., at the junctiion of Rodney Terrace and Imperial Square. The Chalybeate spring was discovered at this spot in the year 1804. In 1805, Sir Francis Burdett, then seriously ill and deprived of the use of his limbs, was restored to convalescence in the course -of a few years, by drinking the waters of this Spa. [For view of builaiug, see next page.] 1834. November 4. Free Press established by the late Samuel Charle* Harper. CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 551 1835. Visit of H.R.H, Duke of Cambridge. During his stay he called ■upon J. .Fallon, Esq., the then occupier, to inspect the residence of George III. when in Cheltenham — Bayshill House. THE CAMBRAY SPA. 1835. June 8. Election of a Master of the Ceremonies. There were two candidates — Captain Kirwan and Mr. Sissons. Captain Kirwan was elected by a majority of 235 votes. 4 1835. November ]0. The first election for a Board of Guardians in Chelt- enham, under the New Poor Law Act. 1836. Literary Institution erected. The building was desigued from the well LITERA.RY AND PHILOSOPHIC/ ~ INSTITUTION. 552 [history or Cheltenham. kn wn and admired Temple of Theseus, at Athens. It contained a lecture room and museum, but the finances of the Association were always in a deranged state and in 1 861 the concern was wound up, and the building offered for sale. Attempts were made towards its purchase by the Improvement Commissioners, as a Board- rocm and Public-officces, but the proposition met with so much opposition that the idea was abandoned. In 1860 the building was sold by public auction,, by Messrs Engall and Sanders, and shortly afterwards it was pulled down and two handsome shops, now known as New Buildings, erected in its place. 1836. March 25. Board of Highways first constituted. This Board was- composed of twenty ratepayers, annually elected at a Vestry Meeting, and was continued until 1846, when its illegality having been discovered. Mr. C. Hale was appointed Town Surveyor in its stead. Prior to the establishment of the Board, the roads from time immemorial were repaired by a Town Surveyor; and after its abolition the ancient custom was again resorted to, which continued until the passing of the New Improvement Act in 1852. Owing to an omission in this Act, the Town Commissioners had no power to alter or stop up a high- way ; but the omission was rectified in the general Highway Act of 1862- 1837. January 11. The Cheltenham Stag Hunt established at a public meeting, and the Hon. C. F. Berkeley, M.P., elected the first Master of the Hounds. 1837. February 28. The Girls' Union School, St. George's- street, opened by public meeting. 1837. A cormorant, or, as it is called by naturalists Pelicanus Carbo 7 was shot in Pittville-street. 1837. Clocks erected at the churches. " This derideratum is, about to be supplied by the liberality of Mrs. H. Thompson, the amiable and much respected relict of Henry Thompson, Esq., a gentleman to whose enterprising spirit the aggrandizement and prosperity of Cheltenham may chiefly be ascribed. Mrs. Thompson has determined on presenting a public Clock for each edifice, to St, John's Church, St. James's Church, and St. Paul's Church, and has given orders to Mr. Denne for their construction and erection, on a similar scale to the Parish Church." — Journal. 1837. June 24th. Thursday being the day fixed for proclaiming our Most Gracious Queen Victoria in Cheltenham, a numerous party of the Magistrates, Gentlemen, and Tradesmen of the town, met at the Assembly Booms, to make the preliminary arrangements, which having been completed at 3 o'clock, the procession left the Assembly Booms, accompanied by a band of music with flags and banners, the whole of the police force, and parish constables, in the following order: — Mr. George Russell, High Constable, with his silver baton of office, H. N. Trye, Esq., the High Sheriff of the county, attended by J. C. Straford, Esq., the Deputy Sheriff, who was supported on the right by A. H. Kirwan, Esq., M.C., afld on the left by Jas. Fisher, Esq., High Bailiff, the County Magistrates' acting for the division of the county ; the Rev. John Brown, of Trinity Church; the Churchwardens ; the Registrar, and a large body of gentlemen and tradesmen; the procession halted at the Public Office, the Fleece, the White Hart, and the Old Swan, and returned to the Assembly Rooms, at each of which places Mr. G. Russell having enjoined silence, the proclamation was read by J. C. Straford, Esq., in a firm and audible voice, amid the enthusiastic cheerings of the populace. Persons of every shade of political opinion appeared tc vie with each other in demonstrations of loyality to the throne, and affection for the person of their "Virgin Queen." 1837. October 10. First stone of Christ Church, laid by Rev. F. Close 1837. April 24. The great Nassau balloon ascended from the Montpellie Gardens under the guidance of Mr. Green, who was accompanied by Mr. Rush CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS, 553 the American Minister. After a voyage of three hours during which they travelled 90 miles, and passed over Strathfieldsaye, the seat of the Duke of Wellington, a safe descent was effected 40 miles from London. 1838. July 21. Queens Hotel opened for visitors. 1838. August 8. Centenary Fete at Old Wells. 1838. October 3. Hampton, the aeronaut, ascended in a halloon from the Montpeilier Gardens, and safely descended in a parachute on Hicks's farm at Hatherley. The event produced a great sensation at the time, in consequence of the recent death of Cocking, while attempting the same task, and the feat was deemed so dangerous as to be forbidden by the local Magistracy Mr. Hampton, however, attempted the task, and made with safety one of the most successful parachute descents in England. 1839. April 22. Died at Cheltenham, Nathaniel Thomas Haynes Bayly. A tablet to his memory stands in St. James's Church, with an inscription from the pen of Theodore Hook. 1839. May 3. Destruction of Cheltenham Theatre by fire. 1839. July 4?. Sir Francis H. Drake, Bart., died at Cheltenham, where he had been many years a resident. He was the last male descendant of the great circumnavigator Sir Francis Drake. 1839. July 17. First number of the Cheltenham Examiner published. The paper was started under the auspices of Earl Fitzhardinge, Hon. Craven Berkeley, CHELTENHAM "EXAMINER" OFFICE. the Magistrates of the Cheltenham Bench, and a large number of gentlemen and tradesmen, active members of the Liberal party. Mr. Fonblanque then editor of the Loudon Examiner and since made C ommissioner in Bankruptcy, came specially to Cheltenham, on the invi.ation of Earl Fitzhardinge, to advise as to the details of the new publication. Mr J. C. S)mons, afterwards appointed one of H M. Inspectors of Schools, was for some years its editor. 1839. July 15. News arrived of dreadful riots in Birmingham. The gas was put out, and several shops, in the principal thoroughfares fired by the populace. 554 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 1839. July 30. Great centenery meeting in commemmoration of Whitfield held on Stinchcomb hill. 1839. August 2. Heury Vincent and other Chartists tried at Monmouth and sentenced to 12 months imprisonment. 1839. August 5. General Sir James Stewart, Bart , G.C.H., the *« father of the army," died at his residence in Cheltenham. He entered the service March 17, 1761, and became Colonel of the 2nd Dragoon Guards January 12, 1815. Sir James Stewart was alive in 1745 wheu his father was dispatched from Scotland by Prince Charles Stuart to arrange with Louis XV. of .France, for a French iavasiou to overthrow the Hanoverian dynasty. 1839. August 6. John Chadburn, Esq., of Gloucester, mixed up in the matter of " Jemmy Wood's " will, committed suicide by hanging himself in his coac!>-house. 1839. August 18. A number of Chartists proceeded in a body to the Parish Church during morning service with a view to intimidate the preacher. There was no serious disturbance, but the party left as soon as the organ struck up the National Anthem. 1839. August. Public meetings on railway matters. The line from Chelten- ham tu Swindon was opposed by Mr. Henney and others, but it was carried by the influence of the then proprietors of the Lansdown property, and called after tliem Vaughan, my wife may live where she likes, and with whom she pleases, so long as she does n it con- tract any debt, or cause any debt to be contracted, or trouble James Vaughan, h er husband, or refuse to give up her son George when required after two years of age and I, James Vaughan, do agree aud consent that the said Amelia Vaughan shall be as free as regards the disposal of her person and property (should she hereafter, possess any) as though she had never been married; and, likewise, I, Junes Vaughan, will not in any way interfere with her, the said Amelia Vaughan, er annoy her in a^y way whatever, nor enter any action or suit of law against any person with whom she may be residing, on account of her so residing or living with any such person ; and I, the said James Vaughan, further promise and agree not to claim any property she may hereinafter possess, either by gift or otherwise, so long as sue does not contract any debt I may be Lable for. I, William, Stanbury, do hereby promise and agree to become liable for all debts the said Amelia Vaughan may hereiuafte; contract, and pay the same, if any be so con- tracted, so long as this contract is abided by. James Vau^j nan and William Stanbury do hereby agree that in case either of them neglect or fail to fullii the terras of this agreement so as to cause any suit at law, so tiiat this agreement must be taken into court to prove the same, the one that so refuses or tails to fulfil his part of the contract, shall forf it and pay to the other the sum of Ten Pounds, And I, James Vaughaa. do promise and agree, on condition of my having the charge and care of our son George, to allow his mother, Amelia Vaughau, free access to him at all reasonable and proper times, in ease of illness or otherwise, nor shall he be taken anywhere in the couutry to reside without her knowledge. Witness our hands this 1st day of December, 1842, "James Vaughan, "Amelia Vaughan, " Witnesses. " William Stanbury. " Henry Fry, "The mark of + Caroline Brown." 1845. August 27th. Mtrriage of the Hon. C. E. Berkeley, M.P. We believe we may confidently announce that our worthy and much respected mem- ber, the Hon Mr. raven Berkeley, will be this day united to Charlotte, fourth daughter of the late General Onslow, of Stou^hton House, Huntingdonshire, and widow of the late George Newton, Esq., of CroKton Park, Cambridgeshire. We understand that the ceremony will take pla -e at Cranbury Park, near Winchester, the seat of Thomas Charaberlayne, Esq., and that Lord and Lady Palmerston, Earl Fitzhardinge. Lord Charles Fitzroy. Lady \la*-y Berkeley the Deau of Winchester anil Mrs. Gamier, Sir Charles and Lady Burrard, Mr. Campbell, M.P. for Salisbury, the Misses Onslow, &c, &c, &c, will be present on the interesting occasion. — "Examiner," Aug. 27. 568 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 3845. August 28th. Death of General Sir William Hutchinson, K.C.H a resident in the town for many years. 1845. September 2nd. Died at his residence, Cambray, in his 84th year Pryse Lockhai t Gordon, Esq. He was the intimate associate of some of the most eminent literary characters of the day, amongst whom may be named Sheridan, Burdett, Home Tooke, Dr. Parr, Dr.Buiney, Campbell the poet, Prof Porson, Sir J. Mackintosh, Monk Lewis, John aud Charles Kemble, Peter Pindar (Walcott), Bannister, SirM.A. Shee, George Colman, Sir T Lawrence Northcote, Opie, Godwin, Curran, Perry ("Morning Chronicle"), Lord Erskine' &c. He was at Brussels at the time of the Battle of Waterloo, and enjoyed the honour of acting as chaperon to Lord Byron and Sir Walter Scott, on their visit to t»e field of that battle. He shortly after returned to England, and passed the evening ot his days in Cheltenham, enjoying the friendship of Lord Northwick Sir E. Lytton Bulwer, &c, to the last. OLD HOUSE, OPPOSITE CAMBRAY. 1845. November 17th. Died at his residence, Cheltenham, aged 67, Admiral Sir Salusbury Davenport, K.C.B., K.C.H. The deceased officer, who took the name of Davenport on his marriage with a heiress of that name, was the Captain Humphreys who, on the 22nd June, 1807, when in command of the Leopard fifty gun frigate, captured the American frigate Chesapeake on the Halifax station The action took place under written instructions from the late Admiral Sir George Beikeley, ordering the Leopard to search any American vessels he might fall in with, for deserters from the English navy. He demanded to search the Chesa- peake, which her captain refused to permit ; he thereupon engaged the American, killing six and wounding twenty-two of her crew. After the Chesapeake had 6truck her colours five British seamen were found aboard of her, and on their being brought to trial as deserters one was hung, and the others sentenced to five hundred lashes each. 1845. November. Great railway agitation in Cheltenham. The Great Western line to Oxford, by Shipton-under-Wychwood, making the distance to London 105 miles, was strongly opposed on account of its passing through the Pittvilie side of the town in a cutting. The ''Cheltenham. Oxford and London line," going direct to Didcot, brought the distance to 97 miles. In the course of the controversy which ensued, an influential committee was appointed at a very large public meeting, the Rev. Francis Close being chairman, to watch over the interests of the town. According to a statement laid before the committee the line presented the following features in its passage through the town ; it passed CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 569 within eighty yards of St. John's Church, thirty yards of Trinity Church, twenty yards of Lady Huntingdon's Chapel, fifty yards of Wesley Cuapel, forty yards of the General Hospital (now the Female Training College), and ten yards of King- street Chapel. It raised the levels of the roadways . Coltham-lane (HaleVroad), twenty-two feet; Hewlett-street, three-and-a-half feet ; Winchcomb-street, two feet; Henrietta street, eight feet ; High-street, two feet; and New-street, eight feet. The town committee made its report to a large meeting held at the Town Hall, on the 29th December, when it was decided against this mode of approach, and it was further resolved that the mode of approach of the M Cheltenham Oxford and London " or Didcot line, which had its terminus in the High-street near the site of the old theatre, would not injure the town. The Pittville route, though opposed generally by the town, was supported by many names of local influence. The Hon. C. F. Berkeley was Chairman of the Board of Directors, and the solicitors were Messrs. Bubb, Lingwood and Bubb, and Messrs. Williams and Griffiths. On the line going before Parliament the town committee raised a fund of £1,000 to oppose it, and Mr. James Boodle was appointed to conduct the opposition. The question was, however, not tried out on its merits, as the bill was thrown out in Committee of the House of Commons on some question of the estimates. These facts are interesting at the present time, as bearing on the railway controversy of 1862, and which is— as far as the best mode of passing through, the town is concerned — still undecided. 1846. February 5. Return made to a vestry meeting this day that the extent of the parish was o ,2 19 acres, 3 roods and 5 poles; the gross estimated rental, £211,134 5s, Id.; rateable value for assessment to the county rate, £177 499 , void and poor, 26,000. The vestry passed a resolution to the effect that the valuation was " considerably too high/' and that house property was very considerably reduced in value, 1846. February 23. Mews arrived in Cheltenham of the battle of Moodkee, between 20,000 British and 60,000 Sikhs. The British, though victorious, lost 149 officers and 3,084 men in killed and wounded. Many of the officers being former residents in Cheltenham, the a*air caused great consternation General Sir Robi-rt Sale, who was killed, resided here before going to Iudia, aud Lady Sale (since her captivity in Cabul) had been a resident in the town, and was here when the news arrived of her husuanu's death. Mwjor F. Somerset, son of Lord and Lady Filzroy Somerset, was also among the killed. Major Somerset had accom- panied Lord Ellenborough to India, and behaved with great gallantry during the Sikh campaign. 1846. March 6. Died, in his 66tb pear, the Rev. J. Brown, for 33 years minister of Cheltenham Chapel. 1846. March 24. News arrived of the battle of Aliwal, when 12,000 British troups, under Sir Harry Smith, defeated the Sikhs, 24,000 strong, and captured 65 guns. Our loss vv as 600 in killed and wounded. Among the Cheltenham officers who fell in this engagement were Lieutenant Smallr.age and Captain Knowles, nephew of Colonel Austin, of Lausdown-place. Adjutant Wade, severely wounded, was sou of General Sir Charles Wacie, K.C.B., for many years a resident here. At the annual meeting of the Naval and Military Bible Society, a few days after the news of these losses arrived, the Rev. F.. Close observed that, from personal knowledge he could say that there were more than twenty-six officers ot the army and navy in the room, and that was a pretty j^ood representation of the officers in Cheltenham. For his part he never wished to see artillery emplo>ed in any other way than iu firing salutes, and he regretted exceedingly that his own childern seemed to have caught some of the same fire as his friend ou the left (the Rev. F. Robertson). He should have been much better pleased, had it been the will of God to direct them into his own profession; 570 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. hut, (continued the reverend gentleman,) "I do say as a Christian minister, I do firmly believe in the lawfulness of war under the present circumstance of the world, and under the restrictions and influences of Christianity ; and T do think that those who owe their independence, their property, their easy arm chair, and all the blessings of home to the gallantry— under God— to the gallantry and devotion of British seamen and soldiers, ought not to prattle so much about the unlawfulness of war, for had it not been for men of other determinations and dispositions, they would have been in a very different position themselves. It does appear to me to be an unanswerable argument on the subject, that you read, throughout the New Testament, of numerous conversions in the army both by the preaching of John the Baptist, our Lord himself, and His Apostles ; and you cannot find a shred of evidence that any one of them ever said to the convert 'you must leave your warlike profession.' On the contrary, you find them as Christians all honouring God in that profession, and consequently the New Testa- ment gives us no authority for saying that the profession of arms is unlawful. I believe, then, that it is lawful for a man to engage in warfare for the defence of his country, his religion, and his fireside, and that God will bless him in that profession as in any other. I know that it is the very genius of Christianity to destioy war, and if we could only infuse into nations, the same feelings as now exist in individuals, then there would be as few duels amongst nations as there are now between individuals. But you must agree that that period has not yet arrived, and in the meantime, it is your duty and mine to mitigate the horrors of war, to soften its sorrows, and to heal its wouuds ; and how can we do this more effectually than by pouring into it the balm and consolation of the gospel of Chiist, and giving every soldier and seaman that word in his knapsack or ham- mock, which shall be his comfort in the desert, and the dark, and the dying hour." —"Examiner, April 1. 1846. June 5. Town Commissioners order a new rate of five pence in the pound. 1846. June 18. Fifth annual distribution of prizes at Cheltenham College The number of pupils had now risen to 306. 1846. Mr. C. H. Hale appointed surveyor of highways by the magistrates There had been a dispute, of some months uuration, between the parish and the Commissioners as to whose duty it was to repair the roads. The parish found they could not legally appoint a surveyor. The magistrates were advised by their clerk, Mr. Williams, that they could not legally make the appointment, and the commissioners maintained it was not a matter within the jurisdiction of that board. The result was that the roads, including the High-street, threatened to become impassable, and in this crisis Mr. Williams advised the magistrates that, as a matter of discretion, they had better make the appointment. Mr. C. H. Hale was thereupon appointed, and it does not appear that the legality of the appoint- ment was ever called in question. 1846. July. Much sympathy excited on behalf of a poor woman named Ship, 97 years of age, imprisoned for rent. Captain St. Clair, one of our local justices, set on foot a sovereign subscription among his brother magistrates : a sum of £40 was speedily collected, and the old woman liberated, a provision being at the same time made for her future maintenance. 1846. July. The Baron of Preston. — We have authority for stating that the old Scotch title of Viscount Preston, is about to be assumed by Sir Robert Graham, Bart., ofEsk, in Cumberland, who is now residing in Cheltenham. 1846. July 25. Sir Justinian Vere Isham committed suicide by cutting his throat at his residence, 16, Pittville-villas. 1846. September. The Bristol aud Birmingham Railway first ran their trains on Sundays in obedience to a late parliamentary enactment. In reference to this CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 571 event the Rev. F. Close published a letter in the "Examiner" stating his opinion that if it was "caused, as aliened, by the act of the legislature, another page of Godless legislation is recorded on the annals of our beloved country, and another national sin invokes the displeasure of the Almighty." 1846. Longevity. — There is at present residing in the pleasant village of Wood man cote the widow of a farmer and a servant who has been residing with her from her youthful days, whose united ages amount to 197 years; the mistress being 99 years of age, and the servant 98. The widow is deprived of sight, but otherwise in the enjoyment of good health; the servant is still active for her years, and devoted in her attendance on her mistress. — "Examiner," Sept. 9. 1846. October 8. It was decided at a vestry meeting to put in repair Coltham-lane, which forms one of the boundaries of the parish at the Charlton side. By the reparation of this road, which was for years impassable, a new and beautiful drive has been formed, and the suburbs of the town thereby improved and enlarged. It was publicly opened by procession on August 16, 1847, and named " Hale's-road," by the Master of the Ceremonies, as a compliment to Mr. C. Hale, the town surveyor, through whose perseverance the improvement was effected without the aid of the public rates. In the formation of the road, one of the workmen discovered a shilling of Queen Elizabeth's reign, date 1578, beside, a quantity of .Roman coins. Mr. Hale was presented with a silver tankard by subscription, at the completion of the work. 1846. November 9. Arrival of Earl Fitzhardinge for the hunting season. The occasion was marked by a somewhat novel circumstance. A few months previous a criminal information had been laid against a clergyman of the town for writing certain anonymous letters, and a verdict of guilty returned at the trial at Gloucester. The noble lord's name having been mixed up wiih the affair, the ministers churchwarden refused to allow the bells to be rung as usual on his lordship's arrival. The parish churchwarden, Mr. G. Howe, however, authorised the ringers to give the usual salute, and the Incumbent being appealed to at once sanctioned Mr. Rowe's decision. The bells were accordingly rung to welcome his lordship's arrival. 1846. December 7. Scheme proposed by the late Thomas Henney, Esq., for obtaining a supply of water for public Baths in the Bath-road. A plan and section published in the •* Examiner" of the above date. 1846. January 14. IndiajN Memorial. A column copied from an Hindoo design, has just been completed by Mr. Lewis, sculptor, of this town, intended for ereciion in the garden of the Earl of Ellenborough,s residence at Southam. On it are inscribed the names of the heroes who commanded in the late Indian war, with the dates of the various actions in which they distinguished themselves during his government. It is profusely decorated with Mural crowns, shields, and other emblematical devices, richly sculptured ; the whole is executed in Caen stone. A pagoda is erected to receive this interesting memorial. — " Examiner " Dec. 16. 1847. January. Two more actions by Mr. Newton against Messrs. Howe and Norman. These make six actions of the same nature; in all of which, except one, verdicts were returned for the defendants. 1847. January 21. Large meeting in the Town Hall, for the relief of the distress in Ireland. The Kevs. E. Close, A. Boyd, and J. Browne, took part, and the contributions within a few days amounted to £1,870. Large subscriptions were also raised for our own suffering poor, who were again set to " tariff work,'* at an expenditure during the severe weather of from £120 to £150 per week. It is recorded that on the 7th of February, an old man of 91 died in Cheltenham from the inclemency of the weather. 1847. January 25. Messrs. Herbert and Page (sent down by the Woods' and Forests' Commissioners) commenced an enquiry at the Fleece Hotel on the water 572 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. question, — the Water Company having a bill before Parliament for an increase of their powers. 1847. March. The Cheltenham contributions to the distress in Ireland and Scotland, stated to amount to nearly £6000. Of this upwards of £2000 was in answer to the appeal at a pubiic meeting. 184/7. March. Considerable agitation on the Church-rate question. The Incumbent held a meeting of his friends, who passed a resolution approving the principle of the rate, and a counter meeting, called by Rev. A. M. Brown and Rev. W. G. Lewis, was held at the vestry room of Salem Chapel. 1847. March 5. J. Peart, Esq., a gentleman well kuown, and a member of the board of Commissioners, died suddeuly at a board meeting this day. De- ceased was in the act of affixing his signature to some official document, when he suddenly laid down his pen, fell back in his chair, and instantly expired. 1847. March 5. Manchester and Southampton Railway Bill thrown out in committee on standing orders. So popular was this line that on the letters of allotment being issued last year, the shares stood at six pounds premium. 1847. March 13. A young lady, Miss Julia Quiulan, died suddenly while dancing a quadrille at a ball given by Lieut.-Uol. Fitzrnaurice, at his residence, Berkeley Place. 1847. April 14 Action in the Sheriff's Court, Gloucester, by Mr. Bricknell against the Great Western Railway, tor the value of a piece of land taken by the Company, near Alstone Mill. The jury gave a verdict for £720 purchase money, £2 iO severauce and compensation, and £20 for immediate possession. Total— £970. 18 1-7. April 20. First sitting of the New County Court, before James Fran- cillon, Esq., the resident Judge, at the office of the Magistrates, then held in a room belonging to Messrs. Griffiths, Solicitors. The trial by jury was practised, and the first case was successfully gained for the plaintiff, by C. J. Chesshyre Esq., a local solicitor. Under the new act juries are summoned, and attorneys plead the same as barristers in Superior Courts. Anciently, all cases were tried, by the Steward of the Manor, and an application was made to Parliament for a renewal of the custom, but it was decided that the privilege was lost by disuse. 1847. May 24. Great fire at Alder's cabinet warerooms. Besides Mr. Alder's own loss, his workmen lost tools of the value of £150. A subscription on their behalf was set on foot, and realised uearly £250. 1847. May 26. The "Examiner" of this date says — "James Francillon, Esq., the judge of the new County Courts, has been appointed, by the Lord Chancellor, a magistrate for the counties of Gloucester and Wilts. Mr Fran- cillon intends taking up his residence in Cheltenham, and those who have witnessed his painstaking and impartial conduct, while presiding over his own court, will rejoice att'ie addition of his name to our list of local magistrates. It is understood that his appointment was entirely the act of the Lord Chancellor without the interference of any subordinate authority." 1847- May 28. Commission of lunacy sat at the Belle Vue Hotel, to enquire into the state of mind of Commodore Beattie, of Keynsham place. The jury found that the unfortunate gentleman had been of unsound mind since May 28th, 1845. 1847. May 31st. Decision, of the Commons Committee in favour of the Cheltenham and Oxford (Great Western) Railway. There were two schemes this year ; one, a narrow guage line to Oxford and Tring, with station in the High-street, and making the distance to London 101^ miles; the other, the broad guage from Cheltenham through Burford and Witney to Oxford, distance to Paddington 102 miles. The latter line cut through Pittville, with a station at the Market-place. It was strongly opposed by the town committee, and a petition CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 573 against it obtained about 3,000 signatures, embracing, it was said, more than half the registered electors of the borough. Alter a month's inquiry in com- mittee, the attendance of sixteen solicitors, and the examination of innumerable witnesses, this line was carried, and it afterwards received the royal assent. Ultimately, owing to a change in the money market, and other causes, the line was abandoned. 1847. June 7th. Arrival in Cheltenham of Sir Harry Smith, the hero of Aliwal. An address, with six hundred signatures, was presented to him by Capt. Kirwan, M C, at the Belle Vue Hotel. Sir Harry (who was accompanied by his lady) made a stirring address to the crowd assembled in the gardens of the hotel. Sir Harry and his lady resided some time in Cheltenham, the latter taking a couise of the mineral waters, under the advice of Dr. Cannon. 1847. June 7th. George Stokes, Esq , one of the founders of, and chief writers for, the Religious Tract Society, died suddenly at his residence in Chelt- enham. The notice of his death states, " So calm was his end that not a ruffle of the bed-clothes gave evidence of any mortal struggle, and it is a singular coinci- dence that his death took place as nearly as possible at the same time anil in the same manner as that of the late Dr. Chalmers, of Edinburgh." 1847 June 24th Indictment for "wilful and corrupt perjury" preferred against Mr. J. C. Straford, by Mr. Augustus Newton, tried in the Queen's Bench before Lord Chief Justice Penman and a special jury. Sir F. Thesiger appf ared for the defendant, and the jury, after a moment's consultation, returned a verdict of '* not guilty." The Lord Chief Justice expressed his entire concurrence with the finding of the jury, and refused to allow the costs of the prosecution. 1847. July 7th. The Hon. Craven Berkeley reported to have made a speech in the House of Commons to the effect that " more deaths from miasma occurred in Cheltenham than in any other town of the same size in England." This created so much dissatisfaction that it was one of the main causes of Mr. Berkeley losing his seat at the next election. Mr. Henney, at a cost of some thirty pounds, out of his own pocket, caused an abstract of the comparative mortality of this and other towns to be made and published in the Times and other leading papers. This document gave the following results ; that the annual number of deaths out of every thousand inhabitants, stood as follows: — In Cheltenham, 20; in Brighton, 25 ; in Bath, 27 ; in Clifton, 26 ; in Bristol, 28 ; in Birmingham, 28 ; in Worcester, 27; in Manchester, 31 ; and in Liverpool, 33. Dr. Boisragon and Mr. C. H. Hale also published letters in the " Examiner" to the same effect. 1847. July 22nd. Public dinner at the Assembly Rooms of the supporters of the Cheltenham and Oxford railway to celebrate the passing of the Company's Bill through Parliament. 1847. July 30th. Sir Willousjhby Jones returned by a majority of 108 votes — the first Conservative candidate ever returned for Cheltenham. The new member was "chaired" through the tov\n amid a general demonstration of blue favours. 1847 August 12th. Letter from Earl Eitzhardinge declining his usual present of red deer for the Cheltenham Sta&r Hunt; also claiming the hounds as his Lordship's property, and requiring them to be sent at once to Berkeley Castle. Mj, Theobald thereupon offered to undertake the mastership of a new pack. This offer was accepted, and a committee, consisting of Messrs. Eortescue, Gardner, Thompson, Skillicorne, and Henuey, appointed to make arrangements for keeping up the sport as heretofore. 1847. August, 16th. Eirst experimental trip on the Great Western Railway, w 7 ith the engine D'Jered, conveying I. K. Brunei. Esq., and suite to Cheltenham. 1847. August 17th. Public dinner to Sir Willoughby Jones, M.P., at the Assembly Kooms, 574 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 18*7. September 6th. Foundation stone of St. Peter's Church laid by Sir Willoughby Jones, Bart , M P., in presence of a large number of spectators. 1847. September 16th. Sudden death, at her residence, Cheltenham, of the Hon. Anna Twistleton, mother of Lord Saye and Sele. 1847. September 19th. Died, at 4, Wollesley-terrace, Lieut.-Gen. Sir Henry Keating, K.C.B. He entered the army in 1793, and after a long period of brilliant services, was made, in 1836, a Knight Commander of the Bath, and had a service of plate of the value of five hundred guineas voted to him by t he East India Government. 1847. September 27th. Died at Torquay, Yice-Admiral Sir Charles Dash- wood. K.C.B., and G.C.T.S. Deceased entered the navy in 1779, and was, at the time of his death, the last living officer of the Eormidable, in which ship lie served as aide de camp to Lord Rodney in the actions of Aprii 9th and 12th 1782. He was thus sixty-eight years in the navy, upwards of forty of which he served at sea. 1847. October 12th. Laying the first stone of Eauconberg House, Bayshill, for the residence of Mr. Charles Eowler. The building was designed by Mr. S. Onley, and it is now the residence of Col, Church Pearce. 1847. October 15th. Erst meet of the new pack of stag hounds at the Plough Hotel. The deer was uncarted at Shurdington, and, after making towards Cheltenham, breasted the steepest ascent of Leckhampton Hill, and was safely captured near the Seven Springs. 1847. October 15th. A proposition before the Commissioners for throwing the ordinary meetings of that body open to reporters, but not to the ratepayers, ne^^tived by 14 votes to 7. 1847. October 17th. "Penance" at the Parish Church. An exhibition, fortunately of rare occurrence in these enlightened days, took place on Saturday last, at the Cheltenham Parish Church. Throughout the Week rumours had been afloat that some unlucky wight who had made rather too free with the fair fame of his neighbours, had been ordered by the Ecclesiastical authorities to expiate his offence by doing penance in a white sheet. It was asserted that the sheet, tapers, and other paraphernalia of the ceremony had been duly provided by the churchwardens, and the curious in such matters were, of course, on the tip-toe of expectation. Saturday morning came, and towards ten o'clock some hundreds of persons found their way to the Parish Church, where the presence of the curate, the churchwardens, and a proctor from the Consisturial Court, seemed to give colour to the prevailing rumours. A large white cloth, which hung most suspiciously within the vestry door also gave "confirmation strong" of the reality of the coming ceremony, and the eager sight seers arranged themselves in the most convenient parts of the building to witness it. The galleries were filled by a motley assemblage of both sexes, every seat and pew in the vicinity of the communion table was crowded with occupants, and the venerable old structure presented more the appearance of a theatre, or a cockpit, than of a place of Christian worship. Fortunately for public decorum and decency, all this eager curiosity was doomed to disappointment. About twenty minutes after ten the culprit entered the church, and proceeded to the vestry room ; but there were no bare feet, no white sheet, no lighted tapers, but a simple form of recantation was read over and subscribed to, and the crowd who thronged the sacred edifice, finding there was no fun to be seen, quietly dispersed.-— " Examiuer," October 20th. 1847. October 23rd. The Great Western Railway publicly opened to the station at Jessop's Nursery. Dinner at the Plough in honour of the event. The Act for making this line had beeu obtained many years previously, and its con- struction was at last carried into effect in consequence of a memorial having been CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 575 presented to the directors. It was signed by the Lord of the Manor and upwards or 300 owners and occupiers, and was accompanied by an intimation that if more time had been given to it, previous to the meeting of the directors, a much more extensive list of signatures might have been obtained. 1847. November 4th. The Town Commissioners passed a resolution to the effect that it would be desirable to have an illuminated clock over the Public Offices, High-street. The resolution, from some unexplained cause, was never carried into practice. 1847. November 4th. Resignation of the Rev. W. F. Wilkinson, Theological Tutor of Cheltenham College. The rev. gentleman happening to be at a lecture given by Mr. George Dawson, in this town, proposed a vote of thanks to the lecturer at the close of the proceedings. The Directors of the College censured his so doing, and this vote of censure led to his resignation. The affair caused much controversy at the time; a public meeting of the inhabitants presented an address of sympathy with Mr. Wilkinson, and a like address was presented to him by the members of the Literary Institution. Ultimately, the facts being reported to the Government, a valuable living in the city of Derby was presented to Mr. Wilkinson by the Lord Chancellor. 1848. January. Sir W . Jones, for a few months member for Cheltenham, was sojourning at the residence of his mother, Lacly Jones, at Evesham-house. The Hon. Craven Berkeley, the ex-member, was staying at the same time at the Queen's Hotel. 1848. January 7. Town Commissioners' ordered a borough-rate of six-pence in the pound. 1848. January 11. The appointment of Dr. Hampen to the Bishopric of Hereford created a very warm controversy in the Church. At a meeting of the Gloucestershire clergy a resolution condemnatory of Dr. Hampden's appointment was carried by 72 to 28 voles. Dr. Jenner and the Rev. F. Close strongly opposed the resolution, and it was understood that most of the Cheltenham clergy voted against it. 1848. January 11. Died, James Corry, Esq., at his residence, Montpellier Spa-buildings, in the 76th year of his age. Mr. Corry was the intimate friend and companion of Tom Moore, the Bard of Erin, and formed one of the celebrated brotherhood of "The Kilkenny Boys," who were mixed up so largely in the events which took place in Ireland preceding, and at the time of the union. 1848. January 11. An incident occurred in connection with Mr. Feargus O'Connor's Snig's End land scheme. A number of waggons and carts passed in procession through the town containing the settlers and their belongings on their way to the Snig's End estate. Mr. Feargus O'Connor himself w r as expected to have been in the procession, but does not appear to have been present. 1848. January 25. Foundation stone of the new hospital laid by the Right Hon. Lord Dunally. 1848. February. Great dissatisfaction appears to have been created here, as elsewhere at Lord John Russell's imposition of a "five per cent, income-tax." A petition against the tax, with 900 signatures, was presented by Sir Willoughby Jones. 1848. February. Miss Jane Cooke gave five acres of land as a site for the new Training College. 1848. March. Presentation of an address to Lord Fitzhardinge on the com- pletion of the 40th year of his annual visit to Cheltenham. The address was presented at the Dowdeswell meet, and was read by Mr. S.imuelOnley amid much cheering. The report states that there were three thousand pedestrians and four hundred horsemen present on the occasion, and that the road was, for a consider- able distance, lined on both sides with the carriages of the nobility and gentry. 576 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 1848. Seizure or Church-rates. — A. seizure for church-rates was made last week at the house of tlie Rev J. Blomfield, minister of the Bethel (Hap'ist) Chapel. The article taken was a looking-glass, stated to be worth £1 5s. The Tate and costs owing were about 8s. " Examiner," March 29. 1848. April. The " Examiner" of April 12 has the following :— " On Dit. — That among the names about to be added to the commission of the peace for this district, are those of C. L. Harford and W. N. Skillicorne, Ksqrs.-, both resi- deuts of Cheltenham. We believe that the appointment of these gentlemen will be received with universal satisfaction." The same paper on May 12th says — "We stated some weeks back that the names of C. L. Harford, and W. N. Skillicorne, Esqrs., were about being a 'ded to the commission of the peace for this county. The necessary forms having since been gone through, these gentlemen are now duly empowered to qualify as Justices of the Peace for the Cheltenham district." 1848. April. Fashionable Movements. — The Earl of Ellenborough has returned to Southam, intending to pass the Parliamentary holidays amongst his Cheltenham frbnds. Dr. Whatelev, Archbishop of Dublin, is expected to arrive in Cheltenham next week. Mrs. Whatelev and part of the family have already arrived at Brandon House, near St. Phillip's Church which has been taken for his Grace's residence. — Lord Northwick, Lord Dunalley, and Lord de Saumarez, all purpose sperding the Easter recess at their respective residences in Chelten- ham. — The Earl and Countess of Erne, who had been residing in Clarence-xqu ire for the last two or three months, took their departure for Duolin a few days ago. — "Examiner," April 26. 1848. May. Important Post-office enquiry. A packet of political papers addressed to Mr. Boodle, the Liberal agent, having been delayed in the delivery, one of the clerks in the office was accused of having opened the packet and divulged its contents. Mr. Ilamsay was sent down by the Postmaster General to enquire into the matter, and the result was that the clerk was suspended. — ■ '•Examiner," May 17. 1848. June 29. Cheltenham Election. On the night of the polling a voier named Mulcock, a fly proprietor, left his home and next day his body was found in the stream near Pittville lake. A prolonged enquiry was made into the cir- cumstances, but the mystery was never solved. 1848. July. The Town Commissioners' resolved to write to nine members of their body, residing at a distance, soliciting their resignation in order that the vacancies might be filled up by ratepayers residing in the town. 1848, Glut of Salmon. — During the past fortnight, salmon has been selling at the fish shops at prices varying from 6d. to 9d. per lb. The itinerant vendors have been hawking it about with the cry of" Severn salmon, three pound- for a shilling !" — " Examiner," July 16. 1848. August. Obituary. — We have to record this week the death of .M John Hulbert, of the Knapp, who for many years filled the office of High Co stable, under the Lord of the Manor of Cheltenham. Mr. Hulbert was wel known, and much respected. He was a very active and useful member of the Liberal party in politics, and both in public and private his loss will be deeply regretted. His death took place on Sunday morning, the 27th. On the name day died, at Prestbury, Mr. David Geoige,auotherof our oldest and mosr respected fellow townsmen. Mr. George had been in ill-health for many years, but is death was at last sudden and unexpected. We have had to notice the demise of an unusual number of old inhabitants of the town. A few weeks since Mr. Benjamin Norman, and more recently Mr Johnson, engraver, and Mr. Humphris, have been recorded in our obituary.—" Examiner," August 30. 1848. September. Accounts received in Cheltenham, of the suicide of CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 577 Col. Prince, formerly well-known in the town. He was a member of the Canadian Legislature and conspicuous from his services in quelling the rebellion of 1838. He shot a number of prisoners taken in th it rebellion, an! was supposed to have been driven to tiie act of self-destruction by the odiu n attached to that act of cold blooded butchery. [In reference to this entry, Mr. William Hollis, of Badgeworth, au intimate friend of the Colonel, writes us on January 22nl, 1SG3, that the report of Col. Prince's death is altogether a mi>take. Mr. llollis says — "The Colonel is not dead; thank God for it! bui still liviug in his glory, a hale old man, with his well earned honours smiling happily around him. With us he was a moving, busy man; in that part of her Majesty s dominions where he has since resided, he still remains a striking instance of h ill iwed respect among a great majority of Canadian citizens. For his exertions in patting down the rebellion he was justified, aud obtained for himself great credit from the government; and he has continued a member, and considered o ie of the most eloquent speakers in the House of Assembly." — William Hollts.] 181*8. September 15. This afternoon a deplorable accident occurred between Cheltenham aud Gloucester, by which three workmen on the line were killed, and two others seriously injured. The men were engaged upon the line near the tLitherley Bridge, and were standing on the up rails counting tile trucks ia one of the Midland down trains, when the Great Western train from Gl mce'ster came upon them unawares, aud swept them, down lik3 a ft >ck of sheep. No blame sterns to be due to any parties connected with the railway. The engine- driver of the Great Western train blew both his whistles to apprise the poor fellows of their danger, bat the noise made by the goods' trucks prevented I heir hearing, and it was impossible to stop the train until it had passed over them. The driver seeing he could be of no service without medical assist in^e, immediately drove on to Cheltenham. Dr. Brookes, the medical offieer of the Great Western Compauy, immediately proceeded on the pilot- engine, to the seme of the catastrophe. On arriving there, the sceme which presented itself was too awful for description. Tae bjdies of the sufferers were crushed and mingled in a shocking manner, so much so, that it was with the greitest difficulty that tlie different portions were put together for conveyance to Cheltenham. Toe two wounded men were conveyed to the Hospital, and though shoekinglv mutilated ultimately recovered. [Through the good offices of vlr. Ch tries Hale Jes^op aud the iiev. A.. Boyd, a sum of £230 was raised by subscription for the sulf rers by this uufortunate occurrence, by which three widows and fourteen orphan children were deprived of their protectors.] 1SA8. September 21. Arrival of Sir Charles Napier in Cheltenham. "This gallant veteran arrived in Cheltenham on Tnursday, and, as we auuouueed last week, has taken up his resideuce in Imperial Squire, tie his diity been a no ig the most conspicuous attendants at our spas and pronemdes, and his been engaged in receiving and returning the visits of his brother officers at present residing here. Sir Charles has brought with him his horse (a little Arab; w licli bore him during most of his ludian battles, and mounted on which he may be daily seen in public. Amoug the officers who have served with him, and w ho are now in Chelteuha u, may be mentioned Colonel Willie, his A Jjutant-G-n^ral ; Major McMurdo, his soa-iu-law, and Quartermaster-General, wuo wa< with him through all his Indian battles; Colonel L,loyd, wao commtnled his Artillery; Major Leslie, com nanding the Horse Artillery, and commanding it so gallantly, that, at the especial command of Lord Eileaborough, it is known as " Leslie's Troop ;" Major Poole, of the gallant 22nJ ftegimeut, the regiment lei by Napier himself into action; Captain Tait, commanding the Regular Horse; Colonel Harrison, who commanded the Light Company of the 50tn (Sir Cnaries'.s— cnen Major Napier — own regiment) at the battle of Corunna ; Captain Robertson, 578 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. who served with him in the Peninsular and America ; Colonel Clarke Kennedy, who so gallantly captured the Trench standard at Waterloo ; and several others whom we cannot particularize." — "Examiner," Sept. 27. 1848. September 28. Preliminary meeting to consider the propriety of introducing the " Health of Towns' Act" into Cheltenham. At a public meeting, held October 10, it was resolved to petition for the introduction of the Act. 1848. October 5. Public Dinner to Sir Charles Napier at the Queen's Hotel. Lords Ellenborough, North wick, and Dunally, and between 80 and 90 Indian officers assembled to welcome the veteran at this banquet. 1848. October 15. Died, at the ad vanced age of 76, Richd. Oglesvy, Esq., R.N. Deceased was in the navy between forty and fifty years ; was a master in 1804, and possessed at the time of his death his original appointment to H.M.S. Hydra, on the 18th of January, 1805, with the signature. " Nelson and Bronte," in the handwriting of the great naval hero. Capt. Oglesvy served under Lords Collingswood and Nelson, and with Sir Ralph Abercrombie. He was engaged at the Nile, at Trafalgar, and the other great sea-fights of the last war, and was present on board the Victory when the immortal Nelson received his death wound. He was the messmate at various times with Rear-Admiral Sir Salisbury Devonport, Rear-Admiral Sir J. Munday, and the Hon. Capt. Berkeley. During his retirement from active service he led a quiet and secluded life, but he main- tained to the last the friendship and esteem of those gallant spirits with whom, in more troublous times, he had "braved the battle and the breeze" in his country's service. 1848. November 1. The Great Western R-ailway Directors discontinued the practice of issuing return tickets between this town and London. 1848. November 1. Great Meeting at the Town Hall to commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Church Missionary Society. 1848. November 12. Cheltenham Parish Church was crowded to-day, morning and evening, when the Rev. Alexander Crummel, a gentleman of colour, delivered two sermons in behalf of the funds of the Negro Church, New York. His appeals were responded to by collections amounting to £90. 1848. November 15. Preliminary announcement of Messrs. Rowe and Onley, proprietors of the Old Weils, for restoring these wells, and preserving them for ever, as a public ornament and attraction to the town of Cheltenham. 1848. November 23. First appearance of Jenny Lind in Cheltenham; she sang at the MoDtpellier Rotunda. It is said that some of our local speculators in amusements offered the fair singer 400 guineas for one or 700 guineas for two concerts, but that the offer was declined. 1848. November 28. Presentation of a massive service of plate, subscribed for exclusively by the wives of electors of the borough, to the Hon. Craven F. Berkeley. 1849. January 18. Considerable excitement, caused by an alleged threat of the Rev. E. Close to withdraw his support from the Cheltenham Hospital, if the Board received the proceeds of an amateur dramatic performance, got up in its favour. The entertainment took place on the 18th, and the audience was one of the most aristocratic ever assembled in Cheltenham. Mr. Close wrote an explanatory letter, stating that though he was opposed to all dramatic entertain- ments, he never threatened to withdraw his support from the Hospital ; but, on the contrary, had advised the Board to accept the proceeds, as the entertainment was got up without their interference. 1849. February 8. It was staied at the meeting of the Guardians this day, that the yearly consumption of beer and spirits in the Workhouse, (with an average number of 218 adult inmates), amounted to £277 12s. 3d. From a tabular statement laid before the Board, it appeared that the annual cost per CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 579 head for spirituous liquors in nine unions is as follows : In Liverpool, 10s. 3^d. Bath, Is. 4d. ; Stroud, 2s. 7^d ; Chatham, 9s. 7d. ; Worcester, 5s. 5d. ; Tewkesbury, 3s. 3d. ; Northleach, os. 6d. ; Pershore, 2^d. ; and in Cheltenham, £\ 5s. 5id. 184-9. February 22. Edward Creasey, Esq., commenced an official enquiry at the George Hotel as to the advisability of applying the provisions of the Public Health Act to Cheltenham. 1849. March. News arrived in Cheltenham of the disastrous battles of Chillianwallah on the Jhelum ; wherein the British, under Lord Gough, met with severe reverses, having 26 officers killed and 66 wounded. Sir Charles Napier was immediately applied to by the Duke of Wellington to take the command of the Indian army; and it was on this occasion the Duke addressed Sir Charles in the memorable words: "If you don't go, I must." Among the officers who fell in these disasters was Brigadier Pennycuick, and many others well-known in Cheltenham. During one of his Visits to London, Sir Charles Napier was transacting business at the Horse Guards; and it was suggested by the authorities there, that it might be a satisfaction to Sir Charles, and a consolation, though a mournful one to Mrs. Pennycuick, if he were to charge himself with the delivery of the medal, &c, to which her husband had been entitled. He readily engaged to do so. Sympathy for the widow, and warm regard for his fallen friend, engrossed the hero's thoughts, and two hours were not suffered to elapse after his return to Cheltenham, ere he found or made an opportunity to discharge the sad duty which he had undertaken, and Mrs, Pennycuick had the mournful satisfaction of receiving the expressions of Sir C. Napier's high appreciation of her husband's merits, and the tokens of his country's approbation of his services, at the hands of the man whom that husbaud most valued. 2849. March 13. Departure oe Sir Charles Napier prom. Chelt- enham. The il Examiner " gives the following account of his departure : " The gallant general left Cheltenham for London yesterday afternoon by express train. He was accompanied to town by his son-in-law, Major McMurdo, and other members of his family. A number of his old companions in arms, and others, thronged the platform, and greeted him with hearty cheers, and many warm wishes for the success ot his mission. Among those present, we noticed— Capt. Sir Richard O'Conor, R.N., Col. Clark Kennedy, General Hunter, Col. de Coursey, Capt. Robertson, Capt. Phibbs, Capt. Kirwan, Mr. Stewart, Capt. Iredell, Capt. Dwarris. Mr. Portescue, Mr. Henney, Mr. Wightwick, Mr. Ridler, Mr. Walters, (of the Times), Mr. Schonswar. Capt. Cox, &c, &c. " On entering the carriage which was to bear him away, the gallant hero was again greeted with cheers, and his old friends pressed round the window to offer him their last congratulations. On these manifestations subsiding, Sir Charles addressed the assembled multitude to the following effect : "Ladies and gentlemen, — I thank you for your kind attention in coming to see me leave. I wish you all good bye, and I hope I may not disappoint the wishes and hopes of my country." ■ * Loud cheering followed this brief address, and was again renewed as the carriage rolled swiftly away, bearing with it a brave and gallant heart, towards the scene of his past glories and future labours, and we trust, future victories." 1849. March 23. St. Peter's Church. The new church of St. Peter's on the Tewkesbury-road, was eonsecreted on Thursday last. The Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol officiated at the ceremony, the sermon being preached by the Rev. J. Brown, of Trinity. The new building is of very unique design, and reflects great credit on Mr. Daukes, the architect, and Mr. T. Haines, the 580 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. "builder. The church has been erected almost entirely by private subscription. The Communion table was the gift of Messrs. Ureh and Seabright, and the porch was presented by Mr. J. Simmonds, the churchwarden. "Examiner," VI arch 28. [The funds required for this building- amounted to £2.000, and Mr. John Russell, who was authorised by the Incumbent to collect subscriptions. From Mr. Russell's subscription book we extract a few o: the donations, viz. :— Rev. F. Close, £25; a Lady, £100; S. Auders'm, £50, (and £50 more if required); a Friend, ±50; Anonymous, £100; J. Eothergill, E^q.,£50; N. Hartland, Esq., £25; Mrs. Tatham (widow of the late rector of Lincoln College, Oxford). £50 ; J. A. Gardner, Esq., £25 ; E. L. Arrmtage, Esq , £50 ; Mrs. Williams, £50, (and £50 mere if required); Mrs. Mitforri, £25; Sir Richard Wollesley, Bart., £5 ; T. Eodley, Esq., £20; J. P. W. Butt, Esq., £50; Mrs. Morgan, £25; Geo. Stokes, Esq , £15. A sufficient fund was thus >aised to entitle the church to be placed under the controul of trustees, instead of the patronage becoming" alienated to the crown. The subjoined engravings represent the exterior and interior of this beautiful edifice.] st. peter's church, tewkesbury road. 1849. March 26. Col. John Wolridge, of Cleveland House, destroyed himself hy jumping into the Marie Hill pond. Deceased, who was in his 69th year, had been in an unsettled state of mind for some time from the effects of a railway accidpnt. 1849. March 27. The Cheltenham Tree Press sold by auction to the present proprietor, Mr. Alfred Harper. 18 19. April. War Medals. The following officers in Cheltenham are mentioned to us as having received the war medal : Lieut.-Col. Cuppage, with seven clasps; Major Bowlby, with five clasps; Capt. Miles, with one clasp Lieut. Dw arris, R.N., with one clasp; Lieut. Bridges, R.N., with one clasp. Capt. Llovd, H.N., of Priory Cottage, in this town, has had confered upon him # CHRONOLOGICAL EVENT3. 581 by the First Lord of the Admiralty, one of the two good service pensions of £150 per annum. Long may he live to enjoy it. '•Examiner," April 4, INTERIOR OF ST. PETERS CHURCH. 1849. April 19. The foundation stone of the Cheltenham Training ''ollege, laid by Lord Ashley, now Earl Shaftesbury. Dr. Hugh McNeille preached on the occasion. 1849. May 3. The Board of Guardians, by a majority of 19 to 9, decided on remunerating the as-i-tant-overseer by a fixed salary of £3';0 per aunum, instead of, as heretofore, paying him part y by salary and partly by poundage. 1849. Decrease of Marriages in Cheltenham. The Registrar General of Marriages has perpetrated a sad libel upon the gallantry of the beaux of Cheltenham. Rapidly as the town is increasing in population, it would appear from the Registrar's returns that the marriages have decreased in number, within the last five years, in proportion of 137 to 96. A fact not very creaitable to the character of Young Cheltenham. " Examiner," May 23. 1849. May 9. Meeting at Gloucester, convened on the requisition of owners and occupiers of 407,765 acres of land iu the county, to cons der "the present distressed state of the agricultural interest and the best means to be adopted for the relief thereof." 1849. "A good time coming." We are enabled to announce to the rate- payers of Cheltenham, on what we believe to be pretty good authority, that two of the most important items in our local burdens are likely to undergo this year a sensible dimunition. The poor-rates, which have been lor the last year or two 3s. in the pound per annum, will, we believe, be ieduced to 2s. or 2s. 6d. ; while the Commissioners rates will be also reduced from 16d. in the pound to about 14d. ; forming a reduction on these two items of one-fourth of the entire amount. "Examiner," June 27. 582 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 1849. Fish : Salmon has been so plentiful during the past week, that prime "Severn" has been ticketed at 7d , and "Irish" at 6d. per lb. — "Examiner," Jnlv 38. 1849. July 27.;: Saicide of Capt. Robert John Colville, of 2, Paragon-ter- race, aged 70. 1849. July 27. The Ricketts' Will Cause. "This week a judgment was delivered in the Prerogative Court, which puts an end, we hope for ever, to the long pending suit, known as ' the Ricketts' will cause.' Those who are, for- tunately for themselves, inexperienced in the harassments of litigation, know nothing of the vast amount of wrong and persecution which may be inflicted under colour of the law. To such it will hardly appear credible, that the pro* ceedingsin our Police Court in 1842, can be connected with a suit still pending in 1849; that throughout these long years runs one continuous chain of events, in which the same parties have been tortured by the most cunning devices, have been subjectpd to the most harrassing disquiet of mind and body, and have be en mulcted in legal expenses to an amount, which of itself swells into a fortune. Yet such is the case. Though gaining decision after decision in their favour, the same charges have been multiplied in form, and brought under the notice of Court after Court, until at last we have arrived at what, we trust, will be a final decision. It is some consolation to these parties to know that the judge who pronounced this decision, also characterised in severe terms the nature of the proceedings which had been instituted against them. It must be consolatory to the surviving mem hers of this estimable family, that the Court had declared them to have been the victims of * persecution' and ' vindictive proceedings.' It must be consolatory to the respected head of that family, to hear from the Court that " it could not believe for one moment" the charges brought against her ; and it must be consolatory also to Mr. Straford, the solicitor for the defendants, to hear from the same high legal authority, that of the grave charges brought against him that he had been " honourably acquitted," and that the other accu- sations against him were 'equally unfounded.' . We regret that our experience of the law of libel forbids us to give a verbatim report of this important judgment, that the public may see in what indignant language the opinions of the judge were conveyed to his heaiers." — "Examiner," August 1st. 1849. August 9. Sale of the Police Station and lock-up in Ambrose-street; also the " Public Stocks," by Mr. Charles Wood, under instructions from the Town Commissioners. 1849. August. Deaths from cholera throughout the country, between 200 and 300 a week. The disease was for some weeks at Gloucester and other neighbouring towns; but Chfltenham was again favoured to escape the infection. The" Examiner," speaking of the ravages of the disease, says — "Still our own town has escaped the contagion a fact which is singular, and almost marvellous, when we take into consideration our close proximity to the infected places, and the rapid and constant means of communication which exist between us. We recur to this subject, not as affording any excuse for vain boasting, but as one which cannot be too frequently impressed upon the public mind. Whether the immunity which we enjoy is owing, as some suppose, to our mineral waters, or, as others allege, to our excellent sanatary condition, the result is one which equally calk for cur thankfulnes and gratitude." The same paper of August 22, saya — "It will be seen that the cholera has made its appearance in the city of Bath, and that several fatal cases have occurred. We are most happy in being able to state that the health of Cheltenham continues good. The number of deaths from August 1st to the 21st, a period of twenty days, is, as copied from the official records, only twenty-seven, and of these twenty-seven no less than twelve were under one year of age. This exceedingly low rate of mortality, in a population. CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 583 of 40,000 persons, speaks volumes as to our sanatary condition." (The total number of deaths from cholera throughout the country, from Aug. 11 to 27, being 16 days, were 11,695.) 1849. September 7. Rev. F. Close returned to Cheltenham from his usual Summer excursion. On his arrival, a deputation of his parishioners presented him with an address, ard the sura of £500 to clear off a debt, for which he had become personally liable, in reference to the completion of the Training College. In his sermon on the following Sunday, at the Parish Church, the rev. gentleman alluded to the exemption of the town from the ravages of the epidemic which was affecting nearly every other part of the kingdom. Some, he said, attributed the exemption of Cheltenham from the disease to its mineral waters ; that opinion might be correct; but if it was, it ought not to lessen our gratitude to that Divine Being, who had cast our lot in a place so peculiarly healthy and exempt from epidemic diseases. 1849. September 9. The burials in Cheltenham for the past fourteen days numbered only 15, of which 5 were of, infants. In the following seven days, there were only 8 burials, 5 of which were of infants, under two years' old. 1849. September 25* Observed as a day of National humiliation and prayer, The collections in the various churches and chapels amounted to nearly £600. At the Parish Church in the evening, it was intended to sing the Vesper Hymu, at the conclusion of the service, but on the organist attempting to perform the air, it was found that the heat was so intense that the organ could not be made to sound. Not only was every comer loithin the church crowded to suffocation but crowds were congregated around the doors and windows. The other churches and chapels were almost equally crowded. 1849. September 29. The Queen and Royal .Family passed the Cheltenham station at Lausdown on their way f om Scotland. The school children, to the number of 5,000, were drawn up along the line, and tens of thousands ot people thronged the enbankments. The .Royal travellers acknowledged the plaudits of the multitude as the train swept by. 1849. October 3. The copyright of the Cheltenham Chronicle offered for sale by auction. There was no bona fide bidding and the "lot" was bought in for £120. 1849. October 17- The" Examiner,' ' of this date, notices that Mr. Pearson Thompson, for many years proprietor of the Montpellier and Lausdown estate, had during the past week, emigrated to Australia. 1849. November. Mr. Cseasey publisnes his report, recommending the abolition of the then self-elected Board of Commissioners, in favour of a Board with enlarged powers, elected by the ratepayers. 1849. November. The Registrar General's report of the mortality for the September quarters for the years 1845-6-7-8-9, show that out of every 10, J00 inhabitants, there died— at Bristol, 390; at Clifton, 362 ; at Stroud, 235 ; and at Cheltenham, only 206. 1849. November 15. Day of National thanksgiving on the disappearance of the cholera; the contributions of the Cheltenham congrega r ions towards various benevolent objects amounted to £600. 1849. iSovember 17. Presentation of a handsome service of plate to Capt. Litchfield, R.A., for his services during nine years as lion, secretary of Cheltenham College. 1849. December 24. On Christmas Eve, Lady Pynn was burned to death at her residence, Promenade. Deceased was suffering from an accident she sustained a few weeks ago, and while sitting by her drawing room fire, her musliu dress ignited, and she was so shocklingly burnt that death ensued in a few hours. 584 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 1850. January. The Town Commissioners publish a statement of 40 pages as a reply to certain statistics in Mr. Creasy's report. This "statement" gives the following as the comparative rate of mortality in Cheltenham and neighbouring towns. The following is an extract : — Deaths in 1845. Deaths in 1849. Cheltenham 1 in 53| ,..,.. 1 in 61 Clifton I ia 4lf 1 in 20* Bristol 1 in 41f 1 in 18^* Stroud 1 in 51£ 1 in 48f * The large per centage of deaths in Clifton and Bristol in the latter year was caused by cholera, from which Cheltenham was exempt. 1850. January 8. Mr. J. Francillon, County Court Judge, appointed chair- man over the second court for criminal business at Quarter Sessions. 1850, January 22. Public meeting at the Town Hall, to hear statements from the Revs. Everett, Dunn, and Griffiths, the expelled Wesleyan preachers, whose c >ses caused much sympathy throughout the country among the friends of religious liberty. Resolutions of sympathy were moved and supported by Messrs. Moody Bell, John Lane, Humphris, Fry, Nicholls, Mark Lane, and James Russell, and adopted by the meeting, with only one dissentient. 1850. February 7. Sudden death from disease of the heart, of R. C. Sher- wood, Ksq.. of 4, Suffolk Lawn, aged 70 years. 1850. February 7. Fearlul storm in Cheltenham, during which one of the turrttts on the tower of Christ Church was blown down, and in many cases the windows in exposed situations were blown en masse into the drawing-rooms. A range of green-houses at Evans's (now Burgess) Nurseries, on the London-road, were blown down. 1850. February. Health of Cheltenham. The official returns of the Registrar-General for the summer and winter quarters of 1849 furnish the fol- lowing important results. The number of deaths in Cheltenham out of every 10,000 inhabitants is materially less than the number occurring in the whole county, or in any one of its rivals, the fashionable watering-places of the kingdom — proving incontestibly that the town is, as it has always been represented to be, among the most healthy in the whole kingdom. During the half-year endiug December 31 1849, the number of deaths out of every 10,000 inhabitants have been as under: — In Cheltenham . . to every 10,000 persons ... 94 deaths. In Brighton . . . to every 10,000 persons . . . 180 deaths. In Clilton .... to every 10,000 persons . . . 199^ deaths. In Bath to every 10,001 persons . . . 119^ deaths. In Scarborough . . to every 10,000 persons . . . 124f deaths. In Gloucester ... to every 10,000 persons . . . 128 deaths. In Bristol .... to every I0,0u0 persons . . . 215 deaths. Comparing Cheltenham with the average mortality in the whole county of Glou- cester, the result is equally favourable — Cheltenham being only 94 in 10,000, while Gloucestershire is 132^ in 10,000. Devonshire, again, which is a favourite resort with tourists, lo*t 143 persons out of every 10,000 during the past half- year, while Cheltenham lost only 94. With regard to epidemic diseases, the most eminent medical men, of 30 and 40 years' standing, have certified to the Board of Health that fatal epidemics are extremely rare in Cheltenham, and that typhus fever, that fatal scourge of other towns, is almost unknown. — "Examiner," Feb . 13. [The same paper contained letters from Dr. Gibney, Mr fc Charles CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 585 fowler, Mr. T. J. Cottle, .Mr. C. J. Hawkins, and Mr. D. Hartley, all bearing testimony to the freedein of the town from diseases of an epidemic nature ] 1850. February, Road from Bath Road to the new Hospital improved and widened, the funds being raised by private subscription. 1850. February 22. Sudden death of Mr. John Smith Reviere, one of the oldest and most respected tradesmen of the town. 1850. February. No^otiations for an amicable settlement of the dispute as to Local Government. Messrs. G. E. Williams, G. A. Williams, J. A. Gardner, and William Ridler proceeded to London, and h id an interview with Lord Carlisle with a view to the introduction of the Public Health Act, wtth certain modifications required by the peculiar conditions of Cheltenham 1850. March 14. Public meein? in favour of the pioposnd In f ernational Exhibition of 1851, Lord Fitzhardinge in he c ;air. The Rev. F. Close, Mr. Grenville Berkeley, and others, addressed tie meeting, and at its conclusion a subscription list was opened, Lord Fitzhardinge putting down his name for a donation of £50. 1850. April 10, A batch of emigrants, 240 in number, seut out by the Board of Guardians, left Cheltenham for Gloucester, where they to k ship, per " Corsair," for their de^nation. [In connection u ith the schemes of emigration, set on foot in this year, it should be mentioned that Mr. John Russell collected a large amount in subscriptions, to be devoted partly to assi>t iu paving the passage money of poor emigrants, and partly in proviuingthem with clothing and other comforts during the voyage. So succes-ful uas Air. Russell's appeal, that a number of his fellow townsmen enteitdined him to a Mtpper, at the Rose and Crown Inn, — Mr. Caldicott, chairman, and Mr Howlett, vice-chairman, — and iu the course of the evening he was presanted with a hand ome gold vatch and chain, and a silver tankard, bearing the following in>cripnou — " Presented to Mr. John Russell, with a valuable gold watch and chain, by his friends, as a mark of their esteem for his exertions in the ca^e of charity, many families having been enabled to emigrate, and others rendered prosperous, by li is gratuitous services in their behalf. — Cheltenham, June oth, 1351."] 1850. May 17. Mr. Augustus Newton " disbarred" for unprofessional pracitces. The following is a copy of the official notice posted in the Mall of the Temple : — li Middle Temple — At a special Parliament, held by adjournment on the 17th of May, 1850 — Resolved, That the call ot Augustus Newton be vacated, and that he be disbarred and expelled from the Socie y." 1850, June. Great Prestbury Footpath Case. A footpath over Prestbury Park having been closed by the owner of the property, a procession, headed by the High Bailiff, the Parish Churchwarden, and attended b\ .Mr. Boo.ile, solicitor, proceeded vi et armis to remove the obstruction. The affair is thus descrioed in a "legend 5 ' which appeared in the curreut number of the " Cheltenham Examiner" : — "A Legend of Prestbury Park. — The Battle of the Footpath ! " 'lis not for love of worthless spoil, In freedom's cause we fight; We battle for our native soil, ' May God defend the right \"—Old Song. "Englishmen are proverbially jealous of their rights. You may coax, and wheedle, and " blarney" John Bull to give the eye-teeth out of his head, if yon choose to set about it ; but once begin to bluster and bully him. or to interfere with his liberties, or to stand at the door ot his domicile and say,' You don't lodge here, John !" and you raise nis dander in a moment. At the least infringe- ment of his privileges he is the most pugnacious fellow in existence ; for a. though he u right" you may happen to interfere with may be the most insignificant 586 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. thing in the world, yet he upholds it for the sake of the principle involved in it, and the moment you attempt to call it in question, he is ready to do battle for it to the death, for " his soul's in arms and eager for the fray." It was not the amount of the ship-money, but the right of the King to levy it, that called forth a Hampden from his privacy, and raised him to the rank of one of the worthies of English history ; it was not the amount of the tea tax, but the principle of it, that fired the good people of Boston with the spirit of resistance, and led to the formation of one of the greatest empires of the world. Therefore we say truly that an Englishman is proverbially jealous of his rights. It is good to see that this old-fashioned English feeling is not extinct amongst us, even in these degenerate days. Chivalry did not go out with hair-powder and knee buckles, nor cowardice come in with reform in parliament and free trade. If we are not mistaken, men in black coats and trowsers and Wellington boots are as careful of their rights — aye, and as willing to defend them, too — as their forefathers were who wore the antique toggery of the Cromwells and the Stuarts. For instance, we witnessed the other day a sight which carried us back in imagination to the glorious days of Hampden and ship-money, and invested the banks of the gentle Chelt and the adjacent hill of Marie with the memories and enchantment of classic ground. We saw a procession of " grave and potent seignours" — a Russell, bearing on his ample shoulders the chief authority in his bailiwick — a Hasell, wearing round his neck the white insignia of the holy mother Church — a Boodle, learned in the law, and other notable burgesses aud citizens, proceeding forth to do battle to a common enemy. We saw that the procession was headed by two sturdy yeomen, bearing each an axe upon his shoulder; we saw them approach a spot where the sons and daughters of Cheltenham had possessed the right of passing and re-passing from time immemorial; we saw that some encroacher on this right had raised a stout barrier, and dug a deep trench across the time-honoured footpath; we heard a formal demand made upon the said usurper, that he should remove all " let and hindrance" from the path of the besiegers, or otherwise they would, by mainprize and force of arms, make good their passage against all opposition ; we saw that, no answer being made to this summons, the stout yeomen aforesaid did then and there proceed to break down the barricade, and fill up the trench ; and so, all obstruction being removed, the Russells and the Hasells, the Boodles, aud the other burgesses and citizens did pass freely over, and then as freely depart — having established their right — no man making them afraid. When they had all passed away, leaving the two sturdy yeomen behind them to guard the pass, we could not help moralizing on the scene we had witnessed, and we thought within ourselves what a noble feeling was this jealousy of the rights and privileges of the people ; we contrasted, too, the modern mode of asserting such rights with the method which was in vogue in by-gone days, and we came to the conclusion that it was a noble spectacle to see men asserting their rights by resolute, but legal and peaceable means, when the time had been that they muse have battled for them amid bloodshed and rebellion. We thought, too, how well the men whose acts we have been chronicling deserved the praises of their fellow-citizens; how insignificant it might appear to some, this "pother" about an obscure footpath, and yet how important it was to the many that these breathing-vessels of great cities should be preserved to the use and enjjymeut of the poor. To " pampered luxury," rolling along in its carriage, or the drowsy sluggard turnirg on his bed of down, the right to walk through Prestbury Tark maybe a matter of small concernment; but it is different with men who, like us, have a passion for the maiden blush of morniug, and who may be often seen at such seasons, and at this very spot, " Brushing, with hasty step, the dews away, To meet the sun upon the upland lawn." CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 587 Well, as we thus moralized, we fouru! that " the battle of the footpath " was not yet over. We observed a hale and burly husbandman, with a posse of hinds at his heels, come forth from his hiding place to reconnoitre; Tin ling the besieging party withdrawn, they began to replace, with might and main, the prostrate barrier, and to dig anew the obnoxious ditch. Just as they had completed their task, and were wiping the sweat from their brows, the t*vo yeoman aforesaid, who had been lying perdue, again came to the rescue, and, with their axes and their spades, again completed the work of destruction. The passage baing again clear, they exclaimed, to the wondering indignation of the husbandman, "There now, my mon, we be paid for doing this ; and the ofteuer you puts it up, the oftener we shall chop it down, and the mow pay we shall get;" and then, night coming on, the belligerents for a time suspended their operations. On the following morning, we were somehow irresistibly attracted to the scene of action. It was the Sabbath, when men re^t from their labours ; but we observed that one ever- active acd busy " B M was already stirring, and at the place before us. We saw him perch himself upon the disputed style, so a*3 to make good the "right* against all comers. Anon the husbandman and his hinds again approached the spot. The sitter on the stile exclaimed, " I claim my right to occupy this spot, who dare lay a linger on me to remove me ?" The husbandman looked irresolute ; again he piled up his thorns, and bade his hinds to fill the ditch ; but he dared put neither thorn nor spade on the spot where the speaker sat, or to lay a finger upon his person, but at last turned muttering away. And I saw that the right was established, that the victory was won; and I heard an "early bird" piping forth, from the adjacent oak tree. " Well done, our worthy citizens, And Boodle, well done he ; And when he next chops down a fence, May I be there to see !" Thus ends the "Legend." Our tale has been chronicled with a spice of humour, but witha! in no spirit of slight or derision. It was a noble spectacle. It was a victory more worthy of being recorded than hundreds which have been landed in their day with a salvo of artillery. The actors in it performed a deed which was worthy of the age of chivalry; they deserve ior what they have done the thanks of all, more especially of the poor. They have established a right which is especially valuable to the poor — to those whose heritage is toil — to whom re- creation is a luxury, and whose only property in God's earth is the right to walk over it, and to feast their eyes upon its beauties. All honour, then, to the vanquishers of Farmer Thayer — to the destroyers of his thorny barriers — to the openers of the public footway over Prestbury Park ! — " Those village Hampdens, who, with dauntless breast, The little tyrants of their fields withstood ; While the vox populi roared out, ' I'm blest If that there sight don't do a Briton good.' " Cheltenham, June 10, 1850. Hampdeniensis. 1850. June 12. Mr. C. H. Hale threw out a suggestion in the "Examiner" for the erecrion of public fountains in our principal thoroughfares. 1850. June 20. Monster flower show at the Old Wells to inaugurate the management of Messrs. Rowe and Onley, by whom the property had been pur- chased, and who, after removing all the unsightly buildings which previously existed, had just completed the present noble music hall and pump room at a cost of £5,000 or £6,000. The gardens themselves had been entirely renovated and re-arranged; and, on their being thrown open for the present fete, they were 588 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. thronged with the leading county families, the number of visitors being estimated at Le uly 5,000, 1850. June. Cheltenham post-office closed on Sundays, in. accordance with a vote of the House of Commons on the Sabbath question. The non-delivery of letters caused such a general outcry that after a few weeks' trial the post-office was again open for one delivery a day. The annual attempts to interfere with the Sunday postal arrangements were from that time abandoned. 1850. July. Strange recognition. Letters have been received from Mr. Pearson Thompson, formerly proprietor of the Montpellier Spa and estate, Cheltenham, anuouncing his safe arrival in Sydney, in the capacity of an emigrant. Of course at such a distance from his native place, Mr. Thompson little expected to meet with many reminiscences of the old country, and more especially of Cheltenham; judge, then, of his surprise when, on mounting a stage coach, shortly after his arrival, he was greeted with joyous tones of recog- nition by the driver, and on looking up he discovered in the Jehu the person of an old servant, who had been in his employ for many years in Cheltenham. The meeting of master and man, after so many years, at such a distance from England, and under circumstances so totally unexpected affords a curious incident in "the chapter of accidents " — "Examiner," July 10. 1850. July. A man of property in the Workhouse. In the course of some discussion before the Cheltenham Guardians on Thursday, it came out that one of the inmates of the Workhouse is what is commonly termed " a man of property." The name of the man is George Witts, and it would appear that being possessed of certain c ' lauds, tenements, and hereditaments," he had been in the habit of leaving the house regularly every fortnight for the purpose of "receiving his rents 1 '! He alleged that his property was heavily mortgaged, and that he was willing to sell all his interest on it for the sum of £5, but admitted that he was in the habit of smuggling contraband articles iato the Workhouse, such as tea, sugar, and tobacco. He was told that if he would avoid a prosecution, he had better leave the house instanter, but lie replied that he should do nothing of the kind — he had a right to meat, drink, lodging and washing at the public expense, and he should maintain his right against all the Boards in the universe. The matter was referred to a committee. — "Examiner," July 24. 1850. August. Election of Coroner. The candidates were Mr. Septimus Pruen, and Mr. Joseph Lovegrove. The numbers were — Pruen, 1661 ; Love- grove, 1555. Mr S. Pruen ultimately resigned the office in Mr. Lovegrove's favour. Ib50. August 7. The new music hail at the Old Wells formally inaugurated by a gr.iyshill, at the back of Christ l hurch, sold for £840. 1852. June 19. The Queen's Hotel sold at auction to Mr. W. S. Davis, the present proprietor, for £8,400. 1852. "Our obituary this week contains the name of Mr. Benjamin Thomas, auctioneer, whose death occurred on Wednesday last, after a few days' illness. Mr. Thomas was a man universally respected, his conduct durinsr the many years that he carried on business in Cheltenham being marked by undeviuting integrity. The intelligence of his death caused a profound feeling of regret among all classes of his fellow-townsmen. It is remarkable how many persons occupying a somewhat prominent position in the town have been swept off by the hand of death within a very few days. The names of Mr. Robinson, tailor, Mr. Hasleton, builder, and Mr. Thackwell, have already been recorded in our obituary notices; and we have now the painful duty of recording the death of E. L. Mortimer, Esq., of Grosvenor Place, which took place on Saturday, and of Mr. William Harrison, tallow-chandler, which occurred on Monday last. Both were old inhabitants of Cheltenham, and both were highly respected in the sphere of liie in which they moved. — "Examiner," July 7. 1852. July 6. "Our obituary this week announces the death of Mrs. Captain Grey, of No. 2, Montpellier Parage, at the advanced age of 78. The deceased lady was the widow of the late Capt. Grey, who as one of the most honest, and eloquent, and consistent of our local politicians of his day, has left a memory behind him, which will be long endeared to the recollection of the people of Cheltenham. — "Examiner," July 14. 1852. July 13. Terrific thunder storm passed over Cheltenham. The cottage of a man named Taylor, at Rowanfield, was struck by the lightning, and became in a moment a heap of ruins. The escape of the inmates was almost miraculous; Taylor was sitting up in bed, and his wife was kneeling by the bedside praying. The man was struck down senseless, and the lightning passed between his wife's legs as she was kneeling, scorching the inside of both thighs, and severely burning one foot as far as the ancle. On recovering consciousness, Taylor found the cottage in ruins, Of five chilaren who were sleeping in a room over head one was burned quite black about the face and eyes, with blood running from the mouth and ears; two other children were insensible, and the whole were found partially buried under the fallen rubbish. On examining the premises the chimney was found knocked down, the slates scattered from the roof in every direction, the windows forced inwards into the rooms, the chains of the clock brokeu into numerous pieces and the fragments welded together by the intense heat, the flooring boards torn up and splintered, the grates broken to pieces, every pane of glass shattered, and in fact the cottage rendered a complete wreck. The injured children were removed to the Hospital, where they ultimately recovered, and a subscription was set on foot for reimbursing Taylor for the loss he had su tained. 1852. August 30. The Queen again " passed by " Cheltenham on her journey from Osborne to Scotland. CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 597 1852. August. The following parties in Cheltenham received medals from the Council of the Great Exhibition: Mr. J. Blizird, T. Beale Browne, E-q., Mrs. Lawrence, Messrs. Martin, Baskett, and Mirtin, Bertram Mitford, Esq., Mr. T. J. Pike, Mr. Radford, Messrs. Shirer and Co., Mr. A. Whitcombe, Mr. P. 11. E. King, and Mr. S.Wright. 1852. September. The Rev. F. Close, having made himself personally liable for the sum of £30, for repairs to the organ at the Parish Church; a meeting of Dissenters was held at the Old Wells Music Hall, to raise the amount by subscription, as a graceful acknowledgment of the rev. gentleman's conciliatory couduct in the abandonment of church rates. Dr. Moreton Brown accepted the office of treasurer to the subscription, and Messrs. S. Onley and T. Williams jun., were associated with him on the committee. The mouey was raised —the sub- scription list comprising the names of a considerable number of the leading Dissenters of the town. 1852. September 14. Death of the Dnke of Wellington. The news of the sad event was received in Cheltenham with every demonstration of unfeigned sorrow. On the following Sunday, the ministers, both church and dissent, improved the occasion by special addresses to their several congregations. 1852. October 2. Eirst visit of the Gloucestershire Yeomanry Hussars on eight days' permanent duty. The corps, to the number of 4?5 ), were reviewed in Charlton Park, in the presence of an immense concourse of spectators. 1852. October 13. Mr. Lingwood published a s igssestion in the" Examiner" that a fund should be raised in commemmoration of the Dnke of Wellington, and applied in the erection of a new Grammar School for Cheltenham. The necessity for such a building was shown by the fact that the school was quite full, and with fifty candidates awaiting admission. 1852. October. The Rev. T. P. Boultbee, senior curate of the Parish Church, appointed to the office of Theological Tutor of Cneltenham College. 1852. October 19. Public meeting at the Town Hall, to hear the details of a new line to London, since kuown as " Mr. Fowler's line." The line was to leave the Midland main line at Swindon, to have a through station at Oxford-parade or Hale's-road, and to have its London terminus at the South- Western Station at Waterloo- bridge. Resolutions were uuanimously passed in favour of the scheme, the feeling in Cheltenham, as expressed by one of tue speakers being, that it was " now or never." 1852. October 27. Letter in the " Examiuer" from Mr. Close suggesting that the proposed " Wellington memorial" should take the form of scholarsnips open alike to the pupils of the College and Grammar School. 1852. October. Resolution come to by the Turnpike Trust to remove the turnpike heretofore standing at Marie Hili to beyond the Swindon-lane on the Evesham-road. This resolution was afterwards carried into effect, thus gre.itly enlarging the extent of free rides open to our residents and visitors. It is curious to contrast the present freedom from turnpikes around the town with the state of things which existed within the last thirty or forty years, and within the memory of many old inhabitants. At that time, one turnpike " stopped the way" a' the upper end of the High Street, this side of Hale's Road ; another interposed its harrier at the bottom of the street, at the corner now occupied by Mr. Dobell's wine vaults; while a third was planted in the very centre of the town, at the end of New Street, opposite the present Great Western coal wharves. At that time, the bridge over the Chelt at Perry's Mill was not built, but foot passengers had to find their way across on a precarious plank, which was often washed away by the stream, while the wheel traffic had to pass tnrough the bed of the river itself. 1852. October 28. At a preliminary meeting attended by the churchwardens, several magistrates, and a number of the principal inhabitants, Mr. Lingwood's 598 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. scheme for a Wellington testimonial in the shape of a new Grammar School, was discussed and adopted. 1852. .November 9. Four a.m. A shock of earthquake distinctly felt in Tarious parts of Cheltenham. 1852. November 18. Public funeral of the Duke of Wellington. Business in Cheltenham was suspended throughout the day. The funeral sermon bv the Eev. F. Close was reprinted by subscription at the office of the " Examiner," and a copy, appropriately bound, presented to the Queen, who returned a gracious letter of acknowledgment. The Duchess Dowager of Beaufort, Sir W. Codring- ton, Bart ,Mrs. Close, and others subscribed for copies of the " Queen's Edition," bound in a similar style to that presented to her Majesty. On the day of the funt-ral the whole of the low lying lands in this part of the country were flooded. Traffic on the Great Western and Midlnnd railways was impeded for several hours, and at Gloucester boats were employed going about the streets supplying food, tea, soup, &c, to the poor creatures whose houses were flooded, the articles being conveyed to them through their bedroom windows 1852. December 9. Public meeting at the Town Hall, to establish a Local School of Art and Design, addressed by the Right Hon. Lord Ward and others. 1852. December 26. Severe storm, during which windows were blown in and chimneys blown down in every direction. In Suffolk Lawn one of the large ornamental trees was blown down, and another at Dr. Bernard's, Cambray. shared the same fate. A long range of stabling in the Royal Hotel yard was destroyed ; and in the Bath Road a poor woman was blown completely off her feet, and hurled with considerable violence into the middle of the road. 1853. January. Mr. George Lewis, sculptor, appointed to the office of parish sexton. There were 18 or 20 candidates, but the Incumbent ascertaining the appointment vested in him, and not with the ratepayers, selected Mr. Lewis, after consultation with his churchwardens. 1853. January 13. Mysterious robbery at Mr. Davisons's, jeweller, corner of Clarence-street. The thieves took 160 rings, several gold watches, and other property to the value of between £200 and £300. The perpetrators of the robbery escaped detection. 1853. January 25. At a meeting of the Town Commissioners, it was stated that the costs in obtaining the Act of Parliament were £4,600 instead of £3,000. as originally stated. Of this sum, the solicitors' bills were about £1,500 ; par- liamentary agents, £1,000; two surveyors, £400 each; Mr. Gael's bill, £340; and the remainder in smaller miscellaneous sums. The accounts were referred to a committee of the commissioners for friendly adjustment. 1853. February. A curious incident is recorded this month — the loss of a roll oi bank notes for £500 in the High-street, and their fortunate restora- tion by a labouring man, who picked them up. It will be seen that the roll of notes was found under somewhat peculiar circumstances ; the finder, a labouring man. seeing a dirty roll of paper lying on the ground, kicked it along with his foot as worthless, and afterwards, without any idea of its value, picked it up and put it into his pocket. He went to work and thought no more about it, until, at tea time, his father asking him for a piece of paper, he pulled the roll of dirty paper out of his pocket, and was in the act of tearing a piece of one of the notes, when his eye luckily caught the figure of £5. He then discovered the value of the roll of crumpled paper, and immediately took it to the crier ; and on proceeding to the Bank was rewarded with a £10 note for his honesty. 1853. February 25. Died, Lieut.-General Sir William Sandys Whish, an Indian officer, Ions? resident in Cheltenham, and for many years a member of the Cheltenham Board of Commissioners. 1853. February 21. Public meeting of the Cheltenham Copyholders, to- £ s. d. £ s. d. 3 ... 3 2 16 10 .. 9 8 6 8 ... 3 3 6 ... 1 7 4 6 ... 15 ... 1 •2 3 3 6 ... 1 7 15 ... 1 2 CHKONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 599 obtain an abolition of the modern fees charged by the Manorial officers. The chair was taken by Sir William Russell, Bart., M.P , Lord of the Manor of Charlton. In April, the case of Treherne and another versus Gardner and another, involving the complaints of the Chelteoh am Copyholders, was tried at Gloucester assizes. The trial resulted in a special case being drawn up for the decision of the court above. The decision was given in the Superior Court, in February, 1856, and we here append the sums sought to be charged by modern custom, and the sums decided as legal in accordance with ancient practice : — Sums which ought Sums attempted to be to have been charged. charged. Proclamation Court fees on surrender to the use of Will Excess of fees on first admission Court fees on second admission Homage and Crier Stamp and Parchment Court fees on fourth admission Stamp and Parchment £17 10 £7 19 8 It will thus be seen that where the Manor officers made charges amounting to £17 Is. 0d., the Court decided that, according to old custom, they were only entitled to £7 19s. 8d. ; and of this £3 6s. were for stamps and parchments. This important trial has settled the question of local manorial fees once ana for ever. The Cheltenham " Examiner" of February 6, 1856, in publishing the short-hand writer's notes of the judgment, comments on the observations of Lord Chief Justice Campbell, who at the very outset of his judgment spoke of the fees of which the Copyholders complain, in the following terms of condem- nation : — " I would observe that we are by no means, by anything we are about to decide, to be supposed to sanction the practices which have prevailed in this Manor. I am sorry to saj that this seems to me to be an instance of manors being kept up for the purpose that traffic may be made in fees, which are very oppressive to the copyholders." Such was Lord Campbell's opinion of the proceedings prevailing in the Manor of Cheltenham — that those practices were kept up for the purpose of " trafficking in fees," — the very root and foundation of the grievance which the associated Copyholders allege against them. But farther on the learned Chief Justice is still more explicit ; he speaks of the payments demanded as being "illegal," as "exacted without just cause," as M rank," and " monstrously exorbitant." 1853. April 5. Great early closing meeting at the Old Wells. Among the speakers were — the Revs. F. Close, A. M. Brown, Smith, Rawlinson,Bellairs, and Boultbee; and Dr. Wright, Messrs. Humphris, Monro, Scougtll, and G. E. Williams. 1853. April 5. Grand steeple chases at Prestbury Park. So great was the influx of visitors that the "Examiner" of the following day, says: "So full is Cheltenham at the present moment, that the influx of our steeple-chase visitors has put us to some such inconveniences as we read of in Australia. Yesterday, he respected proprietor of " The Plough " might be seen wending his way down the Promenade almost beseeching the inhabitants to spare him "beds" for his accumulating arrivals. His own immense establishment being full, every bed he 600 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. could procure in the neighbourhood being: ateo "engaged," and now the morning's post had brought hira " bespeaks" from fresh visitors, for whom he was unable to procure accommodation !" 1853. April. Pablication at the " Examiner" Office of copy of the faculty, granted by the Bishop's Court, in 1794, and under which, pews in Cheltenham Parish Church are held as private property. 1853. April. A series of twenty-three views of the attractions of Cheltenham presented to the Queen, of which her Majesty was graciously pleased to express her approval. 1853. May 24*. Sale of Prestbury Park and other property by auction, the Prestbury Park estate fetched £19,600, the Hunting Butts Parm £5,850, and the sale altogether realised nearly £40,000. 1853, June 2. Sale of materials of Old Clarence Hotel. This building stood on the spot now occupied by the Temporary Church, and was atone time the fashionable hotel of Cheltenham. The present police offices also formed one wing of the building. 1853. June 2. The railway bill for a line from Cheltenham to Oxford (Fowler's line), thrown out in committee of the House of Commons. 1853. July 1. "Garrotte" robbery in Cheltenham. A gentleman named Raymond, residing in Lyppiatt-terrace, was throttled under the trees near the house of Lord de Saumarez, and while in a sta'e of insensibility, his watch, purse, and umbrella were stolen from him. The umbrella was picked up next morning near the Imperial Gardens, but the watch and purse were not recovered. 1853. July 10. Sunday excursion tram from London to Cheltenham, The Rev. P. Close, in his evening sermon, gave it as his opinion that if the day of judgment had come suddenly upon the Sabbath breakers who came down by the train, the responsibility would rest upon those who incuced them to commit the sin, — upon the railway directors, who bribed them to break God's commandments, by running these trains at lower fares on the Sabbath day. 1853. July 12. Great flower show of all nations, at Pittville Spa. 1853, July 18. Sudden death of Major Justinian Nutt, a well known and respected officer of this town, at his residence, 15, Lansdown Crescent. 1853. August. A fellow named Julius Henry Gilegan, but who gave himself out as a " prophet," and was guilty of the most blasphemous and revolting conduct, caused great disturbance in the town. He was ultimately taken in hand by the police and committed to Gloucester for six months, in default of sureties for his good behaviour. 1853. August 10. The "Examiner" inaugurates the remission of the advertisement and supplement duties, by publishing an unstamped supplement of twelve columns. 1853. August 15. The commissioners at a special meeting, affix the common seal to a mortgage bond for the loan of £11,000, for the execution of their system of sewers. 1853. August 15. Death of the Rev. P. W. Robertson, of Brighton, son of Capt. Robertson, R.A., of this town, and formerly curate of Christ Church, Cheltenham. Such was the respect in which deceased was held at Brighton, that his remaius were accorded a public funeral, and a large sura was raised for the erection of a monument to his memory. Lady Noel Byron headed the subscription list for tins object with the munificent donation of £300. It is a melancholy incident in connection with the deceased, that his death took place on the sixth anniversary of his first appearance as Incumbent in :he pulpit of Trinity Chapel, Brighton. ISot only was Mr. Robertson greatly endeared to the members of his own large congregation, but the earnestness and eloquence of hi' s ministry, his high personal character, and his scholastic and literary attainment CHK0N0L0G1CAL EVENTS. 601 gave him a celebrity which extended far beyond the immediate sphere of his ministerial labours. In proof of this, we need only meutiou that a memoir of his lite and his published sermons have gone, since his death, through several editions, that his bust in marble has been placed in the Bodleian Library, and that a memorial wiudow has been erected by public subscription at Oxford, in the subscription lists to which are the names of five bishops, and men of eminence and every shade of theological views, both within and without the immediate pale of the Established Church. 1853. August. The Marquis of Breadalbane, Lord Chamberlain to her Majesty's Household, on a visit to Cheltenham. The noble Marquis drunk the waters, and inscribed his name in the visitors' book at the Royal Old Wells. 1853. August 29. Death of Sir Charles Napier, at the Oaklauds, near Portsmouth, aged 71. 1853. September. Attempts made to stop up the footpath leading from Prestbury Park to Swindon, across the Hunting $utts farm. The attempt was successfully resisted. 1853. October 16. On Sunday, the 14th, the Rev. E. Close preached in the parish church (first time since his return to Cheltenham) to crowded congre- gations. In the evening, especially, every part of the church was crowded by anxious listeners. The throng extended into the porch at each of the principal entrances, and many, who could not obtain even standing room, were obliged, at last, to go away disappointed. " Examiner," Oct. 19th. 1853. November 5. Appointment of Mr. E. T. Griffiths to the clerkship of the Cheltenham Bench, vacant by the resignation of Mr. G. E. Williams, now clerk to the commissioners. The magistrates, in accepting Mr. Williams's resignation, unanimously passed the following resolution — "That the magistrates have received Mr. "Williams's resignation with much regret, and consider that their best thanks are due to him for the very able and efficient manner in which he has at ail times advised them." 1853. November 14. Eatal accident to Mr. Croome, a gentleman of large property, residing at Painswick Lawn. Deceased was driving along Montpellier, when he was thrown out of his gig, and had his skull so badly fractured that he pied in a few hours. 1853. November 17. Complimentary dinner to Mr. W. S. Davis on the re-opeuing of the Queen's Hotel ; the Hon. Craven Berkeley, M. P., in the chair. 1853. December 6. Action in the County Court, by Mr. George Mickle- wright, against Dr. Humphreys, headmaster of the Grammar School, for assault, in severely flogging plaintiff s son, a pupil in the school. The case created great excitement, and after a hearing of eight hours' duration, the court gave judgment for the plaintiff, with damages, four guineas. An address of confluence was presented to Dr. Humphris on the occasion, signed by the minister and church- wardens, (ex-officio visitors), Messrs. Lingwood, Eugall, Hale, D. J. Humphris, Wells, Harper, and Goding (members of the Grammar School Commitue), and, Dearly 30U heads of lamilies, most of whom had children in the school. The Patrons of the school, the President and Eellows of Corpus Chnsli College also published a document, exonerating the head master from blame in the trans- action. 1854. Mr. Ballinger, keeper to Lord North wick, though in the 75th year of his age, reported during the season to have shot through the head 78 deer at 79 shots. 1854. January 12. East Gloucestershire Election. Beach, 3,364; Holland 2,343. In the Cheltenham district the numbers were— Beach, 93 ; Holland, 498. 1854. Eebruary 3. Sudden death of R. Leycester, Esq., at the Batchelor'a Ball, Assembly Rooms. 602 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. February 13. Lord John Russell brought in a new Reform Bill, giving the Western Division and Bristol each three members ; Gloucester, Stroud, and the Eastern Division, two each; and Cheltenham, Cirencester, and Tewkesbury, one member each. The bill was withdrawn in March following. 1854. April 5. Cheltenham Water Works Bill, for taking water from the river Colne, after six days 7 enquiry, was thrown ont in committee of the Honse of Commons. 1854 April 10. Admiral Lowe died suddenly at his residence, 15, Lans- down Parade. On the same day, Mr. Charles Paul, architect, died, after a very brief illness, at his residence, "The Parsonage," Charlton Kings. 1854. April 27. Day of national humiliation for the disasters in the Russian war. Sermons were preached in all the churches and chapels, at which collections were made for the wives and families of our soldiers and sailors, yielding a total of £830 13s. 3d, 1854?. April. Lieutenant F. A. Close, whose intrepid conduct at Bomarsund gained him honourable mention in the Admiral's despatches, promoted to the rank of Commander for his services on that occasion, 3854. June 1. The Cheltenham Great Exhibition opened, at the Royal Old Wells. The inaugural address was delivered by the Rev. Canon Boyd. The contents of the Exhibition was of a most varied character, and for a non-manu* facluring town, was perhaps the best provincial collection formed. It was visited by 40,000 persons, besides ticket holders for the season, which made the entire number 65,000, and about 4 ; 500 school children. It continued open until July 12th, following. The building included 22,000 feet of glazed sash lights, 33,000 feet of spruce batten, 8,000 feet of rafters, and 12,000 feet of iooring. The interior was in part covered with 500 yards o' - green baize, 3,000 yards of calico, and 2, COO yards of calico. The shareholders' subscription amounted to £980, the season tickets to £782 14s. 3d., and the amount taken at the doors from straugers, £1,718 3s. 7d., which, added to £50 received for a refreshment saloon, made the total sum of £3,537 17s. lOd. 1854. August. Town Commissioners voted to borrow £1,800 for making a new street from the High Street into the Bath Road. 1854. August. First pillar letter boxes erected at Cheltenham. 1854. September. Appearance of cholera at Gloucester. Cheltenham was favoured again to escape — not a single case occurring in the town during the visitation. 1854. September 8. Afire occurred at Gloucester Cathedral. It was for- tunately discovered, and extinguished without serious damage. 1854. September 28. Great fire at Shackleford's coach factory. Among the property destroyed were the tools of the workmen, valued at £150. A public subscription was raised to reimburse the men ; the collection by Mr. Russell amounting to £125. Mr. Russell had also collected a handsome sura in aid of the workmen of Mr. John Alder, who also lost their tools in a similar manner. For his services on that occasion, Mr. Alder's workmen presented him with a handsome writing desk. 1854. October 1. Day of national thanksgiving for the abundant harvest- special services at the churches and chapels. Duriug the services, the telegrams announced the battle of Alma, and reported fall of Sebastopol. The news was conveyed to the Rev, F. Close in the pulpit of the Parish Church, and by him communicated to the congregation as an additional cause for national thanks- giving. 1854. October 2. Dr. Courtlaud Shaw and J. Fortnum, Esq., surgeon, two among the most eminent of our local practitioners, died within a lew hours of each other this day. CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 603 1854. October 5. Despatches received at the '* Examiner" office contradict- ing the reported fall of Sebastopol, and st-iting the British loss at the battle of the Alma to be 96 officers, 114 sergeants, 23 drummers, and 1,894 rank and file. The publication of this despatch (the news not being confirmed in the Times) created such a painful feeling throughout the town that it was obliged to be withdrawn. On the same evening the news was confirmed in an extraordinary supplement of the London Gazette. 1854. October 11. Died, at Sudeley Castle, W. Dent, Esq., aged 70 years. 1854. October 19. Lord Dunalley, of Dunalley Lodge, Cheltenham, died at his seat, Kelboy, co. Tipperary, aged 79. 1854. October 23. Meeting at the Assembly llooms in aid of the Patriotic Fund for assisting the wives and families of the victims of the Russian war. Sir Wm. Russell, Mr. J. A. Gardner, Rev. J. Browne, Rev. A. Boyd, Rev. F. D. Gilby, Admiral Lloyd, Capt. Close and others took part in the proceedings. The Cheltenham contributions to the fund amounted to nearly £2,600. 1854. November 7. Consecration of St. Luke's Church, by the Bishop of the Diocese; the sermon by the Rev. F. Close. The cost of the building was about £5,000. Amongst the chief contributors were the Misses Greswolde, who munificently contributed £i00, Mrs. Beaucharap £300, Miss Yerbury £200, the College Proprietary £200, Lord Northwick £100, G. Harvey, Esq., £100, C. Morris, Esq., £100, S. Anderson, Esq , £50, Lord de Sauraarez £45. 1854. November 18. J. Garland Cregoe, Esq., died suddenly at his residence, 1, Pittville Villas, aged 44. 1854. November 22. Death of Sir Michael Hicks Beach, the newly elected M.P. for the Eastern Division, aged 47. Mr. R. S. Holford was elected in his stead, December 19, without opposition. 1854. November 22. The " Examiner" states that the fossil remains of a gigantic ox and the lower jawbone of a human being, with the teeth firmly fixed and showing but slight signs of decay, were found in a deposit of mud in the deepest part of the sewer works in the Bath Road. 1854. December. The Entente Cordiale.— Lieutenant Lestraille and several members of his party of French pioneers paid a visit to Cheltenham. They were dressed in the handsome uniform of their corps, and were, during their short visit, ;t the observed of all observers." "Examiner," Dec. 20. 1854. December. Boxes of books, provisions, &c, forwarded from Chelten- ham for the British soldiers in the Crimea. "My dear Mr. Close. I had the satisfaction to-day of seeing your fifteen cases safely embarked on board the Clyde steamer. She is to go straight to Balaclava with huts and supplies for the array and hospital. * * * Supplies are going out from all quarters, and, besides what are shipped daily from the dockyard, Mr. Davies told me he shipped, yesterday, 1,200 large packages, all sent to him from private sources. R. T, Garabier, Capt. R.JN ." 1854. The Russian war. — The last six months of this year, and the whole of 1855, were rendered memorable in Cheltenham in an especial manner by the events of the Russian war, which so peculiarly affected the great number of families of officers residing in the town. The battle of Alma was fought on the 20ih of September. 1854, and the battle of Inkerman on the 5th ot November following; and at both these engagements, as well a3 in the fatal cavalry charge at Balaclava on the 25th ot October, a number of names well known in Chelten- ham were among the lists of killed and wounded. During the war " bulletins" of the daily telegraphic dispatches were regularly issued at the office of the " Examiner," and the scenes which frequently took place at the office of that paper were of the most painful description. After a great battle the open space in Imperial Circus would be crowded by wives and children and relatives of 604 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. officers serving abroad, waiting for the bulletins of which some times as many as from 2,000 to 3,000 would be sold in the course of a few hours. From these fatal documents ladies would first hear of the death or mutilation of their husbands, children of their fathers', parents' of their sons', and others of their relatives or friends. The town during this eventful period wore almost an aspect ot general mourning. At the principal churches a large portion of the congregation were in mourning, and eloquent were the exhortations to resignation under sorrow addressed from the pulpits to the bereaved mourners. A writer in the "Examiner," of January 3rd, 1855, thus heralds in the new year of sorrow and bereavement: — The year goes out — adown long hallow'd aisles, The sculptors work — Ha ! what device is that? A marble fame-wreath clasps a shivered sabre ; Here a mute urn ; a severed pillar there, And on its base is " F. U. 1. T." — Yet once more I gaze, — it is a simple quiet scroll And only saith, " He fell at Inkee.ma.nn "And his young Brother took the pest at Varna. "She who writes this, she was a Mother once !" 1855. January. Large number of huts for the French army in the Crimea, manufactured by Messrs. Eassie, of Gloucester. 1855. January. Sand model of Sebastopol, by the pupils of the College, open during the whob of the month. It vvas inspected daily by large numbers of persons interested in the 'progress of the war. The "Examiner" says — "Capt. Robertson, R.A., has kindly undertaken the task of explaining the model and fortifications, and gives his hearers a brief epitome of the campaign from the laudiug of the expedition, through the battle of Alma, the flank march across the Belbec to Balaklava, and the opening and progress of the sie^e operations — the combined attack of the 17th October — the capture of the redoubts — the fatal Cavalry charge on the 26th— aud finally, the great, but dear-bought victory of Inkermann, on the 5th of November. Illustrated as his narrative is by a bird's- eye view of the theatre of operations, it becomes doubly interesting, and we do not wonder that so many avail themselves of the kindness of the college authorities, to attend his practical and instructive lectures." 1855. Cheltenham men in the Crimea. The " Examiner" of January 17, says — " The terrible realities of the war have again been brought painfully under our notice during the past week in Cheltenham. Oue or two officers wounded at the battie of Alma, have sufficiently recovered to return home to their families here, and may be seen occasionally in the streets supported by crutches, or leaning on the arm of a relative. By the last official advices, we also learn the melancholy intelligence of the death of a very promising young officer, Major Moller, of the 50th Regiment. Major Moller, whose letters to his frieuds at home have continued — through all the hardships of the campaign — to be written in a cheering aud hopeful tone, was cut off in a sortie of the enemy on the night of the 20th ult. He died a soldier's death. Colonel Waddy, the commanding officer of the regiment, in a letter to his friends at home, says, 'Poor Moller fell mortally wounded while gallantly cheering on his men,' iu the trenches before Sebastopol. This is, indeed, one of the painful incidents of war. The deceased Major was quite a young man, only in his 32 year, and at the time of leaving England with his regiment, left his young wife on the eve of her confinement, with their second child. We regret to learn that, in the same affair, another Cheltenham officer — Lieut. Byron of the 34th Regiment — is reported as ' missing." Lieut. Byron is, we believe, a son of the Rev. Mr. Byron, of Elm- CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 605 stone Hardwicke, and is spoken of as a very promising youug officer. " [In the same paper it is stated that the report of Lieut Byron's capture had been since ascertained to be true. A letter had been received, stating that on the ui^ht of December 20th, Lieut. Byron, Capt. Frampton, and Mr. Clarke were inside Sebas- topol, where they were treated with the greatest kindness and consideration by the Russians, and were going to be sent immediately into the interior to Kouisk, about 400 miles north of Sehastopol. The htters state that Lieut. Byron withstood the charge of the Russians until he had only four men left to support him ; when being himself disabled by a bayonet thrust through the right shoulder, he was obliged to surrender himself a prisoner to overpowering numbers.] 1855. January. In the annual report of the Christ Church Charities for the past year, Mr. Boyd stated th.it the congregation of that Church contributed £634 to the Patriotic Fund, £189 to relieve the widows and families of soldiers, and nearly £1,200 for other benevolent objects — making a total for the year of £2,007 13s. lOid. 1855. January. Colonel Shewell at Balaklava. The "Examiner" says — A troop-major in the 8th Hussars, in a letter to his father, gives the following graphic account of the part taken in the memorable charge at Balaklava by Colonel Shewell, brother of E. W. Shewell, E*q., of this town : — * c I am glad to see our brave and gallant colonel (Shewell) has beeu promoted. He richly deserves it; and but for his coolness and bravery there would have been an end to the Light Brigade. Well, indeed, our noble men followed his example. No men could work better, and their line in advance through the Russian artillery, as well as through their cavalry, could not be surpassed on Hounslow Heath. After we had sabred and passed their artiilery at the end battery, the word was given, * The Russian cavalry are in our rear : make ready to charge !' Our brave colonel shouted out immediately, ■ Steady, my brave men P in a cool but determined voice, followed by * Right about, wheel.' We were all this time at a full gallop, and this movement brought the officers and front rank lacing the Russian cavalry ; and, when we were iu line, the brave fellow said, ' Follow me — charge P He led us on, and how he escaped is a miracle, for he was the first who came up to that tremendous mass of horsemen. We followed close, and went through them like the wind, making clear way for the others to follow; after which our handful of men bruke, and each, as best he could, cut his way to his original ground. I shall never forget that day as long as I live. Only a handful of that devoted band of soldiers returned. We prize our gallant colonel the more because, for several days previous, he had beeu laid up in his tent, and even on the morning of the engagement he was too unwell to attend parade ; but no sooner did he hear the cannons roar, than he cnlled his servant to enquire what was the cause, and, on being told, immediately ordered his horse to be saddled, but was obliged to be helped to mount it. He was no sooner seated than he put spurs to his noble beast, and came up at a gallop to take command of us: aud, as I said before, well indeed, did he perform his part." 1855. February. Mrs. Edmunds, aunt to Robert Sole Lingwood, Esq., left the following sums, free of legacy duty, to local charities : — Cheltenham Hospital £150, Cheltenham Female Orphan Asylum £150, Cheltenham Infants' School, St. James's Square, £100, Cheltenham ISational School, Bath Road, £100; total, £500. 1855. February 7. First annual meeting of the Cheltenham Ladies' College. The number of pupils was stated to be 113. 1855. February 3. Mrs. Dormer, a lady well known in Cheltenham, died from injuries received from her dress comiug in contact with the drawing room fire at her residence, 11, Lansdown Place. 606 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. 1855. February 14. Death of a veteran. Died, at this town, on the 14th instant, in the 74th year of his age, Samuel Harris, formerly a private in the 66th, in which regiment he served Dearly 15 years, and was engaged in the fol- lowing battles —Oporto, Talavera, Albuera, Vittoria, Salamanca, Pyrenees, Pam« peluna, JNivelle, Nive, and Toulouse. He was also present in many other minor engagements, was wounded three times, and received a medal with seven clasps. This was the only recompense the poor fellow ever obtained from his '• grateful country," until within about two years of his death, when, his case being warmly taken up by Mr. Walter Jessop, of this town, and his services, and their neglect, commented upon in our own columns, the Government was prevailed upon to grant him a pension of ninepence per day, in consideration of his past services. This pittance was, of course, totally iuadequ^e to find the poor old warrior the common necessaries of life, and he was indebted to private benevolence for those little comforts rendered so necessary by his age and infirmities. — " Examiner." 1855. March 2. Death of the Emperor Nicholas. A telegram received in Cheltenham, announcing the sudden death of the Emperor of Russia, caused immense excitement. The " bulletin" issued at the '• Examiner" office contained only half a dozen lines, giving the bare announcement of the fact, yet more than two thousand copies were sold in two hours. In reference to the eveut, the "Examiner" of March 7 states that allusion was made to it at most of the Cheltenham churches. The He v. A. Boyd, at Christ Church, said he regarded the event as a distinct answer to prayer " Only a fortnight ago the people had assembled in the house of God, and bowed themselves before Him in humble supplication. But none of us could have dreamt in what way our prayers wonld be answered. None of us could have imagined that, ere ten days had passed, the Angel of Death would come and lay his icy hand on the proud Nicholas, and lay him in the dust. Maybe, the very commencement of that man's illness would date from the very day when we knelt in prayer to God. It may be, on that day the decree went forth, commanding the Angel of Destruction to do his deadly work. In other words, God may have taken this way to make His people under- stand that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strung ; and that His arm is not short, or His ear heavy, but that he listens to, and answers, prayer the same now as he did eighteen hundred years ago." The same paper contained the following lines from a correspondent on this memorable event :— THE HAND- WRITING ON THE WALL. Hark ! from the far off Neva's banks, A solemn sound is heard ! And startled Europe's pulse beats quick At that eventful word. An iron frame lies shattered, An iron will o'erthrown. How short, alas ! the space between A coffin and a throne ! But yesterday that stubborn will Held millions in its thrall ! To-day the Angel's baud hath traced Upon the palace wall The short and fatal sentence — " Thy days are numbered. Thou, "Greater than Cesar yesterday, " Art less than nothing now !" 1855. March 12. Stephen Curtis, while building a vault in the churchyard of Charlton Kings, was buried beneath the soil, and, when grot out, was found to be quite dead. 1855. March. Approachiug marriage in high life. We hear that Lady Charlotte Guest, the widow of Sir John Guest, Bart., is about to be married to the Rev. Mr. Schreiber, who is a Eeliow and Kxamiuer of Trinity College, Cam- bridge. Lady Charlotte has ten children, and is 45 years of age, and Mr. Schreiber is under 30 years. Ivor Guest, now about 21 years old, succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his father, in 1852. — " Examiner," March 14. CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 607 1855. March. The litigation under the will of Miss Jane Cooke, who left £50,000 Consols, for the endowment of churches in poor districts, amicably- settled. Under the terms of the arrangement, the churches of St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. Luke, in this town, will be entitled to the dividend of £2,000 Consols, from this fund. — "Examiner," March 21. 1855. March. Sir William Russell, Bart., of Charlton Park, being about to leave England for the Crimen, a subscription was set on foot for the purpose of presenting him with a testimonial. 1855. March. Capt. Swinhurne Berkeley, eldest son of the Hon. Grantley Berkeley, and Captain in the South Gloucester Militia, having obtained the services of 100 volunteers from that regiment, applied to Lord Strafford for a commission in his father's old regiment, the Coldstream Guards, at present in the Crimea. 1855. March 21. Day of national fast and humiliation. Collections made in the churches to the amount of £357 18s. 1855. March 21. Lieut. -Colonel Commeline, a gentleman well known in Cheltenham, killed by a fall whilst following the hounds. 1855. April. Capt. Sherwood, son of Mrs. Sherwood, Suffolk Lawn ; Capt. Bovle, son of A. Boyle, Esq., Clarence House ; and Capt. Thorburn, accept commissions in the Turkish Contingent, under the command of Major-Gen. Vyvian. 1855. April 10. Opening services at Cambray Chapel at which the Rev. A. Eletcher and the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon officiated. The Rev. J. Smith, pastor of this chapel from its opening, died alter a long illness from paralysis, Decemoer 15, 1862, aged 60. 1855. April 11. The voluntary Easter offerings collected for the Incumbent, stated in the " Examiner" to amount to nearly £550. 1855. April. During this month two veteran officers died in Cheltenham. The first, Admiral Lloyd, was the personification of a bluff old English sailor* He entered the navy in 1790, was at the Nile, the capture of Monte Video, and continued in active service until the peace of 1815. He had a naval medal with two clasps, was created a Knight of Hanover, and was in the enjoyment for some years of a good service pension of £150 a-year. He died April 29, almost suddenly. Laptain Clubley, R.N., died, April 16, in a manner equally sudden. He saw much service in the early part of the century, but retired on half pay in 1815. 1855. Captain Crofton, R.E. This gallant and meritorious officer, who was a brother of Dr. Crofton, of Segrave Place in this town, has, we regret to hear, expired of his wounds received in the trenches before Sebastopol. Lord Uaglan in his despatch, allndes to the deceased officer as one " who had, in the protracted operations before Sebastopol, rendered most essential service." Private letters from the camp also speak of Captain Crofton's death with deep regret; his loss has been felt as a public calamity by the entire army. (" Examiner.") 1855. Captain Gilby, 77th Regiment. — This gallant young officer, a son of the Rev. F. D. Gilby of this town, was wounded in the attack on the Russian "rifle pits," against which he led on one of the assaulting columns with great gallantry. This capture of the rifle pits in which Captain Gilby took so con- spicuous a part, and in which so many officers, and among them the gallant " Boy Captain," young Lempriere, unfortunately lost their lives, is spoken of as one of the most daring and successful episodes of the whole campaign. ("Examiner.") 1855. Dr. Thomas Wright, F.R.S.E. — We hear, with great pleasure, that Dr. Wright, of this towu, has, on the motion of Sir William Jardine, been elected a Eelloow of hands. 1855. September 29. Meeting to commemorate the completion of the Roman Catholic Church ; Among the toasts were — " Our Protestant friends, and thanks for their donations." 1855. September 30. The Incumbent of Christ Church on this day of National Thanksgiving, asserted from the pulpit that the capture of Sevastopol was an occasion of humiliation rather than thanksgiving, because on that day "the English soldiers had turned their backs upon their enemies in the day of battle." 1855. November 7- Cheltenham " Examiner" first printed by steam. 18)5. November 19. Death of Major J hn Harman Brown one of the oldest officers in the army, at his residence, Sal"pian-villas. He was burn in 1763, joined the 52nd Foot as ensign in 1779, and retired in 1813, atter more than 40 years active service. Such was the vigour of the dec p ased General's constitution, that although upwards of 92 years of age, he has been in the habit, up to the last few months, of frequently travelling from Cheltenham to London and back the same day. 1855. November 22. Visit of Lord John Russell to Cheltenham. His lordship was the guest of Dr. Humphreys, Head Master of the Grammar School, and was present while the pupils, 300 in number, were under examination. 1855. November 25. llev. F. Close preached iu the Parish Church, the first time since his recent illness. 1855. November 29. Sir Colin Camnbell, (now Lord Clyde), visited Cheltenham, and took up his qu trters at the Queen's. No public demonstration was made, as the gallant general was to start for the Crimea in three or four days. 1855. December 3 5. Lieut. Battine, his brother, and two other officers of Chatham garrison, drowned by the upsetting of a boat on the river Medway. " The young Battines were intimately known in Cheltenham, where their late father, General Battine, resided, and where, indeed, their widowed mother, as well as many near and dear relatives still live. The painful bereavement to which Mrs Battine has thus been subjected, was most feelingly alluded to by the Rev. A. Boyd in the course of his sermon at Christ Church on the following Sunday morning." " Examiner." 1856. January 16. Madame Jenny Lind Goldschmidt gave two concerts at the Assembly Rooms. After the performance, the fair singer handed to Mr. T. G. Palmer a donation of forty pounds for the Cheltenham Hospital. 612 HISTOHY OF CHELTENHAM. 1856. January 24. Captain Cousins, a gentleman residing at 28, Park Place,, committed suicide, by hanging himself from the ceiling of his study. 1856. Captain Close, R.N., son of the Rev. F. Close, appointed to the steam gunboat Mohawk, for service in the Baltic. 1856. A Crimean soldier, named Seymour, died of lock jaw in Cheltenham workhouse. He was wounded at the Alma, and public indignation was strongly- expressed at his being discharged on the beggarly pension of 6d. a day, and thus allowed to end his days in the workhouse. 1856. February 10. Sudden death of Mrs. Skillicorne, mother of W. N. Skillicorne, Esq., in her 76th year. 1856. Dr. Humphreys, head master of the Grammar School, presented with a copy of il Natural History of the Dee Side," bearing the inscription, — "This book, printed by command of the Queen, is presented to Cheltenham Grammar School, by H.R.H. Prince Albert." 1856. February. Gas Company's mains carried to the Midland Station and to Marie Hill. 1856. February 13. Mr. W P. Brookes, a resident practitioner, successfully applied a ligature round the exterior iliac artery of a patient suffering from aneurism, — a very delicate and rare operation. The man is now (1863) still well and active. 1856. March 5. General Wright, whose venerable appearance was well known in Cheltenham, died at his residence, Wobum Hall, Grosvenor Street. He entered the army in 1796, saw much active service, and his death placed a battalion worth £1000 a-year, at the disposal of the War Office authorities. 1856. March 19. Mr John Barnet, solicitor, and known many years as coroner of the Cheltenham district, died this day at his residence, Monmouth. 1856. March 19. Death of Lord Boston, aged 79. He was succeeded by his son, the Hon. George Ives Irby, who married Miss Northey, a sister of Mrs. Agg Gardner of this town. 1856. March 27. Transfer of the business of the Cheltenham and Gloucester- shire Bank, Clarence Street, to the County Bank, High Street. — April 3. Sudden death of Mr. Wm. Ridler, the manager. The " Examiner " of April 9 th, says ;— " We deeply regret to record the sudden death of this gentleman, which took place at the Bank Buildings, in Clarence Street, on Thursday last. Deceased, for some months past, appeared in a declining state of health, being subject to occasional fits of extreme nervous depression. Latterly he appeared to be more at ease. He was engaged at the bank up to the close of the business on Wed- nesday afternoon, but not feeling well he retired to rest at any early hour. He was visited by some members of his family about midnight, and was heard by one of the servants to cough as late as half-past six o'clock in the morning, but on being called about eight o'clock he was found to be quite dead." 1856. April 19. Jonah Dyer, a lad, six years of age, in the band of the South Gloucestershire Militia, was specially noticed by the Queen at a review at Aldershott. Her Majesty was so pleased with him, that she presented him with money to purchase him a sword and belt, as a memento of her royal favour. 1856. April 20. Parish Church re-opened after extensive repairs, during the progress of which the congregation occupied the Town Hall. 1856. Captain Sir Wm. Russell appointed to perform the duties of deputy assistant adjutant general, or deputy assistant quartermaster general to the cavalry division in the Crimea, during the absence in England of Brevet Majors Connolly and Fellowes. 1856. Imperial Hotel, Promenade, (now occupied as the Imperial Club) passed into the handi of Mr. W. S. Davis, proprietor of " The Queens." CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 613 1856. May 1. Peace with Russia publicly proclaimed through the streets of Cheltenham by Mr. John Preston, town crier. 1856. May 4. Under her Majesty's proclamation special services were held to-day in thanksgiving for the restoration of peace. 1856. May 22. Montpellier Baths property put up to auction at the Plough Hotel. The highest bidding being £1,600 the property was declared " bought in " at the reserved price of £3,000. 3 856. May 22. Messrs. Handy, Fletcher, and Beale Browne despatched consignments of their pure Cotswold breed of sheep for show at the Paris Exhibition. 1856. June 1. The incumbent preached a sermon at the Parish Church on the conviction of William Palmer, for the murder at JEtugeley. The sermon was published at the "Examiner" office under the title of "The Murderer," and obtained a very large circulation. 1856. June 3. Beautifully engrossed address, on vellum, signed by many hundreds of the principal residents, presented to Lord Northwick for his liberality in keeping open his choice collection of pictures for the free use of the public. Mr. J. A. Gardner, Lord of the Manor, headed the deputation appointed to wait upon his Lordship. 1856. June 3. Peace demonstration in Cheltenham. Galas at the Old Wells and Montpellier. School children to the number of 2000 marched through the to an in honour of the event ; but the inhabitants generally showed considerable lukewarmness from disappointment at the easy terms granted by the allies to Russia. 1856. June 5. Odd Fellows' fete at Old Wells, to Colonel (then Captain) Berkeley, M. P. 1856. June 6. Death of Dr. James Henry Monk, Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol, aged 72. The venerable prelate left property to the amount of £150,000. 1856. June 14<. A tremeudous hailstorm passed over Cheltenham. The hail lay for some hours in heaps on the ground, affording to the urchins the •■unusual pastime of a game of snow-balling in the middle of June. 185d. June 25. Public meeting at the Town Hall for the assistance of the sufferers by the disastrous floods in France. The collections amounted to between £200 and £300. 1856. July 9. The bed on which George III. slept when visiting Chelten- ham in the year 1788, was sold by Mr. James Villar at an auction at Fielding's Victoria Hotel. Winchcomb-stieet, on Wednesday. The purchaser was F. Findon, Esq., Prestbary. 1856. July 23. A large bird continued perched upon the vane of the Parish Church from Saturday afternoon until Monday morniug, when Mr. Hollis gun- smith, brought a favourite rifle to the churchyard, and after about half-a-dozen ^unsuccessful shots managed to bring down the strange visitor from its elevated perch. It proved to be a large pigeon. 1856. July. Meeting of the Grand National Archery Society. 1856. August 4?. vVheat rose at Mark Laue to-day 12s. to lis. per quarter. On the same day, growing crops iu the neighbourhood of Cheltenham were sold — wheat £15 per acre, barley £12, oats £6, peas £10, and grass crops, with grazing up to September 29th, £6 5s. per acre. 1856. August 6. Meetings of the British Association for the Advancement of Science commenced at the Proprietary College. Among the many distin- guished visitors were — Professor Daubeuey, His Grace the Duke of Argyle, Lord Wrottesley, Sir H. Rawlinson, Lord Stanley, Sir J Kay Shuttlewortn, Sir Charles Hastings, Professor Owen, Dr. Brennejke, Prussia, Professor .Rogers, Boston, &c. The inaugural address was delivered by the President, Dr. Daubeuey, 614 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. In order to perpetuate a remembrance of the visit, medals were struck in gold,, and presented to the Proprietary College and Grammar School. 1856. August 6. Sir J. Ross, the celebrated Arctic navigator, arrived on a visit to Capt. St. Clair, of Staverton Court, durinsr the British Association, and is expected to read a paper on the " Deviation of the Compass." 1866. August 13. Col. Lake, one of the heroes of Kars, arrived in Chelt- enham the other day, and took up his residence, with his family, at No. 17, Prom- enade. 1856. August 13. Queen's Hotel. Upwards of one hundred visitors took up at this far famed and magnificent establishment during the past week. 1856. August 15, " An official announcement." On Friday, John Preston, the town crier, delivered the following notice : " Notice is hereby given to the bakers and inhabitants of Cheltenham that the price of corn has decreased 16s. per quarter within the last three weeks," 1856. August 15. Imperial Club formed at Cheltenham. 1856. August 15. New Savings' Bank building in Rodney Terrace opened for business. 1850. September 1. Cheltenham postmen clothed to-day for the first time in the ''Queen's livery." 1856. September 1. A " fluke" potato dug in the Elm Nursery Gardens weighing 32^ ounces. 1856. September 24. Meeting in the Town Hall for carrying out the- Public Libraries Act. Mr. Onley, Capt. Robertson, Mr. Lingwood, and others opposed the introduction of the Act to Cheltenham, and the meeting decided against the motion by an overwhelming majority. 1856. October 1. Death of Col Shewell, U.B., 8th Hussars, aged 47. He was one of the survivors of the gallant charge at Halaklava. 1856. October. Nine red deer, the gift of Lord Fitzhardinge, kept for hunting purposes at the Cheltenham kennels, broke loose, and spread themselves, over the country. It was not until more than a week, and after several " good runs" that the whole of the deer were captured, and restored to their stables. 1856. October 20. The Incumbent of Cheltenham received an authoritative announcement from Lord Palmerston of his appointment to the Deanery of Carlisle. 1856. October 23. Imperial Club, Promenade, opened for the reception of members. 1856. November 1. Public meeting at the Assembly Rooms for a testimonial* to the late Incumbent, on his leaving for the Deanery of Carlisle. Men of all parties in politics and all sects in religion united cordially in the movement. The amount of subsequent subscriptions to the testimonial was about £1,000, to which Earl Fitzhardinge contributed the handsome sum of £25. The parochial clergy presented a separate testimonial of a folio Bible, handsomely bound, and a massive carved oak reading desk. The masters of the College presented a handsome timepiece, and the pupils a silver timepiece ; while the masters and pupils of the Grammar School subscribed for, and presented the rev. gentleman wifh, a silver inkstand and appointments of the value of £20. All these testi- monials were presented to Mr. Close, at the Gnnge, on December 3. 1856. November 9. Dr. Baring, the newly appointed Bishop of the Diocese,, preached in the Parish Church. In the evening, Mr. Close preached the last sermon of his 30 years' ministration to his congrega ion. 1856. November 26. The Water Compauy, after long negotiations, con- sented to lay down separate "fire mains" along the whole of their system. 1856. November 28. Completion of the new National Schools in St.. James's Square, on the site formerly occupied by the old Workhouse. CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 615 1856. November 28. John Collett, Esq., formerly M.P. for Athlone, and for many years a constant resident at Lake House, Cheltenham, destroyed himself by shooting himself through the head with a pistol. Mr. Collett entertaiied such an aversion to the game laws that he was in the habit of releasing game law offenders in all parts of the kingdom, by payment of the fines and expenses 1856. December 3. John Whitwell, pupil of the Grammar School, and dux of the Classical Department, elected to the Townsend Scholarship. 1856. December. The " Cheltenham Literary Annual" — the articles by resident authors — published at the " Examiner" office. 1856. December 11. Sale of property and securities of the late Cheltenham and Gloucestershire Bank, by Mr. James Villar. 1856. December 17. Only eight burials this week for the entire parish of Cheltenham. 1856. December 23. Public meeting at the Town Hall— Col. Berkeley, M.P., in the chair — to petition against the unjust and oppressive features of the Income Tax. 1857. January 14«. Eirst annual meeting of the Imperial Club, held at the new premises, Promenade. The club at that time comprised about two hundred and fi'ty members. 1857 January 17. Eirst brick laid of the Water Company's new reservoir, at Hewlett's. The reservoir is four acres in extent, of a maximum depth of twenty- five feet, and estimated to hold sixteen millions of gallons of water. 1857. January 28. Death of Mr. John Nash Belcher, an old inhabitant of the town. 1857. January. Erom an official statement of the county expenditure it appears that the total county and police rates for Gloucestershire, amounted to £47,793, of which Cheltenham contributed £4,558, or about one-tenth. 1857. Eebruary 1. Re-opening of St. Paul's Church, after interior altera- tions, and re-arrangement of the pulpit and reading desk. 1857. Et-bruary 12. Death of J. T. Addaras, Esq., for many years manager of the Gloucestershire Bank in this town, 1857. February 12. The wife of Mr. George Smith, assistant to Mr. Westley, 96, High-street, gave birth to three children. 1857. Eebruary 18. Captain Berkeley, M.P., visited Cheltenham, and was initiated into the mysteries of the Masonic Craft, on joining the Royal Union Lodge of Freemasons. 1857. February 23. Accident to Earl Eitzhardinge. While following the hounds iu the Vale of Berkeley, when his lordship was stooping to avoid an overhanging bough, the horse stumbled in a grip, and the sudden check caused its rider to be thrown over the horse's head with considerable violence. His lordship, however, fortunately happened to pitch upon his shoulder. It was feared at first that one or more ribs had been broken. The carriage was sent for, and the noble earl couveyed to Berkeley Castle, and messengers despatched for medical assistance. It was hoped for some time that the noble earl had not sustained any serious injury; the shock to the system was, however, so great that he never recovered his usual health, but continued to gradually sink untdthe time of his death, which took place on Saturday evening, October 10th, 1857, in the 71st year of his age. 1857. March 4. Lord Palraerston's Government defeated in the House of Commons by a majority of sixteen on Mr. Cobden's motion, censuring the war in China. An address was got up and received the signatures of men of all parties in Cheltennara urging his lordship to appeal to the country, and expressing the conviction of the memorialists that " the unnatural and factious coalition in the House of Commons will result in more firmly establishing you in that power 616 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, which you have so ably wielded during a most trying and momentous period in support of the best interests of this great country." The address received nearly 1,200 signatures, and was presented by a deputation consisting of Major Edwardes aud W. M. Tartt, Esq. Lord Palmerston appeared much gratified at the number of the signatures, and more especially, perhaps, that they included gentlemen of all shades of opinion. So strong was the feeling ia Cheltenham in favour of our policy in China, that, at the election which ensued, Captain Berkeley was returned without opposition ; a requisition to Sir Maxwell Steele proving a complete failure, and only obtaining about 300 signatures. 1857. March 21, T. E. Goddard, Esq., appointed Manager of the Glouces- tershire Bark, in the room of Mr. Addams, deceased. 1357. March 24. Extraordinary accident at Mr. Whitcombe's looking-glass and picture gallery, Clarence-street. The cistern overflowed during the night, and in the morning the premises were found deluged with water, the damage benu estimated at several hundred pounds. 1857. April 1. Some wag "tried it on'* by sending an advertisement to the "Examiner," announcing a sermon by the Rev. Mr. Spurgeon, in Sandford Field. The advertisement being discovered to be a hoax, it was, of course, omitted, but the next morning the same announcement was distributed about the town in the form of a handbill. A large crowd congregated in Sandford Fields at the hour named ; but, of course, no Mr. Spurgeon ! The " Examiner " of the following week, in noticing the occurrence, says : — " If the author of the hand- bill is discovered, he may probably find out to his cost that there is a stream of water running through Sandford Fields, which may be quite as usefully employed in the ducking of his own person as in the baptism of Mormonite disciples." 1857. April 13. Mrs. Cullis, a " lady preacher," occupied the pulpit at Bethany Chapel, Regent-street, and delivered a disccurse of three-quarters of an hour to a crowded and attentive audience. 1857. April 22. The Prince of Oude, whose visit to this country with his suite has occasioned much curiosity, stayed at the Queen's Hotel, Promenade, for a short time, on Wednesday last, en route to the seat of the Earl of Ellenborough, at Southam. Having had an interview with his Lordship the Prince returned to Cheltenham, but shortly afterwards took his departure for London, his visit altogether not occupying more than a few hours, — " Examiner," April 29. 1857. April, The Rev. H. W. Bellairs and the Rev. E. Temple initiated the scheme of Oxford Middle Class Examinations, since so beneficially acted upon throughout the country. 1857. April. Among the English officers created members of the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour we observe the name of Lieut.-Colonel George Steevens, of the 20th Regiment, (second son of Lieut.-Colonel Steevens, of this town), a gallant officer, who has not survived to receive his well-earned decora- tion, bis death having taken place in February last, the result of arduous service in the Crimea — " Examiner," April 29. 1857. May 14. Death of Mr. Robert Burns, the eldest son of the poet, and brother of Col. Wm. Burns and Lieut.-Col. James Burns, of Cheltenham. 1857. May 26. Openir.g of St. Gregory's (Roman Catholic) Church, with sermon by Cardinal Wiseman. 1857. May 27. Intimation received by Messrs. Fisher and Hasell, church- wardens, of the appointment of the Rev. E. Walker to the Incumbency of Cheltenham. The new Incumbent preached at the Parish Church for the first time since his appointment on Sunday, June 14. 1857. July. The Lean of Carlisle and Mrs. Close made a short sojourn at Cheltenham this month, residing at No. 4, Bayshill-terrace. On Tuesday, the 7th, the Dean officiated at the Parish Church at the nuptials of his son, Henry CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS 617 Telham Close, Esq., Bombay army, with Miss Annie Hudleston, daughter of R. B. Hudlestoo, Esq., of Abao Court. 1857. July 4. Mr. Charles Matthews performed at the Old Wells, sustaining the character of " Mopus" in Married for Money ; and " Plumper,'' in as Cool as a Cucumber^ before a highly fashionable audience. 1857. July 4>. Sudden death of Miss Louisa Moroney, from spasms at the heart, at the residence of her mother, 2, Blenheim-parade, Pittville, aged 26. 1857. July. News received in Cheltenham from India of the gallant conduct of Lieutenant Mdller, of the Uth N.I With distinguished bravery he galloped into the midst of the mutineers at Meerut, satisfied himself of the nature of their proceedings, and then, by the aid of a revolver, fought his way back. Lieut. Moller subsequently drove in his buggy to the heart of the city, seized the murderer of Mrs, Chambers, and carried him off to a gibbet, from which he was presently suspended. This young officer was a brother of the late Major Midler, of the 50th, who fell in the trenches before Sebastopol while gallautly cheering on his 250 men, to repel with the bayonet 2,000 of the enemy. 1857. July 17. Collision on the Great Western Railway, near the Bayshill bridge. The " up" express, on leaving the station at 2.25, ran off the rails near the spot indicated, and came into collision with the down train just arriving from Gloucester. Many of the passengers were severely shaken ; but there was no loss of life or limb. A pointsman named French was taken into custody for supposed negligence, but it did not appear he was to blame. He was a very steady man, a Crimean soldier with medals for "Alma," "Balaklava," " Inkermann," and " Sebastopol." 1857. July 25. Died, at East Hayes, Fittville, aged 62, the Rev. J. Browne for more than 30 years minister of Trinity Church. 1857. July 28. Presentation of a handsome time-piece to Dr. Orrell, by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Manchester Unity, "as a token of esteem for his uniform kindness and attention to their sick brethren, and as a testimony of their appreciation of his character as an Odd Fellow and a gentleman." 1857. August 15. Sir William Russell left Charlton Park amid the warm adieux of his friends to proceed with his regiment, the 7th Hussars, for service in India. 1857. August 24. Special public prayer meeting for the preservation of our -countrymen and countrywomen yet spared from massacre in India. 1857. August. Ensign Browne, son of Dr. Browne, of Pittville, escaped the general massacre of the officers of the 5th Bengal Native Infantry at Cawnpore. 1857- September 15. Large public meeting at the Assembly Rooms to express sympathy with the sufferers by the Indian Mutiny, and to organise means for their relief. J. A. Gardner, Esq., in the chair. 1857. September. Capt. A. J. Schreiber, 31st Foot, recommended to the Sultan as worthy the decoration of the Order of the Medjidie. 1857. September 17. The Rtv. Henry Foulkes, D.D., Principal of Jesus College, Oxford, and formerly Incumbent of Cheltenham, died this afternoon, at the advanced age of 84?. He was appointed to the Incumbency of Cheltenham in 1799, and held it until 1816, when he was elected Principal of Jesus College, which post he held for forty years. Dr. Foulkes was one of the Commissiouers named in the Cheltenham Improvement Act of 1821. 1857. September 22. A woman going by the name of Martha Heath, and living at 16, Saudford Street, found drowned in the Chelt, near Barrett's Mill. Deceased was 83 years of age, and the " Examiner" in noticing her death says : — " We understand that, although deceased went by the name of Heath, her real .name was Martha Probert. She was the wife of a man of that name, who was, 618 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. in company of Thurtell and Hunt, engaged in the robbery and murder of Mr. Weare, whose death some thirty years ago caused so much excitement throughout the country. On that occasion Probert saved himself from the gallows by turn- ing King's evidence. His two companions in crime were convicted and hung, and Probert himself was some time afterwards convicted of horse stealing, and the crime at that time being a capital offence, he suffered the same fate as his former accomplices. Mrs. Probert then took upon herself the name of Heath, and has since resided with her relatives in Cheltenham." 1857. September 23. News from India of the horrible massacre at Cawnpore, in which tragedy upwards of 800 white and native < hristians were said to have been mutilated and destroyed. The news excited a -feeling of indignation such as is rarely witnessed. Allusion was made to it in most of the churches, and the subscriptions for the surviving sufferers amounted to two thousand pounds. The following lines upon the state of public feeling in. Cheltenham, were inserted in the " Examiner" of September 23rd :— ' CHELTENHAM AND INDIA. Aye, my poor Townsmen, ye may well be sad Well may we call our Meeting, and combine Our gifts of sympathy, and all to feed, To clothe our own sick sons — yea more, to bind The ghastly wounds of our sweet, darling girls ! Our's ? yes our own ! — What loyal English town More whelm'd with anguish? Where the happy hearths More robb'd than ours ? — O, 'tis a pleasant place This Cheltenham ! the good old officer, All bronz'd and bruis'd with manifold campaigns Beneath the skies of Hindostan. returns To nestle here — here, where the Cotswolds break The inclement blasts of winter, and the leaves Of myriad vistas screen the summer's sun — What meetings then with comrades ! morn and eve Bear the old fights re-fought, and how they slew The monarch of the jungle — Merry days ! Merrier than this ! — to-day the laugh is dumb, Grief in the face, and crape upon the hat, Bad news to-day !— It is a drawing-room The walls stand thick with portraits, manly son And valiant nephew, each in uniform, TVen ere they left for India, there they hang! Eine lordly features all ! and all are gone, Eull of high hope and enterprise, to fight Hereditary foes, perchance to vie With their stout father's fame. Where are they now ? " God knows !" a lady's bursting sobs replied, '* Poor Erank here"— and she show'd a photograph, The case all worn and dripping of her tears — " Poor Frank was last in Delhi : but the mails Speak not of him — my gentle Robert, too, (O God, so like his sire !) a poniard, sir, Cleft that young loving heart !" CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 619 Most passing sad ! Sad, yet not saddest, — you remember well Sweet Emraeline the beautiful? — 'twas she The belle of belles that scarce two years ago All eyes so worshipp'd— on the Promenade, Or in the dance, who like her ? Merry girl ! And good as merry !— well, the weddiug came, A blithesome one, I warrant ye — the spire Danc'd to the peals — delighted guests announc'd All ioys — and in the nuptial toast 'twas said • How she should go to India and grow rich And live so long and happily ! — and so They sail'd. — Anon, the blessed mails arrived Bearing glad news of both — anon they spake Of Emmeline's sweet infant — and anon Of neither babe nor parent ! — but then came Words which I may not copy. ***** ********** Oh ! my poor Townsmen, we may well be sad. Well may we fix our brimming eyes above And gaze I and gaze ! and gaze ! J. D. M. 1857, Septemher. The honorary canonry in Gloucester Cathedral, vacant by the death of the Rev. Richard Davies, conferred on the Rev. Archibald Boyd, A.M., incumbent of Christ Church. 1857. Welcome Home. — Among the names in our arrival list this week we observe with pleasure that of our respected townsman, George Edmunds Williams, Esq., who returns to his professional avocations in Cheltenham after a long sojourn, under medical treatment, in London. The friends of Mr. Williams will rejoice to learn that he has so far conquered his old enemy the gout, as to be able to resume his duties as clerk to the Commissioners, as well as to apply himself as usual to his own professional practice. " Examiner," Sept. 30. 1857. A Cheltenham Hero.— We understand that Lieut. Bogle, of the 78th Highlanders, who distinguished himself so greatly at the capture of Oonao, on the 20th of July, is a son of A. Bogle, Esq., of Clarence House, in this town. He was severely wounded while leading the way into a loopholed house. General Havelock has recommended the gallant young officer to the notice of his Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief. "Examiner," Sept. 30. 1857. Ociober 1 and 2, Mr. W. Russell, the "Times" correspondent, gave his personal reminiscences of the Crimean war. 1857- October 7. Day of national humiliation and prayer under the Queen's proclamation. Services at all the churches and chapels. The "Examiner" in prefacing its report of the various sermons says — '* Her Majesty's commands were obeyed with all the solemnity befitting the occasion. The hundreds of our families who have friends and relatives in India— the hundreds more whose con- nections are on the way thither to avenge the outrages which have been per- petrated on our suffering fellow-countrymen, are all at this moment moved with deep feelings of sorrow or anxiety ; while among the great mass of the nation, there are few hearts who do not sympathise with the sufferings from which they individually are exempt, or who do not feel that in this rebellion, there are cir- cumstances which deeply affect our national honour, and call for a public expres- sion of national humiliation." 1857. A relic of .Frederick the Great found at Lansdown. " A man digging in a garden at Lansdown, turned up a medal in an excellent state of preservation. 620 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. The piece, which is somewhat larger than an English crown, was struck to com- memorate the two victories gained by Frederick the Great over the Austrians— that at Rosebach, Nov. 5, 1757, and that at Lissa on Dec. 5, in the same year. It is cast from gun metal from cannon captured in the above engagements, and bears on its face an equestrian figure of the great Frederick, with the words 'Frederick, D. G., Borvs,Rex., et Protestanti Defenso', and on the reverse a battle piece witn the motto 'Quo nihil magus meliusve.' The medal has been purchased by Mr. Jung, nurseryman.'' " Examiner," November 4?. 1857. November 17. Sudden death of J. J. Rigley, Esq., at his residence, Jtaulton Villa, Charlton Kings. 1857. November 24. Marriage of Captain Berkeley, M.P. — We understand the gallant member for Cheltenham was married yesterday to Miss Sumner, a daughter of Colonel Holme Sumner, of the Hatchlands, near Guildford, Surrey. The young lady is a near relative of the Archbishop of Canterbury. The bells of our parish church rang out a merry peal last evening in honour of the event. " Examiner," Nov. 25. 1857. November 26. Lieutenant D. M. Gilby, son of the Rev. F. D. Gilby severely wounded at Cawnpore. 1857. November 28. Distressing accident in the hunting field to Mrs. E. Danger field, of 1, Berkeley Villas. Mrs. Dangerfield was riding on her pony when the horse of one of the field struck out with tremendous force, inflicting a compound fracture of the bones of the leg. The "gentleman?" riding the viscious brute galloped on without stopping to enquire into the extent of the injury. 1857. Dec. Vice-Admiral Sir Maurice Berkeley, on quitting the Admiralty, has bestowed his hauling-down vacancy upon Commander Fredk. Augustus Maxse (1855), now serving in the Ariel at Gibraltar. Captain Maxse is the officer who, as Lieutenant, traversed a forest some thirty miles in extent, thickly interspersed with Cossacks, in order to convey intelligence to and from Lord Raglan and Lord Lyons after the battle of Alma; for which he was specially promoted on com- pleting the necessary period of service. " Examiner." 1857. Dec. Cheltenham Collegians in India. Proposal for a memorial window with tablets bearing the names of the nine pupils of the College who fell at the ■seige of Delhi, similar to that erected to the ten other pupils who fell in the Crimea. 1858. January. Mr. Mangles, Chairman of the East India Company, gave a cadetship in the Indian Navy to the third son of Mr. Cheek of Evesham, as a token of sympathy with the father on the loss of his elder son (late a pupil in the Cheltenham Grammar School) at the hands of the rebels in the Indian Mutiny. 1858. January. Proposed new street, to afford a direct communication from 'Clarence Sheet to the Great Western Station, in St. James's Square. The design was set on foot by Messrs. Paul and Knight, and was warmly taken up by the Town Commissioners. The street was to pass over an angle of the ground now occupied by the Temporary Church, and thence through the garden behind the Catholic Church. It was discovered, however, that the Commissioners, owing to an omission in their Act of Parliament, had no power to carry out the undertaking, and the project was abandoned. 1858. January, rapt. Berkeley, M.P. , gazetted to the Hon. Colonelcy of the Royal South Gloucester Militia, in the room of his uncle, the late Lord Fitzhardinge. In the Gazette of January 15th, Lieut^ Colonel Newman was appointed Colonel-Commandant of the Regiment. 1858. January. Rev. G. Butler, M.A., appointed Vice-Principal of Chelt- enham College. CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 621 1858. January 7. News received at Cheltenham of the arrival at Calcutta, on the 19th November, of Sir W. Russel, Bart., in command of the 7th Hussars. 1858. January 7. Muffled peal at the Parish Church, in memory of Gen. Havelock, the news of whose death was received this day. 1858. January. Proposal to erect a peal of eight bells at St. Luke's Church. 1858. Jauuary 14?. Vestry meeting to consider a proposal for altering and enlarging the Parish Church. The principal interior alterations proposed were, to re-pew the Church and remove the organ to the north transept, and to increase the accommodation to 1264 sittings instead of 1177, as at present. The vestry sanctioned the alterations, and a considerable sum was subscribed towards the expense ; but, on the Incumbent and the committee going to Gloucester for a faculty, they met with so much opposition from pew owners that the design was abandoned. 1858. February. Contract for the Cheltenham branch sewers given to Messrs. Tomliuson and Harpur, for £12,740. The highest estimate was £26,500 and the lowest £9,600. 1858. February 24?. Opening of Cheltenham College Chapel, with a sermon by the Bishop of the Diocese. 1858. March 12. Death of James Agg 'Gardner, Esq., Lord of the Manor, aged 54?. He was son of the late Major Agg, H.E.I.C.S., who for many years resided at Hewlett's near this town, and was one of our local magistrates. Major Agg married a sister of the late John Gardner Esq., the wealthy banker and brewer, and by her had issue three sons — W. J. Agg, Esq., the present possessor of Hewletts ; the late Thomas Agg, Esq., whose widow yet resides among us; and James Agg, E-q., whose death we now record. On the death of of Mr. Gardner, in February, 1 836, Mr. J Agg assumed the surname of his deceased relative, and, at the same time, became possessed of much of Mr. Gardner's property He married, on October 16th, 184?4?, Miss E. IMorthey, daughter of W. H. Northey, E>q., of Oving House, Bucks, and niece of T. Fortescue, Esq., of Suffolk Lawn. — "Examiner," March 17. [^ r - Gardner's death evoked a deep feeling of sorrow among all classes in Cheltenham, among whom he was held in the highest respect. So great was the estimation in which he was held that his fellow townsmen, of all shades of political opinion, joined in testifying their respect for his memory by a public funeral. Special allusion was also made to the sad event at most of the Churches, and at the Congregational and other Dissenting places of worship.] 1858. March 15. Eclipse of the sun, visible in Cheltenham. By a curious coincidence, the first lesson in the morning service for that day was the account of the sun and moon standing still at the bidding of Joshua. 1858. March 16. Elopement of a gallant officer with the daughter of a gallant colonel. The young lady set fire to the w.ndow curtains of her room, and, in the confusion which ensued, made her escape from the house ; and was duly married at Walcot Church, Bath, before her gallant parent had discovered her whereabouts. 1858. March 21. Sacrament at St. Gregory's Catholic Church, when the Hon. and Right Rev. Dr. Clifford, titular Bishop of Clifton, administered the holy communion to about 300 members of the congregation. 1858. March 24. Much excitement caused in Cheltenham by a report that the Emperor of the French had been assassinated. It appeared that a telegram was received of the result of the University boat race, in which was the passage, " the Empeior shot a-bead." By some mistake the words were read, and the news disseminatpd, as '* the Emperor shot dead." 1858. March 25. Presentation of a piece of plate, value 100 guineas, to the Rev. W. Dobson, Principal of the College, by the masters and assistant masters. 622 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 1858. March. Proposal to erect a memorial window to the memory of the late Mr. Gardner in the Parish Church. The window was erected as proposed, and represents the appropriate story of the Good Samaritan. 1858. April 7. Extensive robbery of Mr. Moses, pawnbroker, 172, High Street. The thieves took 150 gold and silver watches, 300 wedding rings, 20 ounces of old gold, large quantities of silver plate, and other valuables, to the amount of seven or eight hundred pounds. No trace could be obtained of the thieves, nor was any of the property ever recovered. 1858. April. Accounts received of the death of Lieut. Power, late a pupil of Cheltenham College, at a tiger hunt in India. Power attacked a huge tiger with great gallantry, but, his attendants running away, the brute seized the poor fellow and shook him like a dog worrying vermin. When assistance arrived, Lieut. Power was only able to exclaim, " I am dying," and instantly expired. 1858. May 4. Death of Mr, Charles Fowler, for many years one of the leading physicians of the town. Mr. Fowler had retired from practice for some time, a disease of the brain having incapacitated him for the active duties of his profession. On his retirement an address, numerously signed, was presented to him, the document being enclosed in a casket of exquisite design and elaborate workmanship, made expressly for the occasion. It was formed of solid rosewood, richly ornamented with filagree work and silver, having on a silver plate a copy of the address and appropriate inscription. It was surmounted by a statuette group in frosted silver, being a facsimile of the "Good Samar tan" standing in the vestibule of the Cheltenham Hospital, of the medical staff of which institution Mr. Fowler was for many years the senior member. The value of the testimonial presented with the address was nearly £1,700, about £1,500 of which was invested for Mr. Fowler's benefit. The remainder (deducting about sixty guineas for the cost of the casket) was enclosed in the drawer containing the address and signatures. 1858. May 15. Presentation of a tankard and purse of 200 sovereigns to Harry Ayris, for 25 years huntsman to the late Lord Fitzhardinge. The testi- monial was raised by gentlemen hunting the Cheltenham country, on the occasion of the Berkeley hounds being withdrawn from the district. The " Examiner," in recording the presentation, says — "The precise date when the Berkeley fox- hounds were established cannot be fixed. Even so far back as the time of William the Conqueror, the Berkeley family hunted with as much ardour as they do now. Smith, in his MSS., refers to the time ' when Lord Berkeley kept thirty huntsmen, in tawney coats, and his hounds at the village of Charing (now Charing Cross, in the middle of London), and hunted in that vicinity.' What they hunted, however, does not clearly appear : we should suppose other than foxes.' ' 1858. May 16. This (Sunday) morning about eleven o'clock, a storm of terrific violence, though of short duration, passed over the town. In many houses windows were blown in, and looking glasses and other furniture hurled ahout the rooms. At Arle Cottage, on the Tewkesbury Road, the lightning struck the roof, and passed from room to room in the most strange manner. A chimney was knocked down, a window and frame carried bodily into the room, the doors of a wardrobe cut open, as from the blow of a hatchet, the flooring was in several places torn up, and solid masses of brickwork and masonry were cracked and splintered in all directions. The iumates of the house escaped in an almost miraculous manner. Mr Glassing and a lodger, who were sitting in a room down stairs, escaped unhurt. Mrs. Glassing was dressing before a looking- glass in her bedroom : the glass was shattered to pieces, but she herself escaped uninjured. A nephew, who was ill in an adjoining room, had his bed covered by a complete avalanche of the debris of the building. On his removal to the CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 623 Hospital, it was found that a piece of flesh, three inches in length, had been removed from his shoulder ; and, imbedded in the wound, a small piece of his shirt was found. His face, chest, arms, and abdomen were much grazed, and one eye completely closed, the loss of the sight being at first appreheuded. Fortunately, ke recovered ultimately, without any permanent injury. 1858. May 19. Mrs. Hewson, wife of Dr. Hewson, of Warwick House, committed suicide by poison. Deceased had been but lately married to Dr. Hewson, and committed the act in a fit of insanity. 1858 May 31 Sudden death of Mr. C. F. Wickes, for many years lessee of the Pittville and Montpellier Spas 1858. May 31. The "Hereford Times" reports the festivities which took place to-day at Brierly, near Leominster, to celebrate the coming of age of Edward Dangerfield, jnu., Esq., son of Edward Dangerfield, Esq, of Cheltenham. Mr. Dangerfield had recently purchased the Brierly Estates, and a number of the tenants — Mr. S, Griffiths, who farms 400 acres, Mrs. Coates, Mrs. Tipton, aud others — entertained the whole of the tenants and 'labourers to May games, and a substantial repast in honour of the majority of the "young squire." 1858. June 9. The "Examiner" of this day records the fact, as proving the healthiness of the town, that the Trinitarian Benefit Society, of 4)8 members, had, at this time, only three on the sick list, and further, that the society had not lost a single member by death since the month ot December, 1856. 1858. June 17- Thunder storm. St. Margaret's, the residence of Captain Smith, struck by the lightning, and much damaged; and a young lady, Miss Boteler, standing at a window at Monson Villa, struck down and rendered insensible. 1858. June 24. Presentation to Mr. Charles Allen, the huntsman, for many- years a leading character of the Cheltenham Stag Hunt. 1858 July 7. Ceremony of mounting the Russian guns opposite the Queen's Hotel. Admiral Berkeley, Col. Berkeley, M.P., Mr. G. Russell, High Bailiff, Mr. Tartt, and others addressed the people, and a number of Crimean men, resident in the town, took part in the celebration. 1858. July 8, Vestry meeting, on the application of Mr. Parsonage to stop up a footpath near the Christ Church Schools. It was afterwards discovered that there was no power, under the Commissioners' Act, to stop up or divert a footpath. Mr. Parsonage, in consequence, attempted on his own authority to divert the path ; but his attempt beiug resisted, after some days' fighting, during which obstructions were continually put up over the disputed path and as often forcibly removed, the attempt was abandoned, and matters allowed to remain in statu quo. 1858. August 25. News arrived of the great victory by Sir Hope Gran over the Sepoys at Nawabgunge. Sir W. Russell was present with the 7th Hussars, and behaved with great gallantry. In his despatches, in drawing attention to particular officers, the Major-General mentions " Major Sir William Russell, whose gallantry in leading the charge of the 7th Hussars is deserving of the highest praise." Sir William's valet, in writing to his friends in Chelt- enham, says — "All the field force cheered Sir William after his gallaut charges. Please to let her ladyship and Miss Russell know of it." 1858. September 14. The Lord Chancellor iu Cheltenham. — Lord and Lady Chelmsford, wiih the Hon. Captain Thesiger, and the Hon. Miss Thesiger, arrived in Cheltenham on Saturday last from Malvern on a visit to Lord de Saumarez, at Montpellier Lodge. His Lordship, during his visit, has made an inspection of the College and its beautiful Chapel, and in other respects made himself acquainted with our locality. Yesterday ( Tuesday), he lunched at Southam, the seat of the Right Hon. the Earl of Ellenborough, and in a few days 624 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. will, we understand, proceed to London to take leave of his son, an officer in the Enniskillen Dragoons, who is about to start for India. u Examiner," Sept. 8. 1858. September. Memorial window erected in St. Peter's Church, in memory of the daughter of the Rev. W. Hodgson, Incumbent. 1858. September 17. Arrival of the Yeomanry for their usual eight days* training. Among the officers was Lieutenant Lord Raglan, a relative of the Duke of Beaufort, and son of the ever-to-be-lamented Commander-in-Chief in the Crimea. 1858. October 5. Remarkable appearance of the great comet. The star Arcturus in the Constellation Bootes visible, twinkling in a most beautiful manner, through the tail of the comet. 1858. October 11. The new magistrates office opened at the Clarence Hotel. These, spacious premises were purchased by the county, and altered by Messrs. Broom and Son, builders, so as to form a place for the Magistrates to discharge the important fuuctions of their office, and also for the purpose of a Police Barracks. It was originally one of the largest hotels in the town, and was named the Clarence from the circumstance of Her Majesty Queen Adelaide having sojourned there when Duchess of Clarence. 1858. October 13. Letter in the " Examiner" throwing out the first sugges- tion for erecting drinking fountains in Cheltenham. The suggestion was followed up, and a memorial, signed by the Incumbent and Churchwardens of the Parish Church, the Rev. Cannon Boyd and several other ministers, and a large number of lavmen. presented to the Commissions in favour of the proposition. 1858 November 3. Letter in the tC Examiner" suggesting the erection of a parsonage house for Christ Church. 1858. November. News arrived of the death of Captain E. Cannon, 17th Madras N.I. Captain Cannon served as Brigade Major at Cawnpore, and died from illness contracted during the mutiny. He was son of Dr. Cannon, the eminent physician ot this town. 1858. November. Death of Lieutenant- General Lightfoot, for many years a resident of Cheltenham. Deceased was buried with military honours at Birming- ham, a detachment of the 4th Dragoon Guards being sent by Sir Harry Smith to assist at the ceremony. The deceased General, an old Peninsular officer, had seen a good deal of service, as will be gathered from the following record con- tained in Hart's Army List : — " Lieut.-General Lightfoot served in Holland in 1799. Accompanied the 45th to the Peninsular in 1808, and was present at the battles of Roleia, Vimiera, Talavera, and Busaco; actions of Pombal, Redinha, Condeia, and Sabugal; battle of Euentes d'Onora, siege of Badajoz, in 1811 ; siege and assault of Ciudad Rodrigo, siege and assault of Badajoz (slightly wounded), battles of Salamanca, Vittoria, and the Pyrenees ; attack on the lines of St. Jean de Luz, affair at Bastide, and the battle of Orthes and Toulouse (severely wounded). He has received the gold medal and two clasps for Vittoria, Pyrenees, and Toulouse; and the silver war medal with eleven clasps for the other battles and sieges." The gallant officer was Colonel of the 62nd Regiment. 1858. December 18. Severe thunderstorm. A man working at Heath's nursery was struck by the lightning and seriously injured. 1859. January 19. Grand historical fete at Sudeley Castle. The costumes were of the reign of Henry VI1L, whose last wife, Queen Catherine Parr, died and was buried at this Castle. 1859. January 20. Lord Northwick died, aged 89. In the following July, owing to the noble Lord having died intestate, the collection of pictures atThirle- staine house, wliich his lordship had spent a lifetime in gathering together, were sold by auction and lost to the town. 1859. January 25. Grand banquet at the Queen's Hotel in commemoration CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 625 of the centenary of the birthday of the Poet Burns, Sir A. Ramsay, Bart., in the chair. 1859. January 28. Great reform meeting at the Town Hall, Mr. Tartt in the chair. Colonel Berkeley, M.P., was present, and addressed the meeting. 1859. February 2. Opening of the Baker Street Mission School's with a public tea meeting. In 1861 these schools gave instruction to 270 children. In the same year, on the occasion of the baptism of a sou and heir of W.N. Skillicorne, Esq. who has always taken a warm interest in the schools, the children and their parents were entertained to a tea at that gentleman's expense, on which occasion the infant was presented with a handsome silver cup purchased by subscriptions among the children and their friends, and bearing the following inscription :— " Presented to Master W. N. Skillicorne, on the day of his christening, by 200 children, belonging to the Baker Street Mission Schools, as a slight token of the high esteem entertained for his father, the President of the Institution. March 13, 1861." 1859. February 3. Suicide of Baron Philibert de Chastellain at the Eight Bells' Inn, by shooting himself in the stomach. Some monetary disarrangements, added to a love affair, were believed to be the cause of the rash act. 1859. February 4. The Board of Directors appointed the Rev. H, Bighton, M.A., to the vacant office of Principal of the Cheltenham CoHege. 1859. February 9th. Opening of the New British Schools in Dunally Street : present, Sir Maurice Berkeley, K.C.B., Lady Charlotte Berkeley, Col. Berkeley, M.P., W. M. Tartt, Esq., Rev. Dr. Brown, &c. The school rooms are in the English domestic style of the fifteenth century ; they comprise a school and two class rooms for 450 boys, a school and two class rooms for girls, and a teachers' residence; architect, Mr. H. Dangerfield. the late Borough Surveyor. The estimate for the works was £1,972, and the internal fittings increased the amount to £2,875. Towards this Government gave a grant of £1,350, and the residue was raised by voluntary contributions. " One of the scholars,. Thomas R. Jack- son, has obtained the highest prize awarded by the Gloucestershire Prize Scheme Association at their recent annual examination, and another pupil, William Clarke, has also obtained another prize, given by the Dean of Hereford, on political economy. Altogether twenty-seven prizes have been gained by scholars, a cir- cumstance that reflects the highest credit on Mr. Moore, the master." "Examiner," September 21, 1859 Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools reports that " Mr. Moore exerts a most beneficial influence over his scholars, and has taken especial pains to secure the co-operation of their parents. The result is that the tone of his school is admirable, the regularity of attendance unique, the organization excellent and always in full force, and the instruction yearly increas- ing in completeness, as well as in the universality of its diffusion among the boys.' At the annual examination in October, 1861, the chair was taken by Sir Wm. Russell, Bart., M.P. 1859. March 21. A Good Day's Work.— The gallant member for Chelten* ham, Colonel F. W. F.Berkeley, was out with his father's houuds on Monday. The pack left the Berkeley road station by special train in the morning, arriving at Cheltenham at about a quarter past nine. They were then taken thirteen miles to the covert side, and after the conclusion of the day's sport the gallant Colonel made the best of his way back to Cheltenham, and leaving here by the 6.30 train for London was enabled to be in his place in the House long before the adjournment of the debate on the Reform Bill, and in time for any unexpected division which might have taken place on Lord John Russell's amendment. The gallant Colonel thus accomplished what, we imagine, will generally be considered a pretty fair day's work." " Examiner," March 24. 626 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 1859. March 25. Died at Cheltenham, aged 62, Mr. Charles Hale Jessop , for 40 years proprietor of the nursery gardens which bear his name. 1859. March. News received in Cheltenham that Sir W. Russell had left Calcutta on his return from India. 1859. April 14. Complimentary dinner to C. Cregoe Colraore, Esq., Master of the Cotswold Hunt, at the Plough Hotel— Col. Berkeley, M.P., in the chair. 1859. May 1. Appointed by her Majesty to be observed as a day of humili- ation and thanksgiving on the termination of the Indian Mutiny. 1859. May 8. Pied, at The Elms, Cheltenham, aged 78, Lady Rebecca Ricketts, widow of Admiral Sir Robert Tristram Ricketts, Bart., and mother of Sir Cornwallis Ricketts, Bart., and Colonel St. Vincent Ricketts. The funeral took place on the 1 7th at Swindon Church — the service being read by the Rev. A. Boyd. 1859. May 10. Died suddenly, at his residence, Hewlett Lodge, Francis Price, Esq., aged 63. 1859. Death of Mr. W. Eadley, son of Mrs, Hadley, proprietor of the " Cheltenham Journal." 1859. May. Earl Ducie, as Lord Lieutenant, issued a circular recommend- ing the formation of volunteer rifle corps throughout the county. On June 2nd, meetings were held at the Old Wells to initiate the volunteer movement in Cheltenham. The Earl of Ellenborough was present, and addressed the meeting. 1859. May 17. Died, after two days' illness, Mr. Richard Bunson, well known as lodge keeper at the Pittville Spa. 1859. June 3. The Town Commissioners, at their meeting this day, discussed the proposition of a new public cemetery for Cheltenham. 1869. June. Appointment of the Rev. Canon Boyd, for 17 years minister of Christ Church, to the Incumbency of St. Mary's, Paddington. 1859. June. Resignation and flight of Dr. Humphreys, Head Master of the Grammar School. 1859. June. Retirement of the Rev. W. Dobson. Principal of Cheltenham College. A large sum having been subscribed for the purchase of a testimonial, Mr. Dobson selected that the money should be applied to the purchase of a " phaeton and horses or a pony carriage and ponies." 1859. June 29. The Victoria Cross. The "Examiner" of this date says— " It gives us great pleasure to record the confirmation by her Majesty of a grant by which Lieut. Farquharson, of the 42nd Regiment, nephew of Mr. Farquharson, of Nelson House, in this town, is decorated with the Victoria Cress, as a memento of an act of bravery performed by him during the late mutiny in India. It is described as follows : " Lieut. Francis Edward Henry Farquharson, for conspicuous bravery when engaged before Lucknow, on the 9th March, 1858, in having led a portion of his company, stormed a bastion mounting two guns, and spiked the guns, by which the advanced position held during the night of the 9th of March, was rendered secure from the fire of the artillery. Lieutenant Farquharson was severely wounded while holding an advanced position on the morning of the 10th of March." 1859. July. Return from India of Henry Mills Cannon Esq., eldest son of Dr. Cannon, ordered home from ill health, contracted in discharging the duties of his profession, during the war of the rebellion. 1859. July 19. The Rev. Gordon Calthrop commenced a series of open air preaching in Sherborne-street. 1859. July 21. Extraordinary hurricane in Cheltenham. The day had been unusually close and sultry; when about 5 o'clock in the evening the gathering clouds gave indications of an approaching storm. Suddenly, it appeared as though the flood gates of the Heavens had been opened and the rain descended, CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 627 not in drops, bat as though poured bodily out of some reservoir above. The storm was accompanied by terrific peals of thunder and gusts of wind which seemed to blow from all parts of the compass at once. The streets were speedily flooded, water traps and drain pipes refused for a time their salutary offices, cellars became full, house tops were saturated and roofs penetrated, while the spouting of ordinary dwellings bubbled and gurgled under the pressure of the unusual flow. In the midst of this terrific down-pour, a hurricane swept over a part of the town, committing an amount of devastation which must have been seen to be believed. Commenceing at the Workhouse garden it swept over a tract of ground about 50 yards wide, sweeping away everything moveable and prostra- ting every thing permanent which stood in its way. In the Plough Garden* pigstyes were unroofed, walls prostrated in an instant, garden frames sent flying through the air, chimneys blown down, and trees in every stage of growth and loaded with their store of Summer fruits uprooted and laid prostrate on the ground. Passing from thence, the storm swept through the wood of Mr. L. Griffiths, of Marie Hill, making a clean breach among the trees, which large and small were thrown down by hundreds in the course of a few minutes. In one place a cumbrous wooden house was overturned bodily and one of its windows carried spinning through the air a distance of 300 yards. At another spot a garden wall was laid flat along its entire length and a slaughter-house of Mr. Warner completely dismantled, Mr. Warner's two sons having a narrow escape. At another point, in the garden of Mr. Hooper, confectioner, every thing in the shape of a tree or shrub was uprooted and destroyed. But it was in Mr. Griffiths's wood that the storm appears to have reached the climax of its fury; trees were blown down in every direction, large limbs were sent careering through the air as though they were mere wisps of straw, while one stately elm, the monarch of the grove — measuring 70 feet in length, 25 feet across the roots, and 18 feet in circumference of the trunk, — was overturned as completely as the young saplings by which it was surrounded. The damage done in the space of a few minutes it was impossible to estimate, and no one could have believed that a mere wind could have produced such results without they had been eye-witnesses of its havoc and desolation. At Miss Bartholomew's, milliner, in the Promenade, the water penetrated the roof and poured into the show rooms in a regular cascade, doing damage to the extent of nearly £800. The duration of the storm did not exceed half-an-hour, and the weather cleared off within the next few minutes, and resulted in a calm, beautiful, and peaceful, evening. 1859. July 21. Sale by auction of the wines of the late J. A. Gardner, Esq., ports of 1820 vintage sold for 134s., and of 1834 vintage 140s. to 186s. ; sherries fetched from 86s. to 140s.; and a prime lot of brandy 97s. per dozen. 1859. August 3. Letter under this date from the Rev. E. Walker to his parishioners, announcing the closing of the Parish Church as unfit for public worship. The letter set forth that the church being now closed it would be neccessary to erect a Temporary Church for the accommodation of 1,400 or 1,500 persons : that it would M be impossible ever again to make the church in its present form available for the purposes of public worship ;" that the Incumbent could " never consent to officiate, or to allow any other person to officiate, therein, while the present galleries are standing ;" that unless the owners of facultied pews would abandon their rights, the churchwardens would be compelled by law to demand a church-rate for rebuilding the edifice ; and that if a church-rate should be refused, then " the present sacred and time hallowed building and the site on which it stands " would have to be abandoned, and " a new church on a new site" be erected by private subscription. The cause of the issuing of this letter and the events to which it led, may be thus stated. In the month of July, the pew holders in the South aisle of the church had agreed among themselves at 628 HISTOKY OP CHELTENHAM. their own cost to rearrange and modernize their sittings. On the pews being taken down and the flooring removed, it was found that the vaults below were open or partially so to the church above, so that the effluvia arising from the dead could not but contaminate the air breathed by the living. This discovery created a very painful feeling among the parishioners ; the proposed alterations were immediately abandoned, and a resolution come to, to close the church until the vaults could be properly filled up. It was further ascertained that the pillars which supported the galleries were so loose as to induce the Incumbent to fear that the galleries themselves could never be made sufficiently secure, so as to induce the congregation again to assemble ; and that the attempt to assemble them until the galleries were made secure would be a wanton imperiling of human life ; hence his proposition for their removal. The buttresses of the tower were also found to he cracked, thus necessitating a careful survey of this part of the structure and its thorough reparation. But on the church heing closed, the difficulties of the " situation " were found to be almost insurmountable. The galleries are, for the most part, private property : that is, they consist of pews " facultied " to certain houses, and it would he necessary before their removal, to obtain the consent of every individual possessing a faculty pew: This could not he done ; vestry meeting after vestry meeting was held, committees appointed, and plan after plan suggested and rejected. The Town Commissioners were applied to to concrete the area of the church at the public expense ; but that body, although willing to defray the expense of concreting, would not incur the responsibility of remov- ing the pews. In this state of affairs, there appeared every probability that the church would remain permanently closed, and the fabric itself he allowed to go to decay. At this juncture, Mr. G. E. Williams pointed out that, under a clause in the recent Burial Act, the Secretary of State had power to interefere, where a church or chapel was in a state dangerous to the health of the worshippers, and to order the building to be placed in a sanitary state, and the expense to he defrayed out of the public poors' rate. Mr. "Williams communicated his discovery to Mr. G. Norman, who with him took a deep interest in the re-opening of the huiiding ; and Mr. N., in conjunction with Mr. William Boodle, at once obtained an introduction to the Secretary of State, through the good offices of Colonel Berkeley, the member for the borough. On ohtaining an interview with Mr. Waddingham, Under-Secretary of State, Mr. Norman prepared and signed a memorial setting forth the facts of the case, and hy this means Dr. Holland, the Sanitary Officer of the Burial Board was directed to proceed to Cheltenham and inspect the building, and to make his report to the Home Office. Dr. Holland visited Cheltenham on the 7th of October, and was met at the church hy Mr. Hasell, Mr. Eisner, Mr. George Russell, Mr. Harford. Mr. Boodle, the Churchwardens, and other parishioners, and with them made a thorough inspection of the building. In due course he made his report to the Secretary of State, and the result was the following " Order in Council," which was published in the <# London Gazette" of the 24?th of January, I860 : — " That the vaults and graves in the Parish Church of Cheltenham be forthwith filled up with dry earth mixed with charcoal, and the whole floor covered with a layer of concrete not less than nine inches thick, as completely as it is practicable without interfering with the future repairs of the church." This "order" was at once acted upon by the churchwardens; the pews and flooring were removed, the vaults filled up, the area of the church concreted, the pillars of the galleries supported, and the defects in the tower substantially repaired. The pews and fittings were then replaced as they had stood before, and the church was re-opened for Divine worship on the 8th of March, 1861, the Rev. E. Walker, Incumbent, preaching the opening sermon. The amount levied on the Poor-rate was £600, and it is only an act of justice towards the Dissenters CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 629 of Cheltenham to add that no objection was ever raised on their part to this expense being incurred or the money paid. On the contrary, before Mr. Norman put the machinery of the Home Office in motion he consulted with the leading members of several Dissenting congregations, to know if any objection would be raised to an expenditure of £500 for such a purpose. The answer he received from each was to the effect that there would be no objection ; and that any sacrifice they could make, except the sacrifice of principle in the imposition of a Church-rate, they would gladly make, in order to put an end to the scandal of the Parish Church being allowed to remain closed and to fall into decay. This understanding was carried out in the most honourable manner; and when Churchmen are inclined to reflect upon Dissenters for their hostility to Church- rates it will be well to bear in mind the forbearance which the great Dissenting body of the town manifested in 1860 in reference to the restoration of the Parish Church of Cheltenham. 1859. August 11. Sudden death, from rupture of a blood vessel, of George Schonswar, Esq., Chairman of the Board of Guardians, and a Magistrate for the Cheltenham district. 1859. August 24. Presentation to Mrs. Nicholson, wife of Mr. John Nicholson, Postmaster of Cheltenham, of a portrait of her husband, painted by subscription among a number of his fellow-townsmen as a token of respect. 1859, August 27. Sudden death of the Rev. J. E. Riddle, for nearly 20 years minister of St. Philip's Church. The Rev. gentleman had composed his sermon for the following morning, and laid the manuscript on the library table. He afterwards joined in the family devotion, but almost immediately after retiring to his room was seized with a fit, in which he instantly expired. Mr. Riddle was one of the best Hebrew scholars of his day ; had published several standard works ; was the author of the well-known "Riddle's Scripture History;" and as a man and a clergyman was universally respected. 1859. August 27. John Tinsley, a student in the Training College, drowned while bathing in the Severn at Wainload Hill. His remains were interred in Swindon Churchyard, the funeral being attended by the staff of the College and a number of his fellow pupils. 1859. September 1. Mr. James Downing elected Chairman and Mr. "William Hasell Vice-Chairman of the Cheltenham Board of Guardians. 1859. September 7. It was stated that the storage of water for the supply of Cheltenham in the Company's five reservoirs was on the 12th of August 14,194,803 gallons ; that the daily supply from the springs (during the short season) was 180,720 gallons, and the daily supply to the inhabitants 204,395 gallons. 1859. September 10. Died, aged 61, Capt. Sumner, J. P. for the county of Surrey, and father of the lady of Colonel Berkeley, M.P. for Cheltenham. 1859. September 19. " Musical Record" first published ; amalgamated with the " Cheltenham Times," January 4th, 1861. 1859. October 6. Married, at the Parish Church, Toddington, the Hon. Henrietta Emma Tracey, third daughter of Lord and Lady Sudeley, to Captain Maude, of the Indian Army, and nephew of Lord Viscount Hawarden. The incident is noticeable as being the first occasion for the last two hundred and thirty years of a daughter of the House of Tracey being married at her own parish church. 1859. October 15 and 19. Mrs. Mair, a grand-daughter of Mrs. Siddons, gave readings from " Romeo and Juliet" and • Julius Caesar" at the Literary Institution. 1859. October 17. Commencement of the tower of St. Gregory's Catholic Church. The spire is to be 208 feet in height, or 41 feet higher than that of the 630 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Parish Church.—" The Entente Cordiale. Yesterday men were busily employed carting the earth excavated from the site of the new tower of the Catholic Church, to make good the ground in front of its Protestant rival in Clarence Street."— "Examiner," October 19. 1859. October 25. Wreck of the Royal Charter. Among those who perished was Mr. John Maule, formerly of this town. The body was washed on shore some weeks afterwards, and being identified by numerous articles found upon it, it was brought to Cheltenham, and buried in the Cemetery on the 30th of November in the presence of a large number of persons. Thomas Cormick, the steward of the vessel, who was fortunately saved, was also a Cheltenham man, having been for some years butler in the family of Miss Barry, of Imperial Square. Cormick lost in the wreck all the money he had saved, £30, and his clothes for a six months' voyage ; and a subscription was raised in the town through the good offices of Mr. Russell to make up his loss. 1859. November 3. Opening of the New Temporary Church, Clarence Street. This church, built of iron and wood, was erected by subscription, to provide a place for the congregation of the Parish Church, during the closing of that edifice, as previously explained. On the Parish Church being re-opened, it was found that the congregation was sufficient to fill both buildings : and the "Temporary" Church, therefore, continues in existence after the occurrences which originally called it into being have passed away. 1859. November 8. Tea meeting to celebrate the clearing off the debt on the Congregational Church and Schools, on which £10,000 had been expended during the last few years. A handsome timepiece was presented on the occasion to Mr. Charles Eield as a token of his indefatigable exertion in clearing off the debt. 1859. November 9. Death of Mr. G. T. E. Smith, well known in Cheltenham as prophesying the state of the weather, and foretelling individual and national destinies from planetary influences. He was a great sufferer from asthma, and his death occurred at the age of 65. 1859. November. Appointment. The Rev. J. Douglas Middleson, M.A., late Scholar of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and formerly Assistant Master of Cheltenham College, has been appointed by the Incumbent, the Rev. Archibald Boyd, to the curacy of St. James's, Paddington. 1859. November 15. Mr. John Goulder, aged 84, and Mr. Samuel Page, 82, well known inhabitants of the town, shot a pigeon match at five birds each, the junior youth being declared the winner. " It may be interesting to state that both these veteran sportsmen are * town's born.' Goulder was born at the 4 Eight Bells,' and was for many years stud groom to the Duke of Gordon, from whom he received as a present the gun which did him such good service in the above match. His opponent Page served under the immortal Nelson, and was present at the cutting out of the Erenck flotilla in Boulogne Harbour in 1801."— •*" Examiner." 1859. November 22. Presentation of an address with nearly 1000 signatures to the Rev. Canon Boyd on his final leave-taking with his congregation. The address was enclosed in an appropriate casket and accompanied by a large sum of money, subscribed by Mr. Boyd's friends in Cheltenham. 1859. November 30. Eoundation stone laid of the tower of the new Catholic Church. 1859. Returns issued, showing that out of 7000 in-patients admitted during 20 years in Cheltenham Hospital, only 350 (or about 5 per cent.) died while under treatment. Of 136,544 Dispensary patients, only 2,507 died, or 1.8 per cent, on the number admitted. 1859. December. The weather being very severe, subscriptions were raised CHROrOLOGICAL EVENTS. 631 for the unemployed poor, who were set to tariff work on the footpaths; the first time since 1846 — 13 years. 1859. December 15. Died, at his residence, Apsley Villa, Pittville, Robert Bamford, Esq., aged 67, a Magistrate for this district. 1860. January. Appointment of the Rev. J. F. Eenn, Vicar of Stolfold, Bedfordshire, to the Incumbency of Christ Church. 1860. January 5. Sir William Russell, Bart., qualified as a magistrate for the Cheltenham District. On the 21st the gallant Baronet made his first appearance on the Cheltenham Bench, being introduced by the senior magistrate present, C. LI. Harford, Esq. 1860. January 5. First Funeral of a Cheltenham Rifleman. The remains of Mr. W. Kingsley, Drill-Sergeant in the Seventh Company, were interred at the cemetery with military honours. 1860. ' February. Testimonial to the Rev. C. H. Bromby, Incumbent of St. PauFs, subscribed for by members of the congregation. On being informed of what was intended, Mr. Bromby at once declined any personal gift, but ex- pressed his desire that the amount raised should be devoted to the restoration of the organ, so that it might stand as a public and lasting memento of the affection which exists between the congregation and their pastor. 1860. February. Monument erected in St. Philip's Church, to the memory of the Rev. J. E. Riddle. The monument consists of a large slab of veined white marble, resting on a deep moulding, and bearing a suitable inscription. A very beautiful medallion, in statuary marble, of the Angel in the Apocalypse sur- mounts the inscription, which is a worthy tribute to the qualities of the deceased in his private and public character. — M Examiner," Feb. 22. 1860. February 21 to 25. Great sale of effects at Fulwood Park, by Messrs. Engall and Sanders. Among the wines, 1834 Port fetched from 115s. to 14?7s. ; the Sherries varying from 84*s. to 110s. 1860. February 22. First appearance in the "Examiner" of the Stray Notes, by " The Man about Town " 1860. February Mr. VV. F. McDonell, of the Bengal Civil Service, son of JSneas McDonell, Esq , of Pittville House, Cheltenham, has just been honoured by her Majesty with the Victoria Cross, for his great coolness and bravery on the 30th July, 1857, during the retreat of the British troops from Arrah, in having climbed, under an incessant fire, outside the boat in which he and several soldiers were, up to the rudder, and, with considerable difficulty, cut through the lashing which secured it to the side of the boat. On the lashing being cut the boat obeyed her helm, and thus thirty-five European soldiers escaped certain death. — London Gazette, Feb. 17. The well-won honour, by which her Majesty has been pleased to mark her appreciation of the services of Mr. McDonell, must be exceedingly gratifying to his relations and friends in Cheltenham, where at our noble College he received his education ; as did also his brother, Lieutenant T. M. McDonell, of the 6th Madras Light Infantry.— Looker- On. The Directors of Cheltenham College, at their meeting, ordered the names of those pupils who may from time to time be honoured with the Victoria Cross, to be placed con- spicuously in the large schoolroom of the Civil and Military Department. The first of these names will be those of Mr. W. F. McDonell and Captain A. C. Boyle, of the 78th Highlanders, the latter of whom also received his education within its walls. — "Examiner." 1860. March 7. Volunteer officers at Court. The officers of the Cotswold Volunteer Rifle Corps — Captain Wood, Lieutenant Swiny, Ensign Speer, and Dr. Eves, the latter the hon. surgeon to the members — and Captain Robert Dwarris Gibney, 7th Company, present to-day at her Majesty's Reception of the Volunteer Officers of the Kingdom. 632 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM, 1860. March. Pirst drinking fountain erected for the use of the public by the Improvement Commissioners. The cost of erection was £46 16s. 7d. It is situate at the High-street end of White Hart-row. A second public fountain was erected in the same year at the rear of the Market-place, at the sole expense of a resident benevolent lady— Miss Carrington. They were both erected from designs by the Borough Surveyor, Mr. H. Dangerfield. 1860. March. Miss Muloch, the popular authoress of "John Halifax" 'Life for Life," &c, spent some time this month on a visit to Mr. and Mrs. Dobell, Detmore House, Charlton Kings. 1860. March 20. Mr. W. E. Williams, formerly in the employ of the Cheltenham Gas Company appointed by the Quarter Sessions Inspector of Gas Meters for this county, under the recent Act of Parliament. 1860. March. Prom a return presented to Parliament at this time it appears that the number of electors for Cheltenham in 1832 was 919, and in 1859, 2,359, being an increase of 1,440 since'the passing of the Reform Bill. 1860 March 22. Sale by auction, by Mr. Sweeting, of the copyright, file, good-will, plant, stock, and printing materials of the Cheltenham Chronicle for £315. 1860. April 4. Distressing accident to Mr. Hanks, Manor Parm, Charlton Abbotts. Mr. Hanks, his son Thomas, and the Messrs. Beckingsale, of this town were going out for an hour's rabbit shooting, when the gun of one of the last-named gentlemen was accidentally discharged, and the contents entering the head and neck of Mr, Hanks, junior, aged 17, caused his instant death. The occurrence was pronounced by the coroner's jury to be purely accidental. 1860. April 7. Death of a character. A sporting character, well-known as "Billy Holtham," died suddenly at the Berkeley Arras, Albion-street. 1860. April 7. Daring attempt at burglary at the residence of Thomas Kimber, Esq,, 41, Clarence-square. The thieves had nearly effected an entrance to the premises when the housemaid, Susan Trescowthick, hearing a noise, jumped out of bed and rushing to the front door called out " Thieves !" '' Police !'* with all her might. The robbers on the outcry being raised beat a hasty retreat without their anticipated boot}% there being a large quantity of plate in the house, a fact which no doubt they were well aware of. 1860. April 9. Visit of the Stroud Yolunteers to Cheltenham. 1860. April 11. The "Examiner" of this date contains the following obituary announcements : — J. C. Symons, Esq., H.M. Inspector of Schools, and formerly editor of the "Examiner," who died at Malvern, April 7, aged 50; Mrs. Perry, of Avondole House, (daughter of the late Lieut.-Col. Baron), who died on the 8th : Thomas Barber, Esq., who died at his residence, Suffolk-square, on the the 6th ; and Mr, A. H. Hamilton, formerly a newspaper reporter well- known in Cheltenham. 1860. April 12. The Times of this date announced that the Pirst Lord of the Admiralty had presented a naval cadetship to the son of the late J. C. Symons, Esq., in recognition of the services of his father in the cause of education. 1860. April 14. Death of Pulwar Craven, Esq. We have to record the death of another of the notables of this neighbourhoood — Pulwar Craven, Esq., of Brockhampton Park, which event occurred on Saturday last, the 14th instant, in the 78th year of his age. Deceased was for many years a leading character in the fashiooable and sporting doings of his day, and although for the last seven or eight years he has resided principally at his country seat, yet for the forty or fifty years antecedent to that time, his well-known figure and equipage were as familiar to the habitues of the High-street as the High-street itself. His death severs another connecting link between Cheltenham as it is to-day, and as it was in the olden time. — " Examiner," April 18, CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 633 1860. April 17. Sermon by the Rev. W. M. Puncheon, at Wesley Chapel. 1860. April 23. Appearance of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean at the Royal Old Wells. I860. April 30. Sale of shop property in the High-street, by Engall and Sanders: Nos. 385 and 386, High-street, in the occupation of Mr. G. Sweeting, at a rental of £190 per annum, was " bought in " at £2,700 ; the Royal Library, rental £140, sold at £2,220; 382, High-street, rent £120, sold for £1,600; and three-quarters of an acre of land behind the Royal Library sold for £700. 1860. May 20. The 10th and 13th Companies Cheltenham Volunteers attended divine service at the Temporary Church. The sermon was preached by the Rev. E. Walker, Incumbent. 1860. May 23. Letter in the " Examiner " from Mr. Chas. Schreiber calling attention to a motion of Mr. Rolt to engraft upon the Reform Bill a clause giving two members to Cheltenham. Mr. Schreiber gave it as his opinion that the granting a second member would be hailed *as a real boon by all who have the interest of the town at heart. 1860. May 23. Confirmation by the Bishop at the Temporary Church. The rite was administered to 706 persons — 522 females and 184* males. 1860. May 30. Advertisement issued by the Churchwardens for tenders for " concreting " the area of the Parish Church. In removing the flooring two ancient stone coffins were discovered. In filling up the graves, the " Examiner" states that "in one of the vaults, that of an old and well-known inhabitant of the town who died about 20 years ago, the wood of the coffin was in a perfect state of preservation, the polish on the wood was undimmed, and the metal of the coffin plate, handles, &c, was as bright as ever." 1860. May. Much discussion was caused this month by proceedings against a number of respectable tradesmen for infringment of certain provisions of the Town Act. Mr. G. E. Williams, clerk to the commissioners, published several letters in the " Examiner " impugning the conduct of the Magistrates "as uncon- stitutional and illegal, as bringing the law into contempt, and unconsciously giving impunity to crime." At the petty sessions on May 15th, — present, Messrs. Hallewell, Harford, Skillicorne, Jones, and Frobisher — the Chairman read a document which he stated to be "the unanimous and deliberate sentiments of the Bench, " and which contained the following paragraph " The Magistrates have since received a written communication from Mr. Williams, disavowing the intention of applying to their conduct mala-fides — corruption — or anything else of a dishonourable character — which is so far satisfactory — but after such a charge made so publicly, no private explanation could be accepted." •' Examiner," May 16. 1860. May 30, Mr. W. Esson (son of Mr. Esson, manager of the Chelten- ham gas works) formerly a pupil of the Grammar School obtained an open Fellowship at Merton College. The "Examiner" adds, Mr. Esson obtained the Junior Mathematical Scholarship in 1857 , and last year was awarded a first class in mathematics, whereby he became entitled to the Whitfield prize of £50, given to every member of St. John's College, not being on the foundation, who shall be placed in the first class at the public examinations. In the last Lent term Mr. Esson also gained the Senior Mathematical Scholarship. 1860. June 7. Count Frederic Metaxa, aged 13, (son of Count Baptiste Metaxa) obtained a naval cadetship. He was formerly a pupil at the Cheltenham Juvenile College, and, on his appointment, was understood to be the youngest officer in Her Majesty's service. 1860. June 9. Mrs. Hyson, wife of a poor man living at 47, Duke-street, delivered of three children at a birth. The trio of little strangers were pronounced, with their mother, to be doing well. 634 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 1860. June. Tender for erection of St. Mark's Church taken by Mr. John Acock for £2880, the building to be completed within a twelvemonth. 1860. June 21. Sale by Mr. Leach of the Arthur's Field Farm, 84? acres. It was bought by Mr. Arkell for £5950. 1860. Sudden death of Major Morgan, an officer residing for many years in Cheltenham. Deceased had just left a prayer meeting at the Rev. E. Walker's when he was seized with a fainting fit and almost immediately expired. 1860. June 28. Presentation of a candelabrum by the working men of Rochdale to their late representative Sir A. Ramsay, Bart. 1860. July 3. At the great Wimbledon rifle meeting Corporal Burgh of the Cotswold Company was one of the successful competitors, winning with 15 points one the £25 Whitworth rifles. 1860. July 4. Proposal to form a limited liability company for the purchase of the Plough Hotel, for £33,000 in £10 shares. I860, July 13. Died, at 12, Royal Crescent, the Rev. T. F. Henney, M. A., son of the late Thomas Henney, Esq., and brother of W. Henney, Esq. 1860. July 21. Severe hail storm in Cheltenham and its neigbourhood. At "The Hewlets" nearly every flower in the gardens was destroyed. Six acres of mangolds and sweedes were so riddled with the hail stones as to be almost destroyed, while the cocks of hay in the fields were white as snow. It is a coincidence worth recording that it was on this day twelvemonth a hurricane did so much damage in Cheltenham as recorded under that date in our " Chrono- logical Events.'' 1860. August 4. Only five persons were buried in Cheltenham this week, out of a population of 40,000. The united ages of these five were 399 years, or an average of 80 years each. 1860. August 16. Sudden death of T. Leighton, Esq., solicitor, at his residence, 5, Belle Vue Place. 1860. August 25. Admiral Sir Maurice Berkeley and the Hon. Augustus Berkeley, on a visit to Colonel Ricketts, at German Cottage, 1860. September 5. The Dean of Carlisle preached at the Temporary Church. 1860. September 18. Grand Volunteer Review at Gloucester. Total number of volunteers present, 6,093. 1860. September. Final break up of the association known as " The Literary and Philosophical Institution." 1860. September 20. Laying of the foundation stone of St. Mark's Church, by the Rev. Wm. Carus, one of Simeon's trustees. The church was consecrated February 8th, 1862. 1860. September 24. Re-opening of the Ball-room, at the Assembly Rooms, after complete renovation and re-decoration, by the lessee, Mr. Buckman. 1860. October 2. Sale of the Crown Inn, High Street, by Mr, Leach. The premises were purchased by Mr. Charles Turk, maltster, for £2,200. 1860, October5. Proposal at the Commissioners' meeting to purchase the • Literary Institution building as " offices" for the Commissioners. The question was debated through several months, but ultimately the design was abandoned. 1860. October 9. Accident to Major Mortimer. While shooting in the neighbourhood of Winchcomb, the gallant Major's gun exploded, badly shattering the thumb and forefinger of the right hand. 1860. October. Appointment of the Rev. Canon Boyd to the office of Rural Dean, for that district of London which comprises the ten parishes of the important district of Paddington. 1860. October 18. Sudden death of Mr. W. H. Newman, of the firm of Newman and Lance," drapers, of this town. The Firm had announced to open CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS, 635 that day their enlarged premises and show rooms ; the anxiety and exertion in the preparation of which, no doubt, led to Mr. Newman's death. I860. November 20, Married, at St. Luke's Church, Miss Harriet Jane Pearson, second daughter of Lieut. -Col. Pearson, of Bays Hill Lawn, to Captain Grey, only son of Sir George Grey, and equerry to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. 1860. November 23. Death of Lieut.-Col. Hamerton, at his residence, 22, Lansdown Place. Col. Hamerton entered the army in 18 )6, went through the Peninsular campaigns, was with Sir John Moore at Corunna, served under Wellington at Badajoz and Salamanca, where he received a wound in the thigh, which sent him home, and ultimately compelled him to leave the service shortly after the conclusion of the war. I860, December 3. Case of Towle versus Boodle. An action for assault and slander, tried before the Court of Queen's Bench, Westminster. After a hearing of several hours, the jury returned a verdict on the count of slander for the defendant, and on the count of assault for the plaintiff, with one farthing 1860. December 12. The new bronze coinage got into circulation in Chelt- enham. The " Examiner" says — " Our Cheltenham tradesmen were not slow in making a ■ leading feature ' of the new coinage. Mr. Thomas, of the Golden Canister, 334*, High Street, had, on Monday, a huge pile of it in his shop window, and so great was the ' run' upon it in the course of the day, that in the evening he was compelled, in the language of the Money Market, to * raise the rate of discount,' the bronze pennies and half-pennies commanding a high 'Premium.'" 1860. December 20. Death of George Russell, Esq., High Bailiff of Chelt- enham. The "Examiner," in noticing the event, says — "There are few public officers who have commanded so general an amount of respect, and maintained for bo many years such a universal popularity as the late High Bailiff of Cheltenham. His genial disposition and good temper, his integrity and impartiality in the dis- charge of difficult duties, and in mediating between conflicting interests, formed, no doubt, the secret of this popularity and respect. By his death the town loses a good public officer, and his loss will be mourned by a large circle of warm and attached friends. The deceased gentleman was 62 years of age, and of this term of existence nearly forty years were spent in the service of the public." 1860. December 21. Presentation of a Maltese cross in gold, to J. Rees Philipps, Esq., colour sergeant of the Cotswold Company, as a memento of the appreciation of his exertions in support of that company, by his brethren in arms. 1860. December 26. Very severe frost : cricket match on the ice at Pittville lake. So severe was the frost that the water in the boiler of the "Examiner" steam engine was frozen so hard, that it was found dangerous to get up steam. The paper had, therefore, to be w r orked off by manual labour. 1860. December. This month Captain Struan Robertson successfully oarried out a project he had initiated two years ago, of planting a row of trees each side of the Lansdown Road. On December 14, the ceremony of planting the first tree was performed by Captain Struan Robertson and his lady, the latter burying a couple of half-crowns under the roots. This road is upwards of 1,200 yards in length, and when the trees have attained a few years growth, it will be, without doubt, one of the finest drives of the kingdom. It will form, in fact, the Champs Mysees of Cheltenham, and, we think, the town is much indebted to Captain Robertson for originating so great an improvement. — "Examiner." The expense, upwards of fifty pounds, was raised by voluntary contributions, collected by the Parish Church verger, Mr. J. Russell. The number of avenues of trees in Cheltenham distinguish it in this particular from all other Watering 636 HISTORY OP CHELTENHAM. Places in the kingdom. The beautiful Promenade was formed by the late T. Henney, Esq., and the proprietors of Pittville and other private estates followed his example. Besides being ornamental, they are beneficial to health. An •eminent German medical writer gave it as his opinion, that the reason why Cheltenham was not visited by the cholera in 1832, was in consequence of the abundance of trees in the town — the foliage absorbing what was detrimental to human existence. 3861. January, Subscriptions were raised in Cheltenham in aid of the ribbon weavers in Coventry. The total amount collected was £1,000. 1861. January. The weather being very severe the committee for the relief of the unemployed poor again solicited subscriptions and set the men at work on the public footpaths. About £500 was subscribed, and the number of men employed in this manner attained a maximum of 700 a day. The frost extended from the 24th of December, 1860, to the 20th January, 1861— a period of five weeks. 1861. January 15. Skating by torchlight by the youths of Cheltenham College on Pittville lake. 1861. January 16. Statements of the congregational collections for 1860, published in the "Examiner." The totals were— Christ Church, £1,377 17s. 7d. ; Trinity, £1,227 3s. 6|d. ; St. James's, £1077 8s. 10Jd. ; the Parish Churoh £2,052 Is. 7id. 1861. January, Died, Dr. Wm. Conolly, a physician formerly in extensive practice in Cheltenham. Died, R. W. Jerrard, Esq., the architect of Christ Church, the Queen's Hotel, and Literary Institution, and from whose designs the Lansdown and Montpellier estates were laid out for building purposes. 1861. January. A requisition got up to the Town Commissioners for the erection of a Town Hall, for holding benevolent and religious meetings, and for other public purposes, at a cost of £5,000. 1861. January 24. Died, Thomas Tanner, Millbrook-street, Alstone, The man was a coal porter, and his death caused a very painful feeling in the town from the fact that he was induced to drink himself to death by being '* treated " by parties moving in a station of life in which such " larking * was but little excusable. 1861. January 31. Public meeting on the proposed Cheltenham and Bourton on-the-Water Railway. The line was to be made by the West Midland Company, without calling upon the town to take up shares. Sir William Russell and others opposed it, but the meeting decided in its favour by a very large majority. On getting into Parliament the bill was thrown out on standing orders. 1861. Eebruary 8. Death in the midst of a dreadful storm off the coast of Ireland, of Captain Boyd, of H.M.S. Ajax, and brother of the Rev. Canon Boyd, late incumbent of Christ Church. Captain Boyd, with a number of his men, was throwing a rope from the shore to the drowning crew of a vessel, when a huge billow eDgulphed him in its recoil, and carried him away before the eyes of his companions. The body was recovered after some days and honoured with a public funeral, and a tablet to the memory of the deceased has been erected in the church which for so many years was hallowed by his brother's ministry in Cheltenham. 1861 Eebruary 18. Serious accident to Edward Griffiths, Esq., Marie Hill, while out with the hounds at Queen Wood, 1861. Eebruary. Mr. Edmund Alleyne, a pupil direct from Cheltenham Grammar School obtained a cadetship at the Woolwich examinations. 1861. Eebruary 20. Married, at the Parish Church, Col. Thompson, son of Pearson Thompson, Esq., to Miss Armytage, of Earnley Lodge — the first marriage celebrated in this building since the closing of its doors nearly two years ago. CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS 637 1861. February 20 and 21. Great hurricane at Cheltenham. The first storm broke over the town about eleven o'clock on the night of the 20th, and the wind blew with uncontrollable fury until about three o'clock on the morning of the 21st. In the morning the town presented a scene of wide-spread desolation. Trees were uprooted and broken in every direction ; chimnies blown down ; houses partially unroofed; and windows forced in, on Bayshill, Lansdown, and all the more exposed situations. In the High -street, shutters were wrenched from their fastenings, and whirled several hundred yards through the streets ; and many of the shop-keepers were obliged to keep watch and ward over their premises until the cessation of the storm or the approach of daylight. In the Christ Church district the church itself had several hundred panes of glass broken ; a row of houses just finished in the Malvern-road were unroofed, and the walls cracked and twisted in every direction. At Aban Court two chimney stacks were blown down, as also were two at Suffolk Hall, the bricks of one falling completely through the roof and into a bedroom (fortunately unoccupied) beneath. Two of the noble elms in the Old Wells' avenue were destroyed, and several others much injured. At Hatherley Court a conservatory was carried bodily away, and a large number of plants destroyed ; the drawing-room window was also blown in and a large mirror hurled from one end of the room to the other. At the corner of Henrietta-street stones, to the weight of nearly two tons, were carried from the house of Mr. Booth, draper, and hurled into the middle of the road. To enumerate the instances of similar damage in other parts of the town would occupy too much space ; suffice it to say that chimney stacks were blown down, and roofs wholly or partially destroyed in nearly every district. Among the more serious casualties may be mentioned the fall of the chimnies at Mr. Maillard's, Gloucester-place, by which the bedrooms were almost filled with the ruins, and several of the inmates severely injured. In a small cottage near Lord Dunalley's a high chimney was toppled over and several tons of debris fell through the roof into a bedroom in which four persons were sleeping. The escape of the inmates was almost miraculous ; the bricks and beams lay piled up in every part of the room higher than the bed itself, yet the bed and the four persons sleeping upon it escaped injury. On the following afternoon (the 21st), about five o'clock the storm returned in all its fury, but fortunately it only lasted about half-an-hour, yet even in this short time many houses which had escaped the night before sustained much damage. A large tree in the garden of Mr. Tartt, near the College, was snapped off by the wind, and, falling on the con- servatory of Miss Yerbury's house adjoining, did damage to the extent of between £30 and £40. The shop front of Mr. Waite, chemist, of Ormond Villas, was also blown in, and about fifty feet of the high wall between the Royal Hotel yard and Liverpool-place was blown down. In the districts around Cheltenham the storm raged with equal fury. Several fine trees in Charlton Park were overturned, and the same occurred at Mrs. Capel's, Prestbury. At Gloucester, about forty- feet of the railway station was blown down, the iron pillars being snapped asunder, and the corrugated iron of the roof twisted about like so much paper. 1861. February 24. Dr. Ryan, Bishop of Mauritius, preached at Christ Church. 1861. March 25. Funeral of the Duchess of Kent, mother of the Queen. The bells of the Parish Church rung muffled peals, the letter carriers wore black crape on their coats, and the members of the various rifle corps displayed the usual sign of military mourning. 1861. February 26. Statement put forth under this date of the final com- pletion of the negociations for the purchase of a house, No. 8, Royal Crescent, as a " Parsonage House" to the * Parish Church of St. Mary's, Cheltenham.'* The purchase was completed mainly through the instrumentality of T. G. Palmer, 638 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Esq., No. 1, Royal Crescent, the Honorary Secretary of the Committee formed for carrying the object into effect. The movement commenced as early as the 26th of December, 1857, when it was found almost impossible to procure the services of an Incumbent partly from the fact that there was no residence attached to the living. To remedy this state of things a committee was formed for the purpose of raising subscriptions, and two applications for assistance made to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners failed of success. Ultimately Mr. Palmer volunteered to obtain a personal interview with the Commissioners to urge th& wants and claims of the parish upon them ; and his mission was so successful that that body at last consented to grant a sum of £600 towards the purchase, provided the parishioners would subscribe £1,200 with the like object. With this promise the committee went earnestly to work, and by July, 1858, had succeeded in raising £1,148 towards the £1,200 required. With this amount of success the committee felt warranted in taking the house, and the new Incumbent, the Rev. E. Walker, went into possession as tenant on the 24th of June in thai year. On the 30th of December following the committee came to a resolution to purchase the house for £1,600 ; and Mr. Palmer was again deputed to proceed to London, and in a second interview with the Ecclesiastical Commissioners he induced that body to accept £1000 from the parishioners in lieu of the £1,200 as previously arranged, thus enabling the committee to pay the expenses of collection, &c, out of the sum originally required at their hands. At the Easter Vestry Meeting in 1859 the title deeds of the property and all the documents relating to the affair were handed over to the Parish and placed among the parochial records; and on the 24th of June following the new et Parsonage House" was finally handed over to the Incumbent free of all incumbrance. The total subscription raised in Cheltenham was £1,258 12s., making, with interest £24 13s. 2d. and £600 from the Ecclesiastical Commis- missioners, a total of £1,883 5s. 2d. Of this was expended for the house itself £1,600; for fixtures therein, £25 12s. 6d.; for bookcases, &c, £26; for gas fittings, £22 14s. 2d., the whole of which were to be considered as landlord's fixtures and to go with the freehold. After these disbursements had been made,, and expenses of collection, &c, paid, there still remained a balance of £114 Is. 9d., which sum stands invested in the names of Mr. Hartland, Mr* Skillicorne, Mr. Palmer, and Mr. Gwinnett in trust, to devote the interest in the external preservation and repairs of the house for ever. It should be stated that The solicitors, the counsel, and the surveyors of Ecclesiastical Commissioners refused to accept any remuneration for their services in respect of the purchase* so that the premises were obtained by the parish, as far as those officers were concerned, free from all legal charges. The committee through whose instru- mentality this desirable addition to the Incumbency was brought about consisted of the following gentlemen: — Nathaniel Hartland, Esq., James Agg Gardner, Esq., E. Armitage, Esq., R. B. Hudleston, Esq., E. J. Esdaile, Esq., Mr. C. H. Hale, W. H. Gwinnett, Esq., R. S. Lingwood, Esq., Mr. H. Davies, Mr. Engall, Mr. D. J. Humphris, Wm. Nash Skillicorne, Esq., 9, Queen's Parade, Hon. Treasurer, and T. G. Palmer, Esq., 1, Royal Crescent, Hon. Sec. Among the subscribers to the fund the following are donors of £5 and upwards. Mrs. Capper, £20 ; Rev. W. Cams, £20 ; Dr. College, £25 ; Lord de Saumarez, £15 ; E. J. Esdaile, Esq., £20; W. H. Gwinnett, Esq., £50; a friend, per Mr. Gwinnett, £25 ; N. Hartland, Esq., £50; Colonel Church Pearce, £25; Mrs, Church Pearce, £25 ; Mrs. Westropp, £50 ; Miss Yerbury, £50. The following gave £10 each : — E. Armytage, Esq., Mrs. Bailey, Miss Baron, T. Champion, Esq., Lady Cromie, Hon. Roper Curzon, Mrs. Freeman, Mr. J. A. Gardner, J. Garratt, Esq., Mrs. Gibbons, Mrs. Lardner, E. L. Newman, Esq., T. G. Palmer, Esq., Mrs. Sherwood, W. N. Skillicorne, Esq t , S. M., (per Rev. E. Walker), Rev. CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 639 J. Venn, J. Waddingham, Esq., Miss Williams. The following gave £5 each .— Dr. Ackworth, Miss Aldridge, Rev. E. Anriol, A. K. Baker, Esq., Mrs. BaU, Mrs. Barry, Miss G. Raymond Barker, Miss S. F. F. Bedford, J. Beraan, Esq., the Misses Braun, J Bubb, Esq., T. P. W. Butt, Esq., W. Buckle, Esq., Miss Carrington, Mrs. Chelver, Mr. J. B. Churchill, Miss Clarkson, C. T. Cooke, Esq., Mr. Engall, Rev. C. Evans, W. Farquharson, Esq , Miss Finlay. J. Fisher, Esq., T. Fothergill, Esq., Miss Fothergill, a Friend, per D. J. Humphris, Esq., W. Gardner, Esq . Mrs. Grant, J. Graves, Esq., Mrs. Graves, W. Gyde, Esq., Mr. C.H. Hale, VV. Hazell, Esq,, W. H. Henney, Esq., Dr. Hooper, R. B. Huddle- ston, Esq., Mr. J Humphris, Mr. D. J. Humphris, R. Jupp, Esq., Dr. Ker, G. Law, Esq., R. S. Lingwood, Esq., Mrs. Newell, Mrs. Parr, Mrs. G. Royds, G. Russell, Esq., Rev. J. T. C. Saunders, Col, Schreiber, Messrs. Shirer and Sons, Miss Spencer, VV. W. Squire, Esq., W. M. Tartt, Esq., A. H. Tonge, Esq., C. H. Velley, E>q., Lieut, Col. Young, W. F. Young, Esq., and Mr. E. J. Young. The remainder was made up in smaller sum3. The committee, at their final meeting in December 1860, accorded their cordial thanks to their treasurer, Mr. Skillicorne, and also to their secretary, Mr. Palmer, "for his great labour and assistance ia promoting the object at length so happily attained. ,, Mr. Palmer also received from the Rev. E. Walker as an appropriate acknowlegement of his exertions on the occasion, a very handsome copy of the Bible, the cover surmounted with a silver shield bearing the following inscription : — "Presented to T. G. Palmer, Esq., in grateful recognition, and as an affectionate memorial, of his kind and unwearied labours as honorary secretary to the committee for securing a Parsonage House for the Parish of Cheltenham, St. Mary's. June 24th, 1859." The location of the Parsonage House in the Royal Crescent tends, in some respects, to revive old associations, for it was at No. 15 in the same crescent that Mr. Jarvis, a former Incumbent, resided for many years. Mr. Jarvis was residing here in 1821 when Mr. Denman (afterwards Lord Chief Justice) one of the counsel for Queen Caroline, visited Cheltenham, on which occasion the Incumbent (being a King George's man) refused the bells to be rung. The populace, however, met Mr. Denman at Charlton Kings, and, taking his horses from the carriage, dragged him in triumph through the town to his lodgings at No. 5, Crescent. From the balcony of this house he addressed the people for three quarters of an hour and the mob then proceeded to the church, and, arming themselves with weapons from a stone yard on the site of the present Public Offices, burst open the belfry door and regaled their visitor with a merry peal. On the same evening the mob put out the street lights and afterwards attacked Mr. Jems' s house, breaking the windows and doing other damage. The Royal Crescent was built about the year 1809, on the site then known as the Church Mead. Shortly before the houses were finished No. 5 (belonging to the grandfather of Messrs, Jessop, of the avaries) caught fire through the ignition of some carpenters' shavings, and our informant well remembers an old woman, named Fletcher, standing up to her middle in a pond, which stood in the Meads on the spot now occupied by Rhodes's livery stables, and handing buckets of water to the firemen. 1861. February 29. Dexterous robbery of a cash-box and about £30 from Messrs. Furber and Sons, jewellers, Montpellier Walk. The thieves made them- selves aware where the cash-box was kept, and, while an accomplice drove up in a fly and called Mr. Furber out of the shop, they made off with the box and its contents. They were cleverly traced to Gloucester and Bristol and apprehended, and at their trial at Gloucester were each sentenced to six years penal servitude. 1861. March 5. Site of the old Cheltenham Theatre sold by auction, by Messrs. Engall and Sanders, for £720. The purchaser was Mr. Sheepway, butcher. 1861 March 8. Re-opening of the Parish Church with sermons by the Rev. E. Walker, Incumbent. 640 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 1861. April. News arrived of the famine in India. A subscription was immediately opened in Cheltenham, which resulted in donations to the amount of £799 6s. 6d. 1861. April 8. Census of the parish taken. Families, 9,320 ; inhabited houses, 7,013 ; uninhabited houses, 223; building, 39 ; males, 16,476; females 23,114 ; total 39,500. Out parishes included in the Cheltenham Union, Charlton Kings, 3,443; Prestbury, 1,297; Leckhampton, 2,522; Badgworth, 1,038; Shurdington, 16*; Up-Hatherley, 68; Uckington, 195; Swindon, 227; Cubberley, 343 ; Cowley, 311; Great Witcomb, 165; Staverton, 315; total in the Union, 49,688. The houses returned as uninhabited were not so in reality. They were so returned by direction of the census office, with a special note, that they were occupied during the day and rated to the poor, but not slept in, the owners having residences in adjoining parishes. The number of positively un- occupied houses in the ^town was remarkably small and belonged to the class* " to let." 1861. April 15. A telegram received at Thirlestone Hall, announcing the death of the Baron de Stenbock, which took place unexpectedly during his absence in Germany, at the early age of 22 years. 1861. April 16. Meeting at the Queen's Hotel to form a limited liability company, for the purchase of the Montpellier Gardens. The purchase was com- pleted in the November following. 1861. April 18. Final hearing in the House of Lords of the appeal "Newton v. Sir Cornwallis Ricketts." The appellant Newton was heard by their lord- ships for several hours, and immediately on the conclusion of his speech the lords, without calling upon the counsel for the respondent, dismissed the appeal. 1861. April 18. Complimentary dinner to Cregoe Colmore, Esq., master of the Fox Hounds, at the Plough Hotel. Sir Maurice Berkeley, president. 1861. April 23. Accident to Mr. Frederick Marshall at the Beckford races. On putting his horse at a fence Mr. Marshall was thrown, and had his leg broken by a kick. Mr, Marshall was brought home in Mr. Colmore's break, and on some one sympathising with him on the sad mishap he very pluckily exclaimed, " Well, never mind ; I'm insured in the accidental !" 1861. May 1. Prospectus first published in the "Examiner" of the East Gloucestershire Railway Company. The history of this project, as far as it ha* yet gone, may be thus stated. The line was designed to run from Cheltenham to Dowdeswell, and thence to fork off — one branch on the narrow guage running north-east to Bourton-on-the- Water, and the other on the broad- guage south- east to Farringdon. The distance from Cheltenham to London would thus be reduced to 101 miles. The mode of passing through the town was from the present line near Malvern Road by a tunnel under Bayshili, and along the road by Queen's Parade, through the Montpellier Gardens, under the Bath Road, and thence on a slight embankment to the proposed station in Sandford Fields. On the 22nd of October the scheme was brought before a very large public meeting at the Assembly Rooms, which pronounced almost unanimously in its favour, and a large number of shares were taken up in Cheltenham and the district. Parties whose property was adjacent to the proposed tunnel regarded the scheme with serious misgiving ; a powerful opposition was organised, but on the Bill going before the Commons Committee in March, 1862, the preamble was declared* to be proved. The opponents of the line, however, persevered with their opposition in the Lords, where after a fortnight's hearing they were more successful ; the Lords' Committee throwing out so much of the Bill as related to the town approaches, and only granting those portions of it between Dowdeswell and Bourton and Farringdon. In the autumn of 1862, the promoters resolved to apply to Parliament for leave to postpone any further prosecution of the CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 641 project until the year 1864, and a " Suspension" Bill was agreed to be intro- duced for that purpose in the session of 1863. But the Great Western Company, in February, in consequence of the hostility to the scheme on the part of their shareholders, consented to its final abandonment. We are thus enabled to describe with certainty the ultimate fate of this last attempt to devise an unobjectionable railway route through the town of Cheltenham. 1861. May. Negotiations for the purchase of the " Rectory" of Cheltenham of Messrs. Newman and Gwinnett by Simeon's Trustees, the patrons of the living. The negotiations were afterwards successfully completed, and the Minister of the Parish is henceforth the "Rector," instead of "Incumbent" and Terpetual Curate." 1861. May 12. Death of James Basevi, Esq., aged 77 years. 1861. May 28. Literary Institution building sold by auction to Mr. E. L. Griffiths for £2,500. 1861. June 5. First Chapter of this "History of Cheltenham," from the pen of Mr. Goding, appeared in the " Examiner" of this date. 1861. June 12. Gold "siege piece" of Charles I. found in a brick-field at Charlton Kings. 1861, June 17, 18, and 19. Cricket match between the United All England Eleven and Twenty Present and Old Pupils of Cheltenham College. The Collegians came off victorious iu one innings, their score being 26i against two scores of the " United" of 129 and 48 1861. June 18. Distribution of prizes at Cheltenham College. At the meeting of proprietors the same day a discussion took place, and complaints were made which ultimately resulted m the resignation of the Rev. H. Highton, Head Master, and a radical change in the constitution of the governing body of the College. 1861. July 1. Presentation of a gold watch, value 35 guineas, and a purse of 30 sovereigns to Mr. Michael William Gore, now and for many years past guaid on the Great Western Railway. 1861. July. Visit to Cheltenham of the Dean of Carlisle. On Sunday, June 30, the Dean preached in Christ Church in the morning, and in the Parish Church in the evening; and on Tuesday evening, July 2nd, he addressed a temperance lecture to a very large auditory, at the Assembly Rooms. 1861. July 3. Blondin went through Jiis performance at the Montpellier Gadtns, in the presence of 3,000 spectators. 1861. July 22. The Barony of Berkeley. The London Times of this date contains the following semi-official announcement : — " We understand that it is the intention of Her Majesty, by the advice of her responsible Ministers, to create Admiral the Right Hon. Sir Maurice Fitzhardinge Berkeley a Peer, by the title of Baron Berkeley of Berkeley Castle." The " Examiner" of the following Wednesday says — "There are very few men, whatever their political opinions may be, who will fail to regard this announcement with feelings of satis- faction. The personal character of the new Baron, the services he has rendered to his country, and the peculiar circumstances winch recommend him to the favourable consideration of his Sovereign, all combine to render this public recognition of his claims to a seat in the House of Lords peculiarly gratifying. Sir Maurice Berkeley will take his seat in that House not only with the prestige of past services, but as the acknowledged head of a great historical family. The eruel wrong which has been done to that family by placing the Earldom of Berkeley so long in abeyance, will now have been in some measure redressed. Sir Maurice, although unsuccessful in his claims to the Barony by ' feudal tenure, still obtains the object of his ambition by receiving a patent of nobility from the hands of Her Majesty, under the title of ' Baron Berkeley of Berkeley Castle' 642 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. Never, surely, was a public honour more honourably earned or more worthily bestowed." [It was afterwards arranged that the new title should be Baron Pitzhardinge instead of Baron Berkeley. On Nov. 27th, when the noble Lord visited Cheltenham for the first time since his elevation to the Peerage, a con- gratulatory address was presented to him from the inhabitants ; a compliment in which men of all political parties cordially united.] 186L July. Appointment of Mr. Horsley as county medical analyst. The Chairman at the Quarter Sessions reported that "at the last session Mr. Horsley was conditionally appointed county analyst, under the Adulteration of Food Act. The chairman now moved his permanent appointment, and stated that a suitable laboratory had been constructed at the police-station at Cheltenham. 1861. August 28. Death of Mrs. Capper, relict of Robert Capper, Esq. J.P., at her residence, Suffolk Lawn, in her 75th year. 1861. September 5. Sale of the Boddington Manor and Withy Bridge estates, by Mr. T. Lewis, at the Plough. Of 1,100 acres offered, the portions sold and the prices realised were as follows : — Of the Boddington estates, about 295 acres sold, realizmg £14,125, or about £48 per acre. The Withy-bridge, of 150 acres, realized £8,325, or about £55 per acre. The total sold being 445 acres, the sum realized £22,450, and the average price per acre within a fraction of £50. 1861. October. "Pratt's" coach, which had run between Cheltenham and Malvern for 40 years, was this month beaten by the railway "off the road." 1861. October. Establishment of the " Cheltenham Ophthalmic Hospital : Dr. College, consulting physician; Walter Jessop, juu., Esq., surgeon. 1861. November. Tablet to the memory of the late G. Russell, Esq., erected in the chancel of the Parish Church, in which the deceased gentleman was for many years a constant attendant. 1861. Nov. 10. Died, at his residence, Promenade, Joseph Wilkinson, Esq., an active member of the Christ Church congregation, and an intimate friend of the late Incumbent, the Rev. Canon Boyd. 1861. November 13. Stormy meeting of the proprietors of Cheltenham College. The resolutions come to were considered adverse to the Directors, and on the following day the Board met and resolved to resign. 1861. November 22. Died, at Beaufort Villas, Major-General Derinzey. He went through the Peninsular campaigns, was severely wounded through both knees at Coruuna, was run through the body and left for dead at the Battle of Neville; he was twice wounded, musket ball in left arm, and by a splinter of a shell in the chest, at the Battle of Toulouse, but did not quit the field. He received for his services the Gold Medal for Toulouse, and the Silver War Medal and nine Clasps," 1861. November 24. Died at Brighton, aged 78, Captain David Latimer St. Clair, of Staverton Court, and for many years a J. P. for this district. He entered the navy in 1797, and saw much active service, during which he was a companion and fellow voyager of Sir James Ross, the celebrated Artie navigator, and who was a frequent visitor to the town. The last occasion upon which Sir James Ross visited Cheltenham was during the meeting of the British Associa- tion, in 1856, and he was then the guest of Capt. St. Clair. Sir James was at that time in a declining state of health, and prior to his return home (where he shortly afterwards died) presented to his host, in token of their many years friendship, two sketches, taken by himself, representing engagements in which they both took part— the first, a frigate action, and the second, the capture and destruction of a three-decker in the Straits of Gibraltar. Captain St. Clair was connected with a very ancient family, claiming descent from Waldernly, Compte de St. Clair, cousin german of William the Conqueror and common ancestor of Lord St. Clair and the Earls of Rosslyn and Caithness. He married CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS 643 the daughter of J. Earhill, Esq., of Chichester, (tutor to H. R. H. the late Duke of Kent), and grand-daughter of Sir T. Wilson, Knight. "Examiner," Nov. 27. 1861. November 25. Death under most distressing circumstances of Mrs. Daniel Alder, of Imperial Circus. Mrs. Alder was a lady well known and respected, her husband had been honourably known as a tradesman for 40 years, yet while his wife was lying dead in the house, and himself, to all appearance, on the point of death, his creditors forced him into the Bankruptcy Court — a pro- ceeding which evoked an amount of sympathy on behalf of the family such as is rarely witnessed. Mr. Alder himself was a great sufferer up to the time of his decease, which took place in January, 1863. 1861. November 25 Sale of the block of property from Mr. Harpin's, 108, High Street, to Mr. Yimpany's, 6, Winchcomb Street. The total rental was about £210 per annum, and after a spirited competition, the whole was bought by Mr. W. S. Davis for £3,340. 1861. December 4. The "Examiner" of this date records the obituary o Thomas Pilkington, Esq., Chairman of the Bench of Magistrates, which toof place Nov. 27, aged 82 ; of Mrs. Martin, wife of Mr. Martin, jeweller, aged 78k and ot Mr. Erederick Williams, aged 31. Speaking of Mr. Pilkington, th; notice says: — Cl We feel, while making this announcement, that it affords ne subject for mere posthumous eulogy. During a residence of more than a quarteo of a century in Cheltenham Mr. Pilkington has endeared himself to the hearts or thousands amongst us by the force of his character, the integrity of hif principles, by the kindliness of his disposition, by his conduct as a inagistrats and a private citizen, and by unnumbered acts of private and public munificencee Of his loss it may be truly said that " Take him for all in all, We ne'er shall look upon his like again ;" and the public funeral, which is this day accorded to his remains, will be no mere idle pageant, but the " outward and visible sign" of that deep sorrow at his loss which pervades the hearts of every class of his fellow-townsmen." 1861. December 9. Sudden death of Rowley Young Lloyd, Esq., barrister, of Bibury Cottage. He was a son of the late Admiral Lloyd ; he had listened to the funeral sermon on the late Mr. Pilkington, at St. John's, on Sunday, and on the following afternoon, while walking in his garden, was seized with a fit and suddenly expired. 1861. December 15. News received in Cheltenham of the unexpected death of the Prince Consort. The telegram was posted at the " Examiner" Office as the people were going to morning service, and to most of whom this was the first and sudden intimation of the melancholy event. 1861. December 19. W. N. Skillicorne, Esq., unanimously elected Chairman of the Cheltenham Bench of Magistrates. 1861. December 16. Sudden illness, from the bursting of a blood vessel on the lungs, of Mr. William Boodle, the well-known solicitor of this town. Mr. Boodle appeared to be on the point of death for several weeks; but by the aid of a good constitution, the unremitting care of his family, and the skill of his three medical attendants — Dr. College, Dr. Cooke, and Mr. Charles Gregory- he was ultimately restored to his usual health. 1861. December 30. Presentation of a copy of Patrick and Lowth's Commen- tary to Rev. Gordon Calthrop, by the working men of the Trinity district. 1862. January 1st. Dense fog in Cheltenham. Mr. Attewell, butcher, going in his gig to Charlton Kings, drove into a deep pond. Mr. Attewell was got out without serious injury, but the horse was drowned. 1862. January 2. Meeting at the Town Hall, convened by Mr. Parsonage 644 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. High Bailff, to present an address of condolence to her Majesty on her recent bereavement. 1862. January 8. Death of the Hon. Admiral Jones, uncle to Lord Ranelagh, aged 74. He entered the navy in 1790, and served in every part of the world up to the peace of 1814. 1862. January. Glover's Oxford Mail " the last of the coaches," was this month taken off the road. 1862. January 13. Robbery of a cash box containing £80, from a drawer in the bedroom of Mr. Lovack, silversmith, Montpellier Walk. The box was after- wards found in a shrubbery at Lansdown, but the money was never recovered. 1862. January 17. Dreadful explosion at Hartley Collery. 220 men and lads w r ere killed, ind 103 widows, 207 children, and 47 others deprived of their husbands, fathers or protectors. A subscription list was opened in Cheltenham, and £534 subscribed, of which sum £209 was collected by Mr. John Russell. 1862. January. The public gas. lamps extended from Cheltenham to Leckhampton; the event was celebrated by a public dinner of the inhabitants on the night it was first illuminated. The rector of Leckhampton, the Rev. C.B. Trye, presided, and upwards of 400 parishioners were present. 1862. February 3. Sudden death of Dr. G. Lamb at his residence, 16, Suffolk-square, aged 76. He was formerly Physician General to the Bengal Army, and since his residence in Cheltenham, had been a liberal contributor to every call of public or private charity. Dr. Lamb was a member of the Presby- terian congregation, and had partaken of the sacrament at tie hands of Dr. Steel on the day preceding his death : at which time he appeared in his usual health. 1862. February 5. Adjourned meeting of proprietors of Cheltenham College. The meeting resolved to do away with the present government by a Board of Directors, and to vest the future management of the College in a " Council " consisting of a visitor, 10 life members, and 12 proprietary members. 1862. February 8. Consecration of St. Mark's Church. The church accommodates 517 persons, 267 of the sittings being free. The district extends over 2,000 acres. The Incumbent, the Rev. G. P. Griffiths, contributed the munificent sum of £500 towards the building, and a like sum towards the endowment fund. Mr. Griffiths has also erected a handsome Parsonage House, and a residence for the curate in the neighbourhood of the church. 1862. February 11 . Farewell tea meeting to the Rev, Dr. Steel at the Presbyterian Church on his departure to the pastorate of a church in New South "Wales. 1862. February. Accounts received from India of the presentation of the Victoria Cross to Lieut.-Col. Browne, of the 2nd Punjaub Cavalry, an officer well-known in Cheltenham. 1862. March 22. First election of Commissioners for the district of Charlton Kings. The successful candidates were Sir Wm. Russell, Bart., and Messrs. J. Freeman, W. Havtkes, C. C. Higgs, S. H. Gael, H. J. Humphris, W. Jordon, C. Burgess, W.Turk, J. Rogers, J. Villar, and N. Hartland, Esq. 1862. March. Return of an old resident. Dr. Murley, a physician formerly in extensive practice here, ---and now retired and devoting his time and energies to the education of the blind — has again taken up his residence in Cheltenham* Mr. Murley and another of our old inhabitants, Mr. Gyde, are stated to be the only two survivors of the committee of the first Bible Society established in Cheltenham during the Incumbency of the Rev. C. Jervis in 1821. To show how " great events from little causes spring," it may be interesting to mention that this " Auxiliary " society which Mr. Gyde and Mr. Murley assisted to found but 30 years ago, has now grown into proportions which none of the originators perhaps ever contemplated. The Cheltenham Auxiliary Bible Society has now CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 645 a spacious depot at No. 4, Clarence-street ; and the Depositary. Mr. W. Witchell, informs us that at this establishment aloue, the sale of bibles aod portions during the past S years has averaged uearly 4000 copies per annum, while for the year 1862, the sale was 4,950 copies. 1862. March. Dr. Eves, senior physician to the Cheltenham Hospital, resigned his appointment, after a professional connection with the institution of 30 years duration. The Board received the a inouucement of his resignation with deep regret, and expressed a hope that he would accept the office of consult- ing surgeon. 1862. March. In the first report of the Cheltenham Ophthalmic Infirmary it was stated that since the end of October last 200 patients had been under treat- ment, and that two operations for cataract had been successfully performed ; the patients, one aged 77 and the other 66 having left the hospital restored to sight. 1862. March. Longevity in Cheltenham. Duriug the past month an unusual number of aged persons have died in Cheltenham, no less than thirteen having been interred in our parish cemetery above 70 years of age. Of this number, eleven had passed their 7oth year, seven had exceeded 80, four had passed 85, one had readied 99, and one died at 103. Their united ages makes a total of 1071 years, or an average of 82 years to each person. These statistics are such as few towns in England of similar size to Cheltenham can boast.— " Examiner," April 2. 1862. April 9. Terrible accident at Thackwell's brickyard. A man named Charles Luker got his arm in the machine, and, attracted by his screams, another, man, named Colley rushed to the spot, and, in his endeavours to save his companion, had the fingers of one hand crushed, and the fingers of the other cut off, and dragged completely from the haud. Mrs. Thackwell, who happened to be near, with great presence of mind applied the bre^k, and so, no doubt, saved the poor fellows irom still more serious injuries. The "Examiner" haviug suggested a subscription for the man Colley, Mr. Russell opened a book for this purpose, aud a sum of £22 was thus obtained for his benefit. 1862. April. The new Council of Cheltenham College advertised for a Principal — the emoluments being stated at £1,600 a-year. 1862. April 26. At the College Athletic sports, a serious accident occurred to one of the pupils, Mr. Laurence Garnett. He was vaulting with the pole, and had already topped a height of 7ft. llim wheu, on the next rise, his p >le broke short off, and, falling on his back, he sustained so severe an injury to the spine that, for some time his life was despaired of. 1862. May 13. Sudden death of Sir Joseph Leeds, at his residence, 4, Segrave Place, Pittville. Sir Joseph retired to rest in his usual health, but, on Lady Leeds awaking in the morning, she found her husband lying by her side a corpse. 1862. May 18. The Yeomanry, to the number of 360, attended divine service at the Parish Church. Among the officers present were the Duke of Beaufort (accompanied by the Duchess), Sir W. Codrington, M.P., Barwick Baker, Esq. (accompauied by his lady), Capt. Baker, Hugh Ow«n, E^q , and several others. At the conclusion of the service, the men formed in the church- yard, and thence, with the Duke and Duchess at their head, inarched to the Plough Hotel, to the music of the b:iud 1862. May 24. Election of the Rev. A. Barry, M.A., Head Master of the Leeds Grammar School, to the Principalship of Cheltenham College. 1862. May 31. Grand fete champetre at Mrs. Craven's, Brockworth Park. 1862. June. Proposal for a new Church for Charlton Kings, It was stated that C. C. Higgs, Esq , had offered a site at the junction of the upper and lower London roads, and also a donation of £1.000 towards the building. 646 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. 1862. June 21. Death of Mr. Walter Jessop, Surgeon, at his residence 4, Royal Crescent. Mr. Jessop, though a young man, had attained to great eminence in his profession. He had a large and rapidly increasing practice, and his premature death, after but a few clays' illness, created a very painful sensation throughout the town. 1862. June 29. Opening of Earl Ellenborough's restored Norman chapel at South am. 1862. July 3. Death of Ladv Ellen Eifzallen Howard, step-daughter of the late Craven E. Berkeley, M.P. The deceased lady's name obtained a considerable prominency some years ago, while Miss Augusta Talbot, in connexion with her alleged detention in a nunnery against her wishes. 1862. July 9. Town Commissioners unanimously selected the design of Mr. Knight, architect, of this town, for the buildings at the new Cemetery. There were upwards of twenty competitors. 1862. July 15. J. Davies, Esq., Surgeon -Major, H.P., elected to the Surgeoncy of the Cheltenham Eye Infirmary, in the room of the late Walter Jessop, Esq. 1862. July 21. Extroardinary accident to Cheltenham Volunteers. The Battalion was exercising in a field near Clarence Square, when some horses, con- fined in a shed in their rear, suddenly broke loose, and, rushing through the ranks, knocked down and severely injured several of the men. 1862. July 22. Public opening of the new rifle range at the Seven Springs. JF 1862. July 23. Mr. G. Howe, formerly of Cheltenham, awarded a medal at the Great Exhibition for his " faithful and beautiful delineations of the country, workings, and other relations of the Australian gold fields." Mr. Howe was the only artist to whom a medal was awarded at this Exhibition. 1862. July 23. Third annual inspection of the Cheltenham Battalion of Volunteers, at Cfcarlton Kings. The number attending was 225 of all ranks. 1862. July 30. Authorization in the London Gazette to Sir John Maxwell Steele, Bart.,*J.P. for this county, to take and use the surname of Graves in addition to that of Steele. 1862. July. Order in Council erecting the district of St. Mark's, Cheltenham, into a separate. ecclesiastical district, and authorizing the celebration of marriages, churchings, and baptisms in the new church. 1862. August 1J. Obituary. We record this week, with deep regret, the death of Mrs. G. E. Williams, of 6, Royal Crescent. The deceased lady had been ailing for some months past, and we believe her death, which took place on Monday evening, arose from a general break-up of the system, rather than from any specific malady. To Mr. Williams himself, in the shattered state of his own health, the loss of his devoted and affectionate partner must be an irreparable calamity ; and in recording the event we will only add that the warm sympathies of the public, by whom he is so well known and respected, will be cordially extended to him in this his sad bereavement. — "Examiner," August 13, 1862. August. An anonymous donor, under the signature of W. S., paid through Mr. T. B. Goddard, Manager of the Gloucestershire Bank, the sum of £150 to the credit of the Cheltenham Hospital 1862. August 26. Excursion of the children of the Baker-street schools and their friends, to the number of 600, to Tortworth Park, the seat of Earl Ducie, Lord Lieutenant of the county. 1862. September. Erom Wednesday morning, the 27th of August, to- Tuesday evening, the 2nd of September — seven days — Mr. Bennett, the Registrar for the'Parish of Cheltenham, was only called upon to make an entry of one death out of a population of 40,000 souls ! 1862. September 5. Sir Wm. Russell, Bart., of the 14th Dragoon Guards, CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 647 was the reviewing officer of the Northumberland and Newcastle Yeomanry Cavalry at their annual inspection this day. 1862. September 7. Mrs. Vaile, wife of Mr. Vaile, No. 2, Midland -terrace, seized with a fit during Divine service, at St. Mark's Church, and died shortly after being removed home. 1862. September 8. Earl Elleuborough. Our neighbour, the noble Lord of Southam, completed his 72nd year on Monday last, having been born September 8, 1790. We are pleased to say that we see the respected Peer pass through our town daily. He appears in excellent health. — "Examiner," Sept. 10. 1862. September. News received of the arrival at Sydney, on the 26th of June, of Dr. Steel, late minister of the Cheltenham Presbyterian Church. The Rev. gentlemau was inducted to the pastoral charge of Macquarie Street Free Church, Syduey, on the 17th July, and on the following day met his frieuds at a tea party, at which 600 were present, including sixteen ministers of various denominations. 1862. September 17. The " Examiner" of this date says :— " Of the twelve adult deaths occurring in this town, as recorded in our obituary to-day, eight occurred between the ages of 66 and 82, giving an average duration of life of exactly 77 years ! Tiie fact speaks well for the proverbial healthiness of Cheltenham and its neighbourhood, 1862. September 22. Curious phenomena at the " Examiuer" Office. A letter file being hung casually on a nail in the printing office it commenced a regular pendulum movement, which has continued night and day up to the present time (February, 1863). Numbers of persons have visited the office to witness the phenomenon, and among them many scientific men : but no satisfactory solution has ever been arrived at. If the file is removed and again re-hung, and placed quite still, it immediately commences its vibratory movement, and in a few minutes is again in full awing. The movement is perfectly steady and regular, and the beats as near as possible sixty to the minute. 1862. September 28. Collections at Christ Church this day in aid of the Distressed Operatives in the Cotton Districts amounted to the large sum of £245. This collection, large as it is, is not so large as that once contributed by a Cheltenham congregation, for <\ correspondent of the " Examiner" instances the fact that in St. James's Church, on the 14th February, 1847, the collection in aid of the starving Irish amounted to £320 9s. 3Jd., after one sermon by the K-ev. F. D. Gilby. 1862. September. Serious illness of Mr. Dangerfield, Borough Surveyor. The nature of the illness was such as to require a total cessation from all business engagements ; and Mr. Dangerfield having sent in his resignation, the Commissioners elected Mr. D. J. Huraphris to fill the vacancy, on the understanding that should Mr. Dangerfield recover within a reasonable time, the office would again be declared vacant with a view to his re-election. Public sympathy was very largely manifested for the affliction which had befallen Mr. Dangerfield and his family : his character being such as to win the general esteem of his fellow- townsmen. 1862. October 19. A severe storm of wind in Cheltenham, blowing down two of the large elms in the Old Wells, and inflicting considerable damage in other parts of the town. While the storm was at its height, four wild swans were observed to settle on the grounds of J. T. Stewart, Esq., Fullwood Park; one of them was secured, but the others succeeded in making their escape. 1862. October 20. Death of the Right Hon. Lord Sherborne, aged 83. 1862. October 21. Death of Mr. John Bubo, solicitor, of this town, aged 66. Mr. Bubb was a member of the Board of Commissioners, and through a long professional and public life had secured in a remarkable manner the 648 history or Cheltenham. confidence of his clients, the respect of the public, and the warm attachment of his family and friends. 1862. October 21. Sale of the Manor of Cheltenham, at the Auction Mart, London. The u Examiner" says . — " The Manor, with the whole of the rights and property appertaining to it, was first put up in one lot, hut met with no offer. Lot 1, comprising the Manor, ' with all royalties, courts leet, courts baron, rents, heriots, fines, and other rights and other privileges thereto belonging,' together with the steward's fees and the manor office was then offered, but was ' not sold* at £23,000, beyond which there was no advance. Lot 2, the market, &c, was also ' not sold' at. £4000. Lot 3, a portion of Charlton common, was knocked down to Sir Wil'iam Russell for £1,500. Lot 4, No 6, Berkeley Place, was purchased for £1000. Lot 5, 148, High Street, was bought for the present tenant, Mr. Sims, by Mr. Downing, at £1,800 ; and lot 6, coach-houses, stables, &c, in Witcomb Place, was sold for £100. It will thus be seen that only £4,400 worth of the property has been sold, the major portion of it still remaining in the hands of the present owners." 1862. October 25. Volunteer meeting at the Assembly Rooms for the presentation of four silver cups, given by Lady Charlotte Schreiber, to the successful competitors among the Cheltenham Battalion. It was stated in the " Examiner" of the 29th that a cadet corps had been formed among the pupils of Cheltenham College, with a muster roll to commence with of 100 members. 1862. November 4. Sale by Engall and Sanders of the business premises of Messrs. Malvern, brush makers, High Street. Mr. W. F. George was the purchaser at the very high price of £2,210. 1862. November. Manor of Cheltenham. "We hear from good authority that the Manor has been at length sold by private treaty. Several parties are stated to have been in negotiation with the vendors j and the rumour is that the actual purchaser is Mr. Robert Sole Lingwood. and that the price given is £33,000.—" Examiner," November 12 1862. November 15. Ueaih of T. Williams, Esq., solicitor, aged 62. 1862. November 21. Presentation of a handsome silver vase to Captain Iredell, to commemorate his services as one of the founders, and for twenty-two years a director, of Cheltenham College. " The number of pupils on Captain Iredell's retirement was 614." 1862. November 27. Wedding festivities at Charlton Kings on the marriage of Captain St. Clair Eord with Miss Ellen Jane Potter, of East Court. 1862. December 5. The new Lord of the Manor, Mr. Lingwood, wrote to the Commissioners offering to sell to the town the Market Arcade, the Market House and tolls, for the sum of £10,000, the amount to be levied by a small rate extending over a period of thirty years. The offer was referred to a committee. 1862. December 14. Alarm of fire at the Assembly Rooms. The fire occurred through the ignition of a beam running into one of the chimnies ; it was extinguished with only slight damage. 1862. December 14. Eatal accident to Mr. Stewart Thompson while out with the Cotswold hounds. The horse fell and threw his rider, inflicting, at the same time, a kick on the back part of the head, which fractured the base of his skull. 1862. December 15. Death of the Rev. J. Smith, for many years minister of Cambray Chapel. 1862. December 16. Enquiry by Mr. Ranger, by order of the Home Office, into the question of the proposed removal of a fly stand to Imperial Circus. Mr. Ranger reported in favour of the removal. 1862. December 16. Performance at the Old Wells by the gentlemen amateurs, for the benefit of the Lancashire operatives. CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 649 1862. December 17. Advertisement in the " Examiner " of the formation of a junior department in connection with Cheltenham College. 1862. December 17. Announcement of an intended marriage between the Countess of Guilford, widow of the late earl, and Lettsom Elliott, Esq., formerly of Cheltenham. 1862. December. The Rev. Cannon Boyd offered a stall in Durham Cathedral value £1,200 per annum, which offer was subsequently declined. 1862. December. Mr. E. Alleyne, late a pupil at the Grammar School, after taking first honours at Woolwich received his commission as Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers. 1862. December 17. The pupils of the Grammar School presented a silver ink-stand to Mons. Tiessett, their French master on his departure for Germany. 1862. December. Mr. G. H. Williams appointed distributor ot stamps for Cheltenham in the room of his father, the late T. Williams, Esq., solicitor. 1862. December 20. Marriage at St. Luke's Church between S. H. Barton, Esq., and Miss Erobisher, daughter of Major Enibisher, J. P., D.L. 1862. December 28. The Cheltenham Battalion of Volunteers attended, divine service at the College Chapel. The sermon was preached by the Rev. T. P. Boultbee. 1862. December. Cambridge Law Tripo. — Mr. Erancillion, of; Trinity Hall and son of J. Eraucillon, Esq., our respected County Court Judge, is the first- class man in the Cambridge Law Tripo, 1862. 1862. December. Munificence of the Queen. — A lady residing at Pittville has received a second donation of £5 fiom Her Majesty the Queen, for an old man of 107 years of age, named William Purser, a native of Redmarley, but now living in this town. 1863. January 1. Married, at Hove Church, Brighton, Sir W. Russell, Bart.. M.P., of Charlton Park, to Margaret, only child of the late R. Wilson, Esq., The " Examiner" of a few weeks previous, in noticing Sir William's approaching nuptials, says — "Miss Wilson, of Dundivou, in the county of Lanark was with her mother on a visit at The Hearn, Charlton Kings, some lime ago ; and it is probable thence her acquaintance with Sir William dates its commencement. She is described by those who know her as being young and exceedingly hand- some, and possessing, in her own right, a fortune of from £100,000 to <£L50,000." Sir William and his lady arrived at Charlton Park from their wedding tour on Saturday, January 31st. 1863. January. Opening of classes in physiology and natural philosophy at the Grammar School. The "Examiner" states — "It may be remembered that an uninterrupted series of successes on the part of its late pupils, in various prac- tical branches connected with such studies, has marked the last few years. Besides the distinctions of scholarships, tripos, and the Woolwich cadets' list, or that of Royal Engineer commissions, its alumni have found their way into various positions of eminence by their scientific attainments; they have assisted in piercing the valley of the Ganges by a railway, and in planning the machinery of our mightiest frigates. Ol such openings, youths of good birth and gentle manners ate shewn to be every day eager to avail themselves ; aud we are glad to find the oldest among the schools of Cheltenham thus forward in all neeuful modern appliances to facilitate their aspirations." We subjoin, to show the success of this institution, a copy of the University Honour List — Townsend Exhibition at Pembroke College Oxford, 1853, Henry M. Eryer; Bible Clerkship at St. John's College, Oxford. 1855, William Esson ; Open Scholarship at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, 1856, Francis Bedwell ; Eirst (Jiass in Classici at Moderations and Second Class in Mathematics, 1856, Henry M. Eryer ; Eirst Class in Mathematics and Second Class in Classics at Moderations at Oxford, 1856, 650 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. William Esson ; Junior University Mathematical Scholarship at Oxford, April, 1857, William Esson ; Townsend Exhibition at Pembroke College. Oxford, 1857, John Whit well ; Second Class in Classical Moderations at Oxford, June 1858, Francis Bedwell; Licentiate's Diploma, with First Class Honours in Theory and Practice of Education and in Divinity, and Second Class in Classics and History, at the Royal College of Preceptors, June 1858, Thomas Roberts ; Second Class in Classical Moderations at Oxford, 1859, John M. Whitwell; Junior Optime, Cambridge, 1859, C.F. Gardner; Senior Mathematical Scholarship and Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, 1860, William Esson ; Second Class in final examination in Law and Modern History, Oxford, 1860, Francis Bedwell ; Townsend Scholar, Pembroke College, Oxford, 1861, Henry Swann ; Demy in Natural Philosophy, Magdalen College, Oxford, 1861, W. H. CorMd ; Fourth in First Class of Classical Tripos, University of London, 1861, T, Roberts; Scholarship of £100 at the University of Melbourne, 1861, C. Bromby ; Exhibition of £40 per annum at Jesus College, Oxford, 1862, A. M. Lewis; Exhibition of £70 per annum at Magdalen College, Oxford, 1862, W. H. Corfield ; Second Class in Physical Science Tripos, London University, July, 1862, P. Hurlestone; fifth place in the First Class at the Senior Freshmen's Examination, Dublin, October 1862, J. Waterworth. Military and other Examinations— Addiscombe Gentleman Cadet, January, 1861, and First Term Competitive Examination, third place, with. Prize in Chemistry, June, 1861, E. J. Alleyne; Passed for Indian Civil Service, 1862, Thomas Roberts; Commission in the Royal Engineers, with the ninth place in order of seniority, December, 1862, E. J. Alleyne. 1863. January 6. At the Court of Quarter Sessions, this day, Mr, Purnell resigned the office of chairman to the magistrates, which he had held for many years. Mr. Curtis Hayward, chairman of the Second Court, was unanimously elected to the vacant office. The magistrates joined in a request to Mr. Purnell that he would allow his portrait to be painted, to be hung in the grand jury room as a memento of his brother magistrates' appreciation ot his services. 1863 January 7. A. number of newspapers and letters received at the " Examiner" office, from Dr. Richardson formerly of Cheltenham, and now of Otago, New Zealand, marked by the post office authorities as " saved from the wreck of the Colombo." 1863. January 13. Grand amateur concert at the Assembly Rooms, under the patronage of Sir A. and Lady Ramsay. It was one of the most brilliant and successful entertainments that have taken place in Cheltenham for many years. After paying expenses, there was a balance of nearly £200 towards the Lancashire Relief Fund. 18.63. January 14. Receipt of the following donations to the Cheltenham Hospital acknowledged in the " Examiner" : — Thomas Champion, Esq , £52 10; MissSowden,£10 10; Hon. Mrs Maunsell,£31 10; Mrs. Armytage, £10; Mrs. Flanagan, £10; W. S., per T, B. Goddard, Esq , £150; a Lady, per Capt. Iredell, £10; Rev. Harry Wright, £10 10; Miss Lancaster, £21; Miss M. A. Lan- caster, £21 ; Miss M. T. Lancaster, £21 ; Mrs. Clutterbuck, £10 ; total, £358. 1863. January 17. Death of Mr. Daniel Alder, aged 66. The " Examiner," in speaking of the event, says : " Our obituary this week records the death of one of the oldest tradesmen in Cheltenham, and one who, during a business life of many years' duration, earned a respected name. The last two years of Mr. Alder's life were marked by painful vicissitudes of fortune. In 1861, at one blow, big wife was taken from him by death, and the firm of which he was a member became bankrupt ; and these heavy afflictions laid himself on a bed of sickness. Since that time he has never again appeared amongst his fellow-townsmen, but has lingered on in a sick room, to experience many months of painful illness. His sufferings have been patiently borne, although he has long looked forward to CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 651 the melancholy event which could alone release him from his afflictions. We regret that his last moments were not soothed by happier and more prosperous circumstances." 1863. January 19. Resignation of Dr. Gihney, senior physician of Chelt- enham Hospital, and for upwards of forty years connected with the medical staff of that Institution. A testimonial, subscribed for him on his retirement, reached in the course of a few weeks, to upwards of £700, 1863. January 19. Presentation of colours to the 13th Company Cheltenham Volunteers. The presentation took place at the Town Hall, by the lady of Col. Berkeley, M.P,, in the presence of a large number of spectators. 1863. January 22. Meeting to consider the propriety of inviting the Glouces- tershire Agricultural Society to hold its meeting in Cheltenham this summer-. After some discussion, it was decided to delay the invitation until next year. 1863. January 22. Death of Dr. Holmes, after a short illness. The event was hastened by the deceased accidentally drinking a mixture of potassia and water, in mistake for pure water. 1863. January 24?. Bazaar opened at the Assembly Rooms, in aid of the funds for repewing St. Paul's Church: 1863. January. Death of an old lady in London, the owner of two houses, Nos. 1 and 2, Brunswick Terrace, near the College. The houses had remained unoccupied for many years, the lady refusing to let them, except at an enormous rent, coupled with very stringent restrictions. On the old lady's death it was found that she had died intestate, and, being illegitimate, her personal property reverted to the crown, and her real estate in Cheltenham reverted to the Lord of the Manor. The two houses, estimated in value at from £4,000 to £5,000, will thus revert to Mr. Gardner's trustees — all vested interests of this kind being specially reserved to them at the late sale of the Manor. 1863. January 29. Death of Mr. T. Simmonds, brewer, one of the oldest tradesmen of the town, and for some year6 churchwarden of St. Peter's district, aged 72. 1863. January. Discovery of a human skeleton. About a fortnight since some workmen in the employ ef Mr. Thomas Perkins, farmer, of Wellington, were engaged in excavating stone for use upon the roads when they came upon several old Roman coins, some of them being upwards of an ounce in weight. After working for some time longer, and at about eighteen inches from the surface of the ground, the workmen struck upon the skull of a human skeleton, which rolled down under their feet. Proceeding further, they came to the remainder of the skeleton, with the exception of a portion of the fingers, which appeared to have been eaten or decayed away. The teeth in the lower jaw of the skull were exceedingly perfect, but a portion of the upper jaw and some of the teeth were missing. The discovery has caused a gooa deal of speculation in the district, and various surmises have been hazarded. The coins are in the possession of Mr. Hughes, of the New Inn, Charlton Kings, who will show them to anyone who may desire to see them.—" Examiner," January 23 [The publication of the above caused many of our local savans to visit Mr. Hughes, and the general im- pression appears to be that the skeleton was one of a Roman soldier who probably died on the march, and that the coins were buried with the body. One of the coins bears a representation of the altar of Janus, and its date is supposed to be about 150 years before the Christian era.] 1863. February. The Cheltenham Rectory. The formal induction of the Rev. E. Walker to the Rectory of Cheltenham took place this month. The " Examiner" of January 28th says : " We stated, some twelve months ago, that the Rectory of Cheltenham had been purchased of the late lay improprietors ; Messrs. Newman and Gwinnett, for the sum of £500, with the intention of it 652 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM being vested in the hands of Simeon's Trustees, the patrons of the living. The purchase having been completed, the final arrangements have been earried out in the course of the past week—Mr. Walker having formally resigned bis Perpetual Curacy into the hands of the Bishop, and having also been formally appointed by the patrons, aDd instituted by the Bishop, to the Rectory of Cheltenham. The usual form of " reading in" will have to be gone through in due course at the Parish Church, and the transfer will then be finally completed. By these proceedings, the anomalous state of things which has existed in the parish now for some six hundred years will be at last put an end to. We read in " Goding's History," now about being published, that very handsome endowments for the maintenance of the " mother church of Cheltenham" ,have existed as far back as the ^axon era; but that the estates, which would now yield a very large income, have been, from time to time, alienated to secular uses. Ws presume there are no means of recovering for the Rectory these alienated revenues; but that the " Rector" in future, as the " Incumbent" of past years, will have to content himself with his stipend of "forty pounds a-year," with the addition of the church "fees" and the voluntary " offerings" of his parishioners." 1863. February 10. Great demonstration of Liberal Electors at English's Riding. School. Nearly 1000 voters sat down to dinner, and afterwards speeches were delivered by Col. Berkeley, M,P., Sir Wm. Russell, M.P., Admiral Crowdy, and others. 1863. February. Obituary. — In our obituary to-day we regret to announce the death of Mrs. Eliza Odella Taylor, widow of the Rev. James Taylor, for so many years Incumbent of Clifton, which took place on Thursday last, at St. Alban's House, Cheltenham. Mrs. Taylor was the daughter of the famous Irish orator, the Right Hon. Philpot Curran, Master of the Rolls, and she possessed no small share of her father's wit and humour. It was of her sister (the betrothed of the ill-fated Emmett, executed for his share in the abortive insurrection) Moore wrote the touching melody — " She is far from the land, where her young hero sleeps." The remains of this gifted lady were conveyed from Cheltenham to Clifton yesterday (Tuesday) for interment in the Crypt, there to rest u with the smell of that mould which nourishes the violets." The funeral was remarkable only for its simplicity, and included the attendance oj George Downing, George Simpson, and Samuel Harley Bushell, Esqrs. " Examiner," Feb. 11. 1863. February. Good Investment.— A document with a curious history was brought to our office this week, being a bond dated March 5, 181 1, under which the then Improvement Commissioners borrowed the sum of £400 of a Mr. Ebenezer Bradshaw, M.D., securing to him in return an annuity of £38 a-year, during the life of a party named by him. Mr. Bradshaw being evidently a far-seeing man, selected as his nominee a healthy lad of 14 years of age, and at once insured the lad's life in the Equitable Assurance Office for the amount of his loan, £400. The premium charged by the Equitable was £8 per annum ; so that Mr. Brad- shaw got a clear £30 a-year by the transaction, or 1\ per cent, on his £400, with a certainty of the money being repaid to him by the Insurance Office whenever the death of his nominee caused the cessation of the annuity. Nor was this the whole benefit accruing from his foresight. The lad on whose life the annuity was granted tfid not die until the month of January, 1863, so that Mr. Bradshaw or his representatives had been receiving 7| per cent, on the loan for upwards of half a century ; and on sending in their claim on the Equitable it was found that the accruing profits had swelled the original £400 assured up to the very hand- some sum of £1,684 ; the bonuses from 1811 to 1849 being £920, and from 1849 to 1863 a further sum of £364. It is not often a man has the good fortune to CHRONOLOGICAL EVENTS. 653 invest his money at 7^ per cent, for 50 years, and then to find the original sum, as in this case, more than quadrupled in amount. The five Commissioners signing the original deed, in 1811, were Hugh EL "Williams, (Dissenting minister) ; John Bowles Watson, (Manager of the Theatre) ; Thomas Minster, (Surgeon); William Stone; and Richard White. "Examiner," Feb. 18. 1863. February 19. The Rectory of Cheltenham. This day. the Rev. E. Walker, went through the formal ceremony of Induction to the Rectory of Cheltenham. The new Rector was met at the Parsonage House, and accompanied to the Church by a number of his parishioners ; among whom were the follow- ing : — The Rev. W. Hodgson, (Incumbent of St. Peter's), Rev. H. Hayman, (Head Master of the Grammar School), Rev. W. W.Gedge; Messrs. R. B. Hudleston and 1). J. Humphris, (Churchwardens), and J. Fisher and W. Hasell, (late Churchwardens) : W. N. Skillicorne, Esq , (Chairman of the Bench of Magistrates), W. H. Gwinnett, Esq., (one of the late lay rectors), R. S. Ling- wood, Esq., (Lord of the Manor), and Mr. Geo. Parsonage, (High Bailiff); G. W. Welch, E. Armitage, N. Hartland, J. B.' Winterbotham,T. G. Palmer, J. Fallon, Bay nham Jones, and R. S. Jupp, Esqrs. ; Dr. Wright aud Dr. Newman ; and Messrs. A. Shirer, sen., A. Paul, J. Williams, 0. H. Hale, H. Davies, J. Goding, W. George, R. J. Tanner, W. Boodle, R. E. Marshall, Geo. Hulbert, and G. Norman. On arriving at the southern entrance to the church, the door was found closed; the key being handed to Mr, Walker, he opened the door and entered with the churchwardens and the attendant clergymen. Closing and locking the door behind them, the Rector then advanced to the bell rope, which had been purposely lengthened so as to reach the floor ; he swung the bell three or four times, and then returning to the southern entrance, re-opened the door and allowed the parishioners who w r ere waiting outside to enter. The procession then advanced to the chancel, where the necessary documents were read and sub- scribed to. Mr. Walker then addressed the assembly congregated within the building, and expressed a hope now that one crooked thing in the history of the parish had been put straight, o:her things would be put straight also. He was not without hope that the state of affairs which had existed in the parish durin^ the past two or three years — the congregation worshipping in two separate "buildings — would, with God's blessing, be put an end to; and that, ere long, steps would be taken to bring the whole of the congregation under one roof. On Sunday, the 22nd, the new Rector read himself in at the Parish Church during morning service, and in the evening made the necessary statutory declarations of his assent and adhesion to the thirty-nine articles and the Book of Common Prayer, and afterwards preached the sermon to a very large congregation. In reference to the Rector's observations respecting the bringiug of the two con- gregations—one worshipping at the Parish Church, and the other at the Temporary Church — under one roof, we may state that the Rector had pre- viously foreshadowed to the parishioners who met him at the Rectory, before the ceremony, his ideas with regard to the enlargement, restoration, or rebuilding of the Parish Church ; and after eliciting the views of his visitors in a brief friendly discussion, it was unanimously resolved by those present, and whose names are above given, to form themselves into a provisional committee, with a view to test the general feeling of the parishioners as to the possibility and desirability of carrying this object into effect. February 19. Death of Lord Sudeley. We have to announce the death of the Right Hon. Lord Sudeley, of Toddington, near Cheltenham, which event took place at Pau, Basses Pyrenees, on Thursday, the 19th inst., in his 63rd year. His lordship was born in February, 1801 ; and married, in 1831, Emma Elizabeth Alicia, second daughter of George Hay Dawkins Pennaut, Esq., of Penrhyn Castle, Carnarvonshire. By her, who survives him, he leaves five sons 654 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. and five daughters. His eldest son, Sudeley Charles George, Captain Grenadier Guards, born in 1837, succeeds to the title and estates. By the death of the noble lord the lieutenancy of the county of Montgomery becomes vacant. We understand the funeral arrangements of the deceased nobleman, like those of his late father, are confided to Messrs. Debenham, Son, and Freebody, of this town. Mr. Freebody was at Toddington on Saturday, superintending the hanging of the church with black cloth, and yesterday he started for Dover, there to meet the remains of the deceased lord, and accompany them to Gloucestershire. The funeral, which will be in every respect suited to his lordship's rank, is expected to take place on an early day in the ensuing week. to the Nobility, Gentry, and Inhabitants of Cheltenham, tor the distinguished patronage they have hitherto conferred upon him, and takes this opportunity of announcing that he has TAKEN INTO PARTNERSHIP Mil. WHAITE, an Eminent Photographer, (from White's Fine Art Gallery. Manchester), by which arrangement facilities will be afforded in the Artistic and Operating Departments, as will enable them to produce pictures of unsurpassing excellence. Recent improvements have been made which are peculiarly adapted to the production of the fashionable and much-admired Carte de Visites. J. Humphreys & Co. would particularly call attention to their Enlarged Photographs finished in Crayons ; also to their Ivory Coloured Vignette Carte de Visiles. Photographs iD every branch and style. Favourite animals taken, either for the album or folio. Works of Art faithfully reproduced. Attendance from 10 till dusk. MR. T. WEEKS, PHOTOGRAPHER, BATH ROAD, CHELTENHAM. In the Press, and shortly will be published, THE LEGENDS OF CHELTENHAM AND GLOUCESTERSHIRE, Being Sketches in Verse, Of the Tragic and Comic Tales of this Locality. By WM. BYRNE, With Illustrations, drawn and etched on copper by the Author. 662 HISTORY OF CHELTENHAM. QVEEN'S EDITION. A SPECIAL EDITION of Norman's History, with extra Steel Engravings, and handsomely hound in morocco, gilt edges, has been prepared for presentation to Her Majesty the Queen and H.R.H. Prince Albert. A few copies of the " Queen's edition," similar in all respects to those presented to the Queen and Prince, may be had of the Publisher. Price 12s. 6d. Published every Saturday Morning, at the Montpellier Library, Price 3J. THE CHELTENHAM LOOKER-ON, A Note Book of the Sayings and Doinsrs of Social, Political, and Fashionable Life, containing also Lists of the Arrivals and Departures, and a selection of such Local and General Intelligence, as is calculated to interest the residents and visitors of Cheltenham and their friends at a distance. This popular publication has now been established nearly thirty years, and has obtained the approval and support of the affluent and educated circles of society to an extent probably unexampled in the annals of the Provincial Press. Published by HENRY DAVIES, MONTPELLIER LIBRARY, also at the ROYAL LIBRARY, 3S4, HIGH STREET, CHELTENHAM, at either of which establishments Advertisements will be received. THE CHELTENHAM FREE PRESS, WEEKLY FASHIONABLE DIRECTORY, AND GLOUCESTERSHIRE HERALD, Established 1834, HAS the Largest Circulation, and is the most approved Advertising Medium of all the Saturday Papers in the District. The Proprietor, who was one of the warmest advocates for the removal of the taxes on knowledge, was one of the first to avail himself of the privilege of dispensing with the impressed stamp. Offices :— 149, HIGH STREET, CHELTENHAM. 65, WINCHCOMB STREET, CHELTENHAM. H. B. GARDNER, BOOKSELLER, STATIONER, AND NEWS AGENT. " The Times," "Illustrated London News," " Record," and local papers, Lent to Read. Books and Periodicals got on the Shortest Notice, at London Prices. 663 MR. THOMAS LEWIS, AUCTIONEER AND APPRAISER, LAND AND HOUSE AGENT, Valuations made fur Transfer of Property, and for Probate and Succession Duties. Local Agent for the "Albert and Medical Life Assurance." "National and Provincial Plate-Glass Insurance," and for the " Salop Eire Insurance, Established 178 D. M Office :— 75, HIGH STREET, CHELTENHAM. Large and conveniently arranged Rooms for Housing Furniture and other Effec's. GEORGE SWEETING, AUCTIONEER, APPRAISER, ESTATE AND HOUSE AGENT, 111, High Streut, Cheltenham. [Established 1833.] Valuations made for Transfer, Probate. Legacy, and Succession Duties. W. HAILING, BOOKSELLER, NEWS AGENT, AND STATIONER, 185, HIGH STREET, (Six doors below St. Mary's Hall,) cheltenham. [Established 1835,] THE GLOUCESTER BREAD AND ELOUR COMPANY, 32 5, HIGH STREET, (Opposite Henrietta Street), WHOLESALE & RETAIL SELLERS OF BREAD, ELOUR, CORN & MEAL Of all descriptions. All Goods sold warranted free from Adulteration. Plain Bread weighed on delivery if required.— Large consumers are invited to examine our quality and pace. AGENTS FOR HOKNIMAN's UNCOLOUHED TEA. 664 CHARLES E. BRYDGES, (Late C. Hale Jessop), NURSERYMAN, SEEDSMAN, & ELORIST, ST. JAMES'S NURSERY, ROSARY, & SEED WAREHOUSE, ST. JAMES'S SQUARE, CHELTENHAM, Near to the Great Western Railway Station. This Nursery is peculiarly adapted for the growth of most kinds of Young Trees, as they are found to remove with an abundance of fibrous roots, and to do well after removal. C. E. B. respectfully begs to call the attention of residents and visitors to his stock of Roses, Fruit Trees and Shrubs, which will be found to contain a choice collection. BEDDING PLANTS, In great variety, at 4£l. 1 6 Months ( For "\ 12 3 Months ) One ( 7 1 Month 1 Complete i 3 Weekly I Work. J 10 Double Subscription ... £1 11 6 / For -\ 18 J Two / 10 6 J Complete. C 4 6 \ Works. J 16 Any Work not in demand by Subscribers Lent to Read by the Volume. FOR LIST Or NEW BOOKS* SEE WESTLEY'S MONTHLY COMPENDIUM, GRATIS. F. C. WESTLEY, BOOKSELLER AND STATIONER, 13, PROMENADE, AND 96, HIGH STREET. Books obtained from London daily. The London and LoC'il Mewspapers delivered to all parts of Cheltenham. Newspapers Lent to Read. Terms for Reading the Daily Newspapers : — 10s. per Quarter, or ]s. per Week* Periodicals Supplied. WRITING PAPERS & ENVELOPES: Dobbs, Kidd and Co., De la Rue and Co., and Kent Manufacturers. Dies sunk by Experienced London Workmen. Herald icttlly Embossing, or in one Colour, No Charge for Stamping Note Paper or Envelopes, plain. WEDDING STATIONERY, Plain or in Silver, of the latest Fashion. Visiting Cards, engraved>nd printed. PHOTOGRAPHIC ALBUMS : A large Variety for selection ; also of Carte ae Visite Portraits, and Scrap Photographs. THE NEW CHELTENHAM GUIDE, Describing the Resources of Cheltenham as a Residence, with full Accounts of the Spas, and Analysis of the Waters of each, also a List of the Hunting Coverts, &c, &c. Published by F . C . WESTLEY, 13, Promenade, and 96, High Street, Cheltenham.