Curiosities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol.1-11

Chapter XI: Part 11

Text size

[A] BEDDGELART, is situated in a beautiful tract of meadows, at the junction of three vales, near the conflux of the Glas Lyn, or Gwynant, or Nant hwynant, and the Colwyn, which flows through Nant Colwyn, a vale which leads to Caernarvon. Its situation was the fittest in the world, says Mr. Pennant, to inspire religious meditation, amid lofty mountains, woods, and murmuring streams. The church is small, yet the loftiest in Snowdonia. The east window consists of three narrow slips. The roof is neat, and there yet remains some very pretty fret work. A side chapel is supported by two neat pillars and gothic arches. This church has been conventual, belonging to a priory of Augustines, dedicated to the Virgin. They were probably of the class called Gilbertines, consisting of both men and women, living under the same roof, but divided by a wall, as a piece of ground near the church is called Dol y Llein (the meadow of the nun). No remnant of the priory however exists. The ground on the south side of the church seems to have been the spot whereon the buildings stood which the monks formerly inhabited. There are two or three arched doors on that side the church, through which probably the friars entered. The ancient mansion-house near the church might have been the residence of the prior. In this house is shown an old pewter mug, that will hold upwards of two quarts; and any person able to grasp it with one hand, while full of ale, and to drink it off at one draught, is entitled to the liquor gratis, and the tenant is to charge it to the lord of the manor as part payment of his rent. Tradition says, that Llewelyn the Great came to reside at Beddgelart during the hunting season, with his wife and children; and one day, the family being absent, a wolf had entered the house. On returning, his greyhound, called Ciliart, met him, wagging his tail, but covered with blood. The prince being alarmed, ran into the nursery, and found the cradle in which the child had lain covered with blood. Imagining the greyhound had killed the child, he immediately drew his sword and slew him, but on turning up the cradle, he found under it the child alive, and the wolf dead. This so affected the prince, that he erected a tomb over his faithful dog's grave, where, afterwards, the parish church was built, and called from this accident, Bedd-Cilihart, or the grave of Cilihart. In the Welch annals this region is styled the forest of Snowdon. It is a subject of great regret to most tourists, that many of the rocks which surround Beddgelart, though once covered with oaks, are now naked. One proprietor, however, is raising new plantations upon his estate. Snowdonia, though once a forest, contains now scarcely a tree. Salmon is very plentiful here, selling sometimes as low as three-farthings a pound; the average price is about four-pence. The best land lets at 20s. an acre; but the average of the neighbourhood is from 2s. 6d. to 5s., with unlimited right of common upon the mountains. In this little plain is an almost inexhaustible turbary, or right of digging turf. There is a comfortable inn at this place, called Beddgelart Hotel. It is marked by the emblem of the goat, with the following appropriate motto. "Patria mea Petra." My country is a rock. The guide to the mountains is the harper of the house; or a resident in the village. William Lloyd, the schoolmaster of this place, was long noted as an intelligent "conductor to Snowdon, Moel Hebog, Dinas Emrys, Llanberis pass, the lakes, waterfalls, &c.; he was also a collector of crystals, fossils, and natural curiosities found in these regions. Dealer in superfine woollen hose, socks, gloves, &c.," but in the year 1804, he finally emerged from all sublunary avocations, to the regions beyond the grave. Opposite to the village of Beddgelart, is Moel Hebog (the hill of flight) which Lord Lyttelton ascended. [see Festiniog.] In a bog near that mountain, was found in 1784, a most curious brass shield, which was deposited with Mr. Williams, of Llanidan; its diameter was two feet two inches, the weight four pounds; in the centre was a plain umbo projecting above two inches; the surface was marked with twenty-seven smooth concentric elevated circles, and between each a depressed space of the same breadth with the elevated parts, marked by a single row of smooth studs. The whole shield was flat and very flexible. This was probably Roman, for the Welsh despised every species of defensive armour. In ascending the summit of Snowdon from this place, a neighbouring vale is passed, which is by far the most beautiful of the vales among these mountains. It is about six miles long, and affords a great variety of wood, lakes, and meadows. The vale of Llanberis is the only one which may be said to rival it; but their characters are so different, that they cannot with propriety be compared. On the left, about a mile and a half up the valley, is a lofty wood-clad rock, called the fort of Ambrosius, or Merlin Ermys, a magician who was sent for to this place from Caermarthen, by Vortigern, who was king of Britain from 449 to 466. Upon its summit is a level piece of ground, and the remains of a square fort; and upon the west side, facing Beddgelart, there are traces of a long wall. It stands detached from other rocks, and at a distance appears in the form of a man's hat. Adjoining is a stony tract called the cells or groves of the magicians. In the next field, a number of large stones are called the tombs of the magicians. It was to this place that Vortigern retired, when he found himself despised by his subjects, and unable to contend longer with the treacherous Saxons, whom he had introduced into his kingdom. It is probable that this insular rock afforded him a temporary residence till he removed to his final retreat in Nant Gwrtheyrn, or Vortigern's Valley. Speed says, probably without truth, that Vortigern married his own child by Rowena, daughter of Hengist, the Saxon prince, and had by her one son. There is a tradition, that Madog, the son of prince Owen Gwynedd, resided in this vale for some time before he left his country for America. The entrance from Beddgelart, is but the breadth of a narrow rugged road, close by the river's side, in which there is nothing inviting; but passing on, the traveller advances upon enchanted ground, where he finds extensive meadows, expanding at every turn of rock, smooth as a bowling green; beautiful lakes and meandering rivers, abounding in fish; mountains towering one above the other in succession, while to the left, Snowdon overtops them all, seeming like another Atlas, to support the firmament. Mr. Pennant, says he continued his walk along a narrow path above the lake, as far as the extremity; then descending, reached the opposite side, in order to encounter a third ascent, as arduous as the preceding. This brought him into the horrible crater immediately beneath the great precipice of Wyddfa; its situation is dreadful, surrounded by more than three parts of a circle, with the most horrible precipices of the highest peak of Snowdon. The strange break, called the pass of the Arrows, was probably a station for the hunters to watch the wandering of the deer. The margin of Ffynmon-las here appeared to be shallow and gravelly, the waters had a greenish cast, but what is very singular, the rocks reflected into them seemed varied with stripes of the richest colours, like the most beautiful lute-strings, and changed almost to infinity. Here he observed the wheat-ear, a small and seemingly tender bird, and yet almost the only small one, or indeed the only one, (except the rock-ouzel) that frequents these heights; the reason is evidently the want of food. The mountainous tract near Snowdon, scarcely yields any corn; the produce is cattle and sheep, which during summer they keep very high in the mountains, followed by their owners with their families, who reside during that season in their Havod-dai, or summer dwelling, or dairy houses, as the farmers in the Swiss Alps do in their Sennes. These houses consist of a long low room, with a hole at one end to let out the smoke, from the fire which is made beneath. Their furniture is very simple, stones are the substitutes for stools, and the beds are of hay, ranged along the sides: they manufacture their own clothes and dye them with plants, collected from the rocks. During summer, the men pass their time in harvest work, or tending their herds; the women in milking, or making butter and cheese of the milk for their own consumption. The diet of these mountaineers is very plain, consisting of butter, cheese and oat bread; their drink is whey, not but that they have their reserve of a few bottles of very strong beer, by way of cordial, in sickness. They are people of good understanding, wary, and circumspect; usually tall, thin, and of strong constitutions, from their way of living. Towards winter, they descend to their old dwelling, where they lead, during that season, a vacant life, in carding, spinning, knitting, &c. The height of Snowdon is 3571 feet.

[Sidenote: Nant Colwyn.]

[Sidenote: Ancient pewter mug.]

[Sidenote: Tradition of a wolf and child.]

[Sidenote: Guide to the mountains.]

[Sidenote: Brass shield found.]

[Sidenote: Groves of the magicians.]

[Sidenote: Snowdon.]

[Sidenote: The pass of the Arrows.]

[Sidenote: The summer habits of the mountaineers.]

Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From |
+--+--------------------+---------+-------------+-----------+
38|Beddingham pa|Sussex |Lewes 3|Seaford 8|
37|Beddington pa & to|Surrey |Croydon 2|Sutton 3|
36|Bedfield pa|Suffolk |Framlingham 5|Debenham 5|
25|Bedfont, East pa|Middlesex|Staines 3|Hounslow 4|
25|Bedfont, West pa|Middlesex| ... 3| ... 4|
3|Bedfordshire[A] | | | |
+--+--------------------+---------+-------------+-----------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+--------------------+-----------------------------+-----+
38|Beddingham pa|Brighton 9| 53| 264|
37|Beddington pa & to|Ewell 6| 11| 1429|
36|Bedfield pa|Eye 9| 88| 323|
25|Bedfont, East pa|Colnbrook 6| 13| 968|
25|Bedfont, West pa|... 6| ... | |
3|Bedfordshire[A] | | |95383|
+--+--------------------+-----------------------+-----+-----+

[A] BEDFORDSHIRE. This county, before the Roman invasion, was part of the district inhabited by a race of people whom the invaders denominated Cassii. Afterwards, in A.D. 310, it was a third part of the division named Flavia Caesariensis. After that, it was attached to the kingdom of Mercia. In 827 it became subject to the West Saxons. It was first called Bedfordshire in the reign of Alfred the Great, probably from Bedan Forda: i.e. The Fortress on the Ford; there being fortifications on the borders of the river Ouse. It is an inland county, bounded on the north by Huntingdonshire and Northamptonshire; west by Buckinghamshire; south by Bucks and Herts; and east by Herts and Cambridgeshire. Its form approaches an irregular parallelogram, with many deep and almost isolated indentations. The extent is about 36 miles in the greatest length, and the greatest breadth about 22 miles; it contains 465 square miles; circumference about 95 miles. It is divided into 9 hundreds, 125 parishes, 10 market towns, 58 vicarages, 550 villages, having a total population of 95,383 inhabitants. It belongs to the Norfolk circuit, and is in the diocese of Lincoln; subject to an archdeaconal jurisdiction, being divided into six deaneries. The climate is deemed mild and genial. The prevailing winds south westerly; the north east winds being regarded as indicating a cold summer and a severe winter. The soil is of an exceedingly mixed and varied character; but much the greatest portion is of a clayey nature, particularly in parts north of Bedford. The south districts are chalky. A slip extending diagonally from Woburn to near Biggleswade is a mixed sand; an almost equal portion from the vicinity of Biggleswade to the neighbourhood of Bedford, partakes of a rich gravelly soil; part of which, near the town of Biggleswade and village of Sandy, is successfully cultivated for the production of garden vegetables to a considerable extent. So peculiarly is that soil adapted for such produce, that it is in some instances let for more than L14. per acre; and generally from L4. to L9. may be considered as a fair rent for that luxuriant soil. There can be no standard or real average as to the value of land; as the value, like the soil itself, is exceedingly variable. Rivers.--The Ouse and the Ivel are the chief; both of which abound with fish of various kinds. The Ouse is remarkable for very great and sudden inundations. The Grand Junction Canal skirts this county at Leighton Buzzard. The natural produce consists chiefly in corn, garden vegetables, cheese and butter. There is a little ironstone, limestone, and a few extraneous fossils. There are several mineral springs, but none of any celebrity. The principal landed proprietor is the Duke of Bedford. His Grace possesses estates in about 25 parishes; under the auspices of whom and of his illustrious brother, the county is indebted for immense agricultural improvements.

[Sidenote: An inland county.]

[Sidenote: Climate mild.]

[Sidenote: Value of the land.]

[A] BEDFORD. This is an ancient corporation, the earliest charter of which is dated in 1160. It is governed by a mayor, recorder, aldermen, two chamberlains, and thirteen common councilmen. Whoever may have been a mayor is always afterwards reputed as an alderman. The mayor and bailiffs are chosen annually out of the freemen. As early as the year 1295, it sent two members to parliament. The Duke of Bedford takes his title from this town, which first gave title of duke to the victorious prince John Plantagenet, Regent of France, during the minority of his nephew, Henry VI. as it did in the reign of Edward IV. first to John Nevil, Marquis of Montacute, and then to the king's third son, George Plantagenet; but he dying an infant, the title lay vacant till Henry VII. created his uncle, Jasper Tudor, Duke of Bedford, who also died without issue; and thus far the title was enjoyed by the first possessor only of each family. But King Edward VI. making John, Lord Russel, Earl of Bedford, the dignity has ever since been in that illustrious house, with an advancement of it to the title of Duke, by King William III. The history of the noble family of Russell is curious and interesting. They appear to have originated in Dorsetshire, and owe their greatness to an accident on that coast. In the reign of Henry VII., Philip, Archduke of Austria, being bound for Spain, the heiress of which kingdom he had married, was obliged by a storm to put on shore at Weymouth, where he was received by Sir Thomas Frenchard, of Wolverton, Knt., who, till he could inform the court of the event, sent for his neighbour Mr. John Russell, then lately returned from his travels, to entertain his illustrious guests. The Archduke was so pleased with his conversation, that he recommended him to the king of England, who soon advanced him to several honourable posts, and his son Henry VIII. created him Baron Russell of Cheneys, in the county of Bucks, which estate he afterwards acquired by marriage. He was made by Henry VIII. lord warden of the stannaries, and lord admiral of England and Ireland, knight of the garter, and lord privy seal. In the reign of Edward VI. he was lord high steward for the coronation, and had a grant of Woburn Abbey, and was in the 3rd of Edward VI. 1549, created earl of Bedford. He had the honour to conduct over to England, Philip of Spain, grandson to the prince who first brought him to court and advancement. He died 1554, and was succeeded by his son Francis, who died in 1585, and was buried at Cheneys, as were most of his descendants. His son Francis being killed a day or two before his father's death, by the Scotch in the marches, his son Edward succeeded his grandfather, and died 1627; he was succeeded by his cousin Francis, son of his uncle William, lord Russell, of Thornhaugh, lord deputy of Ireland, in the reign of Elizabeth. This Francis was the first projector of the draining of the great level of the fens, called after him, Bedford Level, and dying 1641, was succeeded by his eldest son William, who after having several times joined both parties during the civil war, at last adhered to the royal cause, and suffered a severe loss in the death of his only son by the very family whom he had supported; to compensate for which he was created by King William, Marquis of Tavistock, and Duke of Bedford, and dying in 1700, was succeeded by his grandson Wriothesley. He, in 1711, by his son and namesake, and he 1732, by his brother John, who, dying in 1771, was succeeded by his grandson Francis, the late duke, who died rather suddenly, of an illness occasioned by a rupture, on the 2nd of March, 1802, in the 37th year of his age. His brother, Lord John Russell, succeeded him in his title and estates. This nobleman, so suddenly and unexpectedly raised to ducal honours, was born on the sixth of July, 1766; and, on the 21st of March, 1786, before he had completed his twentieth year, he married at Brussels, Georgiana Elizabeth, the second daughter of Viscount Torrington. This lady died on the 11th of October, 1801; leaving issue, Francis, born May 10, 1788; George William, born May 8, 1790; and John, born August 19, 1792. Shortly after his accession to the title, his grace married a second time, Georgiana, the fifth daughter of the duke of Gordon, by whom he had several children. After the death of Mr. Pitt, when Mr. Fox and his friends succeeded to power, his grace was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; a post which, without distinguishing himself as a party man, he filled to the entire and general satisfaction of the public. When Henry II. granted a charter to the burgesses of the town of Bedford, he rendered it subject to the payment of L40. per annum, as a fee-farm rent to the crown. Their mercantile guild and ancient privileges were confirmed by the succeeding monarch, who also granted new privileges and immunities similar to those enjoyed by the burgesses of Oxford. Richard II. granted still more extended privileges, and among others a view of Frankpledge within the borough. In this monarch's charter the corporation are styled the mayor, bailiffs, and burgesses. In the reign of Edward I. the liberties of the town were seized by that monarch, the bailiffs having neglected to discharge the fee-farm rent. In the reign of Henry VI. the town being much decayed, many houses gone to ruin, and the trade of it brought low, and the usual issues discontinued, the inhabitants petitioned the king to shew them his grace: accordingly he granted that the yearly rent should be remitted in part for a time. In the reign of Henry VII. it was permanently reduced, through the interposition of Sir Reginald Bray, then Prime Minister, to L20. per annum, and afterwards to L16. 5s. 8d. which rent is now payable to their successors. The last renewal of the charter of incorporation was in the reign of King James II. in whose time the mayor and aldermen were removed from their respective offices, by royal mandate, for neglecting to elect two burgesses to serve in parliament. The members were in consequence chosen by his Majesty's ministers. The right of election was determined in 1690, to be in the burgesses, freemen, and inhabitant householders not receiving alms. The number of voters is nearly 500. Bedford is a place of great antiquity, and is supposed by some writers to have been the Lactidorum of Antoninus; but Camden objects to this, on the ground that the town is not situated on any Roman road, neither have any Roman coins been found there. Its situation is upon the Ouse, by which it is divided into two parts, in the direction of east and west. This circumstance enables it to carry on a considerable trade with Lynn. In the Saxons' time, Bedford was a place of considerable consequence: as appears from its having been chosen by Offa, the powerful King of the Mercians, for his burial place. His bones were interred in a small chapel, which being situated on the brink of the river Ouse, was afterwards undermined and swept away by the floods, during an inundation. Bedford, as has been already stated, was also famous for a victory gained in the year 572, by Cuthwlf, the Saxon king, over the Britons. The Danes once destroyed this town; but Edward the Elder repaired it, and united the town on the south side of the river, called Mikesgate, to Bedford, on the north side of it; since which they have both gone by this name. After the conquest, Pain de Beauchamp, the third Baron of Bedford, built a castle here, encompassed with a mighty rampart of earth, and a high wall, the whole so strong that King Stephen, who besieged and took it in his war with the Empress Maud, was glad to grant the garrison honourable terms. In the barons' wars it was again besieged, and for want of relief, taken by King John's forces under Fulco de Brent, to whom the King gave it for a reward; but for his subsequent behaviour he took it from him, and caused it to be demolished, though it was not quite level till the reign of Henry III. The celebrated John Bunyan, whom we shall notice hereafter, was ordained co-pastor of the congregation of St. Peter's, in 1671, and continued in that situation until he died in 1688. The chair in which he used to sit is still preserved as a relic in the vestry of the chapel. As early as the year 1745, the Moravians, or society of Unitas Fratrum, had an establishment at Bedford, where they built a neat chapel in 1750. Of late years, however, the number of these recluse and inoffensive sectaries has considerably declined; and the house adjoining to the chapel, which was formerly appropriated to the brethren and the sisters of the society, has been converted into a school. In the year 1556, Sir William Harper founded a free school in Bedford, for the instruction of children of the town in grammar and good manners. The school-house was rebuilt in 1767, when a statue of the founder was placed in the front, with a latin inscription beneath, to the following effect:--

"Behold, Traveller, the Bodily Resemblance
Of Sir William Harper, Knight;
Of this School,
Thus spacious and Adorned,
The Munificent Founder,
The Picture of His Mind,
Is Dedicated in the Table of Benefactions."

The warden and fellows of New College, Oxford, are visitors of this school, and have the appointment of the masters and ushers. The master's salary is L260. with coals and candles; that of the second master is L160., with the same allowance of fire and candle. The writing-master has a salary of L80. per annum. Sir William Harper, for the support of this excellent institution, conveyed to the corporation thirteen acres and one rood of land, lying in the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn, which he had purchased for the sum of L180.; he also conveyed his late dwelling-house, &c., at Bedford. The revenues of these estates were also to be applied towards apportioning maidens of the town on their entrance into the marriage estate. In the year 1660, the corporation leased the whole of the lands in the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn, for the term of 41 years, at the yearly rent of L99. In the year 1684, a reversionary lease was granted for the further term of 51 years, at the improved rent of L150. In consequence of granting these leases, a great number of houses were built, and the following streets covered the above-mentioned thirteen acres of meadow land:--Bedford-street, Bedford-row, Bedford-court, Princes-street, Theobald's-road, North-street, East-street, Lamb's Conduit-street, Queen-street, Eagle-street, Boswell-court, Queen-street, Harper-street, Richbell-court, Hand-court, Gray's Inn-passage, Three Cup-yard, &c. The annual rent of these buildings is now considerably increased, and it is expected that in a few years it will amount to upwards of L30,000. This extraordinary increase of revenue occasioned the trustees to apply to parliament for two several acts to regulate its disposal, and to extend the objects of the charity. By the priorism contained in these acts of parliament, the maintenance of the master and usher of the grammar-school, and the maintenance of a master, and two ushers to the English school, is provided. Three exhibitions of L40. per annum, are given to scholars from the free school, either at Oxford or Cambridge, during the space of six years. The sum of L800. per annum is appropriated for marriage portions, to be given by lot in sums of L20. each, to forty poor maidens of Bedford, of good fame and reputation, not under sixteen years of age, and not exceeding fifty. They are not to marry within two months after receiving the marriage portion, otherwise to forfeit it. The men to whom they are to be married must not be vagrants or persons of bad fame or reputation. A yearly sum of L3,000. per annum is also appropriated by the last act, for the maintenance of twenty-six boys in an hospital or school of industry, and L700. to be laid out in apprentice fees for fifteen poor boys and five girls, to be chosen by lot. The trustees have likewise been enabled to build alms-houses for a number of poor men and women. The weekly allowance to each is 3s., and 40s. annually for clothing. If a poor man and his wife live together, they are allowed to the amount of 5s. per week. One hundred pounds per annum is appropriated to be given in sums of L5. each, to twenty poor girls upon their going out to service. The residue of the income is to be laid out in buildings, and in endowing more alms-houses, or building cottages to be let at a low rent to the poor. Here are also a house of industry, and an infirmary, which are well supported. Lace-making employs a great number of the lower classes, both in the town and county of Bedford. The lace is chiefly made by women; and children at the early age of four years are set down to it. On certain days, the persons appointed by the dealers collect the lace of the different villages, and convey it to the London market. A strong stone bridge connects the northern and southern parts of the town. "This bridge," says Grose, "is one hundred and sixteen yards in length, four and a half broad, and has a parapet three feet and a half high; this, it is said, was erected in the reign of Queen Mary, out of the ruins of St. Dunstan's church, which stood on the south side of the bridge. It has seven arches, and near the centre were two gate-houses; that on the north, being used for a prison, and that on the south served as a store-house for the arms and ammunition of the troops quartered here. These gate-houses were taken down in the year 1765, and six lamps set up on posts at proper distances." The town-hall, or sessions-house, in which the assizes for the county are holden, is situated in an area before St. Paul's church. It was erected in the year 1753, and is a capacious and handsome structure.

_Markets_, Tuesday and Saturday.--_Fairs_, First Tuesday in Lent,
April 21, July 5, Aug. 21, Oct. 11, and Dec. 19, for all kinds of
cattle.--_Mail_ arrives 1.14 morning; departs 2.54
afternoon.--_Banker_, Thomas Barnard, draws on Kay and Co.--_Inns_,
George, and Swan.

[Sidenote: Very ancient corporation.]

[Sidenote: Origin of the Bedford family.]

[Sidenote: Bedford Level.]

[Sidenote: First charter granted by Henry II.]

[Sidenote: King Offa buried here.]

[Sidenote: John Bunyan.]

[Sidenote: Noble charity, founded by Sir William Harper.]

[Sidenote: Its revenues.]

[Sidenote: Alms-houses.]

[Sidenote: Lace-making, the chief trade.]

[A] BEDLINGTON, though within the county of Northumberland, belongs to Chester ward, in the county of Durham. It lies between the rivers Wansbeck and Blythe. The monks of Durham, in their flight to Lindisfarne, before the arms of the Conqueror, with the incorruptible body of St. Cuthbert, rested all night here. The Rev. Francis Woodmas, the expositor of St. Chrysostom, was vicar here from 1696 to 1710. The Bedlington blast furnace, for smelting iron, was some years since taken down. At the Bebside and Bedlington Mills, about fifty men are employed. An unsuccessful attempt was a few years ago made to establish a manufactory of printed cottons at Stannington bridge, in this neighbourhood.

[Sidenote: Blast furnaces.]

Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From |
+--+-------------------+---------+-------------+---------------+
41|Bedwin, Great[A] pa|Wilts |Marlborough 7|Ramsbary 5|
41|Bedwin, Little pa|Wilts | ... 8| ... 4|
39|Bedworth pa|Warwick |Nuneaton 4|Longford 2|
23|Beeby pa|Leicester|Leicester 6|Houghton 3|
35|Beech to|Warwick |Stafford 7|Eccleshall 6|
4|Beech Hill ti|Berks |Reading 7|Aldermaston 5|
41|Beechingstoke pa|Wilts |Devizes 5|Pewsey 5|
38|Beeding, Upper pa|Sussex |Steyning 1|Shoreham 5|
38|Beeding, Lower ti|Sussex | ... 2| ... 5|
4|Beedon pa|Berks |E. Ilsley 3|Newbury 7|
43|Beeford pa & to|E.R. York|Driffield 7|Bridlington 10|
10|Beeley chap|Derby |Bakewell 3|Chesterfield 10|
21|Beelsby pa|Lincoln |Caistor 5|Grimsby 7|
4|Beenham pa|Berks |Reading 8|Newbury 9|
11|Beer chap|Devon |Colyton 3|Honiton 10|
34|Beer |Somerset |Bridgewater 4|Stowey 5|
11|Beerhall |Devon |Bridport 8|Honiton 10|
11|Beeralston[B] to|Devon |Tavistock 6|Plymouth 7|
+--+-------------------+---------+-------------+---------------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. | Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+-------------------+-----------------------+-----+---------+
41|Bedwin, Great[A] pa|Hungerford 6| 71| 2191|
41|Bedwin, Little pa| ... 5| 70| 587|
39|Bedworth pa|Coventry 5| 96| 3980|
23|Beeby pa|Melton 9| 104| 120|
35|Beech to|Newcastle 8| 141| |
4|Beech Hill ti|Kingsclere 7| 46| 249|
41|Beechingstoke pa|Lavington 6| 86| 187|
38|Beeding, Upper pa|Brighton 10| 51| 589|
38|Beeding, Lower ti| ... 10| 51| 533|
4|Beedon pa|Hungerford 12| 57| 306|
43|Beeford pa & to|Beverley 13| 196| 894|
10|Beeley chap|Matlock 6| 150| 441|
21|Beelsby pa|Louth 18| 164| 158|
4|Beenham pa|Pangbourn 6| 47| 360|
11|Beer chap|Sidmouth 7| 153| |
34|Beer |Watchet 14| 143| |
11|Beerhall |Crewkerne 14| 147| |
11|Beeralston[B] to|Saltash 4| 213| |
+--+-------------------+-----------------------+-----+---------+

[A] BEDWIN was a market-town, and supposed by Stukeley to have been the Leucomagus of the Romans; it certainly was a chief city of the Saxons, who built a castle there. It was a borough by prescription, sending two members to parliament, and is governed by a portreeve, and exercises many of its original rights, although considerably reduced in population. The church, a cruciform building of flints, with a central tower, is ancient and curious in itself, and for the monuments which it contains. The obtusely pointed arches of the nave, ornamented with zig-zag and billetted mouldings, rest on capitals, richly adorned with flowers, grotesque heads, and other figures. In the south transept are two tombs, which commemorate Adam and Roger de Stocre, Lords, according to Leland, of "Stoke Haulle thereby." The chancel contains the noble altar monument of Sir John Seymour, of Wolphall, father of the Protector, Somerset, and other distinguished persons. Near this tomb are two brass plates, on one of which is the figure of a lady, with her hands folded, and the inscription--"Julia Seymour;" the other commemorates a son of Sir John Seymour. The manor of Bedwin, which once belonged to Gilbert, Earl of Clare, husband of Anna d'Acres, was purchased by the late Earl of Aylesbury. This place gave birth, in 1621, to Dr. Thomas Willis, a learned physician, who wrote several works on his art, was appointed physician in ordinary to Charles II., and died of pleurisy in 1675. On Castle-hill is an entrenchment, in area two acres, with some foundations, supposed to be those of a castle, founded by the Saxons. Chisbury Castle is an entrenchment more than fifteen acres in extent, supposed to have been begun by the Britons, and sometime occupied by the Romans. The neighbouring village of Little Bedwin has a church built of flints, in the Anglo-Norman style of architecture, with a nave, aisles, chancel, and tower.

_Market_, formerly Tuesday (disused).--_Fairs_, April 23, and July
26, for horses, cows, and sheep.

[Sidenote: Monument of Julia Seymour, sister to Lady Jane Grey.]

[B] BEERALSTON. This place once had the privilege of sending two members to parliament. It is chiefly inhabited by labourers employed in agriculture and mining. The borough was under the influence of the Earl of Beverley. The right of election was vested in those who had land in the borough, and paid three-pence acknowledgment to the Lord of the Manor, who varied the number of electors at his pleasure, by granting burgage-tenures, which were generally resigned when the election was concluded, to as many of his partisans as were requisite. The portreeve, chosen annually in the Lord's court, was the returning-officer. The first members were returned in the twenty-seventh of Elizabeth. Risdon mentions that Beare was bestowed by William the Conqueror on a family descended from the house of Alencon in France, and that it still continues its name under the corruption of Bere-Alson. In the reign of Henry II., Henry Ferrers had a castle here, which came to the possession of his descendant Martin Ferrers, the last of the house, in the time of Edward III. The manor then came to the Champernounes, and passed respectively through the families of Willoughby, Mountjoy, Maynard, and Stamford, to the present possessor, the Duke of Northumberland. In this place are several lead-mines, now of inconsiderable value, though sometimes impregnated with silver; but in the reign of Edward I., it is said, that in the space of three years 1,600 pounds weight of silver was obtained. Since that time no considerable quantity has ever been procured.

[Sidenote: Electioneering abuses.]

[A] BERE FERRIS. This parish is situated south by west from Tavistock. Here, observes Risdon, "lieth Ley, the ancient possession of a family so called, whence the name tooke that honor; for from hence Sir James Ley, Knt., Lord Chief Justice of England, and High Treasurer, created afterwards Earle of Marlborough, descended; a lawgiver in the chief place of justice, and a preserver of venerable antiquity, whose noble thoughts were so fixed on virtue, and his discourses embellished with wisdome, and his heart with integrity, that his words did never bite, nor his actions wrong any man, to give him just cause of complaynt." Amongst several ancient monuments in Bere-Ferris Church, is one under an arched recess, of a cross-legged knight half inclined on his right side, with his right hand on his sword; and another of a knight and his lady, under a richly ornamented arch in the chancel. Among the figures painted on the east window is that of William Ferrers, who was probably the builder of this fabric, as he is represented kneeling, and holding the model of a church in his hand.

[Sidenote: A honest lawyer.]

[B] BERE REGIS is situated in the Blandford division of the county. Drs. Stukeley and Coker conjecture that this place was the site of a Roman station; an opinion which is confirmed by a large entrenchment upon Woodbury Hill, about half a mile north-east of the parish. The area of this place, which contains about ten acres, is surrounded by triple ramparts, that in some places are high and deep. On the summit, which commands a very extensive prospect, a fair is annually holden. This fair begins on the Nativity of the Virgin, and continues through the five following days: though of late years it has much decreased; it was once the most considerable in the west of England. Queen Elfrida, to whom the manor belonged, is said to have retired to her seat in this place, after the murder of her son-in-law, Edward the Martyr. King John also appears to have made it his residence. In the reign of Henry III. the manor was bestowed on Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester; but, as a consequence attending his rebellion, it was taken from him, and granted to the King's brother, Edmund. Edmund gave a moiety of it to the Abbess of Tarent, who, in the reign of Edward I. claimed for her manor of Bere a fair, a market, a free-warren, and the whole forest of Bere. Her moiety of these was granted her. At the dissolution, Henry VIII., for the sum of L680. 16s. 8d. granted the manor to Robert Turberville, to whose ancestors the other moiety had belonged for ages. The mansion of the Turbervilles still remains: it is an ancient irregular structure, built with stone, and its windows contain various quarterings of the Turberville family and its alliances. Bere Regis, though it does not appear ever to have been represented in parliament, was incorporated in the time of Edward I. Its market is ancient, as appears from King John's having confirmed it to the inhabitants. The church is a large and handsome structure, and contains numerous monuments of the Turberville and other families. The town of Bere Regis has suffered twice by fire: once in 1634, and again in 1788. After the latter fire the inhabitants found shelter in the booths erected for the fair. The most distinguished natives of the place have been James Turberville, Bishop of Exeter, and John Morton, Archbishop of Canterbury.

_Market_, Wednesday.--_Fair_, September 18.

[Sidenote: The residence of Queen Elfrida.]

[A] BEES, (ST.) This ancient village is situated in the Ward of Allerdale, west by north from Egremont. It is understood to have derived its name and origin from a religious house, which was founded here about the year 650, by St. Bega, an Irish nun of great sanctity. On the death of Bega, a church was erected in honour of her virtues; but both these establishments having been destroyed by the Danes, William, son of Ranulph de Meschines, replaced them by a new foundation of Benedictine monks, and made it a cell to the Abbey of St. Mary at York: in the time of Henry I. The manor was granted after the dissolution to Sir Thomas Chaloner, by Edward VI. in the last year of his reign. It next became the property of a family named Wyberg, from whom, under a fore-closed mortgage, it passed to an ancestor of the Earl of Lonsdale, about the year 1663. St. Bees church, which was erected about the time of Henry I., had the form of a cross, and great part of it is yet standing. The east-end is unroofed, and in ruins: the nave, however, is fitted up as the parish church, and the cross aisle is used as a place of sepulchre. The ancient chancel has narrow lancet windows, ornamented with double mouldings, and pilasters, with rich capitals. At the east end are niches, of a singular form, with pointed arches, supported on well proportioned pillars, having capitals adorned with rich engravings. The whole edifice is of red free-stone. A free grammar school was founded in the village of St. Bees by Archbishop Girandal, under a charter from Queen Elizabeth, towards the close of the sixteenth century. This prelate was born in the neighbouring village of Helsingham, in the year 1519. He was educated at Cambridge, where he obtained a fellowship at Pembroke Hall. Being attached to the principles of the Reformation, Bishop Ridley made him his chaplain, and precentor of St. Pauls. He was also appointed chaplain to the King, and prebendary of Westminster; but on the accession of Mary he retired to Germany, and settled at Strasburgh. When Elizabeth ascended the throne he returned home, and was employed in revising the Litany. In 1559 he was chosen master of Pembroke Hall, and the same year preferred to the see of London, from whence, in 1570 he was translated to York, and in 1575 to Canterbury. Two years afterwards he was suspended from his archiepiscopal functions, for refusing to obey the Queen's order to suppress prophecyings, or the associations of the clergy to expound the Scriptures. His sequestration was taken off, though he never completely recovered the royal favour. He died at Croydon, 1583. He contributed to Fox's acts and monuments. James I. afterwards increased the endowments, which have been since augmented by divers benefactors. Several scholars of great eminence have received the rudiments of education in this seminary. It is remarkable, however, that, till a few years ago, the school had not undergone any material change since its foundation. Occasional repairs were indeed found absolutely necessary for the support of the buildings, but no improvement seems ever to have been attempted. Through the munificence of the Earl of Lonsdale this long respected seminary has been put into complete order, and made more suitable to the purpose intended by the pious founder than it had been at any time since its erection. Exclusive of what has been done at the spacious school-room, the library is rendered more commodious. The master's house, which adjoins the school, has been enlarged, some parts of it rebuilt, a good garden well walled round, and the whole made a very comfortable and eligible residence.

[Sidenote: Early history.]

[Sidenote: Archbishop Girandal.]

[A] BEESTON. Near this village are the remains of a castle, once deemed impregnable; it is situated on a sandstone rock, 366 feet in perpendicular height. So strong was this fortress considered, that it became a proverb in the neighbourhood to say, "It is as strong as Beeston Castle." The area contains five acres, and was rendered unapproachable by means of a very wide ditch. In the reign of Charles I. it underwent a lengthened siege, or rather blockade, for all communications were cut off with the neighbourhood for a long term; at last it was compelled to surrender, and the parliament ordered it to be dismantled. During the period of the threatened invasion of the French, in 1803, this castle was fixed upon by the lieutenancy of the county, as the site for a signal station and beacon. The ancient and craggy walls are beautifully mantled over with a luxuriant covering of ivy, and the base of the hill abounds with several varieties of rare plants. The well of the castle is nearly 300 feet deep, and the peasantry firmly believe that it contains a vast store of riches, which have been thrown into it during the civil wars. A mineral spring was discovered here a few years ago. The inhabitants of Chester consider it a favourite holiday indulgence to visit this castle in a pleasure excursion; and by application to an old woman in the village, who may be considered the female warden of the place, travellers can be conducted to the summit of the building. The views from the ramparts are beautiful, extending over the whole Vale Royal of Cheshire, to the estuaries of the rivers Mersey and Dee: that side of the hill which forms a precipice rises perpendicularly 160 feet from the base of the elevation, and upon looking down from the high pinnacle of the castle wall, it is sufficient to call to remembrance the sublime poetic effusion of our immortal bard:--

"How fearful
And dizzy 'tis, to cast ones eyes so low,
The crows and choughs, that wing the mid-way air,
Shew scarce as gross as beetles.

I'll look no more,
Lest my brain turn, and the deficient sight,
Topple down headlong."

[Sidenote: Castle on a rock.]

[Sidenote: A favourite place of resort.]

[B] BEETHOM. This mountainous and highly interesting parish is situated in the Kendal Ward, at the south-western extremity of the county of Westmoreland, on both sides of estuaries of the river Kent, which is navigable for small craft as far as the hamlet of Storch, and comprises the chapelries of Witherslack, and the townships of Beetham, Farleton, Haverbrack, and Methop, with Ulpha. The parish church is dedicated to St. Michael, the patron saint of mountainous and hilly parishes: it is a neat building, situated in a fine vale, or holm ground, commanding the richest variety of wood, water, and rocky scenery. Here are two fine old monuments to the memory of Thomas de Beetham and his lady, who lived in the reign of Richard III. Here was anciently a chapel, dedicated to St. John, and near it, in a garden, a considerable number of human bones were dug up; it was situated about forty yards from the present school-house. Some few years since a mole cast up an amber bead, and with it an oval piece of silver, about the size of a shilling; it was perforated through the middle, and on one side was an impression of the crucifixion, with the letters J.N.R.J.; on the right of which was a crescent, and on the left a rising sun; at the bottom, the Virgin Mary, in a weeping attitude: on the reverse, a lamb, with a standard, and St. Andrews' cross. The parsonage, or rectory-house, which stood on the north-east corner of the churchyard, was formerly called the college of St. Mary's. The Hilton family had also a handsome house near this spot, which was enlarged and improved by George Hilton, an eccentric squire, and well known character in this neighbourhood about the commencement of the last century. This George Hilton was a Roman Catholic, and joined the Scotch rebels in 1715, upon whose defeat he made his escape, but was pardoned by the act of grace the year following, and afterwards retired to a house which he built at the south end of Beethom Park. Mr. Hutton, the historian of this place, says, "that he discovered a diary, in an old chest, which was kept by this gentleman, taken by himself every night, but which was afterwards lost. 'On Sunday, (says he in one place,) I vowed to abstain from three things during the ensuing week (Lent), viz. women, eating of flesh, and drinking of wine; but, alas! the frailty of good resolutions. I broke them all! Conversed with a woman--was tempted to eat the wing of a fowl--and got drunk at Milnthorp.'" Of this parish the Rev. William Hutton was vicar, who wrote a folio book of collections for its history, which he deposited in the vestry for the information of posterity, with blank pages to be filled up as materials should occur. He was an amiable man, and an indefatigable antiquarian. The old manor house, called the Hall of Beethom, was a fine old castellated mansion, but now unfortunately in ruins. One large apartment in this castle is still called the hall, and according to the laudable practice of ancient hospitality, was devoted to the purpose of entertaining the friends and dependants of the family: and hence came the proverb--

"'Tis merry in the hall When beards wag all."

The remains of a room, formerly used as a chapel, still exist; and the ruins of this fine mansion are of considerable extent. The ruins of another hall in this parish are also to be seen in Cappleside Demesne, consisting of a front and two wings, comprising an extent of 117 feet of frontage. Also an ancient tower, now in ruins, called Helslack Tower: and another tower, called Arnside Tower; equally neglected. These towers seem to have been intended to guard the Bay of Morecambe, as similar buildings are erected on the opposite side of the river. A grammar school was founded here in 1663, and rebuilt in 1827. It has an endowment of about L40. a year, arising out of lands bequeathed for the instruction of fifty poor boys.

[Sidenote: George Hilton, an eccentric character.]

[Sidenote: The Hall.]

Map| Names of Places. | County. | Number of Miles From |
+--+----------------------+----------+------------+-------------+
9|Belbank to|Cumberland|Brampton 7|Carlisle 12|
42|Belbroughton pa|Worcester |Bromsgrove 5|Stourbridge 5|
46|Belby to|E.R. York |Howden 1|South Cave 11|
12|Belchalwell pa|Dorset |Blandford 7|Sturminster 3|
14|Belchamp Oten pa|Essex |Headingham 5|Sudbury 5|
14|Belchamp, St. Pauls p|Essex |... 6|... 6|
14|Belchamp Wallers[A] pa|Essex |... 6|... 3|
24|Belchford pa|Lincoln |Horncastle 5|Louth 8|
29|Belford[B] m.t. & pa|Northumb. |Newcastle 49|Alnwick 5|
30|Belgh ham|Nottingham|Worksop 5|Ollerton 6|
23|Belgrave pa|Leicester |Leicester 2|Loughboro' 9|
29|Bellasis to|Northumb. |Morpeth 5|Newcastle 10|
46|Bellasize to|E.R. York |Howden 5|South Cave 7|
18|Bell Bar |Herts |Barnet 6|Hatfield 3|
24|Belleau[C] pa|Lincoln |Alford 3|Louth 8|
+--+----------------------+----------+------------+-------------+
|Dist.|
Map| Names of Places. |Number of Miles From |Lond.|Population.
+--+----------------------+----------+------------+-----+-------+
9|Belbank to|Longtown 9| 318| 127|
42|Belbroughton pa|Kidderminst 7| 121| 1489|
46|Belby to|Hull 23| 181| 44|
12|Belchalwell pa|Shaftesbury 10| 110| 205|
14|Belchamp Oten pa|Clare 4| 53| 397|
14|Belchamp, St. Pauls p| ... 3| 54| 808|
14|Belchamp Wallers[A] pa| ... 5| 53| 670|
24|Belchford pa|Spilsby 10| 141| 490|
29|Belford[B] m.t. & pa|Berwich 15| 322| 2030|
30|Belgh ham|Mansfield 7| 143| |
23|Belgrave pa|Derby 26| 100| 2329|
29|Bellasis to|Blyth 8| 284| |
46|Bellasize to|Blacktoft 3| 185| 189|
18|Bell Bar |Hertford 8| 17| |
24|Belleau[C] pa|Saltfleet 12| 144| 107|
+--+----------------------+-----------------------+-----+-------+

Previous Next

Comments

Curiosities of Great Britain: England and Wales Delineated Vol.1-11Chapter XI: Part 11

0%36 min left in chapter