(Gninr oip Miss Frances M. Molerd OLD GRIMSBY. ®l& (3rim8b^» By the Rev. GEORGE SHAW. Grimsby : GEORGE SHAW, VICTORIA STREET. London : WILLIAM ANDREWS & CO., 5, FARRINGDON AVE. 1897 Contents. PAGE The Old Town i British and Roman Times _ - ... 14 The Anglo-Saxon Period - 29 The Danish Period ----.-- 34 Grimsby After the Conquest ----- 44 The Old Borough - - - - - - - 55 The Old Church - 66 Early Trade and Commerce - - - - 77 Sports and Pastimes- ------ 93 Grimsby Families and Notabilities — Members of Parliament - - - - - - - - 109 Old Grimsby Notabilities (continued) — Mayors - 136 Condition of the People - - - - - 150 The Marshes - - - - - - - - 177 Elections 186 Religious and other Institutions - - - - 225 Educational - - 241 Bibliography 246 Index - - - - - - - . - . 253 OLD GRIMSBY, ^be ©lb ^own. THAT the term '^old" is applicable to Grimsby no antiquary will be disposed to dispute, for its origin is wrapped in mystery. Our earliest authority on the geography of Britian is Claudius Ptolomaeus,* who takes us back to about a.d. 120, but his description affords us no information respecting this part of our country beyond a few references to the mouth of the H umber and Spurn, and they are somewhat indefinite. The only other writer we know of on this subject is Antonine, and his description affords us no help as his first "iter" commences at Brem- emium and terminates at Praetorium. The latter place Camden and most writers considered to be Patrington, but Mr. Boyle, in his " Lost Towns of the H umber," gives reasons which show that this * " Lost Towns of the Humber" pp 1-3. 2 OLD GRIMSBY. Is unlikely, and places Praetorium as far north as Filey. Generally the name of a town does much to settle the date of its origin, as names are often derived from some warrior or chieftain, who took possession of a place by conquest or received it as a gift from the reigning monarch, sometimes from " some natural feature," as a river, or wood, or lake. But here again we find ourselves surrounded by un- certainty. For a long time the opinion prevailed that the name was derived from Gryme, Grime, or Grim, names given to a Danish Viking, but as early a writer as Camden ridiculed the supposition. *' Grimsby," he wrote, "which our Sabines or conceited persons dreaming what they list, once following their own fancies, will have to be so called from one Grime, a merchant, who is said to have brought up a foundling of the Danes royal blood, named Haveloke, when it had been cast forth to perish, or take his luck or fortune, is much talked of, together with Havelocke, thiit lucky foster child of his, who, having been first a scullion in the King's kitchen, and afterwards promoted to the marriage of the King's daughter for his heroical valour in feats of arms, and worthy exploits. A narration right well be- THE OLD TOWN. 3 seeming and meetest for them that take pleasure in passing out the long nights with telling of old wives' tales, than for an historian to relate. Which not being certain, shall be superceded.""^ Against this theory, that the town derives its name from Grime, is urged the fact that a number of places of evidently a similar derivation are found in this part of the country, which no antiquary would dream of attributing to Grime, such as Little Grimsby, Grimoldby, Grimesthorpe, and Grimblethorpe, places which are supposed to have derived their names from the British words Gra, Moes, Buy, Gra, meaning sacred ; Moes, en- trenched mounds ; and Buy, a dwelling.t This derivation of the name, as far as Grimsby is concerned, is countenanced by the fact that undoubted remains of mounds existed long before the Danes appeared in this part. These will be subsequently described. On the other hand, many writers of note con- tend that Grime was the founder of the town. The celebrated Gervase Holies, M.P. for Grimsby in 1639, a most pains-taking writer, after dealing with the history of the corporation and * The "Topographer," August 1789. t See Rev. J. Wild's "Ancient Grimsby," p 4 OLD GRIMSBY. Other matters, wrote : — ''And it will not be amiss to say something concerning the common tradition of her first founder, Grime, as the inhabitants (with a catholique faith) name him. The tradition is thus. Grime, (say they) a poor fisherman, (as he was launching into the river for fish in his little boate upon the H umber) espyed not far from him another little boate empty, as he might conceave, which by the favour of the winde and tyde still approached nearer and nearer unto him. He betakes him to his oares and meets itt, where- in he founde onley a child wrapt in swathing cloaths, purposely exposed (as it should seeme) to the pittylesse of the wilde and wide ocean. He, moved with pitty, takes itt home, and, like a good foster-father, carefully nourisht itt, and en- deavoured to bring it up in his owne occupation, but the childe contrarily was wholy devoted to exercises of activity, and when he begun to write man, to martiall sports, and at length by his signal] valour obteyned such renown that he marryed the King of England's daughter, and last of all founde who was his true father, and that he was Sonne to the King of Denmarke ; and for the comick close of all, that Haveloke (for such was his name) exceedingly advanced and enriched his THE OLD TOWN. 5 foster-father Grime, who, thus enriched, builded a faire towne neare the place where Haveloke was found, and named it Grimsby. Thus say somme, others differ a Httle in the circumstances, as namely, that Grime was not a fisherman, but a merchant, and that Havelocke should be preferred to the King's kitchen, and there live a longe tyme as a scullion ; but however the circumstances differ, they all agree in the consequences, as con- cerning the towne's foundation, to which (sayth the story) Havelocke, the Danish Prince, after- wards granted many immunities. ""^ He goes on to observe that " this famous tradition, which learned Mr. Camden gives so little credit to, under favour of so learned an antiquary, I do not think it deserves utterly to be exploded for false and fabulous," and gives as his reasons; — ist, ''The etomology of the word by, signifying, in the Danish tongue, habitation, or dwelling, and instances Ormesby, from Orme, and Ketelsby, from Ketell, two Danish captains under Canute in the days of King Ethelred ; which Captain Henry Sklpw^th (a valiant gentle- man and judicious antiquary) affirmed unto me that he could prove it, not only out of the Legend * Holies folio MSB. No. 6829, in the Harleian Collection, British Museum. 6 OLD GRIMSBY. of Nun-Ormesby, but from other good and un- questionable records." , 2nd, '' That there was such a Prince as Have- locke, in proof of which he quotes Robert of Gloucester, who says : — ' Than Gunster, that fader of Haveloke, King of Denmarke, was then of mycle mights, Arrived so than in Inglond with his floke.'" 3rd, '^ That Havelocke did reside sometymes in Grimsby may be gathered from a great blew boundary-stone, lying at the east ende of Briggowgate, which retains the name of Have- locke's Stone to this day." 4th, " The great privileges and immunities which Grimsby had in Denmarke, such as free- dom from toll, above any other in England, which privileges indicated, be believed, that some pre- ceeding favour or good turn called on this remuneration." Lastly, (which proof I take to be instar omnim?i) ** the common seal of the Towne, and that a most ancient one, which be considered could not be far remote from Saxon tymes." This seal represented a man of gigantic stature, brandishing a drawn sword in his right hand, and bearing on his left arm a circular target. The word " Eryem " on THE OLD TOWN. 7 his right hand. A youth is portrayed with a crown over his head, to denote his royal extraction, and close to the figure the word '' Habloc." On the left hand of Grime stands a female figure, crowned with a royal diadem, clothed in a long vestment, and holding a sceptre in her left hand. There is an inscription round her which shows that she was Goldeburgh, the princess whom Haveloc is said to have married. The legend is, '' Sigillum Coimnunitaiis Grimsby T This legend as well as the names are in the Saxon character, which, says Dr. Oliver, "leads us to the obvious conclusion that the seal was cut and used by the town of Grimsby before the Danes succeeded in establishing their dominion in Britain, and most probably was granted by the Anglo-Saxon government, during the life time of Gryme, with other privileges wWch contributed to restore the port to opulence and respectability, after it had been deserted by its primitive inhabitants, on the first invasion of Lindsay by the Danes."^ Holies, while believing that the founder's name was Grime, ventures to name a third, neither fisherman nor merchant who '' shall be the man," namely, Grimess, a man of great stature, mention- * Oliver's Hist., p. 14. 8 OLD GRIMSBY. ed In the chronicle of Isaac Pontanus, and said to have been *'a pyrate about the time of Trotho, King of Denmarke, while Grimess, attempting to marry a royal princess, was slayn in single combate by Haldanues, a Danish prince." Haldanues, he conjectures, may have been mis- take for Havelock, and concludes by saying, '* he that is not satisfied with this (account) let him repayre to Dicke Jackson's famous manuscript concerning this matter, where he shall find a great deale more to as little (if not lesse) purpose." Leland's account of these traditions is as follows : — " Sum say that in Constantine's, King of Briton's time, that Ethelbrlght and Edelsey were small Kings under him, whereof the first was King of Norfolk and Southfolk, and the other of Lindesay. And these two Kinglettes encreased, and Ethelbright toke to wife Orwenne, the sister of Edelsey, of whom he got a doughter, caullid Argentile in Brutisch, and Goldesburg in Saxon. And this Gouldesburgh was after left with her uncle Edesley on this condition, that he that in Feates of Chevalry might be found most noble, that he should have his doughter. And she was after married to one Havelok, THE OLD TOWN. 9 that was son to a King of Dennemarke, but conveyed by slalte into England, and after the treuth known, was restored in Dennemak as trew Heire. " One Cuaran, sun to Grime, a strong and mighty young Felow, came to Edelsey's Court unto Lindsey, and ther was first a turner of broches yn the keychyn, and after, by valient deades, rose to a greate name. Gryme had Havelock (by commandmont of the King of Dennemark's Stuard) to be drownid ; but having pite on hym, conveyid hym to a place, syns caullid of his name Grimsby. But this historye ys corectid of sum but as an Acopriphe. And sum say that Sweyn of Dennemarke, father to King Knut, first attempted Lindseey by the first cumming thether, and marriage of Haveloc."^ Peter Langtoft expressed his opinion of the legends as follows : — " Bot I haf grete ferly, that I fynd no man, That has written in story, how Havelock this lond wan. Neither Gildas, no Bede, no Henry of Huntynton, No William of Malmesbiri, no Pers of Brydlynton Writes not in their Bokes of no Kyng Athelwold, Ne Goldenburgh his doutere, ne Havelock not of told, * Collectaneer, Vol. 2., p. 511. 10 OLD GRIMSBY. Whilk tyme the were Kynges long or now late, Ther mak no menyng when, no in what date, But that wise lowed men upon Inglish tellis, Right story can me not ken the certeynte what spellis. Men sais in Lyncoln castelle ligges zit a stone That Havelok hast wele forbi euerilkone. And zit the chapelle standes where he wedded his wife, Goldenburgh the Kynge's douhter, that saw is zit rife. And of Gryme a fisshere, men redes zit in ryme, That he bigged Grymesby, Gryme that ilk tyme. Of all stories of honoure, that I haf porgh souht, I fynd that no compiloure of him tellis ought.""* The author '' Murray's Hand Book of Lincolnshire," a work written with great care and abiHty, says : — '* The name is clearly derived from a common Danish name. Grim, or Grimir. The interesting seal of the borough, apparently of the fourteenth century, refers to the curious legend of Grim, which is told with some variations in the Anglo-Saxon poem of Havlok, the Dane, and other authorities. Grim, a fisherman, rescued Havlok (the * sea-waif) from drowning, who proved to be the son of a powerful Danish chief, and eventually made him lord of a port with many Danish privileges. The origin of the town was certainly Danish, the nearest Roman and British settlements having been a little further inland. * Chron. p. 25. THE OLD TOWN. ii There are some British mounds with ' blow-wells ' near them on the west side of the town. The port soon rose in consequence, and Peter de Langtoft, the Rhyming Chronicler, speaks of it as the frontier town of Ecgberht's dominions : — ' All the wide land from Dover to Grimsby.'" Who the " Dickie Jackson," mentioned by Holies, was, we have not been able to ascertain, nor do we know of any other source of information accessible to the reader, bearing on the subject, who we fear has already read more than sufficient. Let him not think, however, that researches into the origin of names of places is an altogether profitless one. We have dwelt at considerable length upon this question of the origin of the name of our old town, from the fact that none of the remains of human doings on earth are more durable, and few are more instructive than the names borne by the chief features of a country — its mountains, rivers, valleys, creeks, etc., next to which for tenacious- ness of life may be set the names of early settle- ments, towns, and castles. We derive from local names a four-fold service : — philogical, geo- graphical, ethnological, and historical. They are shrines preserving precious relics of ancient 12 OLD GRIMSBY. tongues, no longer, or but imperfectly known, and aid us in tracing the nature and family relation of these tongues. They assist us in judging of the fauna and flora of the neighbourhood, and of the changes which have taken place since the names were given. To the topographer, names are something like what fossil shells and bones of past geological periods are to the geologist, or palxontologist, when judging of the relation of existing species to those which, unmeasured ages ago, waded through our marshes, winged their way through the air, or roamed our forests. Their form indeed may have been more liable to change, but they are, notwithstanding, a record almost as indestructable. '' The language they once belonged to may have altogether vanished, except the words themselves, the busy multitudes who spoke them have been long forgotten, and no other memorial of their existence remains, but these, well-chosen epitaplis remain, affording to the modern student a clue at once to the speech and the race, the migrations and the era of those who used them." From breezy mountain tops, from streams and fountains, from ruins of once majestic temples, and more majestic cities, the spirit of a forgotten race THE OLD TOWN. 13 speaks to us of this present time, and tells us who, and what sort of people, first called these mountains, rivers, and cities their own, and gave them names corresponding to their nature, as Adam is said to have done to the creatures of a new creation.* * See " Pedigree of the English People," p. 401-2. Britieb anb IRoman Zmce. IT is generally accepted by antiquaries that this neighbourhood was inhabited by the early Britons, evidences of which have been adduced from the existence of antiquities which have been discovered within the boundaries of the borough. The burning of the bodies of the dead, a custom practiced by our remote ancestors, led to their ashes being deposited in rude sepulchral urns, which were placed in the ground mouth downwards, along, occasionally with the horse of the deceased, as well as his jewels, and other embellishments, which were carefully grouped around it, and a high mound was erected over the spot as a monument in honour of the dead. When the tumulus, or barrow was raised to the proposed degree of elevation, the surface was usually covered with a stratum of chalk or flints, about six inches thick, to distinguish it from the surrounding herbage. Mounds also were formed from the Druidical BRITISH AND ROMAN TIMES. 15 altars, which consisted of earth and stones. These can only be distinguished from the tumuli by excavation. A sufficient number of these remains have been found to warrant the conclusion that '* Grimsby was very early peopled by the aborigines of this island." *'They consist of hills and tumuli; the former placed in such situations as to answer the purpose of defence. These were undoubtedly the work of the Britons, for the Romans threw up few sepulchral mounds except a few of enormous size, after a great battle, while the Saxons and Danes did not enjoy sufficient security to afford them leisure to threw up such elevations as are frequently found amidst extensive morasses in different parts of our kingdom. ^' If, therefore, we find such mounds connected with tumuli, in the neighbourhood of Grimsby, it may be safely concluded that this was a British settlement.^' Among these remains was Holme Hill, an elevation situated between the mouths of two havens, one of which ran at its foot, and once a military station of the Ancient Britons. Both havens have long since been filled up. It received the name of '' //^^/w," from its peculiar * diver "Monumental Antiquities, p. 21." i6 OLD GRIMSBY. situation, the term according to Gough, in Camden, meaning a verdant place surrounded by water. Though fully a mile from high water mark at present, it was once covered with the tides of the H umber, and at that period nearly the whole of the land covered by houses at the present time, must have been submerged. There is no question but that the hill is artificial, and was thrown up for the purpose of defending the country from an invading foe, and was well adapted for the purpose as it commanded every approach. The remains of a line of artificial mounds were visible at the commencement of the present century. There were three of them, and are fully described by Oliver in his antiquities. One of these hills has been obliterated by buildings and another was destroyed by the excavations which were necessary in the formation of the old dock. The Old Haven was defended by two forts which stood about halfway between Holme Hill and its estuary. They were erected on high banks, thrown up on each side of the haven, and served as marks for the shipping. There was also Abbey Hill, which had a colony of "the religious," on which the Abbey BRITISH AND ROMAN TIMES. 17 of Wellow was built in later times. A building, no doubt a Druidical temple, which consisted of a circle of unhewn stones, with an elevated one in in the centre, which represented the Deity, once occupied this hill, for in digging for gravel at the commencement of the present century some labourers came across what proved to be evidences of an interment of a nature distinct from the mode of sepulture used by the Romans or any of their successors, and corresponding minutely with the method practiced by the early Britons. The bones lay stretched at length in their proper order, unattended by any remains of a coffin or other covering except a number of large stones very curiously piled round the body, which no doubt accounted for the fact that the bones remained undisturbed. The teeth were all in a state of excellent preservation. A third colony resided on Nuns Hills. These consisted of three, named Chapel Hill, Spittal Hill, and Mill Hill. They were at equal distances and formed an equilateral triangle, a figure which was symbolical of the Druid's Triad of the Deity. These hills retained the names of Peaks when Oliver composed his Antiquities. The Chapel Hill, was without doubt used for i8 OLD GRIMSBY. religious purposes by the Druids, for according to Dr. James Gordon, the celebrated antiquary, many of their inclosures were called chapels, instances of which he gave in a letter to John Aubrey. On Spittal Hill, a House of the Hospitalers of St. John of Jerusalem was erected, where wanderers and pilgrims were entertained and relieved. A portion of it is still standing. Mill Hill was so designated from the use to which it was assigned, for when Christianity super- seded Druidism and its rites, every religious house was obliged, according to a statute of St. Benedict, to provide itself with a mill upon its own premises. Sand Hill, denominated by Oliver '' The Commercial Hill," because it had apparently been thrown up for the use of those who engaged in fishing and other maritime employments, was situated adjoining the junction of the two havens. From it, it is contended, proceeded the celebrated Roman road made for military purposes. Via Fossata, which connected the port of Grimsby with Aqua Solis (Bath), thus forming a direct line from the H umber to the Severn. It commenced at the Bargate, which lay at the foot of Sand Hill, whence it communicated with the Abbey and BRITISH AND ROMAN TIMES. 19 Holme Hills. From thence it proceeded to Ludford and Lincoln, and then direct to Leicester, and on to Corinium and Bath to Ilchester, and ended at Moridunum, the site of a military town (Seaton), thus connecting the eastern, southern, and western parts of the island.^ The Ellyll Hills were only small, and contained in all not more than three acres. They were situated in a swamp, which was by no means a pleasant spot to dwell in, but the naked and painted Briton had little objection to bogs or morasses : safety was his principal object, and he certainly secured it here, for it was impossible for an enemy however armed to traverse such an impassable boundary as surrounded the dwellers on this hill. Toote Hill. The name of this stupendous mound, according to King,t indicates its high antiquity, and is a corruption of Teut or Mercury, the principal deity of the ancient Britons. It also •*■ Antiquarian writers are divided in opinion as to whether this great road ended at Grimsby or Saltfleet. The latter had no doubt a haven for coasting vessels. The preponderance of evidence seems in favour of Grimsby, for Hollingshead speaks of the road as connecting the " Severn and the ITumber," (description of Britain, c. 14.)} and Grimsby certainly is OH the number, which can scarcely be said of Saltfleet. t Munim. Antiq., Vol. i., p. 293. 20 OLD GRIMSBY. signifies *'a place of observation," and the hill was undoubtedly used as a beacon, and also as a place of judicature. Between this hill and the next station once stood a British village separated from Cun Hu Hill by a deep fosse and double vallum, which, in their primitive state must have been impregnable. Cun Hu Hill was without question a British camp, strongly fortified on all sides by the height of its vallum and the breadth of its fosse. Here the inhabitants took refuge when warned from Toote Hill of the approach of an enemy. The name of this hill is purely British, Cun being a a title of dignity prefixed to the names of many British princes, as shown by Camden '*in the names of Cungretrix, Cuneglasus, Cuneda, and Cunedagis, all of whom held sovereign sway in Britain." " Hu (pronounced Hee) was the sovereign deity of this country, He was esteemed as the father of mankind, and the ruler of heaven and earth. Cun Hu implies the sovereign Lord. Hu and his priests were termed cunes. * The Britons frequently built their towns in the * Oliver, p. 72. BRITISH AND ROMAN TIMES. 21 midst of marshes and fens or in a thick wood. These towns consisted of "rude, circular huts," surrounded with loose stones, and having roofs formed of boughs of trees, covered with turf. Herodian relates that the Britons not only resided in fens but that they would ' run up to their waist in mud without suffering any incon- venience,' and Zyphiline Says that they were so inured to the climate that at any season of the year if in danger they would take refuge in a morass, and remain up to the neck an incredible length of time without food. Amid the bogs, mounds were thrown up. They were frequently strengthened by a vallum or ditch, according to the specimens exhibited in Holme and Cun Hu Hills, which, says Oliver, '' I conceive to have been two British military stations, that afforded protection to the town of Grimsby from all assailants, whether the attack were attempted by domestic enemies from the interior of the country or by foreign foes from the sea. Various unerring evidences still remain to substantiate this conjecture, notwithstanding the successive dilapations of the Roman, Saxon and Norman invaders of our land." But Mr. Oliver did not rely on conjectures 22 OLD GRIMSBY. alone, though his conjectures were "founded upon monumental remains of undoubted British erection," to prove that Grimsby was the residence of the Britons. He gave decisive evidence in the fact that a British town once existed in the secret recesses of Bradley Wood ; unerring vestiges of which were in existence when he wrote and are still. From that fact he states the name Brad- Ley, which signifies an open and inclosed space in the midst of a wood, was derived. When the Danes first invaded this part of the country the Abus or H umber formed the anchoring place for their vessels, and at Grimsby Old Haven they found a commodious harbour for shipping already formed. There is historical evidence that the Danish invaders made this port the centre of their incursions into the country, affording as it did a suitable inlet to the whole of the inland counties. Ingulphus states that they usually landed their troops near Grimsby, and Peter Langtoft in his Chronicles, p. 42., states that the Danes under their King Swaine, ''stroied and wasted," both Lyndeseie and the city of Lincoln. Rapin says that when the Danes first descended upon this coast the inhabitants were so BRITISH AND ROMAN TIMES. 23 alarmed that they fled into the interior of the country to secure their lives and movable property. The Britons before the Roman invasion carried on an extensive trade in chalk and lime, several depots of which were established here, and so famous was this town for its chalk trade, that the lands on the opposite side of the old haven were denominated Clea, from the Celtic word Cleis, chalk, and the parish sub- sequently formed including these lands, retains the name to this day, and its suburbs are named Cleethorpes and New Clee. It is a singular corroboration of this fact that a pillar was discovered at Zealand about 1674, which had been erected while the Romans had possession of Briton, by a Grimsby chalk merchant, named Secundus Silvanus, in performance of a vow for the pre- servation of his merchandise, which reads : — ^'Deae Nehalenniae, ob mercedes recte conservatas, Secundus Silvanus, negotiator cretacius Brit- annicianus, V.S.L.M." ''To the ooddess Nehalennia, for his goods well preserved, Secundus Silvanus, a chalk merchant of Britain, willingly performed his merited vow." Macpherson in his ^'Annals of Commerce," vol. i-j P- 39 1 -J states that the early Norwegian and 24 OLD GRIMSBY. Icelandic writers record that Grimsby was the emporium of commerce for all the northern nations long, before the days of Gryme, and as early as the times of the Saxons. There are few traces of the Romans about Grimsby. From Tacitus'^ we learn that at the time of the Invasion the tides in this country forced their way amidst hills and mountains, so as absolutely to form bays and islands for several miles inland. This was certainly the case at Grimsby. ''The influx of waters brought by the tide into the two havens, which were situated at the east and west of modern Grimsby, over- flowed the adjacent low lands, covering both the east and west marshes, leaving only a portion in the centre dry. This was used as pasture for cattle. The waters after flowing about two miles from their respective estuaries united at the central flood gate, which was carefully fortified, as it formed the only entrance into the place by land." This was called The Bar, from which we have Bargate. The dwellings of the inhabitants at this period were erected on islands or elevated places thrown up for the purpose of securing safety against the * Vit. Agric. lo. BRITISH AND ROMAN TIMES. 25 high tides, which at certain seasons of the year deluged the lower lands. There were seven of these raised portions from which three lines of artificial embankments extended across the country, in different directions, and communication with every part of the island was secured by beacons, as they were designated. One was local and communicated with a colony at Barrow, which has been described by Dr. Stukeley ; another with the W^olds, and another ran along the sea coast " and connected the station with the south east extremity of Britain." These beacons were occupied by men stationed on them for the purpose of communication with one another, and so complete was the system that it has been stated that there did not exist a single mound but others might be seen from its summit, and so perfect was the arrangement as to astonish C^sar himself, who stated (Caesar i. 5.), "that intelligence was conveyed with wonderful celerity from one to another, by shouting, so that in twelve hours' time they would communicate an event through a tract of country 160 miles in length." This system prevented the people being taken by surprise or ambush. Stackhouse states that an individual could not proceed twenty yards 26 OLD GRIMSBY. without being seen, and Dr. Oliver asserts that if sentinels were placed on our seven hills, and on those at Scartho, Bradley, and Aylesby, he questioned whether it would be possible for a person to proceed in any direction without being discovered. Dr. Oliver was the more confirmed in his opinion that Grimsby was a station of con- sequence amongst the Britons, from the superior magnitude of its artificial hills. Silbury Hill in Wiltshire, is mentioned by many authors as a most wonderful specimen of British industry and perseverance.* It measured, according to Sir Richard Hoare, 2,027 feet in circumference at the base, 1 20 feet in diameter at the top, 1 70 feet in perpendicular height, 316 feet sloping height, and covered upwards of five acres of land. Now our hills are superior even to this magnificent mould. Toote Hill measures upwards of 2,000 feet in circumference at the base, is 270 feet sloping height, and 100 feet in perpendicular height to the very summit of the mound, and contains nearly 6 acres of land. The dimensions of Cun Hu Hill are 450 feet long by 250 feet broad, * Knight says it is the largest artificial mound in Europe. Pictorial His. England, Vol i., p. 12. BRITISH AND ROMAN TIMES. 27 the sloping height 130 feet, and measures some- what more than two acres. The three mounds at Ellyll contain together about three acres, each being about 800 feet long by 600 feet broad ; the perpendicular height not being more than six feet. The hills at the Nunns, measure together about eight acres. The Abbey Hill measures ten acres, and is 2,600 feet in length by 1,600 in breadth, and about 50 feet perpendicular. Sand Hill is 600 feet in length by 400 feet broad. But Holme Hill was the most extraordinary monument which Grimsby could boast. It was more than 2,000 feet long by 300 broad, 180 feet sloping- height, from the most elevated point, and contained upw^ards of twelve acres of land. Here were seven stations, of very superior magnitude, and it is much to be doubted whether the same number of artificial hills can be found in any part of England, of equal dimensions, and situated, as these were, in the immediate vicinity of each other. The old Haven washed the base of Holm and Abbey Hills, and terminated at the foot of Sand Hill. No doubt the ancient town of Grimsby, as inhabited by the Britons, com- menced at Holme Hill, on which were situated the dwellings of the principal people, for 28 OLD GRIMSBY. the chieftains always selected the most elevated places for their peculiar residence. This hill was therefore erected into a military station, as being the best calculated for the warriors' abode, because it commanded the harbour, and hence afforded protection to what is now called the Abbey Hill, which was occupied by the Druids and their attendants. The Town then proceeded in the direction of the haven, to the Bargate, Sand Hill, and Ellyll, and continued throughout the present parish of Little Coates ; for Toote Hill was undoubtedly used as a conspicuous beacon, and place of judgment for the whole colony ; and the range of hills, which lies still further to the west, will serve to convince us that this neighbourhood was very abundantly peopled. There are several smaller mounds scattered over the whole lordship, which, as they are without names, and as their uses are beyond the reach of tradition, were no doubt tumuli.* That this class of mounds were artificial has been proved from the fact that in them have been found relics of old British art, such as were worn by the Britons, as well as rude utensils and weapons of war. * See Oliver, Zbc anglo^Sayon perioC). THERE is indisputable evidence that during the Roman occupation of our island the number of the inhabitants rapidly increased, and that in the practice of arms and the arts of life they had greatly improved. The resistance they offered to the Jutes, Saxon, and Angles, is evidence of this. The Jutes came over in 449, and after twenty years of conflict, founded the Kingdom of Kent. In a.d. 477, the Frisians, or old Saxons, made an incursion in three ships, and after twenty years established the Kingdom of the South Saxons or Sussex. Then in a.d. 495, came Cedric in five ships, and after twenty-four years fighting founded the Kingdom of the West Saxons or Wessex. In a.d. 530, another horde arrived, and founded the Kingdom of the East Saxons or Essex. Ten years later the Angles, under Ubba their chief, established themselves in East Anglia, which included Suffolk and Norfolk, and part of Lincolnshire. During these years North Lincolnshire was apparently free from 30 OLD GRIMSBY. invaders, but in a.d. 549, Ida, with a tribe of Angles, established a footing in the North of England, and about a.d. 585 occurred the seventh invasion, when the Angles succeeded in forming the Kingdom of Mercia which embraced the counties of Chester, Derby, Nottingham, and North Lincolnshire, besides other counties. These conquests they retained, and succeeded in giving their name to the land of the Britons, which from their time has been called England, a term derived from Angli. The story of the British youths exposed for sale in the Roman forum, and Gregory's exclamation, '^ non Angli sed Angeliy' '' not Angles but Angels," is well known. From Caesar to Agricola a period of 135 years elapsed before the Romans were victorious. From Agricola to Maximinus 330 years transpired. During this long period a stupendous change had been effected in Britain. Military roads had been constructed from one end of the island to the other. Roman civilization and its attendant advantages had been introduced, and the villas, gardens, and walks of Rome had been reproduced. Bridges and other works of public utility had been made, and the rigid order and strict justice of I THE ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD. 31 Roman municipal laws been to some extent enforced. To set against these advantages was the loss of independence and the heavy cost of military occupation, the maintenance of an army of 50,000 men, leading to a grinding taxation which greatly impoverished the people. The Romans finally retired from Britain in 436. They were followed by the Picts and Scots, who crossing the Solway, destroyed all before them, causing the hunted natives to fly in despair, many of whom perished of hunger in the caves and woodlands, to which they had fled for shelter. Driven to despair, Vortigern, their leader, appealed to the Romans for help, and finding them power- less to assist him, invited the Angles, whose leaders, Hengist and Horsa, a couple of cheftians who were on a piratical cruise in the English Channel, landed in Kent about the year 470. They soon afterwards treacherously turned upon their British allies, and gradually established themselves along the entire eastern seaboard to Lincoln. From 211, the year that the Roman Emperor Severus died at York, to the accession of Carausius in 286, history is almost silent respecting the affairs of Britain. Richard of Cirencester, the 32 OLD GRIMSBY. famous chronicler, made only one entry, which states that " During these times the Roman armies confined themselves within the walls, and all the island enjoyed a profound peace." Nor did they **make a solitude and call it peace," for the bravery of the natives prevented them from so doing, and they had their reward, for during this period they so improved the country that a Roman orator declared it to be matchless ** as a land so stored with corn, so flourishing in pasture, so rich in variety of mines, ... on all its coasts furnished with convenient harbours, and universal in its circuit and extent," while Eumenius panegerised it as '^ Britannia, and happier than all other lands ; enriched with the choicest blessings of heaven and earth." Though this description was specially applicable to the southern and midland provinces as far as its rich valleys and pleasant pastures were con- cerned, this part of the island contributed to and shared in the general prosperity of the country, for its naval supremacy rose to a height "' which it only subsequently attained in the days of Alfred."* It is impossible to learn what was the pro- portion of the British population to the Roman, Hr Knight's Pic. His. Eng., Vol. I., p. 32. THE ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD. 33 and what the Gaulish or Teutonic element as compared to the British. It was evidently a very mixed population, of which we know but little. For a century and a half thick darkness seemed to overspread the history of our country. The Anorlo-Saxon writers record little but accounts of o battles and slaughters, and Macaulay, in his History of England, states that Hengist and Horsa, Vortigern and Rowena are mythical persons whose very existence may be questioned, and whose "adventures must be classed with those of Hercules and Romulus." The Saxons soon made an impression upon the customs and common life of the nation, and we have amongst us to this day a remarkable blending of Roman and Saxon remains. While our January (from Janues), March (Mars), July (Julius), August (Augustus), remind us of the former ; our Wednesday (Woden), and Thursday (Thor), remind us of the latter. The period of Saxon supremacy in England was one of incessant wars, and great suffering. This part of the country, however, appears to have been comparatively unaffected by the incessant conflicts, and the inhabitants of Grimsby lived in comparative seclusion, and consequently in peace. Zbc Danish Iperiob^ IF the inhabitants of Grimsby enjoyed com- parative quiet during the Saxon Invasion and supremacy, they possessed no such immunity during that of the Danes. They were made to feel the full force of the tempest of war and rapine, which raged over our island during the latter period, for the invaders made the H umber one of their principal places for landing in this county. The first invasion of the eastern coast by the Danes was in S66, and the conquest of North- umbria and East Anglia was soon followed by the submission of Mercia. The mouth of the Humber was like an open gate to the Danes, who landed apparently at Humberstone, and ravaged Lincolnshire from end to end. Several of the churches near the coast such as Stow, Scartho, and Tetney, still bear traces of fire in the stones re-used in their re-building. '^ Our early historians all agree that in 870, * Murray's Hand- Book, Lincolnshire. THE DANISH PERIOD. 35 Hubber, Ubber, or Ubbo, son of Lodbrok, King of Denmark, landed at Humberstone, having crossed from the Yorkshire coast. He wintered with his brother Hengier at Thetford, and in the spring they engaged and defeated Edmund, King of East AngHa, and over-ran and annexed the whole of the county. The " Hubbards Hills " in various parts of this neighbourhood are believed to commemorate the powers of this redoubtable warrior. The name '* Humberstone," some writers suppose, may be a corruption of Hubbastone, the transition from the one to the other being facilitated by the proximity of the great river. Nor is it altogether impossible that Hunger Hill at Aylesby, near to Humberstone and Grimsby, is the corrupt rendering of Hinguar Hill."^ The mixed characters of the wild adventurers who flocked to the standard of the Raven under those lawless Vikings, is believed to account in part for the various nationalities which apparently took root in Lincolnshire under Danish auspices, and of which so many memorials remain, as the force led by these brothers, was composed of Danes, S weeds, Norwegians, and Russians, * Lincolnshire and the Danes, p. 92. 36 OLD GRIMSBY. desperate adventurers ready to fight under any sky or any flag, if but a bold leader offered them the chance of victory. The name " Danes " was given by the Anglo- Saxons to the Northmen, but they were not exclusively natives of Denmark, their home was the sea. The leaders of early expeditions consisted largely of the younger sons of the aristocracy, who were excluded by the law of primogeniture from any share in the land, and consequently engaged in roving expeditions, the success of which led them to attempt permanent conquests. The son of a king or chief who had a maritime command was termed a Viking, and the name has been applied generally to these fierce captains, and also to their savage warriors whose ravages so afflicted this country. Such a Viking was Gryme, who speedily followed in the wake of the first invaders. He was a wild and successful rover, who, having been banished for life, invaded the H umber with a fleet of twenty vessels filled with Berserkers, who, on landing, fought with extraordinary power and took possession of Spurn. From thence Gryme came to Grimsby, where he found " the swamps in- habited by a few families of the ancient population, THE DANISH PERIOD. 37 whose fishing coracles were moored in the creek or haven which ran by the foot of an artificial hill, afterwards called Holme Hill, where was a rough pillar to represent their god, and a circle of stones where the Abbey was subsequently built." These subdued, Gryme built a few huts with timber from Bradley Wood on a stream of fresh water, which site was called Dane's gate. He built also a tower of rough stones on Holme Hill as a depository for the marine spoils he took from the vessels he captured. It is probable that Gryme took possession of the port in the name of his own monarch, and afterwards held it as the property of the Danish Crown. He made it the centre of excursions into the surrounding country, where his wild hordes committed frightful ravages. They entered the village of Tetney, and put the greater part of the inhabitants to the sword, whose bodies were buried in an open space in the centre of the village. His success was an incentive for others to follow in his wake, and shortly crowds of hungry fortune-seekers landed on our coasts. Before the death of Canute, Lincolnshire was colonized by the Danes. If the reader will place side by side a map of Lincolnshire and a map of 38 OLD GRIMSBY. Denmark, he will see many names so much alike that he might imagine the countries were the same. Such names as Abye, Dalbye, Kirkbye, Careleby, Holbeck, and Tofte on the map of Denmark, with many others quite as familiar in form and sound, will show him that the old Vikings frequently made their way into England across the German Ocean ''on what they called their sea-horses," and '' found in the Humber mouth an open gate to some of the richest pastures in England." There appears to have been three main streams of these colonists into Lincolnshire, which have been designated the Grimsby, Trent, and Alford streams."^ It is with the first that we have to do. They landed here in large numbers at different times, and spread into the neighbouring country with great rapidity. Let the eye run over the map from Grimsby to Brigg, and names ending in " by," as Laceby, Riby, Keelby, Brocklesby, Barnoldby, Bonby, Worlaby, Saxby, Ulceby, will show how the invaders took possession of the property of others or settled upon unclaimed lands almost everywhere. In 991, the Danes were bought off with 10,000 * Lincolnshire and the Danes, p. 8. THE DANISH PERIOD. 39 pounds of silver; three years later with 16,000. In looi with 24,000, in 1007 with 36,000; and in 1012 with 48,000. A pound of silver was worth about three pounds of modern money, and would have purchased eight oxen or fifty sheep. During twenty years the people of this island paid 134,000 as Danegelt, equal in value to 6,700,000 sheep or 1,072,000 oxen. The ordinary price of a hide of land was about five pounds of silver, so that the tribute alone was equal to the fee simple of all the land of Norfolk and Suffolk, or nearly one tenth of the whole acreage of England. This culminated in the terrible and treacherous massacre of the Danes, which took place on the 13th November, 1002, when men, women, and children were indiscrimin- ately butchered. Then retribution followed. The King of Denmark came with an immense fleet, not for plunder or tribute, but for conquest. His commands were to carry on a war of exter- mination, to ravage the fields, burn the houses, and put every male to the sword. The people, divided among themselves, resisted in vain, and in 1 01 7, Canute the Dane was sole King of England. His power was irresistible, and he used it with great wisdom and moderation. He 40 OLD GRIMSBY. determined to govern his new kingdom with justice, and to observe the right in all things, commanding all unto whom he entrusted the government, as they wished to preserve his good will and save their own souls to do no injustice to poor or rich. '' Let," said he, "those who are noble, and those who are not, equally obtain their rights, according to the laws, from which no deviation shall be allowed, either from fear of me, or for the purpose of enriching my treasury. I want no money raised by injustice." He died in 1035. Though there was doubtless a great disruption of the existing order of things, yet the Danes did not extirpate the inhabitants, but amalgamated with them. Many owners and occupiers of the land were compelled to retire, but that many remained is proved by the fact that while the Danes gave their names to numerous places, others retained their old ones, as is seen in Frodingham, Bottesford, Immingham, Waltham, Holton, Brigg, Caistor, Binbrook, and other places. The Danish place names of Chitourpe, Hecon- ville, and Hantot, are reproduced by Cleethorpes, Haconnby, and Huttoft. Conisby, the name of THE DANISH PERIOD. 41 a Dutch chieftain ; Bonby, from Bondeloi, an owner of land and stock ; Fotherby, from the old Norse, food, fadder ; Goxhill, haller, a slope ; Beelsby, o. n., Ojarg, a low range of hills ; Coleby, o. n., Kollr ; Cleeness, Skegness, from ness, a promontory ; Stather, from Stoir, a harbour. The name of Ulterby (d.b., Iterbi), now extinct, is found in ancient documents. It represented a part of Clee now submerged, and would appear to be identical in meaning with Utterby, denoting "out station." Perhaps its name was taken from its nearness to the sea. Sixhills. The name does not at all describe the natural features of the neighbourhood, and it is surmised that it is a corruption of a Norse name as Sysla. A part of Bradley Wood is known as Bradley Glen, in which it is easy to recognise the old Norse geire, a triangular piece of land. It lies apart from the main wood, and still retains its triangular shape. Habrough, eight miles from Grimsby, which may be rendered Hill-fort, is from old Norse Huborg, the equivalent of Highbury. It does not stand on any particular elevation, but it 42 OLD GRIMSBY. crowns the first slope of the wold, as it rises from the sea marsh bordering the H umber. ^ Finding as we do the words gates substituted for street and road ; becks, for streams ; fitties for meadows bordering on the sea ; stathers, for landing-places ; when we hear of barfs, cars, and nesses ; when we find lands are known as sleights ; hills as hows and nabs ; fords as wathes ; and fold-yard as stack-garth, we feel sure that we are moving among scenes where Scandinavians once lived and flourished. The Danes were most immoderate drinkers, and their example had a pernicious effect upon the English. Indeed drinking became so common that attempts at Temperance reformation had to be made in those early times. Only one ale- house was allowed for a village. Pin-drinking, as it was called, was introduced. Tankards, with pins or pegs fastened at given distances, were used ; and a law passed that '' whosoever should drink beyond those marks at one draught should be liable to a severe punishment." This does not appear to have proved effectual, for a statute was made ^'that priests, monks, and friars, should not drink to or at the pins." * Lincolnshire and the Danes, p. 173. THE DANISH PERIOD. 43 If an Englishman presumed to drink in the presence of a Dane, without first obtaining his permission, he was considered to have offended his conqueror, an insult so great that nothing but instant death could expiate it. Indeed, the English "were so imtimidated, that they would not venture to drink even when invited, until the Danes had pledged their honour for their safety," and so great was the danger incurred even after the permission had been obtained, that the man who pledged the drinker stood by, weapon in hand, to protect him. The successors of Gryme set an idol on Holme Hill, named Sauntovile, which had four heads, two looking into the sea and two westward into the country. Around this idol they danced till they were in a state of frenzy, when holding their religious festivals. (Brimeb? after the donqueet. WILLIAM the Conqueror, in the division of his newly-acquired kingdom, gave Grimsby to three of his followers, Drogo de Benzere, Ralf de Mortimer, and his half-brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux. The latter had a ferry worth £2f^ a year. It was not long, however, before Odo fell into disgrace, and his property was confiscated, and soon afterwards the whole of the town passed into the hands of the King, and was let by him to Radulfus, the son of Drogo, who held it as a fee farm rent. In 1158, Henry II. seized it for arrears amounting to ^169, but Radulfus' sons furnished the King with such a number of hawks, that he ordered the debt to be discharged. We have but few records of what the town was like at that time. Dr. Oliver states that Domesday Book makes mention of two churches in Grimesbi belonging to William de Perei and Ralf de Mortimer, but no information is afforded respecting their founders. The Rev. J. Wild CxRIMSBY AFTER THE CONQUEST. 45 thinks it " extremely probable that the doctor mixed up the account of Little Grimsby with that of Great Grimsby." It is certain, however, that in 1 1 lo, but a short time after the Conquest, there were two churches existing, St. Mary's and St. James'. The people of Lincolnshire embraced Chris- tianity quite readily, and some of the very earliest churches in the kingdom are found round Grimsby and Caistor. About iiio, the Abbey of Wellow, Grimsby, was founded by Henry I. for the Black Canons, and it was dedicated to St. Augustine. It was situated on a conical hill, and supplied with fresh water by a crystal spring which gushed out from the side of the hill, over which was erected the abbot's kitchen. The stream produced by this spring was sufficient to work a mill, which stood at the foot of the hill eastward from the abbey, without the cemetery, and at the entrance of the abbey-yard. The hill contained about ten acres, on which stood a court enclosed with a wall and ditch. There was also a grange for the residence of the abbot, the whole was occupied by gardens, orchards, and offices belonging to the abbey. The revenues of the monastery were considered 46 OLD GRIMSBY. ample, amounting to ^152 7s. 4d., a large sum for those days. These were enjoyed until the dissolution of the religious houses, when the abbot and canons, influenced no doubt by Arch- bishop Whitgift, ''upon full deliberation, for certain just and reasonable causes especially moving them in their souls and consciences," did ''freely and of their own accord, surrender and grant King Henry VIII., in the year 1539, this house, with all its revenues, rights, and appurten- ances whatsoever." The possessions thus relin- quished amounted to more than seven hundred acres of land, besides manors, tithes, advowsons, mills, tenements, rights of common, and other appurtenances. Six years afterwards Henry granted, by letters patent, dated May 22nd, 1545, the whole to Sir Thomas Heneage and the Lady Katharine, his wife, and their heirs, male, for ever, the whole of the above, in exchange for the lordship and manor of Barton-upon-H umber ; to hold all the premises of the said King and his successors, in capite, by the service of a whole knight's fee. Only two seals of this monastery are known, of which autotype illustrations are given in " Lincolnshire Notes and Queries," vol. I., GRIMSBY AFTER THE CONQUEST. 47 opposite page 65, from impressions in the collec- tion of Mr. John Hopkin, of Grimsby. Henry III. interested himself in its welfare, at the same time taking care not to be a loser by doing so, for on November 20th, 1239, "The bailiffs of Grimsby were commanded by that monarch not to detain from the abbot of Grimsby ^11 per annum which he had been accustomed to receive as tythe of the farm of the town, because the King demanded the tythe of the mill of Kaldehall, which pertained to the. manor of Grimsby." It continued to experience varying fortunes under different monarchs, until Henry VIII. determined to abolish these establishments. This abbey at Grimsby appears to have deserved its fate if the charges made against its officials were true, for in 1539, when the abbey was surrendered to the King, the document con- veying it to his Majesty commences : '' I, Robert (Whitgift), Abbot of the Monastery of Wellow in Grimsby, knowi7tg the misorder and evil of the brethren, do freely, in the discharge of my con- science, surrender, give, and grant, without any enforcement, in consideration of the evil dis- position of the brethren of the said Monastery," etc. Whatever may be thought of the abbot's 48 OLD GRIMSBY. conscience and the freeness of the surrender, there is no doubt that the abbey was no longer helpful to the cause of true piety, and was in bad repute with the people owing to the scandalous lives of its rulers, and their disputes among them- selves. A commission had been appointed to enquire into the truth of certain charges, when the commissioners found that not only were the lands ''improperly cultivated," and the buildings fallen into decay, but that the conduct of the abbot had been such as was "utterly discreditable and scandalous." They found that the charges of having misappropriated an estate of 120 acres of land called Sandhowe, and assigned it to a French lady, his mistress, whom he kept in the greatest magnificence ; of putting the canons upon short commons, composed of eggs, with bread, and water to wash it down, while he and his lady fared every day on fish, flesh, and fowl, and drank the richest wines, were fully proved. He was deposed from his office, and John de Thorpe appointed his successor. There was also a nunnery in Grimsby, called ST. Leonard's nunnery. This building "was situated," says Oliver, "on a GRIMSBY AFTER THE CONQUEST. 49 pleasant and healthy eminence, (?) which still retains its name, at the junction of two principal roads leading into the town. It was surrounded by corn-fields ; had gardens and orchards in front, and was supplied with fresh water by a pure rill, constantly flowing from the fields." The date of its foundation is uncertain. That it was established prior to 1185 is proved by a bull of Pope Lucius II., dated from Verona, a.d. 1 185. It was also mentioned still earlier in a bull, directed to the abbots of Thornton and Newsham, issued by Pope Alexander III. (1159- 1181), who had a controversey with Henry II. respecting Thomas a Becket, who opposed the King's efforts to establish the supremacy of the State over Church and clergy. The nunnery could not have been very large, as it only contained a prioress and seven nuns. It was endowed with the patronage of Little Coates Church, in the 6th Edward I. (1278), which became appropriate in the 6th Edward II. (13 1 3), and the bailiffs of Grimsby paid annually to the prioress 8s. 8d. The annual revenues, according to Dugdale, were ^9 14s. yd., but Leland makes them ^10, while Speed puts them at ;^i2 3s. 7d. 50 OLD GRIMSBY. It was destroyed by fire in the thirteenth century, and was re-built by the celebrated Bishop of Lincoln, Robert Grosteste, and Sir Thomas Hasterton, of Aylesby, the latter of whom was buried in its cemetery, and to whose memory a highly - decorated monument was erected. It appears to have been destroyed a second time by fire, for in a charter granted by Henry IV., we find the following: — ''We are fully informed by the report of many trustworthy persons how a great part of the edifices of the Nuns of the poor House of S. Leonard of Grymesby in the County of Lincoln has lately been miserably burnt up by the sudden occur- rence of a furious fire, and lies devastated, and that divers lands and possessions of the said Nuns of no small yearly value, through the raging of the sea and the inundations of other great waters, have come to be desolate and worthless, to the grievous detriment and manifest deterioration of the site. From the lamentable address of the Prioress and Nuns of the said house, we have learnt that they are from the aforesaid cause by no means sufficient to re-build the said edifices, and support the other burdens incumbent on the same house, unless pious succour is given them GRIMSBY AFTER THE CONQUEST. 51 from other sources." The King "piously com- passionating their indigence " by his special grace, '^granted to a certain Nun of the said house" procuratorial letters giving authority for her to pass through any parts of the dioceses of York, Lincoln, and Norwich, to collect gifts from the "faithful," and requiring all "Prelates and Ecclesiastical persons, Sheriffs, Mayors, Bailiffs, Constables, and others, our ministers," to " main- tain, protect, and defend the said Nun," and declaring that if any hindrance, damage, violence, or inconvenience were offered her, it would be duly corrected and reformed. In Bishop Fordham's Register, Ely (fol. 207), occurs the following relating to this subject : — " 1408. May 27th. Forty days' Indulgence granted to all giving assistance to the poor and religious women, the Prioress and Nuns of S. Leonard's Priory outside Grymesby, Lincolnshire, whose houses and edifices and the goods contained therein have been accidently burnt, non sua cuppa sed horribili incendio jain noviter ingruente.'' Another religious house was THE HOSPITIUM, OR HOUSE OF HOSPITALERS, OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM, 52 OLD GRIMSBY. This building is said to have owed its origin to the suggestion of King John, who, while on a visit to the town, discovered that it was the resort of many strangers who frequented its marts for commercial purposes, and found but scanty means for accommodation. The abbot of Wellow, by whom the King was entertained, undertook to erect a building. The site and the house which stood upon it was given by Robert de Bassingbourne, whose son Allan endowed it after it was built by the abbot, assisted by the merchants and gentlemen of the town. It stood on one of the hills adjoining the nunnery, which was known as Spittal Hill, without the Bar, by the road leading to Laceby and the heart of the county. There are a few references to it as the Spital House in the Corporation Records. In 1389, 1 2th Richard II., there is a reference to a grant by John Wynde, of Boseworth, chaplain to Sir Wm. Luscy, of Grimesby, subject on a rent pay- able to the Fraternity of the Hospital of St. John. There is also a letter from Henry VIII., addressed "To oure trusty and welbiloved the Maire of oure towne of Grymmesby and to the GRIMSBY AFTER THE CONQUEST. 53 Burgesses of the same," respecting William Thomlynson, "how that he hath of the graunts of the late Maire and Burgesses their sufficient letters undre the common seel of our said Spitle- house . . . without the Barregates there and procuratorie of the same for . . . (life) as by his said letters which he shewed unto us, that you now entende to expell and put the said William out of the same w^out ... of cause reason- able, contrary to the said graunte, right, and good conscience. We, entending justice indifferently to be ministered unto every o' subgittes, wol that ye permitte and suffre the said W^illiam peasibly to enjoy the said house as he hertofore hath according to his said graunte w^out any manner of interrupcion to the contrary, unles that ye have any cause reasonable to be showed before us and oure Counsaill why ye shulde interrupte hym of the same ; and if ye any suche cause have, then that ye certifie us and o' Counsaill therof to thentent that we, by thadvis of oure said Counsaill, may so ordre the matier in eschew- ing of us further suyte and vexaccion. And that ye faille not thus to doo as ye tendre o' pleasure. Geven undre o"* signet, at o'' Mano' of Grene- wich, the xiiijth day of Aprill. W. At water." 54 OLD GRIMSBY. " W. Atwater" succeeded Cardinal Wolsey as Bishop of Lincoln in 15 14. An old court book contains the following memorandums : — '' That William Glasyner, then Maire of Grimesby . . . and dyverse odir Burges sold to Steven del See and to dyvers mo iiij'"' esch trese growyng in the Spetyll Garthes of Grimesby for iij^' vj^ viij'^ to the expenc' to be made to our Sofferane Lord our Kyng, and to our gode Lord the Erelle of Westmorland, and to his Cousell, for the grete necessite and wellefare of the said town. Proviso Semper that as sone as the forsaid townchippe may hafe godes in comon for the town, thai schall spend and ware on and for the said Spetyall House at dyvers tymes 5 marcs (fo. 46b). 15th Charles I. " Gervase Holies, esq., late Mayor, delivers to Wm. Booth, now Mayor, the Keys, Seal, and Mace, four statue books, the next extent, one old book of Charters, four silver crests, and the old ordinances ' et terrar le Sipptle- howse ' (Spittehouse)." ^be ®ID Borough. GRIMSBY is said to have been a Borough by prescription as early as the seventh century. We have not been able to find any documentary proof that such was the case, but it is clear from existing records that it was one before the Norman Conquest, for at that time it was held as a Borough of the Crown at a fee farm rent. Twenty-two new boroughs were created by Edward, Mary added fourteen to the number, and Elizabeth during her reign made sixty-two. THE MAYOR. The election took place on the Tuesday next ensuing the exaltation of Holy Cross. The method was by placing the names of two alder- men on the Lete or Leet by the Council, and the freemen voted for which one of them they thought proper, the votes were taken in the transept of St. James' Church. In the event of the voting being equal, the coroners were entitled 56 OLD GRIMSBY. to give the casting vote. When this method was adopted the records do not say, but the custom continued until the passing of the Municipal Reform Bill. The Corporation ordinances empowered and called upon the Mayor to regulate the trade of the town and its morals. He was to search out offenders against the King's laws, and prevent or punish offenders without partiality. He had no power, however, to inflict personal chastisement, which was the sole prerogative of the County magistrates, but he could levy fines, one of the profits of which were assigned to himself "These fines were sometimes heavy; under 39 Elizabeth, Sir William St. Poll, Knight, was fined £4.0 for not appearing to take upon him the office of Mayor when elected and Alderman Booth was fined ^20, for his "contempt against this Court for not going to church according to custom, after he was placed upon the Lite." James H., granted on September 15th, 1688, letters patent, making the Mayor and Burgesses of Grimsby a corporate body, with Recorder, Aldermen, Coroners, Common Councilmen, Bailiffs, Common Clerk, and bestowing various privileges upon them. These letters are on THE OLD BOROUGH. 57 three skins, with part of the Great Seal of Green Wax, and is among the Corporation Records. It appears that '^ Mayor Choosing" was not perfectly unanimous in those days, nor did the choice always give entire satisfaction to all the burgesses. One of them was charged with say- ing in the Common Hall " wordes unseemlye and verye thretnelye," while another " manifestlye seyde before Mr. Mayor and his brethren he prayed God that the puttying in of Mr. Empyngham into the Hall, and the stoute doynges, were not a further troble unto the town." (Dec. 2, 1564). The Mayor and bailiffs as lords of the manor, held a court leet and view of Frank- Pledge, and a court baron for Grimsby, twice a year, and similar courts were also held by them at Clee, as lords of the manor there. The Mayor held his court at pleasure, but was obliged to give a personal notice to every burgess, by his Serjeant, on the preceding Sunday. Every burgess was bound by his oath '' to come to the mayor's summons when lawfully required, and not to absent himself without a cause reasonable to the mayor notified." Delinquents were liable to be fined 4d., and the fine was frequently enforced. 58 OLD GRIMSBY. Inthe reign of Elizabeth the fine was made I2d. for a burgess, and 2od. for an alderman. The Corporation records show that these full courts were not summoned very frequently. The Recorder, or his deputy, presided at the Quarter Sessions of the Borough, and the justices met weekly for the despatch of business. The Mayor possessed the power of holding another court, for trying actions of debt, and breaches of the peace. The bailiffs were also empowered to hold a similar court every Friday, for the determination of actions brought against any inhabitant of Grimsby who was not a freeman. As early as 1553 or 1554 proceedings were taken against Robert Wright, "" burgess of Grimsby," at the suit of John Watson for *' slanderously misreporting and calling the sayd John villayn and knave in Great Grimsby in the churchr The Mayor was annually elected by the votes of the burgesses. They were summoned by the rinofinof of the Moot-bell, to attend when the Mayor presided over a full court, or what was known as a "Court Leet or Baron." A passing bell was tolled when a Mayor went out of office, to denote his municipal death. The ringing of a THE OLD BOROUGH. 59 bell at nine In the morning announced the com- mencement of business, and the knell of the curfew at eight in the evening, marked its conclusion. ALDERMEN. When this office was first established in Grimsby it is not easy to learn. Dr. Oliver could not find any mention of this functionary earlier than the reign of Henry VII., "where power is given to any aldermen who has passed the chair to transact the ordinary business of the Corpora- tion in the absence of the Mayor." I have carefully gone through the Report of the Histori- cal Manuscripts Commission on Grimsby, and the earliest reference I can discover is in connection with depositions taken at Louth, 5 Sep., 1581, where among the witnesses is " Robert Empring- ham, gent, and alderman^ In the same report I find in connection with Bury St. Edmunds, reference to an Alderman of that place, as early as 3 Temp. Henry III. and under 4 Henry III., I find a "Geoffrey, son of Robert, Aderman." In the reign of James I., it was unanimously decreed '' at a full Court, that hereafter there shall be twelve aldermen, including Mayor, and no 6o OLD GRIMSBY. more, all of whom shall be resident, and dwell within the limits of the borough ; and if one shall happen to die, that then the said number of twelve shall be made up out of the ancient and fittest burgesses, within one month next after their decease." It was also provided that if any aldermen went out of the town to dwell, and remained non-resident for the space of three months, he should "lose his place" and another choosen out of the most ancient and fittest of the burgesses. ^' This to continue for ever, without being revoked, frustrated, or disannulled. " The Old Town Hall was erected on an open space at the angle formed by High Street and Bethel, and was called the Hall-gate or Hall Garth, being the Manor House, Moot-hall, or Court of the Mayor and Burgesses. It was a very plain and unpretentious building, being constructed of a skeleton of beams fancifully arranged, and the interstices filled in with lath and plaster. It had a high-pitched roof thatched with reeds, and a large gable projecting two feet from the walls that they might not be injured by the dropping of water from the canes. The interior consisted of one chamber, besides a small room as an archive for the records and monu- THE OLD BOROUGH. 6i ments. There were shops underneath this chamber. The place was so small that on occasions when the burgesses came in considerable numbers they usually adjourned to the transept of the church, which was close by. THE FREEMEN. From the earliest records we find that there has been from time immemorial a division among the people of this country, namely, franklins and villeins. During the Roman invasion the original inhabitants were in most parts of the country reduced to a condition of servitude. Under the Saxons we find Thanes, and Ceorls, the owners and cultivators of land, who had certain rights as to land and other property, without, however, any share in the government of the country. Ceorls, says Hallam, were almost identical with the villeins, who were obliged to remain upon the estate of their lord, who could reclaim his person if he ventured to stray, by suit in a court of justice. Very early in English history, these however, were denominated serfs. Rodger de Hoveden, in his collection of the Laws of William the Conqueror, gives what has 62 OLD GRIMSBY. been called that Monarch's Magna Charta, which secured certain privileges to the lowest of the people. Notwithstanding this, however, these privileges were largely confined to the residents. The " foreigner " was subjected to numerous disqualifications. He was debarred from en- gaging in trade. Witness the following ordinances made in the reign of Henry VH. '' No foreigner shall bring provisions of any kind into this town to sell, but upon the market-days ; nor shall a foreigner at the public fair on St. Bartholomew's Day, keep any shop for the sale of such provisions under a penalty of 1 2d. ; and no landowner shall let any shop or tenement to a foreigner for the said purpose, upon pain of forfeiting I5d. to the Mayor and burgesses ; nor shall any householder expose in his window such provisions for sale belonging to a foreigner under a fine of i id. for each offence." Even on the market-day the ** foreigner" was charged double tolls. He could not cross the Humber by the common ferry without being charged a double fare. If they broke the King's peace, did ^^ give any burgess rebukeful words, or do anything against the articles of this ordinance made, or against the statutes of Mr. Mayor's pro- THE OLD BOROUGH. 63 clamation ; any Alderman, who was formerly mayor of this burgh, if a mayor be not present, shall put such transgressor in prison, or take sufficient security to answer the offence at the next court." The term " foreigner " was appHed to anyone not residing within the precincts of the borough. An inhabitant of Wellow, who Hved beyond the Blue Stone, though a freeman by right, was excluded from the franchise, even while paying scot and lot to the parish of Grimsby of which it formed a constituent part. In 17 1 2, a full court of Freemen was held to discuss the question of those who did not reside permanently in the town, enjoying the privilege of freedomship. It was resolved that "whereas several freemen, who have left the borough, have recently been in the habit of returning three months before such election, and after having voted, again leave the town, to the prejudice of such freemen as pay scot and lot ; therefore it is ordered that no freemen, whether living in Wellow-gate, or elsewhere, shall, for the future, be admitted to his freedom, or vote at any election, unless he shall have been resident in Grimsby, and paid his scot and lot twelve months before such election." 64 OLD GRIMSBY. The hamlet of Wellow was no part of the borough, and its inhabitants had no vote or any other municipal privilege unless they possessed property in the borough. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, many of the old families began to disappear. Those who had seats in the country, took up their permanent abode in them, while the merchants removed to Hull, which was now a flourishing port. Tradesmen, too, sought a living in other places, so that by the end of the century Grimsby was almost deserted. CHARTERS. On June 20th, 1227, Henry HI. granted by charter to the men of Grimsby, the town and liberties, subject to a fee-farm rent of iii/; saving the King's purprestures and rents, if any. The same monarch. May 27th, 1256, granted a charter conforming the grant of the town, with purprestures, and reducting the fee-farm rent to 50/, but reserving to the King the advowsons of the churches of Grimsby and Scartho. ' On June 4th, 13 19, Edward H. granted to the men of Grimsby the return of the King's writs, immunity from being impleeded without the THE OLD BOROUGH. 65 borough for matters arising therein, and from toll, murage, etc., and extending the two yearly fairs. The provisions of the Charter and suc- ceeding ones are remarkable, as immunity was granted against Minage, a duty paid on corn sold by measure. Pavage, or payments towards the repair of the streets and highways. Pontage^ a tax collected by the Sheriff for keeping all bridges in the county in repair. Stallage, a toll for pitching or erecting stalls in fairs and markets. Lastage, a toll to which the owners of markets and fairs for sale of goods at such markets or fairs. Hausage, exemption from duties in seaports for fastening the cable of a ship. Anchorage, without which duty no person could drop an anchor on the King's ground. Terrage, duty for digging and breaking up earth to set up stalls in fairs and markets. Keyage, the toll paid for loading or unloading merchandise at a quay or wharfe. Passage, hire paid for being conveyed over sea or river by ferry boats. These numerous and valuable immunities extended over the entire kingdom and dominion of England, '' except our city of Westminster." ^be ®l& Cburcb. THIS is a very ancient structure, the date of its erection being uncertain. Formerly Grimsby had two churches, St. Mary's and St. James'. The former had a priest assigned to it, which the latter had not as it belonged evidently to some religious house probably the Abbey of Wellow. A respected alderman who has made the old church of St. James and its history a special study, for nearly half-a-century, has furnished us with the following account which we give with but little alteration or abridgment. From its appearance it would seem to have been built piecemeal, and at first without clerestory. Its form was that of a huge cross laid on the ground. At some early date two bays on each side of the then chancel were taken down and placed sideways, eastward, in the transepts. The west arches and clerestory of transepts are the work of a more recent date, and later still the tower was inserted, which THE OLD CHURCH. 67 accounts for the want of finish of the different arches adjoining it. Unfortunately the foundation of the south-east column is not good, owing to interments too near it. It has given outward some eight inches, and caused the tower to lean at the summit full fourteen inches. The tower used to be a distinctive landmark to mariners, and had probably a lantern on the top of it. From the nave a descent of two steps led at one time into the well (humility), and again a rise of three steps (contrition), on the first landing of the chancel, after this another step (faith), and again one to kneel on (atonement)." During the restoration carried on by Canon Ainsley part of the steps leading to the rood loft were discovered. Hazeltine's monument is shown in old prints to be on the west side of the font. On the north aisle would be the position of the side altar, back unto the wall of transepts nearly over where the heating apparatus cellar is. The unfinished capital of half column at the west signifies the continuance of the gospel of Christ Church Militant. The baptistry would be on the south side of the west entrance on a raised platform ; there are 68 OLD GRIMSBY. tokens of a recess in the south-west corner, perhaps used for the doffing and donning of infants brought for baptism, as also for that of registration and fees. Just outside the south-west corner was found the base of a pedestal for the sundial ; on the north of the west entrance was another raised platform not so high, for the catechumen. In the north-west corner would be the sanctuary. The original porch extended some ten feet further into the churchyard, thus the front of the present one is in a line with the outside wall of the former building. The north side would extend in like proportion ; the porch was considered the least sacred place and in them disputes were settled, secular business transacted, and then ratified at or by the Cross. Some small portions of the old aisles are still remaining. At the rebuilding of the rest the material was brought from the ruins of St. Mary's Church, the sills of the lower west windows appear to have been there at that time, hence perhaps, the design of the others so sadly out of character, there would be four lower windows at the west end, two outer ones somewhat smaller in size, and I should say the west end showed three gables. THE OLD CHURCH. 69 There are evidences of the Lady Chapel at the east end of the chancel extending to within a few feet of the boundary, the east window would be the same height as the present west window, but there was also a south light of narrow, but deeper dimensions ; giving on a clear rrtid-day a marked halo to the altar, and if of stained glass a chaladro hue of rainbow colours. The chancel, so far as the sanctum sactorum section extended, was a stone vaulted roof, of lower pitch outside, denoting the head of our dying Saviour on the Cross. The line of the chancel runs bearing to the south, thus in facing the nave, representing our Saviour's head on the failing of the heart's action inclining to the left. The north-east chantry chapel had a groined stone roof of superior workmanship and design springing from the outer walls and converging to a centre at which point it was supported by a stout round pillar, it is thought there were two chapels on the south-east, probably vestries. There are traces of a second and intermediate row of columns in the aisles, those on the south marking off the cloisters, those on the north the private chapels or shrines. The supposed squint in the chancel was 70 OLD GRIMSBY. restored. Why ? Some think they were used to communicate with lepers or other infectious persons, others for the Aycolites to know at what part of the service to bring in the incense ; most Hkely the latter was the prevailing thought. A Low Church architect might have said it was common in this part of the chancel to have a receptical for the priest's robes. The north aisle has been very much excavated for a resting-place of the more noted dead. Historians tell us it was full of monuments. This unreasonable kind of fancy or pride will account for the columns on that side beine so seriously out of plumb, and which would be not very safe if without the support of the outside walls. It should be understood that in olden times there were no pews, only a few stalls. The congregation had to stand during the long sermons, or bring their seats with them. According to an old print they formed themselves into the shape of a V. At this date worshippers did not always stay the whole of the service, but came and retired as suited them. The vaulting within the church is a very bad practice, but the wet ground around made bad THE OLD CHURCH. 71 worse, sapping the foundations, and very much assisting the decay of the fabric, indeed some seventy years ago the burial ground had very little depth from the surface water until Bransby Harrison, Esq., then churchwarden, to his great credit, laid a drain from it down Wellowgate. An old plan of Grimsby shows that the west entrance of the churchyard was by and through the Dean's grounds, named Boys' Lane and Deansgate. It is also to be noticed that part of the consecrated ground now built upon was used as a garden. Tradition has it the Archdeacon said to the clerk, " How is it when I pay my visitation I find oats growing in the churchyard?" " Yes, Dean," replied the clerk, " I tels parson he ought to set taters sometimes." Such were the encroachments on the church land that the Corporation planted lime trees on the east side to prevent further sacrilege. An old deed in the possession of Mr. William Marshall, saddler, shows his present premises as abutting on High Street, and facing the cathedral close. The parishioners preferred bury- ing their dead on the south side of the graveyard, hence the raising of the earth so much above the base of the church. There is a prejudice against 72 OLD GRIMSBY. burying on the north side ; it was said darkness came from that quarter. The north side is very much above the level ; rubble and rubbish have been spread on it instead of being carted away. The Lay dead were buried facing the east, the priesthood facing the west, so that at the resurec- tion they may meet their flock. A portion of the churchyard near the gate leading to Chantry Lane was allotted for the burial of suicides and felons. An old antiquarian friend says there was a house in the churchyard ; another with less profound knowledge says such never existed. If Joseph Hall and William Douglas were living an appeal might be made to them to decide, both old men when I knew them, and Grimsby characters. The former was very wise beyond his years, the latter was a living chronologer and used to say he could remember what had taken place one hundred years before he was born. I must say, unlearned as he was, he could give dates correctly of occurrences long before his day. He told me he came from a family who treasured a tradition of events, anyway I found the plaster of an old- fashioned house floor in the north-west corner. It was the custom to build in some churchyards a marriage or bride's house — a dwelling of living, THE OLD CHURCH 73 sleeping, kitchen, and entertaining rooms, all furnished even to the linen for the bride's bed, and here, for a time, a newly-married couple might sojourn and entertain their relatives and friends. Many still living can speak of the time when the transepts of St. James' Church were par- titioned from the nave and chancel, the bell ringers exercising from the present floor. The fire engine was kept there. A loft in the east end of the nave, was erected by Mr. Richard Joys. The singing gallery was at the west end where Dr. Ne why's grandfather's famous musical voice was heard, also Gregory Bust Dawson's, the sweet singer of Israel, with the clarionets, flutes, and bass fiddle. Mr. Worth has now a pitch tube, very antiquated, thought to have been used in St. James'. Some of us call to mind the erection of the orofan in that ofallerv then a great wonder for Grimsby, and the opening sermon by the Rev. Mr. Gedge, who said in his discourse, " My friends, do not let the organist and choir have all the music to themselves, but you sing to the glory of God, and the glory of God will come down even to the finger ends of those who may play on that beautiful instrument." Some now living, sons of burgesses, were 74 OLD GRIMSBY. educated in the transepts, and a generation now gone spoke of obtaining their learning in the chantry chapel, which was taken down at the beginning of this century, and the stone is built on the east side of the north transept. Speaking of the time when the Nave and Aisles were boarded off, a funny circumstance occurred. It seems a worthy pair went to St. James' Church one Sunday morning to worship, leaving a son at home to mind and keep the pot boiling, in which was a sheep's head and some short dumplings. As the sheep's head was cooking so the mouth expanded, and he, looking in, saw the dumplings bobbing into the cavity. So fearing there would be none for his dinner, went to call his father from the service, and after repeated gestures to induce him to come home, to settle the matter cried out, "If you don't come soon the sheep's head will swallow all the dumplings." I need scarcely say from that time he was known as " Dumpling Johnny." Benjamin Nuttal, alias ^'Totty," used to tell a tale that he took advantage of pasturing in the churchyard by night. One morning he went to fetch his horse for the early tide, when he saw some resurrection men at work snatching a body. THE OLD CHURCH. 75 Nuttall was carter for the Pelham Steam Packet Company. When the Wesleyans contemplated building the present George Street Chapel, the Rev. James Loutit waited upon the Rev. Daniel De Boudry, Curate-in-charge of St. James', and accosted him as " Brother." The parson said, " I did not know that we were brethren." " Oh, yes," said Mr. Loutit, " we are brethren in Christ." '' Well, well," said the clergyman, " then what is your business, brother." Mr. Loutit replied, '^ Our chapel has become too small for us, the place is too straight ; we want to enlarge our borders by building a more spacious one, and my object is to ask you for a donation to assist us to do so." " No, no," said Mr. De Boudry. "As brethren in Christ, let me say that my church is too large, and your chapel too small, send some of your people to me. ' I have heard old men say that when they were young the clergyman on certain Sundays, to induce them to come to church and attend service, gave them a pint of ale each, the White Hart host supplying the drink. I met an antiquarian gentleman in the church- yard, who observed that in the bygone age he 76 OLD GRIMSBY. saw few tombstones signifying many years of existence of the men. I replied it would be strange if you did, for parliamentary elections used to last for months, and all this time public houses were known as open ones where the voters were treated at the expense of the candidates, and they ate beef fried in butter, and drank strong ale, until, like the Chinaman's over-fed pig, they bursted. James Dixon Brown says one fine hot day he was seeing after the stalls, when a carriage and pair came up, and with orders for him, his men, and some glass and tools to go to Ludbrough, and repair the church windows, as the Rev. Mr. Thorold expected the Rural Dean. Brown asked the bystanders what was a Rural Dean ; they could not tell him, when Thomas Bellamy joined them, and he could not explain. The Rev. Gary Marshall came up, and was asked to explain, when he said, " What, Thomas Bellamy, you a preacher of the Gospel, and not know what a Rural Dean is — he is the Bishop's eye, and sees to repairs of the churches in his deanery, so that nothing in that way may annoy the Bishop." jearli? ZErabe anO (Tommerce. LET the reader now endeavour to form some idea of what Grimsby looked like in these ancient times. Entering the place from Laceby, he would pass the Nunnery on the left, and soon after reach Bargate, from which it is supposed the town wall extended south and north. On his right hand stood the noble Abbey of Wellow, and on the left some mansions occupied by merchants and others, while directly before him stood the '' cathedral like " Church of St. Mary's. Passing through the bull-ring he came to the Market place and Flottergate with a mansion or two in it, and turning to the right proceeded down the 07ie street of the town, and after walking a short distance came to St. Mary's Church surrounded by a churchyard two acres in extent, the whole of which is now covered with buildings. A few yards further down the street and on the same hand stood Clayton Hall, which has since been pulled down, and a block of buildings named Yarborough Terrace now occupies its site. 78 OLD GRIMSBY. Immediately opposite stood a fine row of trees before which in our early days stood a town's pump. A few straggling buildings might probably have stood below the hall, and then he would come to a narrow rivulet which ran into the haven, long known, as it is still, as the River Head. Here his progress would end for he had reached the town boundary, and nothing lay beyond, save a flat dreary marsh, stretching away^ right and left and covered for several days in the fortnight by the tides of the H umber. South of the Abbey he would find a stream which passing by Holme Hill emptied itself into an old haven which long since disappeared. While digging for a cellar near the Lincoln Arms, some workmen came upon a number of very old piles, seven feet from the surface, which it is believed once formed the foundations of a landing stage. At the river head he would find vessels loading or unloading with corn, salt, lime, coals, or wine. Further down he would find a staith in the East Marsh, specially set apart for the Florentine merchants and Easter levies, so called because they were Hanseaatic merchants of the ''steel yard " or merchants whose goods were sold principally by weight. At this place only were EARLY TRADE AND COMMERCE. 79 they allowed to offer their goods for sale, subject to the regulations specified in their charters. The town was early known as an extensive fishing port, and some of its earliest charters contain regulations for this branch of business. Indeed its only rival was Ravenser. This rivalry with Ravenserodd as it was some- times called, dates from a very early period. In an '' Inquisition " taken in the third and fourth years of Edward I. (1274-1276) the men of Grimsby are stated to "say," ''that forty years ago and more [that is, about or before 1235] by the casting up of the sea, sand and stones accumulated, on which accumulation William de Fortibus, then Earl of Albemarl, began to build a certain town which is called Ravenesodd ; and it is an island, the sea surrounds it." The "men of Grimsby," also declared that the people of Ravensodd, carried on forestalling to an extent which injured their town and the surrounding country to the amount of ^100 a year. They also alleged "That the men of the said town of Ravenesodd," go out with their boats (batelli), into the high sea, where there are ships carrying merchandise, and intending to come to Grimsby with their merchandise, the said men 8o OLD GRIMSBY. hinder those ships (from coming to Grimsby), and lead them to Ravenes(er) by force, when they cannot amicably persuade them to go thither." These representatous do not appear to have led to any amicable settlement, for in 1290 the inhabitants of Grimsby appealed to the King alleging that great injury and wrong was being daily done to them. On August ist of the same year, the monarch issued a writ ordering an inquiry to be made, and early in the following September an inquisition was held at Grimsby. The author of the '' Lost Towns of the H umber " has given in that interesting volume the following translation of both the writ and the inquisition, "Edward, by the grace of God, king of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine, to his beloved and faithful Gilbert de Thorneton and Robert de Schaddewrth, saluting. Because we learn from the grave complaint of the mayor and our burgesses of Grymesby that whereas ships with wines, fishes, herrings, and other merchandise from various foreign and home parts have been accustomed to harbour in the port of that town and not elsewhere in those parts, and to sell those goods and merchandise them, and to pay the customs thence arising in part payment of the farm of that our town by the hand of our bailiffs there, the bailiffs and men of Isabella de Fortibus, Countess of Albemarl, of the town of Ravenserod which she has caused to be built anew in a certain island within the sea distant ten or twelve leagues (leucae) from the aforesaid EARLY TRADE AND COMMERCE. 8i town of Grymesby, have arrested for a long time with a strong hand in the sea the ships with the goods contained in them, which in this way have been accustomed so to harbour in our port aforesaid, and with threatening and force have compelled, and from day to day do compell them to turn aside to the aforesaid new town and to remain there, and there to sell their merchandise, so that these, our men, by such compulsion and subtraction, are so impoverished that they are not able to pay us the debt due to us for the farm of the aforesaid town, unless such hips may be able to harbour at our port aforesaid without hindrance of the said men of Ravenserod, as they were before that town was founded. And they have been accustomed to hold a certain market, which the said countess causes to be proclaimed and held these without warrant. We, being unwilling any longer to sustain such unrepaired injury so done to us or our men aforesaid, but desiring to aid our said men if they have been so oppressed with injustice, appoint you to enquire, by the oath as well of knights as of other upright and loyal men of the county of Lincoln, by whom the truth of this matter may be better known, concerning the hindrances and forestalling of ships aforesaid, whether these things have been done to our injury or that of our men, or the depression of our town of Grymesby aforesaid, and by whom, or by whose order [these things have been done], and at what time, and by what warrant, the aforesaid market has been proclaimed and held, and to what amount our aforesaid town of Grymesby, by the aforesaid cause, has been deteriorated . . . also the full truth concerning all other circumstances done there, with the contingences of every kind. And therefore we command you that on a certain day which shall be appointed for this purpose, you shall go to the aforesaid town of Grymesby, and make inquisition there, and the same . . . make without delay to be sent to us with this writ. We command also our Sheriff of the county aforesaid that at a certain . . . he . . 6 82 OLD GRIMSBY. shall cause to come before you at Grymesby all and such as well knights and other upright and loyal men . . by whom the truth of the matter in the premises may be better known and enquired. In testimony of which these letters . . we have made patents. Witness by me at Leghton, the first day of August in the i8th year of our reign."* The report of the commissioners is as follows : — " Inquisition taken at Grumsby on the Sabbath day next after the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary [8th September] in the 1 8th year of the reign of king Edward, before Gilbert de Thornton and Robert de Schadwrd, appointed by the king's writ to inquire concerning the hindrances and forestallings of ships, which have been laden with various merchandise, and which have been accustomed to come and harbour at Grumsby, done by the men of Rawenserod, and concerning other grievances and injuries done to the men of Grumsby by the men of Raweneserod, by which the aforesaid town of Grumsby has been much deteriorated ; by the jurors undernamed, namely Robert de Rochewell, Sayer Scawin, John de Hanley, Robert de Thoresby, Robert de Abingdon Richard de Newhous, Robert de Maundewile, William de St. Paul de Leysebey, Ralph, Malet de Irby, Hugh de Brakenberg, John son of Roger de Stalingburg, and Benedict de Leysebey, priest, who say on their oath that in the time of King Henry, the father of the present King, at first by the casting up of the sea, a certain small island was born, which is called Rawenserod, which is distant from the town of Grumsby by the space of one tide. And at first fishermen dried their nets there, and a few men begun to dwell and remain there, and afterwards ships laden with various merchandise begun to discharge and sell their merchandise there. And more than this, that the aforesaid * Chancery Inquisition, i8 Edward I., no. 145. EARLY TRADE AND COMMERCE. 83 island is nearer the sea than the town of Grumsby. And because ships can more easily harbour there than at Grumsby. almost all ships stay, discharge and sell there. They say also that Walter, son of Ralph de Seleby, William Brune, Peter de Mari and Hugh de Cotes, together with certain' other unknown persons of the island of Rawenserod, according to their custom, go out with their little boats to ships in the Humber and in the sea laden with various merchandise, and conduct the merchants and sailors to harbour at Rawenser, saying that the burgesses of Grumsby, after their accustomed manner, cheapen the price of things sold there. And they [i.e., the men of Ravenserod] say that a last of herrings is worth but twenty shillings at Grumsby, where [in realty] it is worth forty shiUings. So that by words, offers and bids they detain them so long a time that they cannot come to the chosen port of Grumsby, so that by such fore-stalling the town of Grumsby, in every year after the coronation of the present king, has been impoverished to the amount of 100 marks. They say, moreover that the men of the aforesaid town of Grumsby are not able to pay their farm rent unless [ships] passing by Rawenser may harbour at Grumsby without hindrance at Rawenser — so that the aforesaid town is in part abandoned. Asked during what period had men lived at Rawenserod, they said that forty years ago a certain ship was cast away on Rawenserod, where there was no house then built, which ship a certain person appropriated to himself, and from it made for himself a cabin (scala sive casa) which he inhabited for some time, that there he received ships and merchants and sold them meat and drink, and afterwards others began to dwell there ; and they say that 30 years ago there were no more than four houses (mansiones) there. They say also that before the last four years the men of Grumsby who bought fish and herrings and other merchandise from fishermen and others coming with their ships to Grumsby, did not at once pay the price, but 84 OLD GRIMSBY. reckoned wrongly with the aforesaid merchants, and cheapened that price, and made the merchants stay there until they were satisfied ; and this is another reason why ships do not harbour at Grumsby, as they were accustomed to do. And on account of this fact the town is deteriorated to the amount of 40 pounds. But they say truly that now they faithfully pay those merchants the price agreed between them, and cheapen nothing thereof, so that all merchants coming thither with their merchandise are satisfied within three tides. And they say that Isabella de Fortibus, countess of Albemarl, is lady of the aforesaid island, and takes the profits thereof. And that the men dwelling there, every day, at their own free will, buy and sell fish and herrings and other victuals and other merchandise, nor is there any fixed day to hold a market there. They say, moreover, that the men of Rawenserod take toll, after the manner of a borough, of ships and other merchandise coming thither, as well of those of Grumsby as of other places, namely, of every ship with a rudder laden with herrings, for each last of herrings contained in the ship, 4d., and of every boat (batellus) for each last of herrings, id. And of other ships and boats laden with any other kind of merchandise . . toll . they know not what nor how much. In witness whereof the jurors of this inquisition have affixed their seal." * The people of Grimsby were still unsatisfied, for in little more than a year the case was tried before the court of the King's Bench, when a number of persons were " attached to respond to the pleading of the Mayor and commonality of Grymesby, for what reasons they had violently arrested, by various forces, various merchants, as * Chancery Inquisition, 18 Edward I., no. 145. EARLY TRADE AND COMMERCE. 85 well foreign as native, both in the sea and in the Humber, with their ships and boats laden with wines, fish, and various other merchandise, directing their course towards Grymsby, and wishing to harbour in that port, in order to deal there . . . and had compelled them to go to the town of Ravenserod and there to harbour to remain and to sell their aforesaid merchandise," etc., etc. They were also charged ^'that by other irregular things, they impoverished the town of Grymesby, and done trespass against the king's peace." The result, however, was that the men of Ravenserodd were acquitted and allowed to pursue their calling unmolested until 1 32 1, when a royal letter was addressed to the bailiffs of the place in which they were " admonished," for having seized the crew and cargo of a Scotch ship which had been driven into their harbour '' by the fury of the sea," and ordering them to "cause them to be liberated and disarrested without delay." The men of Grimsby had also to suffer from the encroachments of the Earl of Chester who ''deliberately appropriated to his own use," a large portion of land subject to rent to the corporation, thus depriving the burgesses of their 86 OLD GRIMSBY. rights. Several minor encroachments also caused them serious loss, and at length the Earl of Albemarle, who was patron of Ravenserodd freighted his ships at a staith at that place, which was claimed by the Corporation of Grimsby, and refused to pay the accustomed tolls and dues, and *'not content with thus anticipating their lawful traffic, he even pressed his ships into Grimsby haven, and exposed his merchandise for sale without paying the customary tolls ; by which not only did the corporation sustain a loss of ;^ioo yearly, but it produced much confusion and blood shedding." The bailiffs also complained that the Mayor of Lincoln, one William de Holgate, at the fair in that city, unjustly demanded of the Grimsby merchants, Horseford money, and Gildewit, to the value of ten marks and violation of the Charter of liberties granted by King John ; also that in conjunction with the bailiffs of Nottingham and Torksey, he had, for more than twenty years past, taken tolls at their markets from the burgesses of Grimsby ; and refused to pay the customary tolls in Grimsby market, though the same were lawfully demanded and proved to be chartered rights. EARLY TRADE AND COMMERCE. 87 They had also contests with the Earl of Lincoln, Henry de Lacy, for claiming royal liberties in the borough, such as authority to levy new taxes, to erect a gallows and suspend unruly people upon it ; and the bailiffs of the Earl of Cornwall at Stockwith, for boarding vessels on the Trent and running them ashore, and at the same time demanding a tenth part of the cargoes for their redemption and detaining them, to the spoiling of their fish, if these unlawful demands were not promptly complied with. Robert, of Dunham-upon-Trent, the bailiff of William de Valence of Gainsborough was charged with obstructing their vessels by drawing an iron chain across the river and demanding a toll for passage. A similar offence, it was stated, was also committed by the bailiffs of Roger le Strange at Kynyar Ferry. They had to contend, too, with a curious neighbour in the person of Sir Walter de la Lynde, who took forcible possession of the port and applied the tolls to his own use. This worthy, as we learn from the state records, kept a train of armed retainers at Laceby in his baronial hall there, who were a terror to the country and particularly to the burgesses of Grimsby. When 88 OLD GRIMSBY. the Mayor attended by the bailiffs and town clerk waited upon Sir Walter to expostulate with him of his wild band and their lawless proceedings, he was so incensed that he caused those dignitaries to be shut up in his dungeons and ordered a gallows to be prepared for their immediate execution, and though, when his wrath was somewhat abated, he recalled the order, he caused them to be placed in the ducking stool, and after seeing them ''soused to his hearts content, sent them back to Grimsby to serve as a lively warning against further deputations to Laceby." At Thoresby, too, there resided another un- desirable neighbour named Richard Messor, who used to stop carts on the highway between Louth and Grimsby, and detain them until certain sums he claimed were paid ; while his brothers Robert and Simon, son of Hugh, not only attacked a certain Alan de Kirketon in the market at Grimsby with drawn knives and clubs, but beat and cruelly handled him so that he was thought more likely to die than live. This they did on the day of St. Clement about the second year of the reign of Edward I. (a.d. 1274), and such transgressions ''they do commonly that they may EARLY TRADE AND COMMERCE. 89 unjustly carry off the goods of the Burgesses and others of Grimsby."'^ The poorer classes, too, complained that the wealthy inhabitants excluded them from all participation in privileges of the borough by monopolising the whole trade to themselves, forestalled their vessels in the H umber, and compelled them to sell the entire cargoes at a low price, and then disposed of them in the Grimsby markets on their own terms. The people on several occasions rose in a body, seized and destroyed the merchandise and ultimately obtained a charter which sought to secure equal justice to all. When Edward II. determined to invade France, he issued a precept to the Mayor and bailiffs of Grimsby ordering them to equip every ship in their port, and join the fleet without delay. The squadron from this town was placed under the command of James Kingston, who was ordered to cruise on the eastern coast, and to capture all vessels, whether of France or any other allies of the Scottish nation with whom he was at war, and to convey them in security to the Humber. * (Rot. Hund : 3 Edward III., p. 292. 90 OLD GRIMSBY. In the reign of Edward III., the trade of the town was so greatly diminished that a petition was presented, praying that the Corporation might be freed from the annual fee-farm rent of ^50, which they found themselves unable to pay. In it the petitioners state that they '*fynde, by olde remembrance, that the town hath bene of grete worshipp, and inhabyte wt many notable marchandes maryners, and craftes maner to the nowmb'r of lij score housaldes and mo, and all is now so decayde and waysted be infortown off were and waystyng of the see, wherby the haven is wrekyd and stopped, by the which the resorte of marchandyes is destroyed, and the bygyng gone doun, so that ther Is not left within the salde Towne, xij men of substance that Is able to repaire the seide towne and uppholde and maynteyne the ilj parysh kyrkes, ij bowses of freies, an Abbey, and a house of nonnes within the selde Towne." They go on to say that "grettest cause of waystyng theroff has bene gret charge that the! had of levelnge and paying of a yerly rentt of 1. 11. over the charge of xj. that is paid to the said Abbay, and yete dayly it waystes and goys away, and none is like ther to abyde ; and that is grete pety, and to the Kyng and his heieres of grete EARLY TRADE AND COMMERCE 91 hurte in that parte of his realme, for it has been a grete strength and shulde be to the countre a safe porte and bay." They further state that they had no certainty of obtaining the '' rente " and it *' yerele undose ij men that be chosen Baylefe for the yen Wherefore thei dar no people cum ther to inhabyt, and so the towne lyke utterly to go away. They ask that the rent may be remitted and "trust to Allyghty God the Towne shall encreese and inhabeth agen." The petition was not without effect, letters patent were issued appointing Robert de Malber- thorpe, Peter de Lydyngton, and Gilbert de Toutheby to inquire into the matter, and the result was that the Corporation was allowed to conduct the waters of the Freshney through the King's soil in the west marshes, into the haven, and the town became possessed of an excellent harbour and a flourishing trade. In the middle ages Grimsby had an extensive trade in malt. In 1369 a licence was granted to Thomas Clidesdale, empowering him to purchase 2,000 quarters of malt at Grimsby, for exportation into Scotland, at the pressing request of the bishop of Glasgow, and in 1375 several licenses were granted for purchases of still greater 92 OLD GRIMSBY. magnitude, and later on other licenses were granted for similar purpose. The " shoppes " at this time were designated by signs, as public-houses are at present, but the latter had a chequer board in addition to the sign. ©it) Sport6 ant) ipaetimee. IN the ''good old times" our ancestors appear to have taken things comfortably, and broken the monotony of their quiet lives with numerous sports and pastimes. One of the most popular of these was Hunting and Baiting the Bear. All classes took part in the sport. Many of the nobles kept their bear-wards, whose duty it was to feed, train, and carry about these animals for the amusement of their masters and their friends and dependants. The fifth Earl of Northumberland, who died in 1527, kept a bear- ward, whose annual reward was twenty shillings. From an Inquisition taken in 1339, it appears that Joan, widow of Thomas de Musgrave of Bleechesdon, in Oxfordshire, held a moiety of one message and one carucate of land of the King ; by the service of carrying one boar-spear, price twopence, to the King, whenever he should hunt in the park of Cornbury, and do the same as often as he should hunt during his stay at Wood- stock. 94 OLD GRIMSBY. Hunting the wild boar was a favourite pastime of the townsmen of Grimsby. The manor of Bradley was held by tenure of keeping in the woods a supply of boars for an annual hunting match, which was officially proclaimed on some particular day after the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. The sport was followed with spirit, and seldom did the day close without bringing down a leash of boars, which provided important dishes for a feast held on the following day. At this feast the newly-elected mayor occupied a seat at the table ; in company with the members of the Corporation and leading gentlemen of the town and district. Before the mayor were placed two boar's heads, and before the marshall, one, and these constituted the chief fare for the festive gathering. The attachment of the members of the Corporation to their ancient dish caused them to secure a provision for it in their agreement for letting the ferry between Grimsby and Hull, at an annual rent of " one good and well-fed boar on the feast day of St. John Baptist, and one quarter of well-fed ox beef and twenty shillings on the feast day of St. Thomas." Most probably the origin of the seal of the Corporation of Grimsby, a chevron between three OLD SPORTS AND PASTIMES. 95 bear's heads, is derived from the custom of huntino- the wild boar. At an Inquisition taken January 4th, 1624, before Michael Emerson, gent, Wm. Marshall, gent, Robert Manby, gent, and Anthony Smyth, by commission from the Court of Exchequer, in a cause between the Corporation and Hustwaite Wright, gent., for the recovery of outrents pay- able out of lands at Bradley, " Laurence Draper of Would Newton, yeomen, aet seventy, says, Grimsby is an ancient haven toune, and he hath known it for fifty years, but it is not so populous nor so much frequented by merchants and mariners as heretofore it hath been. He knows Bradley ; there are two manors there, one of which was anciently called Lord Well's manor, the other was sometime one Hustwood's manor. Defendant is in possession of both, but Mr. Pelham claims part of Lord Well's manor." . '' The said Laurence Draper says that there were two messages belonging to Lord Well's manor, one called the Lordshippe, now decayed. Has heard that the Mayor and Burgesses had the privilege of hunting a boar yearly on Holy Rood day in Bradley Woods. "^ * Historical Manuscript's Commission [C — 7881 J. 96 OLD GRIMSBY. Cockfighting was another favourite sport with our forefathers. Stephen-de-la-See, member for the Borough in 1445, possessed a very choice breed of red game cocks, of which he was very proud. One of his most famous birds was called Spang-Counter, and had been victor in several Welsh mains. Sir John Empringham also had a collection of a noted breed, ** black in colour and undaunted in the pit." One evening, whilst sitting by a warm fire, these two worthies got into a discussion respecting the game and the character of birds, one contending for the superiority of red and the other of black. As they "discussed" as well the excellency of a flagon of Gascon wine, they both grew warm, and at length agreed to determine the question by pitting their favourite birds against each other, agreeing at the same time that the loser should give half an acre of land for the purpose of an open cock-pit, where the lower class of burgesses '' might partake in this delectable amusement at their pleasure.' The red cock was victor, and Sir John accordingly conveyed to the Corporation a slip of land at the upper end of the town, which he held in fee of the Abbot of Wellow as a public place of recreation for the burgesses as long as a pear tree, which SPORTS AND PASTIMES. 97 had been planted that day in commeration of his return should live, subject to the annual payment of a pound of unground pepper. This gave the name to the place, which is yet known as the Peppercorn. But the most popular sport was Bull-baiting, and to make suitable provision for it even the aid of royalty was secured. There was a royal ordinance of Henry VII (a°. 14), passed in 1499, ''to the relief and susten- tation of the King's borough of Grimsby," which provides that "the butchers of this Francheis, and others that keep slaughter shops, . . shall make once yearly, before the mayor and his burgesses, one Bull-baiting, at a convenient time of the year, according to the custom of this Francheis before used upon pain of forfeiting 6s. 8d." The town authorities also enacted the following bye-law: — "That no butcher shall, in future, kill a bull within this borough, nor shall any bull's flesh be sold, or any bull brought into the market for sale, unless it has been baited openely before the mayor and burgesses, under a penalty of 6s. 8d." Archery was a favourite amusement at Grimsby, 7 98 OLD GRIMSBY. and was practiced every evening during the summer season on the Peppercorn, where '* mounds were thrown up to prevent the arrows from snaking and being lost in the grass." One of the most popular feasts was that of the Vigil of St. John the Baptist. The ceremonies attending were of an interesting character. The Town Watch was assembled, and was formed by the members of the Corporation and the burgesses, each one of whom was obliged to be present except he had " a responsible cause of absence," of which he had to duly notify the mayor, and provide a substitute. Each man was also "bound to be armed with such weapons as he had at hand." Some appeared with pikes, others with muskets, calivers, or other guns, some with partisans or halberts. Those who possessed armour clad their servants in it, and mounted them on horses, sword in hand. All were, more or less, decorated with ribbons, garlands of flowers, and other ornaments, and each vied with his neighbour as to who could make the fairest show. The burgesses having assembled at the Hall Garth, the mayor's sergeant tendered to them the following oath : — " You shall well and truly keep SPORTS AND PASTIMES. 99 this town till to-morrow at the sun-rising ; and you shall enter no house without license or cause reasonable. You shall due warninof make to the parties, of all casualties by fire, the crying of unruly children, as the case may require. You shall due search make of all manner of affrays, bloodsheds, outcries, and all other things that may create suspicion, etc., etc." The whole then marched in procession through each street, back- wards and forwards, attended by a numerous train of cresset-bearers. The streets were decorated with branches of iron suspended from the windows, containing hundreds of glass lamps which were blazing with light, while bonfires illuminated the whole town. These demonstrations appear to have been attended with considerable danger to the public peace, for it was ordained " that if any man should draw a sword, knife, or any other dangerous weapon. In violation of the king's peace within the burg, he shall forfeit to the mayor and burgesses as oft as he is convicted thereof, forty pence, and If he strike or threaten to strike anyone he shall forfeit forty pence If he be a forelgnor, but if a burgess twenty pence, except he submit himself to the mayor's grace and to his brethren." loo OLD GRIMSBY. There was a tenement on the south side of St. Mary's Gate called the Church House, where the spits, cocks, and other utensils were deposited and kept in readiness for use at the Whitsuntide festival. This festival was taken part in by all classes, the younger people engaged in archery, bowling, dancing, and other sports, whilst the "elders" sat with their cans of ale before them, watching the games, and ready to settle disputes. A green harbour was erected in the church-yard of St. Mary's, called Robin Hood's, where maidens gathered contributions and '* churchwardens brewed whitsun-ales, and sold them in the church" for the benefit of the poor. Dr. Oliver quotes the following description of the festival, as held in Grimsby, from an eye-witness. " An individual of each sex was previously chosen to be lord and lady of the feast, who dressed themselves in character, and the great tithe-barn was fitted up with seats for the company, decorated with garlands, ribbons, and other showy ornaments. Here they assembled towards the evening to dance and regale themselves, and each young man was expected to treat his girl with a ribbon or favour. The lord and lady were attended by SPORTS AND PASTIMES. loi the proper officers, and a jester dressed in a party coloured jacket, whose jokes and uncouth notions contributed to the entertainment of the company. The borough minstrels were also bound to attend with their instruments of music ; and the day concluded with merriment and joy." Another popular annual game in Grimsby was Hock-tide, which was usually held on the Monday and Tuesday following the second Sunday after Easter. In Grimsby it was largely confined to Tuesday. It was the custom of the women to stop the streets with cords round the Market- place, and seize all the men they met, binding them with cords, and refusing to liberate them without a small contribution in money. On the Monday the young men had treated the opposite sex in a similar way, but not to the same extent as was practiced on the day following by the females. The contributions levied were spent in providing a feast in which all shared, and con- siderable merriment prevailed. This feast was supposed to have been originated to commemorate the massacre of the Danes on St. Bruce's day, 1002, and its name to have been derived from the German word Hocken in refer- ence to the custom of binding, of this there is how- I02 OLD GRIMSBY. ever some doubt. An interesting account of this festival may be found in Chambers' '* Book of Days," Vol I., pp. 498-9, and in Hone s '' Every day Book," Vol. I. p. 238. Dr. Oliver represents his '* Raven" as saying that it was established " in rememberance of the death of the last Danish monarch, Hardicanute, which happened on Tuesday, the 8th June, 1041, an event by which the English were delivered from the tyrannical rule of the Danes." Whether this was the origin of the feast or not, no doubt our ancestors of this town celebrated it as such. Maypole. In the Bull-ring stood the shaft of the Maypole, which was invariably erected on May-day, which was always kept as a public holiday. The young people attended in great numbers, and took part in the sports peculiar to the occasion, such as the May Queen, Robin Hood, the friar, the fool, the dragon, and the hobby-horse, r.ll robed in character. The Corporation possessed the privilege of cutting down a tree in Bradley Wood for the May-pole, whence it was fetched early in the morning by a crowd, and brought into the Bull- SPORTS AND PASTIMES. 103 ring with great ceremony. Then it was decorated from top to bottom, and erected amid the shouts of the spectators. Washington Irvine says : — "One can readily imagine what a gay scene it must have been, when the doors were decorated with flowing branches ; when every hat was decorated with hawthorn ; and Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Maid Marion, the Norris dancers and all the other fantastic masks and revellers were performing their antics about Maypole. Robin Hood presided as the Lord of the May : — " With coat of Lincoln green, and mantle too, And horn of ivory mouth, and buckle bright. And arrows wing'd with peacock feathers light. And trusty bow well gathered of the yew." The custom was abolished by the Puritans and the Maypole thrown down; but it was " restored " with ''the Restoration," to the great joy of the Grimbarians, who resumed the sport with a new relish, encouraged as they were by Abraham Bates, the new vicar, and the historian, Gervase Holies, as the representative of the borough. Ducking of Scolds. The Ducking of Scolds afforded considerable amusement to the people of Old Grimsby, and appears to have been an ancient custom, which 104 OLD GRIMSBY. was occasionally Indulged in to an unwarrantable extent ; for Maddock, In his History of the Exchequer, states that "previous to the granting of the Charter by King John, the Authorities were severely punished for having caused a woman, accused of making too free use of her tongue, to the punishment of the tumbrel, or ducking-stool, at a place on the river Freshney, without having obtained confirmation or proof. The Ducking-chair haven is still a well- known place, marked by a stone bridge which spans the Freshney, and is used In passing from Flottergate to the Wesh Marsh. The original of this bridge was built at the expense of two merchants, Michael Empringham and Christopher Ayliffe. There had previously been a bridge of timber. The old stone one was repaired in 1710, pursuant to an order of the Court *'In accordance with the terms of an agreement made with Sir Thos. Barnardiston, recorder of Grimsby and proprietor of Great and Little Coates, for the use of the waters of Pipe Creek and Freshney," when a stone somewhat mutilated was placed in the foundations, and since discovered, with the following Inscription in the Roman character SPORTS AND PASTIMES. 105 ' This Building Was Made By Michael Emprin- gham, Mayor, and Christopher Ay life. Aiino Domini, 1566^ Sometimes the populace united with the pastime of the Ducking-stool, that of Riding the Stang, a still more popular one, so far as the youthful members of the community were concerned. There lived in a "mean" cottage in Cross Lane a shoemaker named Wm. Thingsby, who, being a "foreigner," i.e. "no freeman," was not allowed to join the guild of shoemakers. Whether this excited the wrath of his wife, who was a shrew, or not, it is not possible to say, but it is certain that she would frequently "rush furiously into the street and vent her spleen in such a vociferous manner that her neighbours, after bearing with her till they could do so no longer, took the matter into their own hands. A number of persons, principally young men and boys, "procured a short scaffold pole, and mounting one of their number astride thereon, carried it round the neighbourhood, publicly announcing their intention of riding the stang, all the while hallooing, blowing cow's horns, etc. Arriving at the shoemaker's dwelling, followed by an immense crowd, they halted, when the stang rider, having To6 OLD GRIMSBY. obtained silence, made the following proclamation, which was called a Nominey : — With a ran, dan, tan. On my old tin can, Mrs. Thingsby and her good man. She bang'd him, she bang'd him, For spending a penny when he was in need. She up with a three-legged stool. She struck him so hard. And she cut him so deep. Till the blood ran down like a new-stuck sheep." During this performance the culprit for whose special delectation the affair was "got up," came to the door and poured out a volley of vitu- perations against ^'freemen" in particular and Grimbarians in general. This only added fuel to the flame, and the uproar, if possible, was in- creased, and only ceased when the performers had shouted themselves hoarse. By the next evening, however, they had recovered their voices, and appeared once more and repeated the programme, which was so successful that it was kept up the next night. At the close of the third performance there was a round of cheers, and the crowd dispersed crying *' Beware of the Trebucket ! Beware of the Trebucket!" a warning which was of so dreadful a character that SPORTS AND PASTIMES. 107 for a while the demon of passion was kept in chains. This, however, did not last long, her ''spirit" could no longer be controlled, and at length the multitude gathered, went to the Town Hall, took out the duck-stool, and coming upon her in the midst of an exhibition of " street oratory," seized her, hurried her to the stone bridge, placed her in the " vehicle," fastened her in it, and gave her such a number of dippings that she was quiet exhausted, and " returned home in a draggled condition with a mob at her heels, effectually subdued ; for she was troubled with hydrophobia ever after." This remedy did not, however, always prove successful, for in the next century a woman named Jane Dutch was repeatedly subjected to the ordeal. Cool as the water was, it did not cool her temper or stop her " fervid eloquence, for between each dip she gave the assembled populace abundant specimens of vulgar English," and even when the castigation was over she, though dripping wet, continued perse veringly to " use her tongue as undauntedly as ever." In 1647 the Ducking-stool was repaired for her benefit by order of the Corporation, but she was perfectly unconquerable ; and her disorderly io8 OLD GRIMSBY. conduct was carried to such a length that the parish officers were alternately subjected to a heavy fine for refusing to indict her in the Ecclesiastical Court. The last scold who occupied the Trebucket was Poll Weldale, about the year 1780. When the new haven was made some twenty years later, the ''Instrument" was removed and never restored. ®ID (Biimsb^ ]famtlie6 anb IRotabllitiee. '^ W THEN Ravensrodd was laid at the bottom ^ V of the sea, the town of Grimsby rose by gradual steps to opulence and repute ; its commerce was extensive, and its merchants sub- stantial and wealthy. It was graced by two churches, five religious establishments, and a haven capable of admitting ships of burden up to the town bridge. Many ancient and opulent county families resided within its precincts, some of whom were elected to serve the office of High Sheriff, others represented it in Parliament, and all contributed, by the splendour of their establishments, and the lustre of their talents, to confer a high degree of reputation on the town." "^ We commence our account of these with Members of Parliament. Edmundus Rayner was member, along with Robertus Keilby, in 1330. There was a resident in Grimsby, called in Domesday Book, " Raynor the Deacon," who was, no doubt, an ancestor of * Byrde of Gryme. p. 8l. no OLD GRIMSBY. the M. P. Ray nor the Deacon, a Lincolnshire man, who held property in Swallow, but left the kingdom, and ultimately, though in holy orders, re-appeared in the character of a soldier, under William the Conqueror. He was brave, and did good service at the Battle of Hastings, and was rewarded with estates in Grimsby, Stallingborough, Keelby, Limber, and other places. He took up his residence in Grimsby, and one of his descendants founded the chantry which ever afterwards bore his name. He endowed it with lands and other property in Grimsby and elsewhere, to furnish a priest for performing daily masses for the benefit of his own soul and those of his ancestors and posterity'' 1 34 1. Johannes de Grymesby. He belonged to a very ancient family, to which there are numerous references in the Borough Records. They occupied a mansion in Flotter- gate, built by Walter de Grymesby, soon after the Conquest. His posterity occupied it for nearly three centuries. There was a Walter de Grymesby, who was appointed to the office of High Sheriff of the County as early as 1170, an FAMILIES AND NOTABILITIES. iii office conducted with almost regal splendour, and at great expense. So well did he execute his office, that he held it for six successive years. In the reign of Edward III., Edmund de Grymesby was appointed to the office of Gustos Rotulorum, and Ghancellor of Ireland. He was evidently rich, for he advanced considerable loans to the king, from whom he obtained a commission to inquire into the state of the marshes and waste places in the borough. On June 5th, 1342, letters patent were issued, licensing Edmund de Grymesby, and assigning to a chaplain in the Church of St. James', ten tofts in Grymesby, and 13s. 4d. yearly from a message. He also, on September 1 2th, 1342, and March 12th, 1345, secured other favours, such as lands, tenements, and rents for two chaplains, and in the latter case, seven shops, twelve acres of land, and five acres of meadow in Grymesby, held of the king in free burgage, and worth 26s. 8d. yearly. In Court Books (fo. 71 a) there is a deed from Edmund de Grymesby, clerk (dated March rSth, 1344), granting to Wm. de Shropshire, of Waltham, chaplain, seven shops and land, which he had by gift of Sir John de Grymesby, Rector of Bynteworth," upon trust, to celebrate in St. James' Church, for 112 OLD GRIMSBY. the souls of the said Edmund's, father and mother, brother and sisters, and all burgesses of the town, and for the good estate of the said Edmund, etc. There was a Simon de Grymesby Mayor in 1402, and John de Grymesby was installed Abbot of Wellow in 14 17. In the list of members of Parliament are, Johannes de Grymesby, 1341, 1355, and 1372 ; Willielmus Grymesby, 1365, i379> 13^2; Petrus de Grymesby, 1383; Simon de Grimsby, 1408 ; Willielmus Grymesby, 1448, 1472. In the reign of Henry VIII., there resided a member of the family in their mansion in Flottergate, who possessed large estates in the lordship, and who seems to have been the last who did so. The family, or at least part of it, removed to Hull, where Sir Peter de Grymesby rose to eminence. He was mayor of that town three times, and he founded a hospital in Hull, and endowed it with a chaplain to pray for his soul, and the soul of his wife and other Christians. He was one of the Royal Commissioners to supply the port with fresh water, and also to see that the waters of the Ancholme from Glanford Brigg were kept free and open for the passage of boats. His memory was honoured by the authorities of FAMILIES AND NOTABILITIES. 113 Hull naming one of the streets after him, which is still called Grimsby Street. A son of his was named as the king's escheator, and guardian of his manor of " Brustwyk," in Holderness, and was twice Mayor of Hull. 1377. WiLLIELMUS WeLE. The family of Wele was among those of the greatest importance, not only in the borough, but in the county as well. Several of them had served as High Sheriff of the County. There was a William de Wele, mayor, as early as 1393. There was a Willielmus Wele, one of the two members who represented the borough in Parliament in 1377 and 1385. In 1482, Williel- mus de Wele, alderman, was one of the two members. Dr. Oliver states that the name often occurs in the Records, and says that Walter de Wele " was authorized by the Crown to super- intend the liberation of a cargo of goods, belonging to William Johnson, of Aberdeen, which had been detained in the Port of Grimsby by an embargo, imposed by the king's pro- clamation. The only reference I can find in the Report of the Historical Manuscript's Commission to this 114 OLD GRIMSBY. family is taken from fo. 349 in Court Rolls, Box iv. '' 1305, xviith April. Deed of Walter de Wele, and Walter, son of Richard Storme, of Itterby, parish of St. Saviour's, Clee, which is appropriated to Grimesby Abbey, as to tithes of fish, etc." There is a reference in the same box, fo. 9^' to the release by certain persons of their claims to land which Grimesby Abbey held by gift of Amei de Welesby, and John, son of William de Wellesby, knight. The name no doubt refers to the de Weles'. They resided in the Hall in Haven Street. They both died at Grimsby, and were buried in St. James' Church. A monument was erected in memory of Walter, which is thus described by Holies. '* In the uppermost parts of the north aisle is a fayne monument of freestone, carved and arched, under which arch-work are divers fayne shields cut in stone, on which are these arms ; viz ; * on a bend between the Roman W. and an amulet, WELE. Divers Escocheus of the same bordured about the top. The inscription thus ; Hie jacet Walterus de Wele qui obite Mndecmio die Febwaril Anno dui M\ CCC. LXXX\ VHP. Ctipes animae propitie tur Dominus' The monument has long since disappeared." FAMILIES AND NOTABILITIES. 115 The family, according to Dr. Oliver, was allied to royalty, and liberally supported religious establishments. They intermarried with the Eresbys and other noble Lincolnshire families. One of them, Richard-de-Wele, held the Manor of Well, near Alford, at the Conquest, and "another was Lord Abbot of Crowland ; and in the reign of Henry VI I L its representative was created Viscounte Wele." 1472. Hugo Eden. He was a wealthy merchant, whose father intermarried with a member of the Kingston family. He resided at " Ivy House," which stood at the upper end of Fleet Street, adjoining the dock, near Burn Creek. He was returned in 1483 and 1494, and received from his constituents 6s. 8d., for his expenses in attending the House. He was mayor in 1471, and there was also a Hugo Eden, mayor in 1454- 1483. Peter De la See. He belonged to an old and noble family. His ancestor, Sir Martin De la See, occupied a spacious mansion at the upper end of the "6 OLD GRIMSBY. town, called the '' Hall," where he planted a mulberry tree and an avenue of yew trees, as a fringe to the river Freshney, which ran through his estates, all of which, says Oliver, writing in 1866, ''are still in being. He was a fine specimen of an old English gentleman, and given to hospitality, for he used commonly to salt down the carcases of 10 oxen, 40 fat pigs, 60 sheep, fish in unheard of quantities, and game, such as venison, hares, herons, cranes, pheasants, curlews, swans, geese, and smaller fowls, ad libitum^ Like the men of his age, he appears to have been passionately fond of sports of various kinds, for in his yard were stables, dog-kennels, mews for hawks, and ample convenience for breeding, feeding, and training game cocks. The family of the De la Sees were numerous. Several of them were permanent residents in the borough, and contributed to its opulence by extensive mercantile operations, and expended their revenues in the improvement of the port and harbour. Peter De la See was mayor and represented the borough in 1346. He was mayor also in 1358 and 1368. Stephen was twice returned to Parliament, and was mayor in 1475 and 1478. Bernard was mayor in 1505, FAMILIES AND NOTABILITIES. 117 1506, and 1 5 10. Sir Martin De la See was a valiant knight, who held the manor and advowson of the rectory of Barmston, near Bridlington ; he died, and was burled at the latter place, but his tomb and effigies are In the latter church. One of them settled at Itterby, a part of Clee- thorpes, where he built a mansion. He possessed considerable estates In Grimsby, Clee, Walthe, Beverley, and many other places. John De la See built a Franclsclan monastery In Kilngarth, at the end of Swan Lane, and endowed It with the adjacent field and other property. It was early celebrated for the piety and learning of Its inmates, and was rendered famous by the celebrated scholar, Fra Breton, author of an exposition of Scripture difficulties, which acquired an extensive reputation. Erasmus, in his controversy with Bishop Standlsh, confi- dently appealed to Fra Breton's work as a decisive authority in endeavouring to determine the meaning of a controverted passage. The monastery fell Into decay, as did the family of the De la Sees, and In the sixteenth century their estates in Grimsby and the neighbourhood were purchased by Sir William Ayscough, of Kelsey, ii8 OLD GRIMSBY. who took up his residence in the mansion in Bridgwaygate. Sir WilHam's successor, his son Richard, finding the old house falHng into decay, erected a spacious residence in the same street, extending from the Bars to the Bridge, "for which purpose he pulled down eight shops within the liberties of Wellow, which he held of the abbot In fee by the service of one pound of cumming annually." Stephen De la See, who was M.P. for Grimsby In 1485, planted a pear-tree In commemoration of his return, which Is still standing. Oliver states that several persons were present at the planting, and each one "drank a cup of ale, addressing the newly-planted tree in these words : — Health to thee, good Pear Tree, Well to bear, pockets full, hats full. Bushel bags full ; and emptied the remainder of the llquour on the tree as a libation." The same writer states that this pear-tree was " highly honoured," by the fact that Shakespeare, when on a visit to Sir Richard Ayscough, In his newly erected mansion, took a fancy to it, and frequently sat meditating on the seat which had been placed under its spreading branches, and one beautiful day in August, as he FAMILIES AND NOTABILITIES. 119 sat listening to the song of a lark, he penned the well-known lines : — " Hark ! hark ! the lark at Heaven's gate sings, And Phoebus 'gins arise, His steeds to water at those springs, On chaHced flowers that lies ; And winking Mary-buds begin To ope their golden eyes ; With every thing that pretty bin. My lady sweet arise — Arise — arise." 1496. John Heneage. This is the first time I find the name of Heneage among the members of the borough, but it frequently occurs afterwards, as several of the family sat for the borough of whom more anon. 1509. Sir Robert Tyrwhitt. He resided at Tyrwhitt Hall, adjacent to St. James' Church. He was a vice-admiral. His residence, after the family left Grimsby to reside at Stainfield, which had been granted to Sir Robert Tyrwhitt, as a part of the possession of a Benedictine nunnery in that parish, was purchased by Arthur Moore, High Steward, and Member for Grimsby, who afterwards sold it to Sir Wm. Pelham, of I20 OLD GRIMSBY. Brocklesby, and he converted it into an inn, called the Granby. 15 12-1520. George Barnardison. There is no entry in Oliver's list between the two dates. I cannot find any mention of George Barnardison in the Corporation Records ; but there was a Sir John Barnardison, mayor and M.P., who will be referred to in due course. 1525. William Hatcliffe, Alderman. The Hatcliffe family, who resided in Grimsby, was one of considerable importance, as is proved by the fact that several members of the family represented the borough as mayor, and Thomas Hatcliffe as M.P. in 1588-9, and 1597. The latter was the king's farmer for Grimsby. The Court Records abound with references to several members of this family, a few quotations from which must suffice. At an interrogatory held at Louth, September, 1581, Christopher Hatcliffe was one of the witnesses. Henry Went worth, of Clee, gent., deposed that he received from Mrs. Hatcliffe, now, or late wife of Mr. Stoke, a lease from the mayor (John Sherriffe), bailiffs, and burgesses of Grimsby, to the abbott and convent FAMILIES AND NOTABILITIES. 121 of Wellowe, of a marsh called Wolso, and he delivered the same to Mr. Paton (late belonging to Sir Walter Meldway, knt.), to procure for him- self and this deponent certain arrearages amount- ing to ^200, supposed to be due to her majesty. The following curious passage is in Court Books, fo. 2 30^ See Report of Manuscript's Commission : — 1523. "Upon Relique Sonday was Wm. Hatclyff, the son of Stevyn Hatclyffe, prest to go to the kynges besynes, and he sayd, ' How schuld I go to the kynges besynes and leyffe my tytill.'^' And Mr. Hatclyffe sayd to hym this, that he shuld mak William Hatclyffe his son to be for hym and to deliver to hym all the ryght [and] tytyll that he had as cowld be fon by Mast' Hennech at hys comyng. And so we, Mr. Peter Mason and John Fotherby, with other sertan officers [met ?], and so in owr presens he cam to thse grondes, that he mayd tytill un to, and gaff un to William Hatclyff son of Mr. William Hatclyffe, all the ryght and tytill that schall be fond in hym at the syght of Mr. Hennech, as afor is sayd, to the intent to pay is dettes as the law wyll, yff so be that the law wyll geve me owthe." (Court Books, fo. 2 30^). 122 OLD GRIMSBY. 1529. Sir William Ayscougii. 1536. Sir William Ayscough and Sir Chris- topher Ayscough. Members of a well-known and historic family. The latter resided in High Street, near St. Mary's Church, in 1524. He entered an accusation against the Abbot of Wellow, for enclosing a certain portion of the abbey lands, and encouraging Bryan Curteys, the mayor, to block up the road leading to Cleethorpes, and other marine villages, for the purpose of securing to himself a monopoly of the fish trade. The Abbot answered " that the land had indeed been enclosed by one of his predecessors, in accordance with a custom called Intak , but whether the act was right or wrong, he would not be considered responsible for an action which was committed before he was born ; and as to the other charge, that of blocking up the road to the fish towns, so far from being implicated, he had formally remonstrated against it." " This Sir C. Ayscough was rather a turbulent gentleman," says Dr. Oliver, "as we learn from existing documents, for an information was preferred against him for taking and converting to his own use a sturgeon, which was a royal fish FAMILIES AND NOTABILITIES. 123 belonging of right to the crown ; and Michael Mason, the mayor, claimed the fish as a waif in his character of mesn, or steward, to the king, within the jurisdiction of the borough. But Sir Christopher refused to give it up, as it was a great delicacy, and would fetch more money than an ox in those times." 1553- John Bellow, Alderman. John Bellow, Esq., was mayor in 1546, 1549, 1552, and 1555. He belonged to an ancient family, that were old inhabitants of Grimsby. He by some means secured the favour of Henry VHL, who bestowed upon him the property of seventeen religious houses, in various parts of England. He represented the borough in Parliament during the entire reigns of Edward VI. and Mary, and was specially nominated by Queen Elizabeth to continue to represent Grimsby in her first Parliament. In Box II. of the Court Rolls of the Corporation, there is a list of the poll of the burgesses, 23rd October, 1554, when he, along with Thomas Constable, alderman, was elected for Parliament. January 12th, 1559, "he, J. Bellow, gave a bond to indemnify the town against his costs, and those 124 OLD GRIMSBY. of Master Harrington, chosen Burgesses for Parliament." In 1556, ist and 2nd, Philip and Mary (1555), June 26th, I find. — '' Deed by John Bellow of Newstead (de novo foco), or Auckeholme, esq., to Philip Tyrwhitte, Esq. (and others). Grant of all his lands in Grimsby, Glee, Bradley, Little Cotes and Stallingbro', to the use of himself and Ursula his wife (fo. ZZ'S'-) *' I St Edward VI., John Bellow, esq., Alderman, agrees to serve in Parliament, and not to make any charge for the same against the Borough." In a deposition taken in 1567 (Elizabeth, August 4th), several witnesses deposed that John Bellow, Esq., held the manor of Golceby by knight service, and sold the same to the defendant, John Hutton, and Clare his wife, for ^200. In 1552, November 3rd (6th Edward VI.), there is a bond by John Bellow, of Newstead, esq., to "pay and deliver to" John Dean, alias Lawrance, bastard son of Sir Robert Lawrance, clerk, deceased, the sum of ^50, a silver salt with a cover, a gilt cup and cover, 5 silver spoons, and a gold signet, when he shall attain the age of 21, in satisfaction of the goods late of Sir Robert Lawrance, and Katherin Mayson, alias Lawrance, FAMILIES AND NOTABILITIES. 125 sister of the said Sir Lawrance. Also to keep the said John Dean at school till 16. (fo. 2 89^) 1563. Christopher Wray, Alderman. Sir Christopher Wray also sat for Grimsby, in 1 6 14, 1620, 1628, 1640. He resided at Ashby- cum-Fenby, and was a zealous supporter of the Parliament, and was active in raising troops to aid Sir John Hotham for the defence of Hull. 1646. *' March 3. i\t this court Collonell Edward Rossiter is made a free Burgess and is chosen for Parliament in place of Sir Christopher Wray who is dead."^ 1640. ''Col. Edward Rossiter (in the place of Christopher Wray), he sat in the successive Parliaments of 1654, 1656, 1658-9." 1 57 1. John Thymolby. He was a son of Richard Thimbleby, mayor in 1518, 1520, 1525, 1529, 1534, 1548, who owned tenements in Scotland Lane. His descendants lived at Ingham, in this county, and one of them married Dorothy, the youngest daughter of Lord Petre. There was a Richard Thymolby mayor, in 1590. * This settles a point left in doubt by the recent return of members of Parliament. Report, p. 283. 126 OLD GRIMSBY. 1585- William Wray. In 1603, Sir William WVay sat for Grimsby, and in 1604, John Wray; 161 3, Sir John Wray; 1614,"^ Christopher Wray, also in 16 14, 1620, 1623, 1625, 1628, 1640. There was a William Wray, who, in 1654, 1656, represented the borough alone, and in 1658 he was returned, along with Edward Ayscough. This borough only returned one member at this and the follow- ing election in 1656, but at the next, in 1658-9, it returned two, and continued to do so until the Reform Bill of 1831 reduced it to one. In a list of returns, published by Francis Leach, London, September, 1654, Sir Henry Vane, Junr., is put down as elected for Grimsby, but this seems to be a mistake. A writer in '' Lincolnshire Notes and Queries," Vol. III., p. 219, says that it is generally thought that Sir Henry ** made no attempt to secure a seat under the Cromwellian regimd,'' and adds, "So far as I can gather, the Journals of the House of Commons show no trace of Sir Henry Vane, Junn, in the House between * Under date, March 27th [ ] there is a letter from Christopher Wray to the Mayor, returning Charter sent to him. "Was afraid it would have to be pleaded, but through the favour of the King's Attorney General, he had procured a **Nill Pross" (sic) which is a sufficient discharge, and prevents further question. Asks no other recompence than love. FAMILIES AND NOTABILITIES. 127 1653 ''^^^ 1659- I ^^^ therefore inclined to think his alleged election for Grimsby a myth." It is certain that William Wray, Esq., afterwards sat for Grimsby in the next two parliaments. 1586. Tristram Tyrwhitt, Esq., M.P. for the borough in 1586 and 1589, was the son of Sir Wm. Tyrwhitt. His mother was Isabella Ayscough. His was an Aylesby family of some note. He had three brothers, Sir Robert, who lived at Kettleby, William and Marmaduke, who resided at Scotter. Sir William was in the Commission of the Peace for the counties of Lincoln, York, and Leicester. 1593- William Barnes; Nicholas Sanderson. Of these we have no information. There was a Robert Sanderson, Esq., sat as one of the Members of a Commission to take depositions respecting the Abbey of Wellow in 1581. 1 60 1. Thomas Lord Clinton and Say ; Edward Skipwith. In the Corporation Records I find that Thomas Lord Clinton and Say gave a bond indemnifying the town against expense as M.P. for the borough, 7 Oct., 1601, as did Thomas Ellys, 27 Sept., 128 OLD GRIMSBY. 1797. The same members were returned in 1613. 1623. Henry Pelham, M.P. for Grimsby, 1623, 1625, 1628. He sat for Grantham in both ParHaments of 1640, and was secluded in 1648. He was returned in 1620, 1625, 1628. The Pelham family, though not resident in Grimsby, have been connected with the borough down to the present time. Lord Yarborough is the present representative of the family. 1640. Gervase Holles, Alderman. Frequent references are made in this volume to this popular representative of Old Grimsby. His name constantly occurs in the Corporation Records for this period, and he and his family exercised considerable influence in the borough, and were most highly esteemed. 1660. Edward King. He resided at Ashby Hall, and was Lord of the Manor (Ashby-de-la-Launde). He espoused the cause of the Parliament, and became a promi- nent commander in their army. He afterwards opposed what he considered their excesses, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He FAMILIES AND NOTABILITIES. 129 was the first In the House of Commons to move the restoration of Charles II. The evening of his Hfe was spent in tranquihty at Ashby, where he received and befriended many of the ejected ministers until his death, which took place in 1680. 1 66 1. Sir Andrew Scope, in whose place Sir Henry Bellasyse (in whose place) Sir Freschville Holies (in whose place) William Broxholme. The occurrence of two vacancies for one seat in the same Parliament, even though it was the " Long Parliament," is a very unusual one, and was occasioned by the death of the two persons named, in an uncommon manner. Sir Henry Bellasyse being killed in a duel with his friend Tom Porter, and Sir F. Holies being slain in a fight at sea, in the hour of victory, and while gallantly defending his ship, as will be seen in the following account : — Sir Freschville Holies, son of Gervase Holies, married a daughter of John Kingston. He was "a man of high spirit and enterprise." Dryden, in his "Annus Mirabilis," thus describes him. 9 I30 OLD GRIMSBY. " Young Holies on a muse by Mars begot : Born Caesar-like, to write and act great deeds, Impatient to revenge his fatal shot. His right arm doubly to his left succeeds." The above verse refers to his having lost an arm while engaged in the hottest of a fight fought at sea, in 1665. On his return to Grimsby he was accorded a most enthusiastic welcome by the inhabitants, who rang the bells, and received him with acclamation. Early in the spring of the next year he was again on board his flag-ship, the Cambridge, taking with him several Grimsby men, who followed him from personal attachment, and the fame of his nautical skill and bravery. He acted as rear-admiral, but was unfortunately killed at the moment of victory, in an engagement with the Dutch. His loss was greatly regretted by the country at large, but by none so much as the people of Grimsby, to whom he was a valuable friend, and an able representative in the Parliament to which he was elected in 1661. Pepys, in his gossiping Diary, ^ speaks of him in anything but complimentary terms, terming him a conceited, idle, prating, lying fellow. " After dinner comes Sir F. Holies to me about business ; * September 28th, 1667. FAMILIES AND NOTABILITIES. 131 and I go with him by coach to the Temple and there I 'Hght ; all the way he telling me romantic lies of himself and his family ; how they had been Parliament men for Grimsby, he and his forefathers, this 140 years ; ^ and his father is now ; and himself stands for to be, with his father, by the death of his fellow-burgess ; and that he believed it will cost him as much as it did his predecessor, which was ^300 in raw ale, and £^2 in buttered ale, which I believe is one of his devilish lies." As to Sir Freschville's story being lies, it is a fact that his grandfather had sat for Grimsby from 1640. As to the probable cost of ale, " raw " and " buttered," being estimated at ^300, the sum, even when the value of money at that time is considered, seems but small compared with what has been spent in more recent elections. '' The famous Grimsby election of Pole and Wood, in 1790, lasted nine months, with public-houses open all the time, the expenditure on both sides being ;^8o,ooo, and killing one fourth of the electors y As Sir F. was vigorously opposed by Sir Philip Tyrwhitt, his estimate appears to have been a very moderate one. * Gervase Holies was mayor and M.P. lor Grimsby in 1640. 132 OLD GRIMSBY. In the list of Parliamentary representatives for the borough, we read : — 1 66 1. Gervase Holies. Sir Adrian Scrope (in whose place) Sir Henry Bellasyne (in whose place) Sir Freschville Holies. The cause of the vacancy I have discovered in Pepy 's Diary, while searching for Dr. Oliver's quotation. Under the heading of July 29th, towards the end of a passage of several pages, occurs the following : — '' Here Creed did tell us the story of the duel last night, in Covent Garden, between Sir H. Bellassis and Tom Porter. It is worth remember- ing, the silliness of the quarell, and is a kind of emblem of the general complexion of this whole kingdom at present. They two dined yesterday at Sir Robert Carr's, where it seems people do drink high, all that comes. It happened that these two, the greatest friends in the world were talking together, and Sir H. Bellassis talked a little louder than ordinary to Tom Porter, giving of him some advice. Some of the company standing by said, ' What are they quarrelling, that they talk so high?' Sir H. Bellassis hearing it said ' No ! I would have you know I never quarrel, but I strike, and take that as a rule of mine!' 'How? says Tom Porter, 'strike! I FAMILIES AND NOTABILITIES. 133 would I could see the man in England that durst give me a blow.' With that Sir H. Bellassis did give him a box on the ear, and so they were going to fight there, but were hindered." Pepys goes on to describe how Porter determined to fight, and how they wounded each other, and how S. H. B. urged Tom to shift for himself, as he would not have him "troubled for what he did do." ''And so," adds the old gossip, ''whether he did fly or no I cannot tell, but Tom Porter showed Sir H. Bellassis that he was wounded too : and they are both ill, but Sir H. Bellassis to fear of life. And this is a fine example ; and Sir H. Bellassis a Parliament man, too, and both of them extraordinary friends." Under August 8th he wrote : — " Sir Henry Bellassis is dead of the duel he fought about ten days ago with Tom Porter, and it is pretty to see how the world talk of them as a couple of fools, that killed one another out of love." 1685. Sir Thomas Barnardiston. He belonged to an ancient Grimsby family. There was a Sir John Barnardiston mayor in 1 54 1, who lived in a house in the west side of Fleet Street, adjoining the Stone Bridge, which, 134 OLD GRIMSBY. with the demesne belonging to it, formed part of what was afterwards called the Gannocks, con- tained 640 feet frontage. The chief seat of this family was at Great Coates. It was an ancient moated hall, which, Oliver states, was thought by some persons to be referred to in the Domesday Survey ; where it is recorded " that Bernard had these two villanes and as many bordars, and eight soke men, with one oxgan of land, two ploughs, and a hundred acres of meadow." *'A monument still remains in the chancel of Great Coates Church, to the memory of Sir Thomas and his wife." In the report of the Corporation Records, page 286, I find the two following references : — "1688, January nth. Poll for Sir Edward Ayscough of South Kelsey, and Sir Thomas Barnardiston of Ketton, co. Suffolk as Burgess for Parliament, and their bonds for expenses. 1689-90, March 3. Poll of the Burgess for Sir Thomas Barnardiston, Sir Edward Ayscoughe, and John Chaplin, esq., on the election of two Burgesses for Parliament. There was a Nathaniel Barnardiston, elected Sheriff for Suffolk in Jan- uary, 1623. The family had a long contest with the Burgesses respecting the river Freshney, as FAMILIES AND NOTABILITIES. 135 it related to what were termed ' Mickle Cotes and South Cotes/ lasting from the time of Edward I. to William III., when it was finally agreed that the proprietors of Great and Little Coates should grant the free use of the waters of Freshney, on condition that the Corporation made ' good and sufficient banks at the point where the sewers of Freshney and Pipe Creek do join, which shall extend and reach across the Beck from the Sea Bank on Grimsby fitties on the one side, to the Sea Bank at Great Coates fitties on the other side, and shall join both the said banks, so that the same shall be made into one entire sea-bank ; and that the said Corporation keep the same in good repair, and fit for the passage of all manner of carts, carriages, and horses, loaden or unloaden ; and that the inhabitants of the two villages shall be empowered to land their goods and merchandise which have been brought by water into Grimsby Haven, without let or hindrance from the said Corporation, and without paying any wharfage, toll, or custom whatsoever." 1722. Charles Pelham. In an old Count Book it is the following entry, " Charles Pelham, Esq., admitted a free burgess on payment of 10 marks, 24. Charles II. ®I& (5rim9bv. AMONG the noted residents of Grimsby many are to be found who were honoured with the office of Mayor, and filled that position with credit to themselves and the town. We have collected a complete list of the mayors of Grimsby from 1202 to 1896, but finding that it would occupy a large portion of our space, we have erased the names of those of whom no special record is made in the Borough Records, except a few of the earlier ones. A full list will be found in Mr. Anderson Bates' " Gossip on Old Grimsby." 1202, B, Mayor of Grimsby. 1203, Baldwin. 1205, Edmund del Kal 1206, William Clerk. 1207, John le Art. 1209, Adam Welby. 1 2 10, William Russel. 1 2 19, Baldwin. 1 261, Philip de Wivelsby. 1287, William Fraunke. 1289, William Fraunke. Sir William Fraunke was a resident of Grimsby. He had rendered some important service to Isabella, Queen Dowager, and received many favours from Edward III., who, in the first OLD GRIMSBY. 137 year of his reign, committed to his charge the castle and jail of Lincoln. He also bestowed up- on him considerable property situated in Beesby, and appointed him High Sheriff of the county. Sir William was a benefactor to the Priory. His family lived in the town many centuries. The name does not appear in the list of Mayors after 1299. There is a copy, in Latin, of a deed of Lady Elizabeth Tunstall, widow, daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Fraunke, Knt., and Thomas Tunstall, her son and heir, manumitting Robert Abbot, of Itterby, with all his family. 1352, Peter de Halsham. From report of His. Com., p. 257, it appears that a grant of land was made to him on Sunday, feast of St. Matthias, 1352, " atte See of Grimsby of the same." Also in 1374, under " Sunday after S. S. Fabian and Sebastian," "William de Benyngholme and William Mercand of Grymesby, Chaplains, granted to Peter de Halsham of same, and Agnes his wife, land in the east field of Grymesby near Deadmansheudland." 1434, John Empringham. He belonged a very old family of this town. As early as 1 360, one of its members took part in ( 138 OLD GRIMSBY. connection with John Kingston in building the Tower of the Church. There was a John Empringham mayor of the borough in 1443, 1451, 1495, 1507, 1508, 1509; and a Richard Empringham in 1536, 1545, 1547, 1554, and 1558, in which year he died. Michael Empringham, 1566, 1577; Robert Empringham, 1583; and in 16 10, a *' Robert Empringham, Gent." That addition being the only case in the list from 1 202 to 1669. The Corporation Records of those times have many entries in which they are named. In the Court Books there is an agreement 6 Henry VII. (1490) Oct. 5th, in which if the Earl of Westmorland '' wyll rayes of John Hempringham and Stephen Huttlyffe (the Baliffs) a certain sum for the fee farm of Grymsby for the seith yere, that then the Baliffs should surrunder oop the sayd towne of Grymesby to the Kinges handes, or els to find a better meane for the sayd towne. 1478, Robert Constable. (There was a Thomas Constable M.P. in 1554. 1480, William Glasiner. 1483, Among the Deeds in Box i, in possession of the Corporation, is one dated September, 1487, in which William Grasyner, Mayor of Grimsby, OLD GRIMSBY. 139 grants a lease to John Wright of premises in Grimsby for 16 years. On July 26th, 1484, it was *'ordand, and agred by Wm. Glasner, than Mair, etc., . . . that evere Burges of Grimesby of whom any accyon is takyn of any maner of playnt from he answer w' susetis relevid to xij men toroage his Law, he shall fynd suffyeyant sewryte to the Baillyes to save tham haimles agans the plancte, or elles he schall be kepyd so un lorance (in durance) for the mater, to the Ballyes be discharged of that occasion." Whether the following extract refers to the above William Glasyner or another person of the same name, it is not easy to decide. If it does, it would occur a year after he occupied the chair for the last time, which was in 1489-90 : — " April loth, 1492, — It is found that William Glasyner, burgeis, contrary to his Burgeis 00th, have behaved hymself contrary to the Mayor and his Burgesses, whereas he went to William Lilburn, gentilman and burgess, saying theis wordes folwoyng : — ' William, I requer yewe that Maister Messynden and ye be at one, and frendes as gentilmen, and if it be so hee ann ye be frends and luffers, he setts littill by the Mayer and other his Burges of Grymsby. Notwithstanding, the I40 OLD GRIMSBY. Mayor and Burgesses, in common Hull, pardon and forgive the said William Glasyner, on condition that he shall from henceforth be of gude and trewe demeanor,' etc." 1484, Stephen de la See. (See Listof M.P.'s.). 1 490- 1, William Vicars. In an ordinance of Henry VII., dated January 8th, 1 49 1, it is stated that William Vicars, Mayer of the Burgh of Grimsby and his Comburges, "by a hole assent," " sworne of the Hooly Mesbuke and the holy Canone w* the holy crucifix w' the figure of our Suvyor Jehu there- upon to certain artekyls," to the effect that they would be " redy withowtyn fere or drede of any man or any degre to resist to ther Mayer for the tyme beyng to mayntene him and his successors in all the poyntes and articculs contened in the Charters granted by the King and his noble progenitorys." He also undertook with his fellow Comburges that "if ther be any man of any degree that will vex, truble, handle, or do wrong to any of the Burofes or inaubantez w* in the said town, that then evere ylke one of the said Burges and all ther retenures that one and all may mayke shall OLD GRIMSBY. 141 be redy in ther best array fensable to w* stand all such mysdoers and to mayntayne the Mayer, the Kinges Burg and Fraunches." While he was mayor there came to the court Robert Gardner and Henry Hill of Walberdyswyk, tenants to the manor of Blydbure, co. Suffolk, and produced Royal Letters of 30th Jan., i Henry VH (i486), commanding all Sheriffs to permit them to be free of and quit from paying toll and contributing to the expenses of knights sent to Parliament, and it was considered by the court that they were free of tolls within the King's town of Grimsby. Under 9 Henry VH (1493), 4th September, there is the following letter from Henry Lacy to Maister Hempryngham : — '' Maister Hempryn- ham, in ryght gud herty maner, I recommend me unto you, hertyly thankyng yow of all kyndnes. Ser, the caus of my wrytyng unto yow at this tyme is that I may be bold on you to have the over syght of all such howsyng and ground which I have in Grimesby, that is to wyt, v schoppis by Sant James Chirch, and a stabuill w^ a myln hous, w' a ground to the same by John Stopis hous, and also a ground that was Wylsons adioinyng to the same ; whych stabull and myln hous betwix my 142 OLD GRIMSBY. broder Robert Lacy and William Butler and o' nebur must be repared, and scharply and schortly thei haue promysed me ; and so doon I hartely pray yow to se the said bowsing and ground ordered to the best, and that no person occupy y' bot for the mony ; and my v shoppes to lat thame as you thynk good to honest and trusty persons. The rent off evere schop is iijs. iiijd., and me thynk better it is to gyff somewhat a gane than to mynych any thyng theroff ; but I fully remyt evere thyng to yo"" wysdom, and as you may resave any mony to repare the said schopes, . . . is also my broder and I standes in bargannyng for the Same, but not fully agreed nor concludit ; wherfor now, senc I depart out of this contre, ther is no man w* in Grimesby I cane so fathefully trust, nor be so bold upon as you, and yf yt ly in my poure I trust to serve yo' kyndnes. Also you schall resave be this brynger iij kays to the schoppes, and tho that wantes, my broder Robert praye Henry Skytt, his servaunt to mak theme, and he will content hym for the same. And thus I pray Jh'u have yow in his mersy and full kepyng ; amen. At Kelby, on Thursday, the iiij day of Septembr', a.°., ix, h., vij\ Yowrs, Henry Lacy." OLD GRIMSBY. 143 15 1 2, Peter Mason. In the Court Book (fo. 3176) fo 168, we find the following : — " It is agreid that Pettir Mason, mair, at anny tym herafter schall hav his fre Liberte in goynge and commynge to and fro his Backhows w^^ out any Serjeant or Mas befor hym at any tym w^^ in his year of his offic or in goynge and comniyng to his next nabor hows ; and also Michael his son schall ber the Mas affor hym unto that the said Peter Mason may convenyently get an abyll man to be his Sergeant." 1 5 18, Richard Thy molby, Esq. I 1519, John Fotherby. (See List of M. p. 's). ' He was a member of an old family, whose residence was in Brighowgate. " On September, 27th, about 1520"^ (the year is not stated), Sir Thomas Darcy, Knight, Lord Darcy acknow- leged the receipt from John Fotherby and Patrick Annesley, baliffs of Grimsby, of 30I. Fee-farm rent, viz., 15I. for Easter, 10 Henry VIII, and 15I. for Michaelmas, 11 Henry VIII." In Depositions taken at Grimsby before a commission from the court of Exchequer, in a cause "between Sir Chas. Egerton, on behalf of * Not 1 5 14, as stated by Oilver. 144 OLD GRIMSBY. the King and the Corporation, as to the East and West Marshes and Fitties, "John Fotherbie of Greeat Coates, yeoman, aet 70 gave evidence as to the leases of the same, overflowing of the sea, charters, etc." 1532, Michael Mason. He occupied a corner house partly in Brighow- gate and partly in Wellowgate. He was a dealer in Malt, which was, at that time, a staple trade in Grimsby, and conducted the Abbey Breweries. He was mayor when the monasteries were dissolved. He was mayor also in 1539. 1540, Patrick Hansley. He occupied a house in Flottergate. His father-in-law, John Little, of *'Grett" Grimsby, left a will dated November 26th, 1530, which after providing that the testator should be buried in the churchyard of St. James', goes on to state : — " To the Lady Church at Lincoln, xijd. The high altar, ijs. To Robert Hyll, my wife's second gowne, Thomas Watson's wife her third gowne. My daughter, Johan Johnson, xiiijs, iiijd, one brass pot, and two platters. To the Awstyn Freers, to pray for me, iijs iiijd. Saint Francis Freers, xijd. To Patrick Tanslaye and his wife, I OLD GRIMSBY. 145 my daughter, all my lands in Grimsby, they keeping an obit for 50 years to the value of ijs. yearly to be given tp six priests in the church of St. James, Grimsby, for singing mass." 1544, John Kingston. He was mayor also in 1553. In 1592, John Kingston, Esq,, son of John, was mayor, as well as in 1592, and [605. The family, which dated from 1336, when a remote ancestor, Simon de Fountenay was mayor, occupied a spacious and well-appointed mansion, standing considerably backward from the street, amidst gardens and pleasure-grounds extending to the marshes. It adjoined the residence of the Barnardistons in the " Gaunock." The second John Kingston lived in ^'baronial style," and Oliver says he entertained King Henry VIII. for three successive days and nights. This fact is doubted by some of the antiquarians of our borough. Oliver says that "when the King's visit was ended the host was distinguished by a permanent mark of his favour in being appointed to the honourable duty of arranging the inhabitants of the district for the Scottish wars ; and his influence was considerably augumented by the commission." He also states . 10 146 OLD GRIMSBY. **that he had seen the original in the Holies MS. in the British Museum, sealed with the great seal of England, addressed to our trusty and well beloved subject, John Kingston, Esq., of Grimsby, commanding him with all convenient diligence to take the musters of all able men, as well horsemen as footmen, both of our tenants occupying the royal farms, fields and tenures, not only in Grimsby, but in the adjoining country. And there the same shall be put in such readiness as may be set forth, upon one hour's warning, wheresover he shall receive commandment in that behalf. And these our letters shall be your sufficient warrant and discharge herein accordingly." That Dr. Oliver saw the commission we do not doubt, but that the existence of such a commission was the outcome of Royal Harry's visit to Grimsby is quiet another matter. John Kingston, in conjunction with Richard Empringham, built the tower of the church. He married the only daughter of Robert Wright,, mayor of the borough in 1558, having taken the place of Richard Empringham, who died during his year of office. There was a John Kingston, mayor, in 1544, 1553, and a ''John Kingston, OLD GRIMSBY. 147 Esq., son of John," in 1592, after which the name does not re-appear in the list of Mayors. On March nth, 1554, Sir Francis Ayscough wrote to his loving friend, Mr. Kingston, Mayor of Grimsby, and his comburgesses, saying that he had received from them an indenture to the effect that ^' at his request they had elected his cousin, Thomas Hussye, for the Parliament to be held at Oxford, 2 April next. Thanks them, and promises that Hussye shall take no burgess fee. The Parliament met at Oxford in April, 1554, but Thomas Hussey, Esq. sat for Grantham. Sir W. Asycough and John Heneage sat for Grimsby. In a commission of gaol delivery, September 4th, 1592, John Kingston, alderman, is mentioned with other names. In the Court Rolls, 31 Henry VIII, there is a deed of John Kyngeston entered as to a ship called the Anne of Cales, bought of John Scarlett and Henry Whitgift (the father of the Archbishop), juror. I cannot find any special mention of them later on. It appears that after two generations, the family name became extinct, ending in a daughter who was married to Freschevill son of Gervase Holies, M.p. and historian of Grimsby. 148 OLD GRIMSBY. 1 56 1, Martin Fotherby. He was the son of John Fotherby. I find nothing special respecting him in the borough records, but a descendant of his, also named Martin, son of Maurice Fotherby, was an eminent scholar, and Fellow of Trinity College, Cam- bridge. He obtained the degree of D.D., was made a Canon in the Cathedral Church of Canter- bury, and at length preferred to the See of Salis- bury. He published several books, which were highly esteemed. Dr John Fotherby, Dean of Canterbury, was also a native of Grimsby, and left an annuity of ;^4 per annum, payable out of lands at Beesby and Maplethorpe, ten shillings of which was to be paid to the officiating minister for preaching a sermon on Good Friday, and the remainder to be distributed among the poor communicants of the church, at the discretion of the minister, church- wardens, and overseers of the poor. In the Corporation Records, ''Charities" Box i, there is a copy dated 5th July, 16 19, of the will of the above John Fotherby, who is described as of Little Charte, co. Kent, clerk. 1582, Christopher Hatcliffe. There is a statement respecting him in one of OLD GRIMSBY. 149 the Court Books, in reference to a clergyman who was charged with having acted seditiously against Queen Elizabeth, in opposing a proclamation for the putting down of seditious books. The following is a copy of the entry: — "27 Eliz. — Mem. that att this Courte it is agreed by the whole Courte (Xpofer Hutchyf excepte) that Mr Marke Hoke shall putt in his owne bonde for appeiraunce before Mr Maior when he shall be called, and that at Everingham in Yorkshire at the parsonage will he bee. Also that whereas Marke Holte was in suspicion for teringe the proclamacon latelie sett out by her Hiegness for the suppression of sedicious bookes, or other thinges in consideration wherof ther was open proclation made that yf any coulde saye that he tare yt, or that he should reporte he wold tere it downe, but ther was not any coulde impeache hym." 1655, William Booth. In Court Roll, 16 Charles I, I find that " Mr. Paul Willett, minister and twelveman, requested Samuel Proctor to present Wm. Booth, maior, and Gervase Holies, Esq., for laughter in church, or else he would present him." (Ton&ition of the people. WE can imagine the condition of the primitive inhabitants of this part from the records that have come down to us respecting the early Britons. They have been described as semi-savages, making the marshes and woods their homes, and subsisting on berries, acorns, nuts, and such roots as nature spontaneously produced. This, however, was only true of the very earliest inhabitants. The Romans found a race of warriors worthy of their steel, and it was long before the conquerors of the world were able to reduce the island to their rule, which indeed was never fully accomplished. History does not consist entirely of written documents, however valuable their contents may be. The surface of our country is studded with historical records, written in the stone, and brick, and earthworks, which bridge over the period between the ages before the dawn of history, and connect them without a break with the living present. Written history without these, however CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 151 eloquent, would be comparatively tame, spiritless, and uninteresting.'^ From such historical records, numerous in this neio^hbourhood, we learn that our British ancestors were devoted to the exercises of the woods and fields, and occasionally ventured upon the waters in vessels of considerable strength, flat-bottomed, with high prows and sails made of hides, and fearlessly buffetted the storms of the German Ocean. Far from being savage and uncivilized, they were acquainted with several important and useful arts ; had a fair knowledge of agriculture, " for they understood the process of marling, and raised cattle in great numbers." The structures they reared for worship displayed considerable mechanical knowledge, while the earth works they raised as memorials of the dead, "rival the wonders of modern engineering," while the manner in which they fashioned and decorated their chariots and instruments of war, displays considerable skill and taste. They were skilful also in forming canoes out of huge trees, in which they carried on a traffic in such commodities as they possessed. In the * See Sir James Picton's address to the British Archaelogical Society, August 24th, 1882. 152 OLD GRIMSBY. spring of 1887, while some men were digging at the gasworks in Brigg, they came upon a boat of a very primitive type, embedded in the clay or ** warp," seven feet below the surface. It measured 48|- feet in length, and about 4^ feet in width, and three feet in depth. There were signs of extensive repairs made by having wooden patches sewed on with small ropes apparantly made of sinews. A representation of it appeared in the IllMstrated London News, which afterwards was given with a full account of the discovery in ** Jackson's Brigg Annual" for 1887. Their religion was Druidism, which taught that the soul does not perish at death. They offered human sacrifices to propitiate their gods. Tillers of the soil came from their wattled huts, hunters from the recesses of the woods, fishers from their boats, and gathered in their temples, from whence *' the voice of solemn prayer went up to Heaven — a voice of solemn memorial to ancestors whose faith lingered long amidst a purer worship, as the mistletoe of the Druidical oaks still mingles with the evergreens of Christmas." We have already seen — pp. 29-30 — that the condition of the country under Roman rule was on the whole prosperous. One of the Roman CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 153 orators described it as a land *' stored with corn and flourishing in pasturage." As a proof of this we need not but mention the fact that in one season six hundred large barks made several voyages to Britain, and supplied the starving Rhine provinces, desolated by war, from the stores of the fertile island. We have but little authentic information respecting the condition of the people under the Danes. That they suffered severely from those ruthless invaders we have already shown. Details, however, it is impossible to give. Stories we have in abundance, but these, on investigation, turn out to be little better than " Dreams that the soul of youth engage Ere fancy has been quelled ; Old legends of the monkish page, Traditions of the saint and sage, Tales that have the rime of age And chronicles of eld." We get occasional glimpses of the state of society before the Conquest from these *' Chronicles of eld," but they are only occasional and imperfect. What references we have been able to find we now give in chronological order. Previous to the Conquest the land was held by Leofric, the great Earl of Mercia, who ruled with 154 OLD GRIMSBY. undisputed sway under what Hallam terms "the unfortunate fashion of intrusting great provinces to the administration of a single earl." The people were serfs, there being but two denominations above that condition, Thanes and Ceorls. The life of a King's Thane was valued at 1,200 shillings, that of the second class at half that sum ; the life of a Ceorl was valued at 200 shillings. In some parts of the county the number of slaves was one in three, but throughout the kingdom about one in ten. In East Anglia the proportion was only one in twenty, while in the eastern part of Mercia, in which Lincolnshire was included, not a single slave is noticed in the registers of Domesday Book. Manv of the lower classes were, however, subject to great hardships. By the law of the land they were treated as mere chattels, and not counted as men. They could be bought and sold with the acres on which they were born and reared, and compelled to cultivate. By the accident of birth, the issue of a battle, the result of a single combat, they were liable to be trans- ferred to owners or proprieters who were complete strangers. Still, a strong sense of justice prevailed, and light mingled with the darkness. CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 155 An instinctive sense of right made itself felt, and the very slave, by patient endurance, cultivated those solid and resolute qualities which dis- tinguished the cultivators of the soil, and gave to the Lincolnshire people a character which continues to our times. After the Conquest the land was divided, but rented to the Crown. Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, the King's lieutenant, owned a considerable portion of Grimsby, and ruled with an iron hand, " giving no heed to the reasonable complaints of his subjects, and disdaining ''to weigh them in the balance of equity." His men-at-arms out- rageously robbed the people and ill-treated the women, and there was no punishment but for those who complained of their wrongs. The people on the coast line saw a host of " foreigners " from over the sea settling upon their lands and dis- possessing them of their property, which they claimed by right of conquest. Hosts of adventurers, who had taken no part in the conflict, followed the Conqueror, eager to share in the spoils. For these the people felt nothing but contempt, and cheered their spirits with ridiculing the pretensions of the " inter- lopers " with a caustic humour, which reminds us 156 OLD GRIMSBY. of Piers Ploughman. One old ballad, speaking of the first Lord of Coningsby, says : — " William de Coningsby, Came out of Britany, With his wife Tiffany, And his maide Maufas, And his dogge Hardigras." The condition of the people was not greatly improved during the first twenty years which followed the Norman Conquest. The entire land of the county belonged to the Monarch, and it was made compulsory on '' every tenant-in-chief to do homage to His Majesty, that every superior tenant should do homage to his lord ; that every villein should be the bondmen of the free ; and that every slave should, without any property however limited and insecure, be the absolute chattel of some master." From Domesday Book we learn that there were three Manors as follows : — *' In Laceby (Levesbi), and in Bradley (Bredelou), and in Scartho (Scarhou), Sweyn, Arich, and Tosti, had nine carucates of land, rateable to Gelt ; the land is sixteen carucates. The Bishop of Baieux has there in the demesne three caruicates, and four villeins, and ^v^ bordars, and eighty-five sokemen CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 157 with thirteen carucates and a half. There are three churches, each having a priest, and two mills worth 8s. yearly, and three hundred and sixty acres of meadow, and one hundred acres of underwood. In Grimsby (Grimesb), the customary dues of the ferry there yield 40s. yearly. The annual value in King Edward's time was 12I. ; it is now 30I. In Grimsby, there are eleven bovates, and In Glee three bovates and a third of a bovate, and In Itterby (or Cleethorpes) four bovates, and In Thurnsco seven bovates (of Land) soke of this manor (together) three carucates and one bovate of land rateable to gelt : the land Is five carucates and seven bovates ; and fifty-five sokemen and one villlen have there six carucates, and fifty-four acres of meadow." There was in Keelby (Chelebivel Cotes or Coates), a Robert, one of Drogo's vassals, who had "salt-works worth 126. yearly." In Great Coates (Suelcotes) ^'slx sokemen had one carucate and thirty acres of meadow." In Grimsby, " four villlens had one ox and a plough, and one acre of meadow." Ralph de Mortimer gathered "a new toll In Grimsby which was not gathered In King Edward's time." This Ralph de Mortimer was 158 OLD GRIMSBY. allied by the mother's side to the Conqueror, and accompanied him into England. He was one of the chief commanders in William's victorious army. He held lands in twelve counties, and owned about a hundred and thirty lordships. When Domesday Book was compiled (1086), Grimsby had a ferry of the annual value of five shillings, and a salt-pit of sixpence a year. Its customs in connection with the ferry are put down as yielding 40s. annually. It had evidently been a port of some importance for many years. King John visited Grimsby in the second year of his reign. In consideration of 55 marks and a palfrey, that grasping monarch granted to the town a charter, in which it was ordained that "the good men of Grimsby should be governed by a Mayor, annually elected ; that they should be exempt from toll and lastage, stallage, moorage, haustage, and passage, in every town and seaport through- out England, except in the city of London ; that they should not be subject to trial by combat ; that no burgess should be impleded without the town, in any pleas but those of foreign tenure ; that the hustings should be kept once in a week ; and that all their debts, loans, and pledges which should be made, the plea thereupon should be CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 159 holden at Grimsby." During the same year the King granted to the town a ferry. In the reign of Henry III., a whale having been landed at Humberstone upon the fee of the Earl of Chester, his men took possession of it. This led to an inquiry as to whom it rightly belonged, when they '''heard that whenever such kind of fisji shall land, the Lord the King ought to have the head, and the Queen the tail." The Earl, who was present, claimed that "' whenever such kind of fish shall land upon his land or fee, that he ought to have it saving to the Lord the King and to the Queen, what are to be saved, namely the head and the tail, etc." From Domesday Book we learn that the town had a church and a priest. How far the people were benefited by these, however, does not appear. There is historic proof that many of them not only undervalued their privileges, but actually refused to contribute beyond what the law of the land compelled them to pay ; for in the archives of Lincoln, Anno 1297, it is stated that, "The inhabitants of Grimesby made an association amongst themselves yt no person should pay more to the Church than bare dues. Amongst whom ye Bishop of Lincoln (Oliver Sutton) then being, i6o OLD GRIMSBY. sent out his excommunications to be published by ye Deane, ye rectors, vicars, and chapleynes of ye adjoining towns, using these wordes (translated from the Latin), ' These undevout men, ungrate- ful sons, trying the anger of God, whose mercy they refuse, and which is far from them, the time is hastening and is present, as in merit, in zeal, and in justice.' The prophet exclaims : * The time is the Lord's to do justice. Thy law have they altogether destroyed,' etc." It would seem that this solemn excommuni- cation had not much effect, for in the same archive we find that in 1307, "the Mayor and Burgesses of Grimsby hanged a Priest for theft called Richard of Nottingham. Hereupon y^ Bp. sends to y^ Abbot of Wellow to associate to himselfe twelve adjacent Chapleines to examine y^ cause and in St. James, his Church, excumates all y^ had any hand in it of whatsover condition they were, y^ Kin^, Queene, and Prince of Wales excepted. And ye Bishop himself did excom- municate them in y^ Cathedrale Church of Lincoln, y^ fifth of y^ Ides of April following."* The men of Grimsby appear to have had not * "Gervas Holies' Collections," Vol. I., British Museum, Lans., MSS., 207a. CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. i6i unfrequent disputes with their spiritual instructors, the religious orders, and there frequently seems to have been bitter and irreligious quarrels between them. The Abbot of Wellow built a wall across the high road leading into the town, as did also the prioress of St. Leonard's nunnery, and the master and brothers of the Knight's Templars. The latter also diverted a water-course, turning it into a new channel, ''for the purpose of depriving the inhabitants of their usual supply of fresh water," which was not too plentiful before they did so. These military ecclesiastics also took posses- sion of a windmill, which formed part of the fee-farm belonging to the Corporation, and at the same time refused to pay the usual sums to the Mayor's Court. They even went so far as to open a court of their own, where they tried all causes which arose within their precients, after the manner of the court held by royal charter in the Abbey of Wellow, thus asserting their independ- ance both with respect to the municipal and royal authority. These encroachments excited con- siderable opposition on the part of the burgesses, who entered into a league to resist them to the utmost. They also pledged themselves not to 11 i62 OLD GRIMSBY. render any momentary aid to the church beyond what the law insisted upon. One of the most valuable sources of information on the subject of the condition of society is the the Reprint of the Manuscripts of the Borough, issued by order of the ** Historical Manuscript's Commission." It contains extracts of a deeply interesting characters from Records of the Cor- poration contained in fourteen tin boxes. From it we have culled the following reference to the Borough and its inhabitants. An ordinance of Henry VI., Octr. 3 (1435) commences thus: — '* In the laude and joy oure Lord Jhu Crist, and of the most holy moder and vyrgyne oure lady seynt Mary, and all the holy celestyns of heven, to the releve and sustentacion of the Kyngs burgh of Grymesby." 20 Edw. IV. (1481), •' Md that Tyseday the xxiij" day of Januer' in the ze of the rane of Kyng Edward the forritt xx^' it is confirmed and ordered by W"" Glasyner that the Mair . . . and by all the Burges of the said towne beyne in the Hall the forsade day, that no man nor woman shall be arrest for dett w' in any sewtwarre or Burges howse of the forsede town, nor for dett, nor for trespass, on thies daies under written, viz., from CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 163 Zelle Even that none be runge unto the day after Plugh day, Candlemas day, fastynggangeven, from prime forward, from Schere Thoresday at morne unto the day Senyt, all Crose weyke, the iij holydaies in Penticost, Corpus Xpiday, Saynt Austyn day, nor none shall pay tolle that day, or Mydsomer Even, nor on Saynt Petir even, from none be runge of Mary Magdelyn, from none be runge nor of hir day ; but yff any do trespas or take any thyrng and agrese not w* the parte that shalbe arrest, and schall to the parte at cuvabyll tyme than foloyng." (fo. 29). By an ordinance of Henry VII., a.d. 1498, it was ordained that '' All Geese to be pygoned so that they cannot fly from the executions of pinding ; and if they fly away then it shall be lawful for every man to slay them with shooting, or any other engine, and they that be lawfully pinded to pay for every goose one halfpenny." At that time 120 acres of the unenclosed land was worth twelve pence annually and not more. Near the town, three roods of enclosed land let at two shillings per annum. The following letter ^' By the King" Henry VI I. , was addressed to the Mayor and Burgesses : — ''Trusty and welbeloved, we grete you, lating i64 OLD GRIMSBY. you wite that it comen to our knowledge how that certain cruel and avouable murdres has be late committed in sundry places in our countie of Lincoln, in the parties of Lyndesey, and noo lawful redresse . or punisshment had therein. Wherfor, willing not such detestable offenses to pass unpunisshed, considering the abhomynabilite 'before the face of God, (we) wol and staitly commaunde you that in alle haste ye doo the said murdrers to be enquired of from tyme to tyme until they may be founde, and that soo doon, ye see without favor, affecceon, drede or partialite th' offenders sharply be punisshed after the straitnesse of our lawes. And that ye fuille not to doo yo"" effectuell diligence herein as ye wol answere befor God and unto your perilles." The dissolution of the Monastries was by no means universally approved. The monks and others, who were thrust out, had many sympa- thisers, and their friends did not content them- selves with mere expressions of sympathy, but actually broke out into open rebellion against the king. The story, as far as Lincolnshire was concerned, may be found in " Froud's His. Eng., Vol. II." Grimsby and the immediate neighbour- hood punished the rebels with several adherents, CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 165 some of whom suffered capital punishment. Among these was the parson of Scartho, who was hung at Lincoln for taking part in the movement. On April 20th, 1494, an Inquisition was taken at '' Ankcastre, by the oath of Robert Bayn- brygge, John Swynton, John Patman, Henry Adam, John Gregory, Robert Scymer, William Gre, . . . Richard Calver, John Cuthbert, Thomas Godsalve, John Doune, and William Baxster. Who say that Sir Thomas Scrope, Knight, held in his demense as of fee, four messuages, 39s. loj^d. of annual rent in Grimesbye, to be received annually by the hands of divers free tenants there, which are held of the King in free burgage, as the whole vill of Grimesby is held." Rental of Clee. The following rents were due to the town of "Grimesby." There is no date, but the previous entry is 13 Henry VIH. Furst of Henr' Moyn for - - - - \s. viij^. It' of the same . - . . . (blank) It' of the same for Idale in Klee - - viij^. It' of Robert Slownt - . . . iijj-. \]d. It' of Henr' Grimesby ... - xxiij^. 1 66 OLD GRIMSBY. It' of Wat' Warne njs. \n]d. It' of Thomas Bell ijs. xjd. It' of the nuns of Grimesby ijs. yd. It' of the Abbot of Wellow xd. It' of John Kygier for landes lat Fowler - i]s. \u]d» It' of the same for landes lat Stellion (?) - iiijd. It' „ „ „ Laceby ijd. ob. It' of Hurchyned xvd. ob. It' of Thomas Curtas ... - xiiij^. It' of Henr' Coulbe xuijd. It' of landes late Cort .... xi}d. It' of Margaret Laceby ... - xi'jd. Item of Henr' Dymbleton ]d. Sum ma totalis xliijj. id. There is a loose paper in the Court Book (at fo. 272), without date, the previous entry being 2)3 Henry VIII., which gives the cost of a charter as follows. " For Grymesby to pay." The charter cost. Item for the scale .... xxs. iiijd?. Item for the velome skynne - - xij^. Item for the lace to the sealer - - i}s. Item for the two maisters of the Chaun- cerye for examinacon therof - vj^. do. do. enroUying - - xxs. do. do. wrytyng - - xxvjs. viiij^. do. do. for the fyne of the said conlirmacon ... xs. Summa totalis v//. ixs. CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 167 In 1525, the will of William Bornett, of Alford, of ''hole mynde and good," in which he did *' bequeth his sowlle to the holy Trynitie of heven and to our lady Sainct Mary and to all the holy cumpany of heven," and his "body to be buried where as it shall please Almighty God and the Church to have the Mortuary that the law giveth," was proved at Grimsby. From the Parish Register of Hagworthingham the following item is taken : — s. d. * For ye repair to the Haven of Great Grimsby November ye i6th 1663 . . - 20 About 1550, agriculture was in a very deplor- able state. An acre of good land was let at a shilling, or about sixteen pence of our money. Beef and pork were sold at a half-penny a pound, and mutton and veal at half-a-farthing higher. In 25 Eliz., it was ordered " that no manner of person, beinge a laborer, that doeth or shall come to dwell and inhabitte within this burroughe shall not worke as a laborer there before he be admytted by Mr. Maior and his bretheryne to dwell here * Grimsby, in the time of the Plantagenets, had been a flourishing port, and furnished, in 1346, eleven ships and one hundred and seventy-one men towards the seige of Calais. The harbour was a natural one, and became, in the seventeenth century, so silted up with mud from the Humber that no shipping could enter. i68 OLD GRIMSBY. and to worke as a laborer, and paie to the use of the townes chamber 2s. for his furst admyttance. Every shoemaker, taler, cobler, glover, smythe, weaver, tynker, and such like occupacons paye to the use of the townes chamber for their saide furst admyttance, yf he be a maried person, 3s. 4d., and yf he be a syngler person^ 5s. Every pedder 5s, marcer los, draper ics, and such like occupations, I OS. each. Every merchant venterrer and such like, 20s. No owner of property in the borough to let any house or shop to any person not an inhabitant of the borough." There is a curious account in the register for 1586 of the neighbouring church of Ulceby, of a ''cootrov"" sea" respecting the payment of the parish clerk, "whether ye wages were for every farme one strike of Barley, or 4d. in money, and the vicar and churchwardens did request that old men of the p'she whot was due and custome : wherupon Will'm Scott, Henry Joneson, and W"" Wower did saye yt about ix years ago there were one Peacock and one Parkins Clarkes and they would come to the p'shioners then living and aske yf thier barley was ready and yf it were not they wo"^ will them to gyve them 4d. for it, which was then to their judgements the full price of one CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 169 strike of barley." Others testified that for " their tymes and their father's tymes . . . the barley which was due to the Clarke yearly by custome was one penny for every houshold in the March term at holy water Sunday at ets dayes and at Easter." The condition of the town in the earlier part of the 17th century was most deplorable, as was that of the country around. April 21st, 1623, writing to his brother, Sir Edward Conway, '' Principall Secretary to his Ma^'^ and one of his Most Ho : priory Councell," Sir W. Pelham, for Brocklesby, whose brother was one of the members for Grimsby at that time, say : — '' I am now heare with my sonn to settle some countrie affairr, and my owne private, which weare never soe burthen- som unto mee, as now. For manie insufficient tenants have given upp theyr farmes and scheepe- walks, soe I am forced to take them into my owne hands, and borrow munnie uppon use to stocke them. Itt draweth mee wholly from a con- templative life, which I maste affected, and coolde be moste willing to pass over my whole estate to the benefite of my children, so I weare freed of the troble. Our countrie was never in that wante that now itt is, and more of munnie than I70 OLD GRIMSBY. Corne, for there are many thousands in thease parts whoo have soulde all they have even to theyt bedd straw, and cann not gett worke to earne any munnie. Dogg's flesh is a dainty disch, and found upon search in many houses, also such horse flesch as hath laien long in a deke for hounds, and the other day one stele a scheepe, whoo for mere hunger tore a legg out, and didd eate itt raw. All that is most certaine true, and yette the greate time of scarcity not yette comme. I schall reijoyce to have a better subject to write of and expect it with patience." The above letter is preserved among the State Papers in the Public Record Office. 12 Charles I. (1636), October 5th. "Upon conference betwixt Mr. Maior this Councell for the raisinge of a stocke for settinge the poore of Grimsby on worke, beinge many in number and increasinge much uppon us, it was agreed that the East Marshes should be lett, etc., and that the parish should have a particular warninge to be att the Churche uppon Sunday last att eveninge prayer, where the said Mr. Maior did then pro- pound the former intencion before them all," etc. Signed by Gervase Holies, Mayor, and many burgesses. CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 171 August 13th, 1658. "William Thorold of Cuxwold, gent, by deed, granted to the Corpor" for binding poor boys apprentices, a rent charge out of lands at Scartho, of w^ the deed recites the descent by the custom of Borough English." In an " Inventorie," taken " May ye 23rd, 1679, of all the goods and chattels of Wm. Smith, gent., of Elsham, late deceased," we find the following items : — 9 score of the best weather sheep - - ^63 o o 120 ewes and lambs - - - - 36 o o 160 hoggs - - - - - - 29 o o Four score acres of pease and oats at I IJ-. (id. the acre come to - - 46 o o etc., etc. Barley was quoted at 175-. the acre, wheat and rye 25^-. Lintills, 85. 12 slack calves, JP^^ o o. One stone coult, ;£i6 o o. Hay loj-. a load. In the middle of the sixteenth century, the population appears to have been considerable, for the burials averaged over 100 annually. In 1590 they reached 130. The population, therefore, if the death rate was anything near that of the present day, would be over 5,000 ; a large number, when it is remembered that at that time Lincoln had only 3,500; Hull, 2,000; Boston, 1,000; and Yarmouth, 2,000. In a journal of the Rev. A. de la Pryme, there 172 OLD GRIMSBY. is an account of a visit to Grimsby, October 13th, 1697. The writer says, ''Grimsby is at present but a little poor town, not a quarter as great as heretofore. The old market-place is lost, and where they now keep it is in the midst of a street." He assigns three reasons for the decay of the town. " First, the destruction of the haven, which was in former times a fine large river, and carried large vessels as far as Ailsby. . . . That which destroyed it was the Humberts wearing away the huge cliff at Cleethorpe, and bringing and casting it all into Grimsby haven or river, and all along Grimsby coast on the north, so that the river was not only filled thereby, but also a hugh bay on the north side of the town in which ships did formerly ride with the greatest ease and advantage to the town imaginable. This bay being thus filled up, and made common for almost two miles broad, from the town's end to the H umber, the Mayor and Aldermen petitioned Queen Elizabeth to bestow this new land for ever upon them and the town, which she did." The second cause he mentions is " the de- struction of the religious houses," and the third, *'the rise of Hull, which having first of all CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 173 privileges and advantages above other towns, and a fine haven to boot, robbed them all, not only of all traffic but also of their chief tradesmen, which were sent for and encouraged to live there." He mentions that ''a public spirited parliament- man, at Grimsby, one of a noble soul, was seeking to restore the prosperity of the place, by laying a new sluice and digging a haven, and promoting the fishery at the H umber mouth. Towards this '^ vast subscriptions were already gotten, some have subscribed ^100, some ^1,200, and others even ^2,000 a piece, and five large fishing- vessels also are a-building at Stockwith, and other places for the town. He is also establishing the woollen manufactory, and has sent down out of Oxford- shire a rug and coverlet maker ; and has given him wool, and his new house three years' rent free." In a MS. collection of notes on Lincolnshire Topography and Family History, supposed to have been compiled {circa 1760) by Ralph Big- land, there are a number of notes of briefs for the collection of money for the restoration of churches in Lincolnshire. Among these is the following : — " Great Grimsby. — The Parish Church of Great Grimsby in this county, being a very large and 174 OLD GRIMSBY. ancient structure of about five hundred yeares standing, is by length of time very much decayed, and in the year 1707 there happened a very violent clap of thunder which struck off several stones from the steeple and rent the same in two in several places, and very much weakened the whole body of the said church, which is now, from the many great Breaches, Decays, and Defects therin, in great danger of falling. The charge of Repairing and Rebuilding the same will be upon a moderate computation, besides the present materials, the sum of 1,757 pounds.'' Vide Brief dated 9th April, 5 George I. (17 19). In 1757, there was paid to labourers engaged in building the first Methodist Chapel in Grimsby the following sums : — " Two bricklayers and two labourers for one week, £1 13s. Three carpenters, five days, ^i 4s. ; one labourer, two days, 3s. Bricklayers were paid two shillings a day, carpenters and labourers, eighteen pence ; and the building, capable of accomodating two hundred people, cost only /^yS. Provisions, however, were cheap. Prime beef could be bought at twopence per pound, fine flour at a shilling a peck, butter at fourpence a pound, and milk at a penny a quart. CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE. 175 In 1790, the population was but 982. This, however, was the lowest point reached. A scheme for turning the little river Freshney into the harbour, started at least as early as the reign of Edward I., was at last carried out by a company, and a new haven opened in 1800. Towards the end of the last century, the in- habitants were greatly alarmed by the reported intentions of Napoleon to invade this part of the country, and for a long time the appearance of French ships in the Humber was constantly expected. The excitement spread throughout the county. At Louth, the French eagles were daily expected, and the market place was cumbered with waggons and other vehicles, placed there to be in readiness to convey the families and goods of the inhabitants into the interior of the country. Col. Loft's regiment was stationed in the town, and a Louth Voluntary Infantry was enrolled in 1798, which assembled every Monday and Thurs- day evening to be trained and exercised for three hours. Five years later, during another invasion panic, a still larger force, consisting of four companies and 400 men, was formed."^ There are many persons still living who re- * History of Louth. Shepherd, Louth, 1864, pp. 62-3. 176 OLD GRIMSBY. member Grimsby when it had only one street, which was without any well-defined beginning or end. The houses in it were seperated from each other by waste spaces, in which a stranger might have easily lost himself and being in danger of apprehension by the one constable who constituted the entire force for the ancient borough. When the new docks were commenced, it was prophesied that they would remain one vast and dreary waste in which oysters would find an undisturbed resting-place. ZTbe flDarebee. THERE was a large tract of land on both sides of the main street known as East and West Marshes. These were granted to the Corporation under the name of '' preprestures," by King Henry HI., at the instance of Edmund de Grymesby. They were at that time termed "waste places," and were overflowed three days each fortnight by the tide. This, however, was remedied in the course of time by the waters leaving a deposit, which ultimately raised the land above high water mark, the decomposition of vegetable matter slowly aiding this result. The repair of the sea-banks and effective draining also helped to make those waste places, excellent pasturage ground. My grandfather, an old freeman, occupied a portion of the West Marsh, and when a boy the writer has frequently taken part in haymaking upon it. The adjacent country frequently suffered from the bursting of the sea-banks. During one of these devastating overflows iioo sheep belonging 12 178 OLD GRIMSBY. to one person were drowned between H umber- stone and Grimsby, and the shepherd in his efforts to save them shared their fate. Mr. Pelham lost iioo; Mr. Thimbleby, 220; Mr. Dymoke, 400 ; and Mr. Mash, 500. Mr. Maddison suffered the loss of a large ship with its cargo. Sir Hugh Ayscough and others lost 20,000 cattle. Sixty vessels with their cargoes were lost between Grimsby and Boston, and all the salt cotes, where the finest salt was made, were completely destroyed. A "fish," probably a whale, 19 yards in length, the tail 15 feet broad, was driven ashore at Grimbsy. 12 men could stand upright in its mouth.^ The ravages and encroachments made by the sea affected almost the whole coast from Grimsby to Skegness. A portion of the parish of Clee, known by the name of Hole, and mentioned in hundred rolls with Scartho, Itterby, and Thrunsco has disappeared as well as Itterby, which was once a portion of Clee parish. In our Early Days, we occasionally took a walk in company with two companions of our own age along the West H umber Bank, and had to cross the marshes to reach it. To do this we had to go ♦ (Byrde of Gryme.) THE MARSHES. 179 round by Ducking Chair Haven Bridge, pro- nounced, '' duckinsheraven." It was necessary to select the summer time for our excursions, unless we were prepared for a severe scolding from our respective parents on our return for coming home " labared up with muck." More than one pair of delicate coloured trousers have I known rendered utterly unfit for further wear by these exploits. Our boundary was usually " Pyeweep House," which took its name from the large number of Pewit's found near it. A recent writer says : — Moist, rush-growing land, is frequently described as '^ Peewit Land," from the fact that the Pewit, or Pee-weet as it is sometimes called, are often seen in such places in search of their favourite food. It is generally called Py-wipe at Grimsby. In my youth I knew it by no other name, though I have since heard it called ''puet" or pew-it." There used to be a Py-wipe Inn on the bank leading to Stallingborough Marshes, and I remember passing a small public-house bearing the same name when going from Lincoln to Saxilby some few years ago. In Lincolnshire Notes and Queries, Vol. i., p. 55, a curious account is given of the pewit's cry taken from Ralston's Russian Folk-lore. " When i8o OLD GRIMSBY. God created the earth and determined to supply it with seas, lakes, and rivers, He ordered the birds to convey the water to their appointed places. They all obeyed except this bird, which refused to fulfil its duty, saying that it had no need of seas, lakes, or rivers to slake its thirst. Then the Lord waxed wrath, and forbade it and its posterity ever to approach a sea or stream, allowing it to quench it thirst only with that water which remains in hollows, or among stones after rain. From that time it has never ceased its wailing cry of 'drink, drink, peet, peet.' " On May 24th, 1849, an Act was passed* 'for the Management and Disposal of the Freeman's pastures in the East Marsh, Little Field, and Hay Croft, and for other purposes." This arose from the M. S. & L. Railway Company having *' purchased and taken a portion of such pastures." The purchase money was invested in the purchase of ;^ 19, 263 9s. 2d. per centum annuities. The Act . made provision for the Management and Occupation of Pastures, the term " Pastures " being defined as "such parts of such Pastures called the East Marsh, Little Field, and Hay Croft, as have not been taken by the M. S. & L. Railway Company, with their rights, members THE MARSHES. i8i and appurtenances. It also defined the word '* Freeman " to mean, " the Freeman and Widows of Freemen of the borough." The expression, "enrolled Freemen," shall mean '^ the Freemen who names are included in the Pasture Roll for the time being in force." It also enacted that the Town Clerk should r.ake out a list of Freemen yearly, and post the same, which should be open to inspection to any person, without payment of fee, at all reasonable hours between the 5 th and 15th days of September (Sundays excepted) in every year. Any person to be furnished with a copy, on payment of a sum not exceeding one shilling for each copy. Any person claiming to have his name inserted in such list must on or before the 15th of September in every year, give notice thereof in writing to the Town Clerk. Any Freeman whose name is on such list may object to any other person as not entitled to have his name retained on such list, but must give notice in writing to the Town Clerk, and to the person objected to. Provision was also made for the meeting of enrolled Freemen annually, on the first Monday in November, special meetings, and many other matters. i82 OLD GRIMSBY. None of the recent settlers in Grimbsy can form any idea of what those marshes were like, from their present appearance. The old land- marks are gone, and where reeds and rushes once grew, shops and houses now stand. The writer owns a house in Watkin Street, in the garden of which, when a boy, he often fished for eels, and not without success. The land itself is considerably higher than it once was. Mr. A. Bates states that a con- siderable elevation has taken place during the present century. In 1863 some posts were found in an upright position, the tops of which were about seven feet below the surface of the road. The discovery was made by some men while digging in the cellar of the house at the corner of Riby Street. These marshes afforded a scant pasturage for cattle, and but few of these were to be found upon them, but they were the home of large numbers of geese, which, according to the Rev. J. Wild, were troublesome commoners, being prone to visit, uninvited, the pastures of their neighbours, and manifested a decided objection to the pinfold in which the Town Pinder felt it his imperative duty to impound them. They took THE MARSHES. 183 wing and flew far beyond his reach, which so exasperated him that he pursuaded the authorities to pass a rule and ordinance that they should be pynoned to prevent them from '' flying from the execution of pinding." ^ The extent of the Marshes was as follows : — West Marsh 197 Acres East Marsh 172 ,, West Fitties 49 » East Fitties 80 „ 498 Acres For a long period the marsh land between the Town and the H umber was rented of the Crown as part of the fee farm, and the burgesses had no power either to enclose or improve it, and frequent disputes arose between the latter and the Crown respecting alleged encroachments by the towns-people. At length, Edward III., in 1331, granted by charter to the burgesses, all void places and wastes with appurtenances in Grimbsy at a rent of 3s. yearly, a grant by which a vast amount of what is now, highly valuable property, is possessed by the burgesses. The East Marsh commenced at the end of * See page 163. i84 OLD GRIMSBY. Haven Street, where the principal merchants resided, and New Street, where there was a Town's Bridge, named Seymour White Bridge, which, crossing the Haven, gave access to the Marsh. In 1800, when the New Dock was opened, which had cost about ^100,000, the Corporation laid out part of the Marsh, parellel with it, and formed three streets, now called Victoria Street, Burgess Street, and King Edward Street. To encourage persons to build, a plot of 360 square yards was allotted to each Freeman for 99 years, an annual rent of 5s. being reserved. These plots were afterwards made freehold, subject to the rent. These privileges led to numerous houses being built, differing in height, size, and appearance, and standing at irregular distances from each other. The Corporation, in order to facilitate trade and private accommodation for yards and ware- houses, also set out a large portion of land by the side of the dock, next Loft Street, which was soon occupied in part, though some remained waste and unenclosed until after 1853, ^^^ much later. Loft Street was named after General Loft on his becoming member for the borough; but in 1854 it was re-named Victoria Street in honour of Her i THE MARSHES. 185 Majesty's visit to open the New Dock. It terminated at what is now the junction of Victoria Street and Cleethorpe Road, where a Toll Bar was erected, which was removed in 1807 to the bridge over the Marsh drain, near where the Royal Hotel now stands, and afterwards removed to the end of King Edward Street, where it remained until it was abolished, some time after the present New Docks were opened. Well do we remember the dissatisfaction that prevailed among the numerous residents on the further side of it, at having to pay toll on every cart load of coal or goods which had to pass through it. I lElectione. THE first Parliament for England met January 20th, 1265. A Council of the principal landowners, secular and ecclesiastic, had existed from Anglo Saxon times, and some writers hold that the Commons were to some extent represented in it. It was not, however, until the reign of Henry HI., that a parliament was summoned in which there was to be two knights for each county, and two citizens for every borough. Whether Grimsby was re- presented in the first Parliament or not we cannot say, but according to Oliver's list two burgesses were returned in 1295, but their names are not mentioned. In 1298 Johannes Elmed and Gilbertus Wyom were elected. Theoretically the electors were no doubt supposed to be " Free and Independent," but persons were recommended by letters to the sheriffs, and elected as knights for different shires, all of whom belonged to the court or were in places of trust about the King. ELECTIONS. 187 Mary issued a circular before the Parliament of 1554, directing the sheriffs to admonish the electors to choose good catholics and *' in- habitants," while the Earl of Sussex, one of her most active counsellors, wrote to the gentlemen of Norfolk and to the burgesses of Yarmouth, requesting them to reserve their voices for the person he should name.^ The following letters show that the nobility in ancient times were not prohibited from meddling with elections. The first was written by John Viscount Beaumont, and was addressed, " To my right trusty and welbeloved the Mayer and Bailyfs of Grymesby be this delivered." There is no date but it was written before 1459. ^' Right trusty and welbeloved, I grete you wel. And forasmuch as it is supposed that there shall now hastily ben a Parlemment, which if it so shall be I pray you right hertely, considered that my right trusty and welbeloved servaunt Rauff Chandeler is like newely to ben maund in yo' town at Grymsby, wherfor of reson he should rather shewe his diligence in suche as shall be thought spedefull for the wele of yo*^ said town thaune sum other straung persone, y' may like * Strype III., 155, Burnet II., 228. i88 OLD GRIMSBY. you for, my sake in yo"" eleccion for yo*" Burgeises of yo"" said towne to graunte yo' good will and voys to my said servaunt to th'entent that he myght be oon of yo"" Burgeises to apere for yo*" said town in the said Parlement. And such as I may do for you I shall at all tymes the rather perfourme to my power, as knoweth God, which have you ever in keping. Written at Eppeworth the XV day of Decembre. John Viscount Beau- mont." The writer was no doubt the Lord Beaumont who was killed at the Battle of Northampton in July 1460, when the Yorkists were victorious and the King's forces were utterly routed, and Buckingham, Egremont, and Beaumont, the most strenuous of his adherents were slain. What the effect of the letter was we cannot say as the Parliamentary list for 1460 only mentions one name that of Johannes Sherriff as member, although the list for more than seventy years previous to that year had two members for each election, and for several years afterwards. The following letter, on a similar occasion, was from Ralph, Earl of Westmoreland. " Right welbeloved, I recommaunde me unto yowe. And whereas I understande that voure towne of ELECTIONS. 189 Grymesbye must send up to the Parliment two Burgesses of the same, wheche if ye do so wolle be to you no llttill charge in susteanying the' costis and expensis ; wherefor, aswell for the welle of youre seid towne as other speciall causys, I advise and hartely requyre you to send unto my hondes your wrytte directed for the electionne of the said Burgessis, wheche I shall cause to be substauncially retoorned, and appoint ij of my counsale to be Burgessis for your seid towne, who shall not only regarde and set forward the welle of the same in suche causis, if ye have any, as ye shall advertise me theym upon, but also dymmynsshe yor charges of olde tyme conswete ask for the sustentacionne of there said costes. And in this doing ye shall shewe unto me a singuler pleasure, and unto yo"" selffis convenient proftit ; wherof I efftsons hartely requyre yowe not to faile as ye intend to have my goode wylle and favo' in like manor shewed accordingly. Thus hartely fare ye well. At my Castell of Braunce- path, this xvjth day of September, yours assured, Rauff Westmoland." In a letter dated October 19th, 1554, from Sir Francis Ayscough, Sheriff of Lincolnshire, to the Mayor and Burgesses of Grimsby, he stated that iQo OLD GRIMSBY. he had received a writ from the King and Queen (Philip and Mary), for election for Parliament at Westminster on T2th November, next, and also a letter from the Queen commanding him to admonish the Burgesses to choose an inhabitant of their own town ^' and of the wysest, grave and catholycke sort, syche as in deyd meyne the trew honer of god w'^ the prosperyte of the comen welthe." Here is another letter on the same subject from Sir F. Ayscough : — December 3rd (1557?). ''After harty commendacions, wheras I ame enformed that ther will be a Parliment holden immediately after Christenmas, wherfor I shall require you at this my request to chuse for one of yo"" burgeses Xpofer Winch, esquire, who ys a man very mete for the same, being both wise and well-learned, and able fully to dyscharge that offyce. And yf yo" have anything to do with my Lord of Westmorland, as I suppose you have, he may do as much with him as any man, for he ys of his counsayll. And yf you do chuse him now at my request, the towneship shall have a great treasure of him, and lykewise I fro my parte shalbe glad to do for yo" anything that lyeth in my power. Thus fare ye well. From Lyncoln, the iij day of Decembre, yours, ELECTIONS. 191 Francis Ayscough. I will undertake for him he shall take no fees of yo*" for being burgeyse.""^ There is also a letter from Sir Robert Tyrwhyt, dated January 8th, 1558-9, to the *' Right Worshipfull and my lovyng fryndes Mr. Mayor of Grymsby and to the rest of his Brethren, which states ' that ' he is requested by his very good Lord, my Lord Clynton earnestly to require them to commit the nomination of one of the Burgesses for Parliament to his lordship, and my lord will appoint such a gentleman as shall be able very honestly to supply the office and put the town to no charges. And for my brother Marmaduke, I have stayd hym that he shall make no further sewtt to yow for the same." In his printed List of Members for 1558-9, Oliver gives, ^' John Bellow, Aid." only. He had represented the town along with George Henage, in 1553. Ambrose Sutton, 1554. Thomas Constable, 1554-5, and Marmaduke Tyrwhyt, 1556. There is a letter dated Sunday, Helinge, from Francis Mussynden to " the right worshipfull Mr. Mighell Empringham, the Quen's Majesties Leifetennaunt of the town of Grymsbye," stating that he had been with his father-in-law, * I cannot find any mention of a Winch being returned, 192 OLD GRIMSBY. " S' Francis Ayscowghe at Lincoln, and he would desire you to choose for Parliament my uncle, Mr. George Skipwick, and Mr. William Macrbeyre, whom he doth think very fit men for the purpose." He desires them certify him by the bearer, as he means to speak with his father- in-law the next day. The question of fees appears to have been an important one with the electors ; for in a letter from Robert Halton written '' Frome my chambre in th' Inner Temple," he says that he understands that a Parliament is to be summoned, and asks to be elected one of the Burgesses, promises various services in return, and to " require no expensis, except you se cause frely to consyder me w'^ some smalle pleasure;" and in 1562 Lord Clyton himself wrote asking the Mayor and Burgesses to elect Mr. Edward Tarrat, a very discreet gentle- man, and one ready to further their interests without putting them to any charge. Other letters on similar occasions are couched in similar terms and make similar promises. There does not appear to have been any strong political rivalry in the Borough, long before the passing of the Reform Bill. The two parties were known as Reds and Blues. The Blues, as ELECTIONS. 193 I first remember them, were liberals or adherents of the house of Brocklesby, whose nominees had for some time represented the ^'free and in- dependent electors." The rivalry between Reds and Blues was certainly strong and could not well have been more fierce. To such an extent was this feeling carried that there were two packets running from Grimsby to Hull and back, with chimneys painted the colour of the party they represented. Well do I recollect the red funnel of the Sovereign and the blue one of the Pelham. Many persons would not go in the opposition boat on any account. Instances occur to my recollection of men losing their boat and returning home, though the other was about to start, and their business was of importance. This feeling of rivalry extended to every department of social and business life. There were red and blue tailors, red and blue drapers, red and blue doctors, red and blue lawyers, even red and blue parsons, and red and blue black- smiths and whitesmiths, butchers, bakers, and every other kind. The ^* Reds" were generally in opposition, and consisted principally of non- officials and ''independents," as they preferred to be styled. Though the "Blues" occupied most 13 T94 OLD GRIMSBY. of the public offices, and dominated the Town Council the polling was frequently very close, and the majority small. For instance, in 1666 it was four, in 1667 three. In 1 681 it had risen to five, and in 1702 to six. For many subsequent years it was comparatively large, one candidate in one election only polling nine votes, In 1790 the majority again fell to five, while in 1796 the numbers ran so close that the two members returned were each elected by only one vote above the third candidate, and three above the fourth. It may not be uninteresting to give the exact figures — Ayscoughe Boucherett - - 131 William Mellish - - - 131 John Henry Loft - • - 130 Robert Home Gordon - - 128 Six years afterwards Mr. Loft headed the poll with a majority of three over Mr. Boucherett, who was second with a majority of one, over William Mellish and Robert Sewell, who each polled the same number of votes (143). A petition followed when the result was reversed, and Boucherett and Mellish were declared elected by 147 and 146, to 137 and 134. At the next election which took place in 1807, Charles A. ELECTIONS. 195 Pelham was elected by 138 to John Henry Loft 137. In 181 2 the change was remarkable as the returns are, John Peter Grant 219, John Henry Loft 97. In the early part of Its history as a Parlia- mentary Borough, the number of electors was very small, and continued so for a long period. As late as 1689 two members were returned by twenty-seven each, while the unsuccessful can- didate polled twenty-two, and up to 1784 the poll never reached 100, and It was not until 18 12 that It was 200, and in 1831, the year before the Reform Bill became law, it was only 182 and 181 for the two candidates returned, and It was not before 1852 that It was above 300. It is not surprising that under such circum- stances bribery should have been prevalent. When the Court or leaders of a party were specially anxious for the return of their nominees, they would be under the temptation to spend freely to secure their object. The same applies to the candidates anxious to enter the House of Commons. The consequence was that every conceivable form of bribery existed. Votes had a fixed market value. My maternal grandmother has told me that when occupying a position of 196 OLD GRIMSBY. trust at the Queen's Head, she sat for several hours one election day in a cellar, and gave a parcel containing a hundred sovereigns to each person who passed through the cellar, without seeing the faces of the recipients who passed through an aperture which had been made by breaking a hole in the wall, which allowed them to go out another way to that at which they entered. The practice of paying for votes was so common that many fortunate possessors of the privilege considered it a property which they were wise to make the most of. For a long time the borough was notorious for elections characterised by open bribery and unblushing corruption. The most remarkable was the one known as Pole and Wood's election in 1790. It is described to by Dr. Oliver and referred to by Mr. Bates, but a brief account is necessary to give the reader anything like a correct idea of the state of things once prevalent in the borough. It lasted nine months during which time the public houses were open day and night, and so freely did the electors avail themselves of their privileges that one fourth of them killed themselves before its close. ;^8o,ooo was spent on both sides. One of the candidates. ELECTIONS. 197 Mr. Pole, a London banker, during his canvas scattered money in the streets as he passed along, for the independent freemen to pick up. Not- withstanding this profuse liberality he found himself left out in the cold by a minority of five. The polling was remarkably equal, the figures being — John Harrison - - - 140 Dudley North - - - 140 Hon. William Westley Pole - - 135 Robert Wood - - - 135 A petition followed which was heard before a committee at the House of Commons, which sat over five weeks and examined fifty-three witnesses, from whose evidence it appeared that bribes were given varying in amount from ^20 to ^250. Not only beer, but beef was given away, oxen being roasted, cut up and distributed freely, and in some cases living animals were presented as bribes. The result was, the election was declared void and the persons elected unseated, and re-elected without opposition. One of the peculiar elements in elections in old Grimsby previous to the passing of the Reform Bill in 1832, was the special privileges enjoyed by the freeman, and the singular manner in which 198 OLD GRIMSBY. these privileges were obtained. There were three different ways — by birth, by apprenticeship, or by marriage. In the tirst case, every son of a freeman, born in wedlock, was entitled to the rights of freeman on attaining his majority. In the second instance, a young man who had served seven years' apprenticeship to a freeman could claim the same privilege on obtaining his inden- tures ; and lastly, any man, not himself a freeman, could be made free — paradoxical as it may appear — by entering into the bonds of matrimony with the daughter of a freeman. This power of investing their slaves with municipal liberty by the women of Gringleby had been held by them from the days of ''Good Queen Bess," who it is generally allowed conferred this singular favour upon their maternal ancestors during one of her visits to the town. If the traditions of the borough are to be credited, this act arose out of the admiration the immaculate maiden Queen felt for their comely looks and matchless virtues. It is true that the inhabitants of a neighbouring and rival seaport maliciously asserted that the favour was owing to the sisterly sympathy and womanly compassion of the tender-hearted monarch, who, they declared, was, while riding through the town, ELECTIONS. 199 so struck with their remarkable ug , well, we will not say that, but plainness, to use a softer word — that she conferred the privilege upon them to help them to get husbands, as it appeared highly improbable that any body would marry them for their own sakes. This, we need scarcely say, we look upon as a most abominable and unjustifiable slander. But, however, the right was conferred, there is no doubt about its being possessed. My father was free in each of these three ways. He was born free, served seven years' apprenticeship to his uncle Alderman Kennington, and married the daughter of an old freeman, Mr. Jabez Robinson, plumber and glazier. It was not only possible to obtain this privilege by marriage, but it was frequently so acquired, and as in those days a non-freeman could marry a freeman's widow or daughter, and immediately after the ceremony take up his freedom and vote. Some curious incidents occurred. Matches arising out of political necessity between non- freemen and freemen's daughters were sometimes made without consulting the ladies concerned. Mr. Anderson Bates mentions a case in which the housekeeper of a Mr. Nundy was so disposed of. '* On Nundy going home one afternoon, he said 200 OLD GRIMSBY. to her, ' Mary, I am told you are to be married to-morrow morning." She replied '' I'se sure I don't know, maister, but I'll ask old Molly Wharton, she'll know." After an interview with Molly, the housekeeper said to her master, " Sure maister, it's true, Molly Wharton says I'm to be married to-morrow morning at ten o'clock." Molly was mistress of the Old King's Head, and was well known to the writer who was a nephew of the old lady's. She will be further described when we come to notice some of the odd characters of the old Town. When elections ran close, eligible parties were carefully looked after, and if on the side of those who discovered them, pressed into service, but if not, were prevented by force, when necessary and possible, from helping the enemy. In some cases marriage was prevented as well as promoted, as political exigences required. One lady was locked up until after the election, the intended bridegroom refusing ^30 to postpone the happy day. Another bridegroom, in anticipation, was inveigled into a fishing vessel and carried out to sea, and prevented from landing until it was too late to vote. Such occurrences were not in- frequent with ordinary voters. ELECTIONS. 20I Great care had to be exercised in bringing these political weddings to a successful conclusion, as occasionally the parties were liable to gib. Mr. Bates gives a case where ''the bride was escorted to church between two political partisans, and Billy Abbott, the bridegroom, was taken by others, so that he could not observe the bride's imperfections. A previous arrangement had been made with Abbott for a consideration, and without courtship. In leaving the church after the ceremony, with his bride on his arm, and noticing a halt in her gait, Billy said, ' Ailsie, my dear, art thou lame ? ' She replied, * Yes, Billy, I am.' She had a wooden leg." The "consideration," and the circumstances which led to it have been given by the writer in one of his earliest works, under the heading, *^ How Tommy Turnabout won an Election and a Wife at the same time." We give the substance of the story which was written from our recollections of it as we heard it told by a vener- able ancestor as he sat in the hayfield surrounded by three or four old cronies, who like himself ranked at the time among the oldest living Grimbarians."^ * In our version the real names are disguised. 202 OLD GRIMSBY. Tommy Turnabout when we first knew him was a freeman of the honourable borough of Great Gringleby. In this ancient seaport the honours and emoluments of freedomship could be obtained in more ways than one. . . Tommy obtained his in a somewhat singular manner. He was not born free nor did he purchase his freedom by a seven years' servitude, His exaltation happened on this wise. The free people of the place were in the midst of a most exciting parliamentary election. It was one of the severest contests that had been known for many years, and the borough had been the scene of several remarkable ones. First of all, the pious electors had been horrified to hear that the nominee of the great house of Bucklesby was in favour of Catholic Emancipation, as he and his party described it, but of Catholic Supremacy, as his opponents termed it. Instantly the town took fire. A public meeting was held in the Market-place, at which the electors were informed that if the measure passed into law the days of Bloody Mary would return, and the fires of Smithfield again re-lighted. Added to the loss of their religious rights, the ladies were told that a Catholic Government would be sure to abolish at once the peculiar privileges granted to ELECTIONS. 203 their great great-grandmothers by the staunch defender of virgins and Protestantism. Memorable were the speeches deHvered, and the substance of the spirit-stirring addresses Hngers in the memories of some of the younger warriors who took part in that fierce fight to the present day. But the most memorable of all was the noble and impassioned address of Bigby, the Mayor, Rising to the dignity of the occasion, and the grandeur of the crisis, he exclaimed, " Men of Gringleby, I call upon you by all that is great and good, grand and glorious, to be true to your religion and your town ! From the towering pinnacles of that lofty and noble structure where from time immemorial our fathers have wept and worshipped, three centuries look down upon us who are assembled here this day. Borne on the breeze that blows along three hundred years of time, there comes the Burning, Bravery-begetting voice of Brown, who Boldly Braved the Brazen Bonds of a Braggart and Bloated church. Standing where I do I seem to hear, rolling round the square of this Right Royal Town, the reverberations of the resolute voice of Robinson, who, rather than rob his posterity of their Religious Rights, Regarded not the Rage of Romish Renegades, but Ran his Race 204 OLD GRIMSBY. in Rectitude and Righteousness, Raising a light which Radiates amongst us yet with wider and yet wider Range ! And, coming up from the green sods of that sacred repository of the slumbering dust of our venerated ancestors, I catch the more subdued tones of a host of noble men more lately and more recently deceased, joining their voices with those of tl;ie remoter past, and calling upon you to resist a wretched system which leaves your elders to go down in dreary darkness, desolate, to the dread abodes of death ; makes your women slaves of a selfish superstition, and furnishes no moral pabulum or intellectual nutrition whatever for the adolescent minds of the young and rising generation." Taking advantage of the perfect storm of cheers which followed this magnificent peroration, his worship — who was getting, as one of his hearers somewhat irreverently remarked, ^' rather short of puff" — took a biscuit and a drop of ** something refreshing," and then, emboldened by his previous success, continued : ** Men of Gringleby ! Shall these things be ? Will you allow your rights and liberties to be ruthlessly riven from you ? No ! Never! Your loud shouts, your ringing cheers, your vociferous acclamations, say Never / Never / ELECTIONS. 205 Shout, men and brethren, shout, till wafted over the wide waters of our broad and beauteous H umber the voice of freedom wakes from their slumbers the Hucksters of Hull, the Herdsmen of Hedon, the Burgesses of Beverley, the Sailors of Scarborough, the Scavengers of Sunderland, and the Noodles of Newcastle ! Shout, ye lovers of the right and true, until carried on the winds that travel southward, your cry of coming conquest makes the Greatest of Grantham, the Boldest of Boston, the Noisiest of Newark, and the Proudest of Peterborough bite the dust ! Shout ! until the down-trodden people rise to the dignity of true- born sons of Britain. I see from the altitude on which I stand — already from the lofty position I occupy I behold the voters walking up to duty. The Lowliest of Louth lift up their heads, the Grown-down of Grantham spring to real greatness, and the Poor People of Peterborough put off puerile Popery, and put on Protestant power. Already I hear the cry of the new-born sons of freedom : — The dwellers in the boroughs long enslaved. Shout to the counties now enslaved no more. Swift as the lightning-flash the message runs, — From town to town the joyous tidings spread ; 2o6 OLD GRIMSBY. Till far-off cities catch the glorious sound, And the glad tidings roll our grand old Island round. Come that blessed day, and then will I willingly resign my robes and chain of office, and retire into the sanctity of private life ! " Such a speech as this was irresistible. True, one or two carping critics said it was a clever adaptation of a speech his worship had delivered a few days before, on the occasion of his taking the chair at a great missionary meeting ; but no one heeded these sons of Belial in the general excite- ment. The speech aroused the women, and they aroused the men. An opposition candidate came down, public-houses were opened, beer flowed in torrents, and drunken electors hiccupped out their determination to defend their church and king against the pope and the great house of Bucklesby. Amongst the staunchest defenders of His Majesty and the true faith was Tommy Turnabout, who stood up for the King as a matter of course, and for the church because he was born in it. Tommy, though not an elector, a misfortune he deeply deplored, worked hard for his party, who certainly did their best, and made a hard fight of it. As the election progressed, it was seen that the numbers would be very close. With the exception ELECTIONS. 207 of a few waverers, who were waiting to see '^ which side would pay best," nearly every man had promised his vote ; and as had usually been the case in previous elections, not a man deserted his party or " changed his coat." During the early part of the contest the '' Blues" headed the poll ; but subsequently the Protestant defenders of our hearths and homes placed their candidate seven or eight ahead of the foe. Then the other side took the alarm. Money, which had been spent pretty freely before, was now spent more freely than ever ; and votes which had '^ ruled" at twenty pounds each, now fetched a hundred guineas."^ Gentle- men canvassing from house to house suddenly discovered that articles which up to that time had been considered of only ordinary value, were '* worth their weight in gold." One was so taken with the wonderful singing of a canary that he readily gave ^50 for it. Another discovered that a cracked teapot was of a very rare pattern, and though fourscore guineas was asked for it, paid the money without a murmur. Whether the fact of their becoming owners of property made them * This price was frequently paid. In what is now called the ** Old Town," there is a large number of houses built on slightly rising ground, known as " Red Hill," a name said to be derived from the fact that many of the houses were built with money paid for votes by the " Reds." 2o8 OLD GRIMSBY. feel that they had an interest in Parliamentary matters or not, we cannot say ; but certainly, those who had previously declared ** that it didn't matter to them which side got in," suddenly felt it to be their duty to do their best to preserve the time- honoured institutions of their county. When the last day but one of the election came the numbers polled on each side were equal, and every available elector had given his vote except one, who having taken ;^ioo from each side had '' made himself scarce," as he feared the mob. What was to be done ."^ The orthodox electors were at their wits* end, and the Mayor anxiously asked ''if no man could be found to save the honour of his ancient town, and preserve the liberties of his imperilled country." Alas ! no response was made to his fervent appeal. Darkness covered the faces of the community, and even the bacchanalian shouts of the free and independent electors were stilled for a while. At length the terrible suspense was ended, and the genius of one man averted the disgrace that threatened the loyal borough. The name of this deliverer was Mr. William Bubbles, or ** Billy Bubbles," as he was commonly called by the vulgar. The manner in which this deliverance was ] ELECTIONS. 209 achieved was as follows : Different suggestions had been made, but declared to be impracticable, and the members of the Central Committee sat for some time without anyone venturing to resume the subject. At length Billy, who had remained silent during the greater part of the discussion, suddenly arose and exclaimed, " Come, this will never do ! What, we are surely not going to give in without an effort. This is not a time to sit still while the ship of state is on her beam-ends. Now is the time for every lover of his country to show his patriotism, not by words, but by deeds. We must all be willing to make common sacrifices for the public good. Remember, men of Grimsby, the address of our noble Mayor. Remember your glorious history. Shame not your fathers ! Rob not your children ! Desert not your country in her hour of need ! " Where is the man with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is my own my native " — Whether Billy was about to add town or Country will, unfortunately, never be known, for just as he was approaching the climax of his quotation a tipsy member cried out, " Hear ! hear ! ! Hoorah ! ! ! " which so disconcerted him that, 14 2IO OLD GRIMSBY. turning suddenly round, he gave the interrupter a blow which sent him " spinning" to the other side of the room, who, on recovering himself, was about to return the compliment, when he was seized by his compatriots and hurried out of the place. As soon as silence had been restored, the chairman, assuming one of his blandest smiles, said : " As friend Bubbles has shown us that he is a man of deeds as well as a man of words, perhaps he will be kind enough to tell us what it was he was going to propose when he rose to his feet." Thus appealed to, Billy replied : ''Well, sir, as I was saying when I was so unceremoniously and unnecessarily interrupted, this is a time when every lover of his country must be prepared to show that he is willing to make sacrifices for the general weal, and to prove that that is the case with me I am ready to suffer in the tenderest part. Gentlemen ! several of you are fathers — fathers — gentlemen." Here the chairman coughed, while others showed similar signs of impatience. *' Well, not to detain you, allow me to say that I, like Jephthah, am willing to sacrifice my daughter for the common good." Here the company opened their eyes ; but Bubbles, pursuing the even tenor of his way, continued : '' She's not very young, nor perhaps ELECTIONS. 211 very handsome, and may-be she's a bit of a temper, but she's no worse for that ; and, though I say it, she will make any man who knows how to humour her, a real good wife. Now, I've saved a bit of brass, not a deal, to be sure, but anyhow I can spare her a hundred ; and what I propose is, that the committee give her another hundred, and Tommy Turnabout marry her to-morrow morning, and have the money paid to him as soon as he has given us his vote. What do you say to it .f^" *' Agreed," cried several of the members simultaneously, " if the proposition suits Tommy. What do you say to it, old boy ?" " We-1-1," said Tommy, '' its ra-ther a serious matter. I've never seen Mrs. — I beg pardon, I mean Miss Bubbles, and there's so little time to consider. Besides, may-be she'll not be willing !" " O, she'll be all right," said Bubbles. "We-1-1," observed Tommy, "a man mustn't stand on niceties at such times as these ; besides, one mud do worse. It might have been a widow with a lot of children." '• And, then, there's the two hundred pounds," said the chairman. '^ To be sure ; and no doubt the money will be useful," said Tommy. 212 OLD GRIMSBY. "Then we must be off directly," said Bubbles, ''and get a licence at once, for there's no time to lose. So stir your pegs a bit, old fellow, and don't crawl along as if you had been brought up in Slitherpoke Lane." Thus appealed to, Tommy followed his intended father-in-law with the meekness of a lamb that is being led to the slaughter. Next morning, Tommy, escorted by a select body-guard, who attended him to see that he was ''kept all right," was taken to church in a cab, where he took Miss Bubbles for better or worse ; and at the close of the ceremony was driven, armed with his marriage lines, to the office of the town clerk, where he " took up his freedom," and immediately proceeded to the polling-booth and voted for the popular candidate. His was the last vote recorded and at the close of the poll it was found that the defender of that much assailed and somewhat inexplicable thing called the " British Constitution," had been elected by a majority of one. One amusing circumstance connected with the wedding is worth recording. On leaving the vestry Tommy gallantly offered his arm to his bride, and escorted her to the cab. While she was endeavouring to get into it he noticed, for the first i ELECTIONS. 213 time, that she Hmped, and exclaimed, in a tone of mingled surprise and disappointment '' Betsy, my dear, are you lame ?" This unfortunate expression was at once caught up by the crowd of irreverent youths who clustered around the church porch, and was repeated again and again as they followed the carriage that contained the bride and her friends. Indeed, for years afterwards, it was no uncommon thing for Tommy to be startled on a dark night by some adventurous youth throwing open his door and shouting, " Betsy, my dear, are you lame ?" a recreation in which, it is as well to confess, we have frequently taken a part. The last election for two members was strongly contested. I have before me " The Poll of the Selection of Two Burgesses To serve in Parlia- ment for the Borough of Great Grimsby, Taken on Monday, May 2nd, 1831." The candidates were : — George Harris, Esq., John Villiers Shelley, Esq., Rees Howell Gronow, Esq., and Henry William Hobhouse, Esq. The all-absorbing question appears to have been the '' Reform Bill." The fact that the proposed Bill provided for taking one member from Grimsby led to it being fiercely opposed. This was awkward for the Whig candidates. 214 OLD GRIMSBY. Gronow and Hobhouse. The former, while supporting the Bill, promised to use ''strenuous exertions to procure an exception in favour of so important a place of Commerce." As, how- ever, the book is exceedingly rare and the subject of more than ordinary interest, we give the address in full, and those of the other candidates also. TO THE MAYOR, ALDERMEN, AND THE INDEPENDENT FREEMEN OF THE TOWN OF GREAT GRIMSBY. Gentlemen, Deeply impressed with the importance of your Town as a place of Commerce, I appear before you, with diffidence, as a Candidate for the honor of representing it in Parliament. I candidly avow myself to be a decided advocate for Reform ; and although I perceive the Town of Great Grimsby is included in the Schedule B. by which it would be deprived of one of its Representatives, I beg to assure you that my most strenuous exertions shall be used, and I am emboldened to declare my most sanguine hope, (from particular circumstances,) of pro- curing an exception in favor of so important a place of Commerce. It is therefore, Gentlemen, with feelings of the deepest anxiety for your interest, that I appear before you, as it will be my pride and utmost study to exert all the influence I can command towards increasing the prosperity and welfare of your highly respectable Town. If the object of my ambition should be gratified by being placed by your suff'rages in the enviable situation of one of your Representatives in Parliament ; I can only assure you, it ELECTIONS. 215 will be my increasing effort to uphold your interests to my utmost ability. With these sentiments, allow me to subscribe myself, Gentlemen, your most Obedient Servant, R. H. GRONOW. 4, Chesterfield St., May Fair, April 24, 1831. His colleague, Mr. Hobhouse, while evidently in favour of the Bill, — the whole Bill, and nothing but the Bill, promises to oppose " any disfranchise- ment which may be inadvertently included in the Bill." His address, which was "To the Inde- pendent Burgesses," was in the following terms : — TO THE INDEPENDENT BURGESSES OF THE BOROUGH OF GREAT GRIMSBY. Gentlemen, Though called upon at the eleventh hour to become a candidate for the honor of representing your Interests and Opinions in Parliament, I do not hesitate to attend the summons at this important crisis. Gentlemen, the King has spoken — he has declared that a predominating faction shall not continue to exercise its uncon- stitutional influence in the House of Commons, against the prerogatives of the Crown, and the rights of the people. He has declared that the law of England shall be respected ; that we shall be taxed by our representatives. The Country has universally confirmed these sentiments. Let us then make common cause with our King and the People in this glorious struggle — I seek no greater honor than to associate my efforts with your own, if you shall think me worthy of representing you. 2i6 OLD GRIMSBY. Let me also declare, that it shall be my constant care to watch over the local Interests of your flourishing Town — and that I will particularly direct my efforts to the removal of any disfranchisement which may be inadvertently included in the Bill. I have the honor to be, Gentlemen, Your faithful Servant, H. W. HOBHOUSE. Great Grimsby^ 29th April, 1831. The addresses of the Conservative candidates v^^ere as follows : — TO THE WORTHY & INDEPENDENT BURGESSES OF THE BOROUGH OF GREAT GRIMSBY. My Esteemed Friends, I have again the pleasure of presenting myself to your notice as a Candidate for the distinguished honor of representing you in Parliament. Having recently had the great satisfaction of appearing before you and explaining my sentiments and my conduct on the great and important Measure which had for its object the deprivation of your ancient and vested Rights : I deem any further comment on that subject unnecessary, I trust, however, you are fully convinced that I have used every exertion in answer to applications, having for their object the advance- ment of your general and individual Interests. I cannot conceal the gratification I shall derive in intro- ducing to your notice my Friend, J. V. Shelley, Esq., (son of Sir John Shelley, Baronet,) a gentleman whose opinions are in perfect unison with my own, and whose manly defence of the ELECTIONS. 217 British Constitution in the House of Commons fully entitles him to your warmest gratitude. — With the strongest feelings of regard, believe me Your faithful Friend, GEO. HARRIS. York Chambers, St. James', 23rd April, 1831. TO THE WORTHY AND INDEPENDENT FREEMEN OF THE BOROUGH OF GREAT GRIxMSBY. Gentlemen, A sudden dissolution of Parliament in consequence of the defeat the ministers have sustained on that clause of the Reform Bill which proposes to reduce the number of English Represen- tatives, again places in your hands the Elective Franchise. I beg leave to offer myself as a Candidate for the honor of representing your ancient Borough in Parliament ; anxious to discharge a great public duty, by defending the Constitution of England, as by law established. Although wishing to see a Reform, which would be a real amendment of the abuses in the Representative system, I can- not bring myself to look upon the proposed measure, otherwise than as a crude and ill-digested experiment, and calculated to overturn all social order, and good Government ; should these sentiments agree with the feelings of the Electors of the Borough of Great Grimsby : and should they consider me worthy of the important trust of representing them in Parliament, they will ever find me at my post doing my Duty to them and to my Country and anxious to promote their interests to the best of my abilities ; convinced that upon the Energies of the true Friends of the Constitution, at this critical period, depends the Permanency of the state, and the welfare of this Country. 2i8 OLD GRIMSBY. I shall immediately make a personal canvass of the Borough in conjunction with your worthy and respected Friend, Captain Harris : and hope to find the political principles of its Electors agree with my own, in wishing for a safe and practic- able Reform ; but adverse to this most unjust and tyrannical measure. I have the honor to be. Gentlemen, Your most obedient and very humble Servant, JOHN VILLIERS SHELLEY. Along with the addresses there is one from Sir Charles Wood, stating that, finding it impossible to absent himself for a sufficient time to allow him to make a personal canvass of his friends, he had been under the painful necessity of declining to again offer himself as a candidate. He had twice been returned, and had supported the Reform Bill, and ventured to assert in his address that it would tend to preserve the rights of the electors and of their children, while their constituency would be placed upon a firm and independent basis. There is also a letter signed Geo. Tennyson, stating that he had been informed that one of the candidates had publicly stated that he had no par- ticluar wish as to the conduct his friends should pursue relative to the Question of Reform, with which the country was then agitated ; and adding, ELECTIONS. 219 '* Now I must contradict that statement in the most positive terms ; — by saying it is my most earnest wish, that all my Friends should give their most strenuous support to the Measure — and if that they will do so, by supporting the Candidates in the Blue-Interest." On Monday, May 2nd, '' the Electors and others assembled in and about the Town Hall at an early hour." After '' the usual Proclamation had been made, and the Precept of the High Sheriff of Lincolnshire, and the requisite Acts of Parliament had been read," the Nomination took place. The Poll commenced '^ about Two o'clock, and closed about Seven, when, after due pro- clamation, the numbers were announced " as follows : — Harris - - - - 200 Shelley - - - - 192 Gronow - - - - 187 Hobhouse - - - 173 From an analysis of the poll it was found that the total number of freemen polled was i^yG, who dis- tributed their votes as follows : — Harris and Shelley - - 184 Harris and Gronow - 13 Harris and Hobhouse - - 3 Shelley and Gronow - - 6 2 20 OLD GRIMSBY. Shelley and Hobhouse - - 2 Gronow and Hobhouse - - 168 The poll, as printed, gives the names and votes, on the first page, of eleven aldermen and twelve common-councilmen ; of these John Lusby, who heads the list, voted for Harris and Gronow ; William Bancroft for the two Reds, and nine for the two Blues. Of the ^'councilmen," two voted Red, ten Blue. Of merchants, one was Blue, one Red, and one split. One gentleman Blue, nine Red. Farmers, two Blue, one Red. Only one schoolmaster, and he split his vote. Two attorneys and one attorney's clerk, all Blue. Beside these analysis shows that there were a Blue ratcatcher, ironmonger, flaxdresser, silversmith, dock master, currier, horsebreaker, confectioner, turner, gar- dener, grazier, lathriver, and a Blue nutseller. There was also a Red orangeseller, tallow-chandler, millwright, weaver, and well-sinker. Of publi- cans, seven were Red, and three Blue. Surgeons, one of each colour. The butchers were five Red, three Blue, one split. P'ifteen shoemakers were Red, nine Blue, and two splits ; while two cord- wainers were both Blue. Mariners, thirty-three Red, eleven Blue, seven split. Soldiers, two Red, one Blue. Tailors, eight Red, three Blue, one ELECTIONS. 221 split. Carpenters, four to one. Bakers, three to one. Glovers, two to one. Millers, two to one. Blacksmiths, two to seven. Whitesmiths, seven, all Blues ; while both the brewers and drapers were Red. Druggists, one to one, and one split. Booksellers, one Red, one split, and one Blue printer ; and the three painters were all of one colour. Blue. The joiners were eleven to seven. Stonemasons, four to one. Bricklayers, four to five. Brickmakers, two to three. Nailmakers, both Blue ; ditto, two tile-makers. Carters, three to four, one split. Sawyers, both Blue. The two hairdressers, watchmakers, shipwrights, were evenly divided, being of each colour. The labourers were thirty Keds, seventeen Blues, and three splits. There was evidently a vast amount of bribery during the struggle, for on petition being pre- sented the election was declared null and void, and on August loth another contest took place, when the figures stood : — Hon. Hy. Fitzroy - - - 182 Lord Loughborough - - 181 H. Bellender Ker - - - 160 Wm. Maxwell - - - 153 The new members, however, did not long 222 OLD GRIMSBY. enjoy their seats, for on the passing of the Reform Bill a new Parliament had to be elected, and on December loth, 1832, the first election under the new state of things took place. The Reform Bill appears to have altered matters altogether, as far as Grimsby was concerned. The borough only returned one member, and the constitutency was increased, though not to a very large extent, judging from the numbers polled, which was as follows : — Captain Wm. Maxwell (/) - - 298 Lord Loughborough (c) - - 158 The disproportion in the numbers polled is very marked, and for the first time the members are distinguished by the signs L. and C, for Liberal and Conservative. The next contest was in 1835, when Edward Heneage, (/), was returned by 260 to over Sir Alexander Grant, (c), 227. Mr. Heneage held the seat until 1852, having been returned in 1837, 1 84 1, and 1847, without a contest, when he was defeated by Earl Annesley, {/.-c), by 347 to 286. The writer has a vivid recollection of this contest, and many incidents connected with it. One made a lasting impression on his memory. Standing in the midst of a large, but fairly good- ELECTIONS. 223 humoured crowd gathered in the market-place, we saw the late member, accompanied by a num- ber of his leading supporters, occupying a room above one of the principal shops, from which the window had been taken, and witnessed the cere- mony of proposing and seconding, which met with but little interruption, although it was evident that an overwhelming majority was "in opposition." When, however, the honourable gentleman came forward, he was saluted with a number of un- pleasant remarks, which evidently disconcerted him. He held his hat in his hands, and gazed intently into it, at what was supposed to be his speech, which had doubtless been written for him, for no one supposed he could compose one himself. His lack of oratorical power had long been a favourite joke, and it was asserted he had never been known to open his lips in the House. Feeling, however, that it was absolutely neces- sary for him to say something, he commenced, '^ Gentlemen and independent e-lec-tors of this ancient borough — this an-cient borough, I have represented you too long, — too — long — for ." " Heigh, thou hes that," shouted a voice from the crowd, " and we're going to hev' somebody that will represent us better." This sally was caught 224 OLD GRIMSBY. up in a moment, and repeated by hundreds of voices again and again, amid shouts and cheers which completely drowned the candidate's voice, who stood for a while gesticulating in vain until he was compelled to beat a retreat, amid continuous roars of laughter and the confusion of his sup- porters, one of whom was unwise enough to declare that it was a good thing that many of the crowd had no vote ; while another completely ruined any chance of being heard, by declaring in a furious passion, " Some of you will want a day's work before long." This implied threat so irritated the crowd that they refused to hear either the speaker or any other, and the assembly dis- persed cheering for the opposition candidate. 1Religiou0 an& otber Jnetitutione, THE history of the Parish and St. Mary's Church, with that of the Abbey and Nunnery, have been already dealt with in the previous pages. Occasional glimpses have been afforded of the religious condition of the people, but we have failed to find any record of the existence of any Puritan or Nonconformist organ- izations until late in the i8th century. CONGREGATIONALISTS. The Rev. F. W. Newland has kindly furnished us with a sketch of the history of the Congregationalists, or Independents, as they were formerly termed, in which he states that in 1778 the Rev. Craddock Gloscot visited Grimsby, and preached in the streets. A committee was formed, and preachers regularly sent by the Countess of Huntingdon ; a room opened, and a congregation gathered. In 1779, a chapel was opened at the corner of Silver Street, of which the Rev. S. Bruce became the minister in 1780: he was succeeded by the Rev. J. Smelle in 1782. A secession occurred, those who left built another 15 226 OLD GRIMSBY. chapel, which was at length sold to the Primitive Methodists, and the seceders united with the Baptist Church, then being formed. Mr. Smelle remained minister until his decease in 1823, the chapel was then claimed by a relative (having been assigned to Mr. Smelle on account of money advanced), and was sold for a Temperance Hall, the church being dispersed. Efforts were made in 1849 to recommence the work and rent the chapel, but without success. In 1853, renewed attempts were made by the Hull and East Riding Association, but again unsuccessfully. At length in 1859, on another attempt, the Mechanics' Hall was taken. The first sermon was preached by the Rev. R. A. Redford m.a., ll.b. (then of Albion Chapel, Hull), and on July 8, i860, Robert Shepherd, of Rother- ham College, commenced his ministry : on August 14, i860, a church was formed. The development of the work was largely due to the efforts of John Wintringham, Esq., j.p. Spring Church was opened on July 16, 1862 : it seats about 700 persons. The cost of erection was defrayed by the end of 1864. New school- rooms were then built, and the debt on these removed by June, 1870. RELIGIOUS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS. 227 The Rev. R. Shepherd closed his ministry in December, 1871. The Rev. John Fordyce, m.a., scored as pastor from 1872 to 1881, and the Rev. Matthew Stanley from 1882 to 1886, and the Rev. G. Warren from 1886 to 1894, being succeeded in January, 1895, by the Rev. F. W. Newland, m.a. In 1886 a church was formed in the West Marsh, and services were held in the Scandina- vian Kirke, rented for the purpose. Recently a new school has been erected, and the Rev. H. Dudley has been appointed pastor. On April 21, 1895, the School Church at Welholme was opened, this building was erected at a cost of nearly £ i ,900. Recently a magnificent organ has been erected. ^ BAPTISTS. This community formed a church at Killing- holme, which worshipped in a chapel there long before a society was formed in Grimsby. How- ever, in 1822, William Grassham came to Grimsby, and settled in the town. Having been a member of the Salthouse Lane Baptist Chapel in Hull, he naturally sought out men who were like-minded * We are indebted to Alderman Dobson, j. P. , for the information which is contained in this sketch. 228 OLD GRIMSBY. with himself, and discovered several who had worshipped in the old chapel in Silver Street, under Mr. Smelle, which was closed, and they determined to endeavour to form a society in Grimsby. They succeeded, and shortly engaged a schoolroom in Burgess Street, which had formerly been built for a Masonic Lodge. Services were conducted by ministers from Killingholme and Hull on the Sabbath, until the cause became sufficiently strong to warrant the purchase of a freehold land and cottages in Upper Burgess Street, from the writer's grand- father, Jabez Robinson, who sold the whole for £12,' In 1824 a small chapel and schoolroom were built at a cost of ;^289 and £2>7 respectively. The present Lecture Hall occupies the site then acquired. The Rev. Abraham Greenwood, pastor of the church at Killingholme, one of the thirteen devoted men who founded the Baptist Missionary Society, October 2nd, 1792, at Kettering, rendered considerable assistance in founding the church in Grimsby. The first pastor was the Rev. Stephen Marston. who removed from Gainsborough. His salary was ;^5o per annum. He was a devoted minister, RELIGIOUS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS. 229 and eked out a scanty living by keeping a lady's boarding school. He was the father of the late John Westland Marston, the dramatic author. The land behind the chapel was used as a burial- ground. The first person interred in it was Mr. Grassham. About forty persons in all were buried there, amongst whom was the pastor, Mr. Marston, to whose memory a tablet was placed on the walls of the old chapel, which still exists, and bears testimony to the affection of the people to whom he ministered for fourteen years. Mr. Marston was succeeded by the Rev. D. Margarum, who for a time was somewhat popular. But soon difficulties beween pastor and the church occurred, litigation ensued, in which the latter was defeated, a secession took place consisting of almost the entire church, the members of which engaged the Oddfellow's Hall in Victoria Street, and endeavoured to rally its scattered forces, Mr. Margarum struggled along for some time with a few adherents, until the chapel was deserted and the mortgagee sued for the debt upon it. Mr. Margarum found none to deliver him ; a pad- lock was placed upon the door, and eventually the old members succeeded in recovering posses- sion of their old home. A Sunday school was 230 OLD GRIMSBY. formed, and the Rev. Joseph Burton engaged as pastor, in November, 1849. Mr. Burton had been successful as a missionary in Jamaica and the Bahamas. He undertook the pastorate with- out the idea of any permanent stay, his preference being for evangeHstic work. He remained however three years. After being suppHed with different preachers for some time, the Rev. B. Preeder was obtained as pastor, in April, 1852, but he only remained until January, 1853. He was succeeded in October, 1854, by the Rev. R. Hogg, a Manxman, whose quaint and spiritual ministry was made a great blessing. He was greatly beloved, but his labours were cut short by his death, which took place May 26th, 1857. He was interred in the old cemetery, where a tombstone still stands which was erected to his memory by his affectionate flock. Rev. R. Smart followed in 1857. "A season of great prosperity set in." The chapel was speedily filled, and a host of young men were gathered into the church. In i860 the chapel was enlarged at a cost of ^400. This, however, led to some dissension on the part of disappointed tradesmen, which was followed by differences of opinion respecting the administration of church RELIGIOUS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS. 231 affairs, which ended in a division. A new chapel in Freeman Street was erected, of which Mr. Smart became the pastor, which position he occupied until his death. Mr. Smart was followed in the pastorate by the Rev. W. Orton, who, after some years, retired from active work, and was succeeded by the Rev. J. T. Owens, and he by the present minister, the Rev. R. C. Ford, M.A. Since the erection of the Freeman Street Chapel, the present spacious " Tabernacle " has been built of which the Rev. J. Edmonds Is now pastor. METHODISM. Methodism was introduced into Grimsby as early as 1743, when the population numbered about 1,000. John Wesley had visited Lincoln- shire as an evangelist about two years previously, and in February, 1743, William Blow, a cord- wainer of Grimsby, residing in the High Street, now known as the old Market Place, having heard of him, ''journeyed " to Epworth, a distance of twenty-four miles, to request him to visit Grimsby. Wesley, not being able to comply with the request, sent the famous John Nelson, who started from Epworth, in company with a boy 232 OLD GRIMSBY. about twelve years of age and a man from Grimsby, on foot, and walked until overtaken by the night, and were obliged to seek shelter among strangers, where they were hospitably entertained. They reached Grimsby the next morning, and soon collected a congregation. Nelson opened his Bible, and said, '* Hear ye the word of the Lord," reading two or three verses and expounding them. The second night, Mr. Francis Walker, a schoolmaster, offered Nelson his schoolroom, which formed part of extensive premises known as Torret Hall, the entrance to which was by a flight of steps on the outside from Bethlehem Street. Nelson accepted the offer, and as a result of his visit a Methodist Society was formed, con- sisting of about fifteen members. For some time there was no preaching, but a class-meeting was held in Mr. Blow's house, when one of the members sometimes read one of the Homilies. Nelson paid a second visit to Grimsby in J une of the same year, and so large a congrega- tion assembled that he was obliged to stand upon a table which was placed outside the house, while he addressed the people who listened attentively, and although ''the minster and three men came to play at quoits, as near the people as they could RELIGIOUS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS. 233 get, with all their playing and shouting they could not draw any one from hearing. In the spring of 1744 Nelson visited the town a third time. He describes in his journal the treatment he met with in his usually graphic style. The vicar, the Rev. Samuel Prince, '' got a man to beat the town drum/' and himself marched before it, and gathered all the rabble he could, "giving them liquor to go with him and fight for the Church. When they came to Mr. Blow's door, they set up three hurrahs, and the parson cried out, ' Pull down the house ! pull down the house!'" While Nelson was peaching no one seemed courageous enough to do so. Nelson was a true hero of the Cross : " He had," wrote Southey, in his *' Life of Wesley," '^ as high a spirit and as brave a heart as English- man was ever blessed with." His dauntless bearing awed the mob, who seemed powerless for harm while he stood before them. No sooner, however, had he ceased, than the cowards, having been primed with a fresh supply of liquor, attacked the house, broke every square in the windows, abused the people as they came out and maltreated the women, until some of the mob attacked their comrades, and the congregation escaped. The 234 OLD GRIMSBY. "minister," however, ''gathered them together again," giving them more drink, and returning they broke the stanchions of the windows, and pulling up the pavement threw the stones into the house, broke the furniture, the parson crying out, '' If they will not turn out the villain, that we may put him in the black ditch, pull down the house." So outrageous was the conduct of the mob, that a townsman went to an alderman and said, " Some order must be taken with these men, for if they be suffered to go on as they do, they will ruin William Blow, and I fear they will kill somebody." But this ''Justice of the Peace, and defender of true religion," declared he would " do nothing but lend his mash-tub to pump the preacher in." After cursing, swearing, fighting, and rioting, from seven o'clock till almost twelve at night, the mob dispersed, the parson promising to reward the drummer for his pains, saying, " Be sure to come at five in the morning, for the villian will be preaching again then." Accordingly the drummer attended at the appointed hour, and as soon as Nelson appeared and announced a hymn, commenced drumming, and continued to do so for near three-quarters of an hour, when seeing that he could not hinder the service RELIGIOUS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS. 235 proceeding, he laid down his drum and stood and listened to the preacher, and shortly the tears ran down his cheeks, and at the close he expressed great sorrow for what he had done. As he went up the town, along with several others, '' the parson met them and bade them to be sure and come at seven o'clock." *' No, Sir," said the drummer, " I will never beat a drum to disturb yonder people any more while breath is in my body." " We had great peace in our shattered house that night, and God's presence was amongst us," wrote in the indomitable preacher. The Rev. Charles Wesley visited Grimsby early in January, 1747, and met with similar treat- ment. The mob shouted and howled, and yelled themselves hoarse, and refused to allow the sweet singer of Methodism to proceed, until they quarrelled among themselves, when the room was cleared of disturbers, and Mr. Wesley preached for half-an-hour without further molestation. He was not allowed, however, to leave the town in peace, for on the morning of his departure he was pelted with rotten eggs. The father of Methodism, John Wesley, visited Grimsby October 24th, 1743, when finding the house not large enough to contain one-fourth of 236 OLD GRIMSBY. the congregation, he "stood in the street and exhorted every prodigal to arise and go to '*his Father." One or two persons made an attempt to interrupt the preacher, but were prevented by their own companions. A townsman promised the use of a large room the next day, but when the time for the preaching came retracted his promise. Wesley, nothing daunted, determined to preach at the Cross, but the rain prevented his doing so there, but *'a woman who was a sinner " offered him a very convenient place, and the great evangelist preached of Him ''whom God hath exalted to give repentance and remission of sins." *' And," says the preacher, *' God so confirmed the word of His grace that I marvelled any one could withstand Him." In the evening he ''enlarged upon her sins and faith who washed our Lord's feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head," with such effect that the woman and well nigh the whole congregation "were utterly broken in pieces." She followed Wesley to his lodgings, crying out. " O, Sir! what must I do to be saved .'^" After inquiring into her case, Wesley informer her she must return at once to her husband ; when she stated that her husband was above a hundred miles off, at Newcastle-on- RELIGIOUS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS. 237 Tyne. Then the man replied : " I am going to Newcastle in the morning, you may go with me. William Blow shall take you behind him." And so he did. The woman rejoined her husband. Some time afterwards, while bound for Hull, the ship in which she sailed was overtaken by a storm, sprung a leak, and though the vessel was near the shore, and a number of people assembled to render help if possible, all was unavailing, and the poor woman was seen standing on the deck, clinging to the ropes till the ship disappeared. Even then, for some moments, they could observe her floating upon the waves, till her clothes, which buoyed her up, being thoroughly wet, she sunk. ** I trust," wrote Wesley, " in the ocean of God's mercy." Wesley paid several other visits to Grimsby between 1743 ^.nd 1788. His reception during his later visits was very different to that of his first. Frequently vast crowds assembled to listen to him, and on Monday, June 30th, 1788, he reached Grimsby about 5 o'clock, and the vicar, not his old persecutor, but the Rev. Lindsey Haldenby, b.a., reading the prayers. Wesley preached on the psalm for the day, " the church not being so well filled in the memory of man before. All were seriously attentive, and many 238 OLD GRIMSBY. received the word with joy." The next morning the vicar again read prayers, and Wesley preached from a passage in the second lesson, speaking as plainly as he '^ possibly could." ^ The first meeting-house was erected in 1757. Its entrance was from the Bull Ring. It afforded accomodation for 200 persons, and was opened by Wesley himself on July 16, 1757. It cost ^yS 3s. 3d., and ^65 19s. 3^d. was contributed towards that amount. By 1807 it was too small for the congregation that crowded it, and in 1808 a much larger building was erected in New Street, which was enlarged in 1837, and ultimately superseded by the noble structure in George Street, which was built in 1847. Since that time, Victoria, Duncombe Street, Arlington Street, and South Parade Chapels have been erected. PRIMITIVE METHODISM was introduced into *' Old Grimsby" on October 31, 1 8 19, by the Rev Thomas King of Notting- ham. He had given up a lucrative position for the work of Evangelism, and laboured with marked success for many years. He met with * The above is taken from the last entry in the Joumah respecting Grimsby. Wesley being then in his eighty-sixth year. RELIGIOUS AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS. 239 great and almost unsuperable difficulties but succeeded in laying the foundation of a work which has continued to spread to the present day. First a stable, was occupied for religious services, then a portion of a large warehouse opposite Grime Street, then a disused chapel in Loft Street was purchased, which, after undergoing enlargements, was sold and superseded by the present building in Victoria Street. A chapel had been already built in Cleethorpe Road, then Hainton Street, Flottergate, Ebenezer, and other places were erected, until at present the Connection has eighteen chapels in the two Grimsby Circuits and property to the value of about ^40,000. The Free Methodists, were not founded until "Old Grimsby" had become modern, and the Railway and Docks about finished. They have now a large chapel in Freeman Street, and have recently erected a second one in Park Street, where they are carrying on a successful Mission. The Presbyterians, Salvation Army, and others, have also places of worship, but these are of recent date. This is also the case with the Roman Catholics. We have had the privilege of perusing a most interesting volume of notes by Mr. Drake, Draper 240 OLD GRIMSBY. of Victoria Street, in which he gives an account of his recollections of Grimsby as he found it in 1852, when he came to reside in the town. He found a number of Irishmen, who had been brought over from Ireland direct, to work at the New Dock, who were Roman Catholics. These soon gathered around him, and after many struggles, services were established, conducted by priests from Louth, Brigg, and other places, and eventually a resident Priest was secured and ultimately the present church erected. lEbucationaL THERE is but scanty Information In the Borough Records of the means employed to educate the people, before the times of Edward VI. During his reign an order was made for the erection of a Grammar School for the sons of Free- men, and a grant made of 'Mands and tenements to the yearly value of 40 marks for the support of the school. Also license to Thomas Thomlynson, perpetual chaplain of the chantry called Raynard Chauntrle In the Parish Church of St. James, to give and grant that chantry, and all Its manors, etc., to the Mayor and Burgesses, in part satisfaction of the said 40 marks ; the same being of the yearly value of ;^4 5s. 6d., over and above 9s. 6d., reserved to the King as a tenth." Catherine Mason, a few years after the erection of the Free Grammar School, gave to the Mayor and Burgesses an annuity of ^7, payable out of lands In Guelceby, Aterby and Scamblesby, " towards the finding and maintaining of one schoolmaster to teach within the borough, children their grammar and Latin tongue." 10 242 OLD GRIMSBY. The School was erected in what was afterwards called Chantry Lane, which at that time was nothing but a foot path leading from the Bull-ring to the Little Field, called Beinby. It crossed Cartersgate, at its junction with which it passed by the mansions of William Hatclyffe and Richard Thymbleby. The schools were endowed from lands which as already stated formerly belonging Rayner's chantry in St. James' Church. In the Corporation Box, No. I are several letters patent respecting these lands. One is dated June 5, 1342, 6 Edward III. licensing " Edmund de Grymesby to give and assign to a chaplain in the Church of St. James ten tofts in Grymesby, and 13s. 4d., yearly from a messuage late of Robert David in the same town ; which premises were held in burbage of the King, viz., the messuage by the service of six marks and the tofts by the service of 3s. 4d." Under date Sept. 12 of the same year, letters patent licensed the said Edmund de Grymesby to give and assign to two chaplains ten marks' worth of lands, tenements, and rents, except lands held of the King in chief, and on March 12, 1345, letters to the same licensing him to grant to the said chaplains seven shops, twelve acres of land, and EDUCATIONAL. 243 five acres of meadow, in Grymesby held of the King in free burbage, and worth 26s. 8d. A second school was afterwards erected in New Street, to which a master was appointed, in which junior scholars were prepared for the higher school. These have been merged in new schools which are still under the regulation of the Corporation. Early in the present century a '' National Sunday School " was commenced, under the guidance of the Rev. Geo. Oliver, Vicar, and others. It was liberally supported ; the income as appears from the second report being over £60. The Hon. Miss Pelham was Patroness. To an old Grim- barian like the writer, the report has many points of interest. In the list of donors we find such names as Henage, Pelham, Oliver, Daubney, Moody, Goulton, Tennyson, and others. While among the Teachers we find Marshall, Shelton, Robin- son, Joy, Veal, Smith, Searby, Squire, Carritt, Daubney, Woolmer, Blair, Lieut. Hornby, R. N., and many other old Grimsby names. The following preface to the General Report is worth quoting, as illustrative of the stand-point from which the educational question was received by our ancestors. '* Impressed with sentiments of lively gratitude 244 OLD GRIMSBY. to the Great Author and Dispenser of all blessings, they feel it impossible to enter upon a detail of the Annual transactions, without first paying a tribute to His beneficience who alone can bless our feeble efforts to promote His honour with pros- perity and success. In imparting to the lower orders of the Com- munity a competent knowledge of the ground of their obligations to God and man, a benefit is conferred, indeprivable in its nature, and in- estimable in its effects. The human mind, ever active, and ardently bent to the attainment of happiness, cannot remain quiescent. If it be not directed to the acquisitions of piety and virtue, if it be not engaged in laudable pursuits, it will be employed in vicious meditations, or perhaps in the actual commission of crime. And the numerous violations of divine and human laws, which stain the pages of our civil Records, may most frequently be traced to the neglect of cultivation in early life. To prevent these evils in the next generation is one great object of the system of education, and the effects already produced in Grimsby, render the Committee sanguine in their expectations of still more extensive benefits." So sanguine indeed were the Committee, owing EDUCATIONAL. 245 to the large Increase in donations that they com- menced a ''Day-School'' for the reception of poor children three days in each week, and did not doubt but that the benefits resulting from the operation of this "limited plan," would become so apparent, as to induce the inhabitants in general to enlarge their contributions for the purpose of establishing a permanent school for every day in the week, which would '* tend to improve the rising gener- ation, and render them good christians and valuable members of Society." The various dissenting bodies were also active in the same good work, and with marked results. The present condition of education in the town does not come within the rano^e of this work. 36ibliograpbi?. Historical Manuscript Commission. Fourteenth Report. Appendix, Part VIII. The Manuscripts of Lincoln, Bury St. Edmunds, and Great Grimsby Corporations ; and of the Deans and Chapters of Worcester and Lichfield, etc. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majesty. London : Printed for Her Majesties Stationary Office by Eyre and Spottiswoode. And to be purchased, either directly or through any bookseller, from Eyre and Spottiswoode, East Harding Street, Fleet Street, E.C., and 32, Abingdon Street, Westminster, S.W. [C— 7881] Price IS. 5d. BIBLIOGRAPHY. 247 Oliver^ George, The monumental antiquities of Great Grimsby : an essay towards ascertaining its origin and ancient population. Containing also a brief account of the two magnificent churches and the five religious houses which were once the grace and ornament of the town ; an abstract of the charters and privileges of the borough ; biographical notices of eminent natives of Grimsby ; lists of High Stewards, Members of Parliament, etc., by George Oliver, Vicar of Clee, etc. Hull: Printed by Isaac Wilson, Lowgate, 1825, 8vo., pp. 99. Oliver, George. The History and Antiquities of the Conventual Church of Saint James, Great Grimsby, with notes illustrative and explanatory, etc. Grimsby: Printed by W. Skelton, the Market Place, 1829, 8vo., pp. 60. Walker, Robert. A succient but copious abridgement of various charters granted to the town of Gri^nsby, with some account of its origin, ellucidating also a variety of its ancient and present customs with the oaths, as well taken by, Municipal Officers, as by the Burgesses, in admission to their Freedom. By Robert Walker, with kind aid. Great Grimsby : Printed by Ann for the Author, 1833, i^mo., pp. 119. 248 OLD GRIMSBY. Davenport, J. B. Illustrated Guide to Clee- thorpes visitor's Handbook to Great Grimsby, with a historical account of Thornton Abbey. Roch- dale : Printed and published by J. B. Davenant, 8vo., pp. 3^- A description of the New Docks at Great Grimsby, situated at the mouth of the great estuary of the Humber ; and of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, and other Railways in direct communication. With a plan of the Docks and Maps of the Railways in connection. Manchester, 8vo., pp. 24. Oliver, Geo. Ye Byrde of Gryme. An Apologue, by the Rev. G. Oliver, d.d.. Rector of South Hykeham, Vicar of Scopwick, late Rector of Wolverhampton, and Prebendary in the Collegiate School there, and Honorary Member of many Literary Societies at home and abroad. Grimsby : Printed and Published by A. Gait, 13, Market Place, 1886, 12 mo., pp. 282. Dobs on, Edward, A Guide and Directory to Cleethorpes, with a Historical Account of the place, to which is appended a Perpetual Tide Table, showing the proper time for sea bathing, according to the moon's age ; also a Description of Great Grimsby and the neighbouring villages BIBLIOGRAPHY. 249 of Clee, Scartho, Bredley, Laceby, Waltham, Humberstone, Tetney, North Coates, and Marsh- Chapel. By Edward Dobson, 8vo. The Twistings and Twinlngs of Mr. Timothy Turnabout. By the Rev. Geo. Shaw. Third Edition. Ninth Thousand. A Grimsby Story. Councillor Kerwood's Investment, and What Came of It. By Rev. Geo. Shaw, Author of our Religious Humourists, etc. London : T. Mitchell, 48, 49, and 50, Aldersgate Street, E.C. The History of Freemasonry in Grimsby from its Introduction to 1892. Comprising: — ''the Spurn and Humber," "the Apollo," "the Pelham Pillar," "the St. Albans," and "the Smyth" Lodges; the Aletheai, and "Oliver" Royal Arch Charters ; and the " Sutcliffe Mark Lodge." By Bro. Anderson Bates, P.M., and 1294 P.P.G.D.C., and D.P.G.M.M.M. of Lincolnshire. Compiled for delivery as Lectures, and published by request, for the benefit of a Local Masonic Charity. Grimsby : Published by Albert Gait, Market Place, 1892. A Gossip about Old Grimsby, with a complete list of the Mayors from the year 1 202 to the present time ; and the Members for the Borough from 250 OLD GRIMSBY. 1639. By Anderson Bates, Author of the History of Freemasonry in Grimsby. Published for the benefit of the Grimsby and District Hospital. Grimsby : Published by Albert Gait, Market Place. 1893- ''Ancient Grimsby" is the title of a Paper read before the Lincoln Diocesan Architectural Society at Grimsby in 1858, by the Rev. J. Wild, Vicar of Tetney. It was subsequently published in Gait's Directory. The Gentleman s Magazine for November, 1828, pp., 401, 402, contains an article on "Seals of Town of Grimsby," from the pen of Rev. G. Oliver. Stephenson, George Skelton. The Register Book of the Parish Church of Saint James, Great Grimsby, for marriages, christenings, and burials beginning in 1538, and ending in 181 2, edited by George Skelton Stephenson, m.d., pp., xvii., 435, only 80 copies printed by Albert Gait, Grimsby 1889, 8vo. Published by subscription. Hocken, Joshua, Rev. A brief History of BIBLIOGRAPHY. 251 Wesleyan Methodism in the Grimsby Circuit Rev. Joshua Hocken. 1837. Lester, George, Rev. Grimsby Methodism (1743- 1 889) and The Wesley's in Lincolnshire, by George Lester. London Wesleyan Methodist Book Room. 1890, pp., 165. 3n&cy. Abbey Hill, 16, 27, 28 Abbey, The, 16, 18, 37, 45, 47, 67, 77, 127, 161 Abbofcs of Thornton, 49 Abbots of Newsham, 49 Abbots of Wellow, 122 Abott, Billy, Anecdote of, 201 Abus, The River, 22 Abye, 38 Agriculture, State of, 167 Augustine, St., 45 Ainsley, Canon, 67 Albemarle, Earl of, 79, 86 Albemarle, Countess of, 80 Aldermen, 59 Ale, "Raw" and "Buttered," 131 Alford, 38, 115 Ancholme, River, 112 Anchorage, Fees for, 65 Ancient Britons, 15, 19 Anecdotes, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 121, 122, 130, 149, 199, 200, 201, 209, 223 Angles, The, 29, 30, 31 Anglo-Saxons, 29 Anglo-Saxon Poem, 10 Anglia, East, 29, 34, 35, 154 Annals of Commerce, 23 Annerley, Patrick, 143 Annesley, Earl of, M. P., 222 Antiquities of Grimsby, 17 Antonine's description of Britain,! Aquitaine, Duke of, 80 Archbishop Whitgift, 46 Archery, 97 Art, John le, 136 Ashby-cum-Fenby, 125 Ashby de la Launde, 128 Ashby Hall, 128 Ashby, 129 Atwater, Bishop of Lincoln, 53, 54 Aubery, John, 18 Aycolites, 70 Aylesby, 26, 35, 50 Ayscough, Edward, 126, 134 Ayscough, Francis, 147, 189, 190, 191, 192 Ayscough, Isabella, 127 Ayscough, Sir Christopher, 122 Ayscough, Sir Richard, 118 Ayscough, Sir William, 117, 122 " Awstyn Freers," 144 Awstyn's, St., Day, 163 Authors Quoted : — Antonine, 1 Bates, A., Mr., 182, 196, 199, 201, 249, 250 Bigland, Ralph, 173 Boyle, 1, 80 Bull of Pope Lucius II, 49 Burnett, 228 Cajsar, 25 Camden, 1, 2, 5, 16 Chambers' Book of Days, 102 Chancery Inquisition, 82, 84 Cirencester, Richard of, 31 Domesday Book, 109, 156, 159 Dugdale, 49 Erasmus, 117 Eumenius, 32 Fra Breton, 117 Fordham, Bp. Register, 51 Froude's History Eng. (Vol. II), 164 Gloucester, Robert of, 6 Gordon, Dr. James, 18 Gough, 16 Hallam's Cons. His., 61 Herodian, 21 Historical Manuscript Com- mission, 39, 95, 113, 121, 123, 124, 125, 132, 134, 137, 143, 147, 149 Hoare, Sir Richard, 26 Holies, Gervase, 3, 5, 7, 160 Hollingshead, 19 Hone's Every Day Book, 102 Ingulphus, 22 Irvine, Washington, 103 254 INDEX. Isaac Pontatus, 8 King's Antiquities, 19 Knight's, C, History of Eng., 26, H-2 Langtoft, Peter, 9, 11, 22 Leland, 8, 49 Lester, G., Rev., 251 Lincolnshire and the Danes, 35, 38, 42 Lincolnshire Notes and Quer- ies (Vol I), 46 Louth, History of, 175 Macpherson's Annals of Com- merce, 23 Macaulay, 33 Maddock's His. of Exchequer, 104 Murray's Hand-Book of Lin- colnshire, 10, 34 Nicholson's Pedigree of the English People, 13 Pepy's Diary, 130 Pontanus, Isaac, 8 Parish Registers, Hagworth- ingham, 167 Poll Book, 213 Pryme, Rev. A. de La, 171 Rapier, 22 Roger de Hovedon, 61 Rot. Hund, 3; Edward III, 89 Stachouse, 25 State Papers and Public Records Otiice, 170 Speed, 49 Stephenson, Geo. S., Dr., 250 Stukeley, Dr., 25 Tacitus 24 Topographer, Aug. 1789, 3 Wild, Rev. J., 89 Zyphiline, 21 Bailiffs, 51, 57, 58, 87 Baldwin, 136 Baptist, St. John, the Feast of, 94, 98 Bar, The, 25 Bargate, 18, 25, 28 Barnardiston, Geo., M.P., 120 Barnardiston, Nathaniel, Sheriff, 134 Barnardiston, Sir John, M.P., 120 Barnardiston, Sir Thomas, M.P., 133, 134 Barnoldby, 38 Barrow, 25 Bartholemew's, St , Day, 62 Bassingbourne, Robert de, 52 Bates, Abram, Vicar, 103 Bates, Anderson, Esq., 182, 196, 199, 201, 249, 250 Bath, 18, 19 Bear Baiting, 93 Bear Hunting, 93 Beaumont, Viscount. 187 Becket, Thomas A., 49 Bellamy, Thomas, 76 Bellasyse, Sir H., M.P., 129 Bellasy-se, (Killed in a duel), 132 Bellow, Aid. John, 123, 124, 191 Benedict, St., 18 Benynholme, Wm. de, 137 Beelsby, 41 Beesby, 137, 143 Berserkers, 37 Bibliography of (Jrimsby, 246 Bishop s Eye, The, 76 Binbrook, 40 Black Canons. 45 Blue Stone, The, 63 Bondeloi, 41 Borough, The Old, 55 Booth, Wm., Mayor. -54, 149 Boudery, Rev. Daniel de, 75 Bottesford, 40 Boy's Lane, 71 Boucherett, Ayscough, M.P.,194 Bradley, 26, 94, 95, 156 Bradley (ilen, 41 Bradley Woods, 22, 37, 41, 95, 102 Breweries, The Abbey, 144 Bridlington, 116 Bridgeway Gate, 118 Brigg, 38, 40, 152 Brigghowgate, 6, 143, 144 Britons, Early, 17, 150, 151 British Trade, Early, 23 British and Roman Times, 14 Britannia, Beautiful Description of, 32 British Art, 28 British Boat, Discovery of, 152 British Camp, 20 British Mounds, 11, 14 British Settlements, 10, 151 British Towns, 20, 22 British Villages, 20, 24 Brockle&by, 38, 120, 169 Brown, J. D, 76 Brune, VVra., 83 Burstwyk in Holderness, 113 INDEX. 255 Bury St. Edmunds, 59 Bubbles, Billy, 209, 210, 212 Burn Creek, 115 Butler, Wm., 142 Caistor, 40 Camden, 1, 2, 5, 16 Candlemas Day, 163 Canute, 5, 37, 39 Cates, Anne of, 147 Cedric, 29 Ceorbs, 61, 154 Chandler, Railf, 187 Chapel Hill, 17 Chaplin, John, Esq., 134 Chancery Inquisition, 84 Chantry Lane, 72, 445 Charles II, 129, 135 Chester, County of, 30 Chester, Earl of, 85, 159 Chitourpe, 40 Church, Old, 66 76, 173 Church, St. Mary's, 45 Cirencester, Richard of, 31 Clayton Hall, 77 Clea, 23 Clee, 23, 41, 57, 114, 117, 157 Clee Rental, 165 Cleeness, 41 Cleethorpes, 23, 40, 157 Cleethorpes Cliff, 172 Cleethorpes, Guide to, 248 Clerk, Wm., 136 Clinton, Lord, 191 Coates, Great, 134, 144, 157 Coates, Fitties, 135 Coates, Little, 28, 49. 10 1 Coates, Middle, 135 Coates, South, 135 Caesar, 30 Cotes, Maria and Hugh de, 83 Cockfighting, 95 Condition of the People, 150, 174, 176 Conisby, 40 Conisby, William de, 156 Constable, Thos., 123 Constable, Robt., 138 Commercial Hill, 18 Connium, 19 Corporation Ordinances, 56 Coleby, 41 Conway, Sir Ed., 169 Cost of a Charter, 166 Court-Leet or Baron, 58 Cornwall, Earl of, 87 "Crosse all Wyke," 163 Cross Lane, 105 Creek Burn, 115 Crowland, Lord Abbot of, 115 Cun Hu Hill, 20, 21, 26 Cuneda. 20 Cunes, 20 Cunedagis, 20 Cuneglasis, 20 Cungretrix, 20 Curious Claim for Fish, 123 Danes, The, 38, 39, 40, 42, 153 Danish Invaders, 22 Danish Invasion, First, 34 Danegelt, 39 Dalbye, 37, 38 Darcy, Lord, 143 Darcy, Sir Thos., 143 Dawson, G. R., 73 De Neholennoe, 23 Dean, John, 124 Deansgate, 71 Dean's Grounds, 71 Denmark, 35, 37 Denmark, King of. 39 Derby, County of, 30 Docks, The, 185, 248 Dobson, Edward, 248 Doggs flesh a dainty dish, 170 Doomsday Book, 44 Douglas, W., 72 Draper, Lawrence, 95 Drinking Customs, 42, 43 Drogo de Bensere, 44, 157 Druids, 28, 152, 153 Druidism, 18 Druidical Temple, 17 Dry den, 129 Ducking Stools, Grimsby Digni- taries subjected to, 88-105 Ducking Chair, Haven, 104, 179 Dumpling, Johnny, 74 Dunham on -Trent, 87 Dwellings, Early, 24 Early Trade and Commerce, 77-92 Easter Levies, 78 Eden Hugo, 115 Edelsey, King, 8, 9 Edward I, 49, 84, 175 Edward II, 64, 89 Edward III, 90, 110 Edward IV, 162 256 INDEX. Edward VI, 123 Edmund, King of East Anglia, 35 Educational, 241 Egerton, Sir Charles, 143 Elections, Bribery at, 195 Elections, Close, 194 Elections, First at, 187 Election, Pole's and Wood's, 131 Elections, Reds and Blues, 192 Elections, Rivalry at, 191 Elections, Statistics of, 194, 197, 219, 221, 222 Election Incidents, 199, 200, 201, 224 Elizabeth, Queen, 123 EUys, Thos., 127 Ellyn Hill, 27, 28 Ethelbright, King, 8 Essex, 29 Empringham, Michael, 104, 138, 191 Empringham, Mr. 57, 136, 183 Empringham, Richard, 138, 146 Empringham, Robert, 138 Empringham, Sir John, 96, 137, 138 Feast of Mary Magdelyn, 163 Feast of Mydsomer Even, 163 Feast of St. Matthew, 137 Feast of Penticost, 163 Ferry between Grimsby and Hull, 94, 158 Fisheries, 79 ; Decay of, 192 ; Efforts to restore, 173 Fitties' West Marsh, 144 Fitties' Great Coats, 135 Fitzroy, Hon. H., M.P., 221 Fleet Street, 133 Florentine Merchants & Grimsby Trade, 78 Floods, Destructive, 177 Foreigners, Disqualifications of, 62 Fotherby, 41 Fotherby, Bishop of Salisbury, 148 Fotherby, John, 143, 144 Fotherby, Maurice, 148 Fotherby, Martin, D.D., 147 Fotherby, Dr. J., Dean of Canter- bury, 148 Fortebus, Wm. de, 79 Fortebus, Isabella de, 80 Fountenay, Simon de, 145 Frank, Pledge of King John, 121 Fraunk, Sir Wm., 136 Fraunk, Sir Thos., 137 Freshney, River, 116. 134. 135, 175 Freemen, 61, 189 Freemen. Full Court of, 63 Friscians, 29 Frodingham, 40 Gainsborough, 87 Gannocks, The, 134 Gardiner, Robt. , 141 Gedge, Rev. Mr., 73 Geese, Law for them to be " pygoned," 163 Gildwit, 86 Glasyner, W., Mayor, 54, 138, 139, 140, 162 Glanford Brigg, 112 Gloucester, Robert of, 6 Golceby, 124 Golderburg, Princess, 7, 8 Good Queen Bess, 198 Gordon, Robert Home, 194 Goxhiil, 41 Grant, J. P., M.P., 195 Grammar School, 341 Gregory and British Youths, 30 Gronow, Rees Howell, Esq., 213 Gronow, Election Address of, 214 Grosteste, Robt., Bishop of Lin- coln, 50 Gryme, (Jreme, Grime, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 24, 35 Grymesby, Edmund de, HI, 241 Grymesby, John de, 112 Grymesby, Petrous de, 112 Grymesby, Sir Peter, 112 Grymesby, Walter de, 110, 112 Guide to Cleethorpes, 248 Gunster, 6 Habrough, 41 Habloc, 7 Haconnby Hagworthingham, 167 Hall, Joseph, 72 Hall, The, 116 Halton, Robert, 192 Halsham, Peter de, 137 Hanging a Priest, 160 Hanley, John de, 82 Hansley, Patrick, 144 Hanseatic Merchants, 78 Harrison, Bransby, Esq., 71 Harrison, John, M.P., 197 INDEX. 257 Harris, Capt., M.P., 213-219 Harris, Election Address, 216-217 Hardicanute, 102 Haslerbon, Sir Thos., 50 Hausage, 65 Habcliffe, Christopher, 120, 148 Hatcliffe, Stephen, 121 HatclifTe, Sir Thos., 120 Hatcliffe, William, Aid., 120, 242 Haven, The, 135 Hastings, Battle of, 110 Havelock, 2, 8 Havelloke, 2, 8 Havloc, 2, 8 Havloc, Story of, 4, 5, 6 Hay ton Croft, 180 Hazeltine's Monument, 67 Healing, 191 Herapringham, John, 138-141 Heneage, George, 191 Heneage, Edward, 222 Heneage, John, 119-147 Heneage, Sir Thomas, 46 Heneage, Lady Cathrine, 46 Henry I, 45 Henry II, 44 Henry III, 47-59, 64, 159 Henry IV, 50 Henry VI, 162 Henry VII, 59-62, 97, 138, 163 Henry VIII, 46, 47-52, 115, 123, 143, 145, 165 Hengist, 31 High Street, 71-122 Highbury, 41 Hill, Henry, 140 High Sheriff of County, 113 Hilfort, 41 Historic Records, 150, 241 History, Written and Unwritten, 150, 151 Historical Manuscript Commis- sion Report, 246 Hobhouse, H. W., Esq., 213 Hobhouse, Election Address of, 215 Hocktide, 101 Hollingshead, 19 Holies, Gervase, M.P., 3, 4, 5, 128, 149, 170 Holies, Folio MSS, 5 Holies, Sir F. M., M.P., 129-147 Holies, Sir F. M., M.P., Killed in Battle, 130 Holderness, 113 Holte, Rev. Mark, 149 Holgate, William de, 86 Hopkin, Mr. J., 47 Horsa, 31, 33 Holbeck, 38 Holton, 40 Holme Hill, 15, 16, 19, 27, 37, 43, 78 Hood, Robin, 100, 103 Horskeford Money, 86 Hospitalers, House of, 18, 51, 52 Hostwood Manor, 95 Hotel, Royal, 185 Hotham, Sir John, 125 House, Church, 100 House, Ivy, 115 Hinguar Hill, 35 Hu Sovereign Deity of Britain, 20 Hubbard Hills, 35 Hubber, 35 Huborgh, 41 Hull, 64, 113, 115, 172 Humber, River, 16, 18, 19, 22, 34, 38, 85, 175, 183 Humberstone, .34, 35, 159, 178 Hunger Hill, 35 Hutton, John, 124 Hussye, Thomas, Esq., 147 Hyll, Robert, 144 Icelandic Writers, 24 Ida, 30 Illustrated London News, 152 Immingham, 40 Infantry, Volunteer, 175 Invasion of France, Grimsby's Contribution, 89 Itterby, 114, 117, 157 Isabella, Queen Dowager, 136 Jackson, Dickie, 8, 11 James II, Letters Patent from, 56 Johnson, Wm., 13 John, King, 51, 96 Joys, Richard, 73 Julius, .33 Jutes, The, 29 Kal, Edmund de, 136 Kaldehall, 47 Keelby, 38, 110, 157 Kelsey, 117 Kennington, Alderman, 199 Kent, Kingdom of, 29 Ketell, 5 17 258 INDEX. Ketelsby, 5 Kettelby, 127 Ker, H. Bellender, M.P.. 221 Key age, 65 Kingstone, James, 89, 138 Kingstone, John, 129, 145, 146, 187 King, Edward, M.P., 128 King's Antiq., quoted, 19 Kirketon, Allan de, 88 Knight's Pic. Hist. Eng., 26 Knat, King, 9 Kynyar Ferry, 87 Laceby, 38, 77, 87, 156 Lacy, Hen. de, 86. 87, 142 Lacy, Robt., 142 Lady, Church, at Lincoln, 144 Lady, Chappell, 69 Laughing in Church, 149 Lawrence, Sir Kobt., 124 Lastage, 65 Leicester, 19, 127 Leland, 8 Leofric, Earl of Mercia, 153 Lete, The, 55 Lincoln, 19, 86, 127, 179, 190 Lilburn, Win., 139 Lincolnshire, 29, 35, 37 ,, People of, 155 North, 29, 30 Lindesay, 8 Lindsey, 9 Local Names, Fourfold use, 11 Loft, Colonel, 175 ,, John Henry, M.P., 194, 195 Loft Street, 184, 185 Loughboro, Lord, M. P., 181, 222 Louth, 88 Lou tit, Rev. J., 75 Ludford, 19 Ludbro, 76 Lucy, Sir W., 52 Lydyngton, Peter de, 91 Lynde, Sir Walter de la, 87 Mablethorpe, 148 Maerleyre, Wm., 192 Malberthorpe, Robert de, 91 Machpherson, Annals of Com- merce, 23 Manby, Robert, Gent., 95 Marshall, Carr, Rev., 76 Marshall, W., Gent., 71, 95 Marsh, East, 78, 170 Marsh West, 78, 170 „ The, 177, 185 „ Extent of, 183 Mason, Peter, 121, 143 Mason, Michael, 123, 143, 144 Massacre of the Danes, 39 Mayor Choosing, 56 Mayson, Cathrine, 124, 241 Maximinus, 30 Maxwell, Captain W., M.P., 221, 222 Maypole, 102, 103 Melish, W., M.P., 194 Merchard, W., 137 Mercia, Kingdom of, 30, 154 Mes Buke Hooly, The, 140 Messer Rich, 88 Mesynden, Frances, 191 ,, Maister, 139 Methodist Chapel, 174 M.S. and L. Railway, 179, 180 Mill Hill, 17 Military Roads, 30 Minage, 65 Money, Value of, 39 Monuments, 67 Monastries, Dissolution of, 164 Moot, Bell Ringing of, 58 ,, Hall, 60 Moore, Arthur, High Steward and M.P., 119 Mortimer, Ralph De, 157 Moridunum, 19 Musgrave, Thomas de, 93 Names, Their Origin, 2 Napoleon I. , Threatened Invasion of, 175 National Sunday School, 243 Nehalenmse, 23 New Street, 184, 42 Newby, Dr., 73 Newstead, 124 Nomonie, A curious, 106 Norman Conquest, 156 Norse Old, 39 North, Dudley, M.P., 197 Northumberland, Earl of, 93 Norwegians, Early, 23, 35 Nottingham, Bailiffs of, contest with Bailiffs of Grimsby, 87 Nottingham, Bishop of, 161 Nun-Ormby, 6 Nunnery. St. Leonard's, 48, 77 Nuns, The, 27 INDEX. 259 Nundy, Mr., Anecdote of, 199 Nuttall, Benny, 74 Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, Grant of Grimsby to, 44, 155, 156 Old Haven, 16, 22 Old Town Hall, 60 Oliver, Dr., History of Grimsby, 145, 195 Byrde of Gryme, 7, 44, 59, 100, 102, 109, 113, 118, 122, 132, 248 Monumental .Antiquities, 15, 16, 18, 21, 26 Origin of Names, 2 Orme, 5 Ormesby, 5 Orwenne, 8 Oxford Parliament, 147 Patrington, 1 Parliament, The first in England, 186 Parliament Man, A Public- spirited, 173 Parliament, Long, The, 129 Passage, 65 Peaks, 17 Pedigree of the English People, 13 Pee- wit Land, 179 Pelham, Mr., 95 „ Henry, M. P., 128 ,, Sir William, 119; curious letter from, 169 Peppercome, 97, Pepy's Diary, 130 Petre, Lord, 125 Philip and Mary, 124 Picts and Scots, 30 Pilgrimage of Grace, 164 Pole, Hon. W. Westley, 197 Poll, Sir William, 56 Pontage, 65 Pontanus, 8 Porter, F., duel with, 129 PrHBtorium, 12 Proctor Saur, 149 Proportion of British and Norman Population, 32 Pyweep House, 179 Pywipe Inn, 179 Pryme, Rev. A., His Description of Grimsby, 171-172 Quarter Sessions, 58 Queen Elizabeth, 167, 172 Ralph de Mortimer, 44 Raven, Standard of the, 35 Ravenser, 80, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86 Raven srodd , dispute with G r im sby 79, 109 Rayner, Edmundus, the Deacon, 109 Recorder, 58 Reds and Blues, 192, 193 Reform Bill, 192, 197 Religious Institutions, 226 Report of Historical Manuscript Commission, 59, 241 Riby, 38 River Head, 78 River Humber, see Humber Robinson, Jabez, 199 Roman Arts, 29 Roman Civilization, advantages of, 30 Roman occupation of England, period of, 29 Roman Remains in Grimsby, 17 Romans, Retirement of, from Britain, 30 Romans, The, 24, 150 Romilius, 33 Rossitor, Colonel Edward, 125 Rowena, 33 Russel, W., 136 Russian Folk-Lore, 179 Sand Hills, 18, 27 Sandhouse, 48 Sanderson, Robert, M.P., 127 Sauntivile, a Danish Idol, wor- ship of, 43 Saxon Remains, 33 ,, Supremacy in England, 33 Saxons, The, 24, 29, 33 West, 29 Say, Lord, Clinton and, 127 Scarlett, Sir John, 117 Scartho, 34, 64, 156 Schaddewrth, Robert de, 80 Scolds, Ducking of, 103 Scope, Sir Andrew, 129 ,, ,, Thomas, 165 Scott, William, 168 Scotland Lane, 125 Scotter, 127 Scotts, 30 26o INDEX. Scropshire, William de, 111 Scymer, Robert, 165 Seaton, 19 Seals, 46 See, Sir Martin dela, 117 See, Sir John de la, 117 See, Sir Peter de la, 115-116 See, Sir Bernard de la, 116 See, Sir Stephen de la, 54, 96, 116 Secundus, an ancient merchant, 23 Seleby, Robert de, 83 Seymour Mule Bridge, 184 Shakespeare's Pear-tree, 118 ,, Sonnet, 118 Shelley, John Villiers, 213, 219 Shelley, Election, address of, 218 Sheriff, Johannes, 188 Silsbury Hill, 26, 28 Sixhills, 41 Skipwick, George, 192 Skipwith, Edward, 127 Skipworth, Captain H., 5 Skyatt, Henry, 142 Smyton, John, 165 Swallow, 110 Smyth, Antony, 95 Solway, The, 31 Spittal Garths, 54 ,, Hill, 17, 18, 52 ,, House, 52 Sports and Pastimes, 93, 108 Stang, Riding the, 105 Stallingburg, Rodger de, 82 Stallingboro, 110 Stackhouse, 25 St. Saviour's Glee, 114 Stephenson, George, 251 Sutton, Bishop Lin, 159 Storr, 41 Stone Bridge, The, 133 Storme, Richard of Ilterby, 114 Stopious, John, 141 Stockwith, 173 Stukely, Dr., 25 Stow, 34 Suffolk, 29, 39 Sweyn of Denmark, 9, 156 Tacitus, 24 Tarratt, Edward, 192 Teut, Principal Deity of Ancient Britons, 19 Terrage, 65 Tetney, 35, 37 Thanes, 61, 154 Thetford, 35 Thimoldby, John, 125 Thingsby, W., 105 Thor, 33 Thomlynson, 53 Thorneton, Gilbert de, 80 ,, Robert de, 80 Thorold, Rev. , 76 Thoresby, Robert de, 80 Thurnsco, 157 Tides, Invasion of the, 25 Timothy Turnabout, 2, 9 Toll Bar, 185 Topographer, The, 3 Toothill, 19, 20, 28 Tosti, 156 Trade in Malt, 91 Trade, Early, and Commerce, 79 92 Translaye, Patrick, 144 Treebucket, 106, 107 Trotho, King of Denmark, 8 Tumuli, 15 Turnabout Tommy, How, won a wife and an election, 201 Tyrwhith Hall, 118 ,, Sir Marmaduke, 127, 191 Sir Philip, 131 Sir Robert, 118, 127, 191 William, 127 ., Tristram, Esq., M.P., 127 Ubba, 29 Ubber or Ubbo, 35 Ulceby, 38, 168 Ulterby, 41 Valence, Sir William de, 87 Vane, Sir Henry, Junior, 126 Via Fossa, 18 Vicars, William, 140 Victorius, St., 184 Villuis, 35, 36 Virgin, Nativity of, 94 Viveesly, Phillip de, 135 Visitof Henry VIIL, 145 Voluntary Infantry, 175 Vortigen, 31, 33 Vote,^Market Value of, 195, 196, 197 INDEX. 261 Walker, George, 247 VValtham, 40, 111 Watson, John, 58 Thomas, 144 Weelsby, William de, 114 Wele, Willielmus, 113 „ Walter de, 113 ,, Richard de, 115 Welby, Adam, 136 Wellow Abbey, 17 Well's, Manor of, 95 Welldale Poll, 108 Weltongate, 144 Went worth, H., 120 Westmoreland, Earl of, 54, 137, 138, 188, 190 Wessex, 29 Whale driven on shore, 178 Wharton Molly, 201 Whitgift, Henry, 147 White Hart, 75 Wild, Rev. 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